With Good Reason

A new one-woman show tells the story of Virginia’s history through the eyes of ten audacious women. From the Civil War to the Harlem Renaissance to the Civil Rights movement, Morgan Avery McCoy Harris is using her Rosel Schewel Fellowship to embody the voices and memories of trailblazers. Later in the show: Jennifer Putzi is working with diaries that give us insight into the daily lives–and major...

From Marian Anderson’s 1939 concert at the Lincoln Memorial to Marvin Gaye singing the National Anthem at the NBA Finals, the theme of patriotism can be heard throughout African American music. Benjamin Ross offers selections from this rich musical heritage. Also: Ann Petry’s The Street, published in 1946, was the first million-selling novel by an African American author. Keith Clark says Petry de...

In 1976, the Bikecentennial became the first organized bike tour across the U.S. Around 4,000 bicyclists pedaled to celebrate the Bicentennial, or America’s 200th anniversary. Tom Ewing breaks down the spirit of the Bikecentennial, its grassroots nature, and lessons to be learned for America’s upcoming 250th celebration. Later in the show: At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, 87 enslaved peo...

For nearly a century the National Park Service would tell you all about the civil war battles and tactics, but meticulously avoided the most explosive word in the American lexicon: Slavery. Former National Park Service Chief Historian Dwight Picaithley says that all changed in 1998, triggering thousands of protest letters and political threats. Later in the show: At the start of the Civil War, Fre...

A cold, dark summer in 1816 brought an extraordinary group of young writers together on the shores of Lake Geneva—including an eighteen-year-old Mary Shelley. Andrew Stauffer tells the story of that summer and the conversations, dreams, and climate catastrophe that created Frankenstein’s magic. Later in the show: Goliath might be the most famous giant from the Bible, but he’s not the only one. Pau...

George Tzamaras fancies himself as a “connoisseur of fine dad jokes.” I have him rate a few of my own dad jokes as a rite of passage as I start my journey into fatherhood. His new book is called It’s Dad Joke Friday: The Collection (2018-2025). Also: Being a dad is a huge responsibility. And as my wife and I get closer to our due date, I’m starting to feel the nerves kicking in. I sat down with Sa...

I’ll admit it, I’m not very good at dealing with conflict. In fact, I’d rather avoid conflict altogether than tackle it head on. It’s not something I really love about myself. So I sat down with Emily Gerst to learn how to do conflict better and maybe even overcome my conflict avoidant ways. Later in the show: Mongolia, China, Israel, Cambodia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and even the United Nati...

A life steeped in literature fueled the rise of the nation’s first Muslim woman elected to a statewide office. Ghazala Hashmi discusses the power of storytelling and why she believes a well-worn novel is her secret weapon for navigating the high-stakes drama of government. Later in the show: James Baldwin’s writings challenge the traditional democratic narrative. Pamela Reed discusses Baldwin’s vi...

Teacher's Pet by With Good Reason

It’s time for our annual summer reading recommendation round-up! From a book that traces the Cold War history of our “Made in China” goods, to a witchy novel about an old woman in the woods, we’ve got suggestions for every kind of summer. We even threw in a few podcast recs! You’ll hear from Megan Doney on reading translated fiction and Austin Jersild on international history. Later in the show: M...

If you’re looking for new music, you might turn to youtube, spotify, social media–basically, the internet. In Cuba, internet access is so limited that music is passed through a USB network called Sneakernet. Mike Levine explains how Sneakernet helps spread the rhythms–and politics–of reparto music. And: What does it sound like when trees sing? Or rocks? Or city waterworks? Sara Bouchard is a sound...

There’re over 10,000 active satellites orbiting Earth. And they do more than just power our phones and GPS, they’re giving us a whole new perspective on who we are. Dan Runfola sifts through countless satellite images to learn more about our human footprint and the evolution of society. And: Michael Shingledecker uses the James Webb Space Telescope to study ice layers that freeze in clouds of star...

In the German novel “I’m Your Man” a couples therapist and her robot partner Tom explore the limits of post-human love. Holly Yanacek wrote the English translation of the novel about what happens when our perfect partner is a machine. And: An after-school philosophy club has elementary school children discussing deep ideas with undergrads. Anne van Leeuwen says readings of Frog and Toad and Shel S...

LEGO used to be just for kids. But with the help of the COVID-19 pandemic and plain old burnout, many adults have returned to LEGO. They’ve even got a cool acronym – AFOL. It stands for Adult Fans of Lego. Andi Smith says it’s a hands-on, screen-free way to shut your brain off and create. In Andi’s architecture classes, students use LEGO to build everything from model playgrounds to mausoleums. No...

What makes a court a court? Most people might answer something like this: there’s a judge with legal training who makes a judgment, and if you don’t follow their judgment, you get punished. David Law says, actually, none of that is required for a court. That’s how the American courts work, but all over the world there are courts that operate very differently. And: The Upper Mattaponi tribe in Virg...

Historically Black Colleges and Universities are powerful American institutions. Cheryl Mango and Lisa Winn Bryan explore the culture, currency, and legacy of HBCUs. Later in the show: Canonical works like Huckleberry Finn or The Tempest are still read in English classes across the country–but whose voice is missing from these works? Margaret Cox explores how writers like Percival Everett and Eliz...

Dogs have co-evolved with humans for thousands of years. They’re uniquely adapted to us. It’s why our dogs are more than pets, they’re family! Tanya Mitropoulos studies how dogs can pick up on our workplace stress. Also: If you’re online too much like me, you’ve probably heard of the phrase “Sunday scaries.” But for experts like Molly Sloan, it’s known as affective rumination - or the act of dwell...

In the world of literary tourism, the Brontë Parsonage Museum in the Yorkshire moors is a heavy hitter. Alison Booth says this small stone house in the town of Haworth served as the creative crucible for Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. Also: A king’s rage and a murder that changed history. John Adrian dives into the medieval crime scene of Canterbury Cathedral and the centuries of pilgrimage it s...

Democratic constitutions are social contracts. And sometimes, what’s on the page is more stunning than what comes to life. Mila Versteeg says that citizens are the ultimate constitutional enforcers. They have to make it expensive for a government to break the social contract. Later in the show: Riddle me this: What’s the first thing that a K-12 principal does in the morning? They decide which law...

In fascist Italy, resistance took surprising forms. Maura Hametz shares the story of one woman who stood up to the regime–by refusing to change her name. And: Numbers of Black women legislators have increased dramatically in the last decade. Jatia Wrighten argues that the success and drive of these leaders is rooted deep in history. Later in the show: Joan of Arc wasn’t the only medieval woman to...

Einstein theorized the existence of black holes. Then in the 1960’s we observed them for the first time. Anca Constantin says black holes occur throughout the universe, but we can only see the hungry ones. Also: Mool Gupta was in grad school for Apollo 11 in 1969. He watched with wonder as Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon. Now he’s partnering with NASA in the Artemis program - a series of m...

George Newman, born to free Black parents in 1855, was only 21 or 22 when he wrote the novel, A Miserable Revenge: A Story of Life in Virginia. Newman’s granddaughter, Ruth Toliver, talks about the just-published novel with Virginia Humanities Center for the Book director Kalela Williams. Also: Mollie Godfrey and Brooks Hefner helped bring Newman’s fascinating novel into digital and print publicat...

Lucille Clifton survived cancer four times. She maintained that her mother would not let her die until she had finished her work on Earth. That work? Writing poetry. A year before she passed away, Lucille Clifton was honored at the Furious Flower Poetry Conference at James Madison University where she spoke to With Good Reason’s Sarah McConnell about inheriting her mother’s rage and commitment to...

Join us as we bring two nationally renowned Black poets conversation with a new generation of Black poets. This episode features former Virginia Poet Laureate and Old Dominion University poetry professor Tim Seibles talking with rising poetry star Ariana Benson about alien life, good grammar, and the dreams of Langston Hughes.  Later in the show: Poets Elizabeth Alexander and Nicole Sealey discus...

Faedah Totah is a walker. So when she traveled to Damascus, Syria in the 2000’s, she ditched the car and sauntered the streets to really take in the beauty of the old city. She soon came across a neighborhood that sparked her forthcoming book, Palestinian Refugees in the Old City of Damascus. Also: The report card is out for America’s stormwater infrastructure. Spoiler alert: it’s a grade that pro...