Monks and Punks

Rabbi Andy Kahn leads the American Council for Judaism — one of America's oldest anti-Zionist Jewish organizations. In this conversation, we go deep: the Jubilee debt-forgiveness laws in Hebrew Scripture, the difference between the "Old Testament" and the Hebrew Bible, Netanyahu's weaponization of Amalek and the Book of Esther, and why the genocide in Gaza must be understood through a political ec...

Ross Brubeck is a Quaker activist launching an open-ended National Peace Walk across America on May 16, 2026. Starting from the Brooklyn Bridge, he has no fixed terminus — the walk may continue all year, potentially crossing the entire country, following the Spirit wherever it leads. He'll visit Quaker meetings and intentional communities along the East Coast and beyond. Ross participated in the 2...

Father John Dear has spent decades on the front lines of nonviolent resistance — arrested more than 75 times, expelled from the Jesuits, mentored by Archbishop Tutu and Thich Nhat Hanh, and now living in California. His latest book, Universal Love, distills a lifetime of activism into something simpler and more demanding than any political program: the daily, total surrender of personal will to th...

Was Jesus Gay? Andrew Springer — Post-Christian thinker, co-founder of NOTICE News, and writer of The Jesus Movement newsletter — joins Monks and Punks for a fearless conversation about Jesus, history, and the narratives institutions have fought to control. How did a prophet of radical peace become a figure invoked in the service of violence and state power? And what happens when controversial sch...

More Than a Myth: A Brain-Stimulating Look at the Historical Jesus Monks and Punks host Sander Hicks, joined by co-monk Luisa Giugliano, sits down with John J. Thatamanil—one of the most incisive theologians working today—for a sharp, accessible conversation on the historical Jesus. We explore Jesus as a movement figure, not a mythic abstraction—and why that matters now. The convers...

 Quakers With Kick
Spirit-Led Mischief for a World on Fire In this punchy, soulful episode, Sander and Quaker activist Eileen Flanagan explore how grounded spirituality, humor, and nonviolent disruption can shake the financial pillars of climate destruction. From prayerful protests at PNC Bank to peacekeeping in Philadelphia, Eileen shows how joyful, Spirit-centered resistance helps movements...

Christian Celeste Tate a/k/a “CCT!” is an anti-poverty activist, and Mamdani campaign field leader. He is the fresh new energy badly needed in AD54. CCT is a DSA-endorsed progressive Democratic Socialist candidate taking on the big money real estate interests as represented by Assemblymember Erik Dilan. In this interview, we cover the key issues of affordability for NYC. With the “volunteer army”...

Sander and Sophie have a good chat with Professor Linda Rabben, an activist anthropologist who writes about sanctuary and human rights movements. Meet and hear Linda and other great immigration rights activists this Sunday, 9/28, at a free event at the Quaker Meetinghouse, 1-4 PM. Author, anthropologist and human rights activist, Linda Rabben is the author of Sanctuary and Asylum: A Social and Pol...

Join us on Monks and Punks as we sit down with Dr. Sophie Gonick to discuss immigrant rights, sanctuary, and human rights in New York City. From historical Quaker traditions of sanctuary to modern grassroots activism, this conversation dives deep into the challenges and opportunities faced by immigrants in today’s political climate. Learn about the September 28th free event in Manhattan featuring...

Sander and Sophie cohost the episode and talk to their friend Ted Hamm about his insiders take on future NY Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and the Democratic Socialist politics on the verge of historically winning the Mayoralty in New York City. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sander Hicks makes the case Against Assemblymember Erik Dilan A Hard Look at His Record Might Inspire Someone to Primary Him For the people of Assembly District 54, the option to re-elect Erik Dilan to the Assembly, in the Primary this June of 2026, is an opportunity to look carefully at his record. If we do, we will choose instead to create something bold and new. Sander Hicks reports on the affo...

Aharon Dardik is a passionate philosophy and political science double major at Columbia University. He is an Israeli-American ex-settler, conscientious objector to the Israeli military, and nonviolent activist in the student movement against war and genocide. Fresh from his appearance on Democracy Now, and his arrest at the gates of Columbia University, Aharon Dardik is emerging as a student prote...

Sander interviews Mike Koncewicz, Nixon scholar and critic of the new "Nixon revisionism." Tricky Dick, Operation Chaos, Tom Hayden, and praise for They (who) Said No to Nixon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sander Hicks Interview with Andrew Laties, author of Rebel Bookseller, opener of 14 kickass cool bookstores, a writer, a publisher and a legendary independent bookseller. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a lively and energetic exchange, Sander interviews city councel member, Justin Brannan -about his colorful history in hard core punk runk and New York City politics They discussed the upcoming mayoral race as well as Brannan’s own race for New York City’s Comp Troller. Stand Up for integrity and against corruption, nothing could be more punk rock. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...

Interview with Jeff Korgen and Christopher Cardinale, the author and artist of a compelling new graphic novel that tells the story of the life and work of Dorothy Day. She was a radical reporter and writer who came out of the New York left of the 1920s and 30s and converted to a radical form of Christianity that did direct action to help the poor and suffering. She founded the Catholic Worker move...

Sander interviews Angela Douglas, former Mayor (Pro Tempore) of Chester, SC, and former City Council member. They cover her new book: "Breonna Taylor and Me," and reflections on the recent highlights at the DNC. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aharon Akiva Dardik is a US/Israeli student leader on the American Left. He is founder of "Jews for Ceasefire," and is President of J Street, both at Columbia University. He was active in the encampments and recent struggles against genocide, at Columbia. In recent years, he was drafted into the Israeli military to help load bombs to drop on Gaza. He went through the court-martial process, an...

Adventures with the (New) New Left: Sander Hicks speaks with author Raina Lipsitz about the new movements for serious social change. (Raina is author of the great new book, "The Rise of a New Left" from Verso.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Sander Hicks gets to talk to his old friend Logermund Nathamundi, who is founder of Kaleidoscope Community Yoga, an innovative group yoga practice. Lo will be the guest teacher at the “peaceful lake, powerful mountain” retreat happening this year in the Catskill Mountains.  www.nonviolence.works . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded live at a book event for Gospel of Peace, author John Dear, a Catholic priest and nonviolent creative resistor, speaks about his long career doing civil disobedience and Gospel studies, focussed on the nonviolence of Jesus. The new book, Gospel of Peace, is an intense reading and commentary on the traditional Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mo...

Sander Hicks takes a look back at some of the songs he has written and performed with White Collar Crime, Subterfuge Corporation, and his solo work. An overview of a creative, theatrical side of punk rock. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shawna Kenney, punk rock writer and publisher, catches up with her old friend Sander about various adventures in punk, book writing, & indie media. Includes memories of old friends, including Ian MacKaye, Fugazi, and the new news of Shawna's upcoming event at the Punk Rock Museum, Las Vegas, NV. biographical info: Shawna Kenney was raised in the Washington, DC area on a steady diet of Fugazi....

There’s a group in the Middle East that brings together Israelis and Palestinians who refuse to keep engaging in violence. They are called Combatants for Peace. They are Israeli veterans and former Palestinian fighters, who have realized that war is a real dead end. They engage in dialogue and meetings, and get connected rather than engage in more bloodshed. With all the new evidence of Gaza genoc...