Im in the kitchen preparing a meal for the family with just enough time to describe a little radio activity I’ve been working on. It involves listening back to talk radio programs from the end of the summer of 2001 and the leadup to 9/11. Hearing how people spoke and thought back then which is, of course, extremely familiar as I was there and these programs are from my home region. All this through the lens of what we are living through in 2024 and the ways we think and function now. Some people may not want to go back, I find it fascinating to do so.
Instead of the interview style podcasts this program has been about for almost 2 decades, today we’re back to the other great tradition of old school personal publishing — the monologue.
Janelle Ward and I were once eager grad students at the University of Amsterdam where we dove head first into the world of personal publishing before most of the world had any idea what this was or why it would matter.
20+ years later, we are communications professionals, somehow still sitting in the Netherlands, watching events unfold online and offline.
The past few months, with the growing unrest and major changes taking place at social media companies, we wonder if this is a major moment that will define the next era of personal publishing and existing online? Today we chat about what it might all mean and what we remember about how we got here.
Matthew Dons is back! And after having been diagnosed with terminal cancer over 6 years ago; that’s saying something!
Today on the program we continue to follow his story of life, not after cancer, but with cancer. Including the launch of his new online course to help combat the misinformation that has found its way into every corner of the internet. “Making Cancer History” is the course he is teaching and people around the world are taking notice!
For Trui Hanoulle it started as an interest in going places and learning about people. Over the past two decades what followed became a life’s work; to gather stories about women who dare to move even in the face of prejudice, stereotypes, and other elements of gender barriers.
Mubaraka Mohammadi, skate boarder, teacher / Afghanistan, photographed in BelgiumMahnaz Bahrami, trucker, motorbiker, musician / IranSoudabeh Baharloo, long distance busdriver / IranVenous Balouch, 12, is the only girl in Balouchistan to surf. The town of Chabahar, close to the Pakistani border in the far Southeast of Iran, is the only place with good surf waves. Remarkably, surf was introduced in Iran only in 2010, by the Irish Easkey Britton and two other Iranian women. Now most surfers are men, but Venous’ father believes firmly in his daughter’s talent and trains and supports her as much as he can. But surfing season is limited to four months only, ‘we are beginners ourselves’, says Abdulrahman. Venous should be able to go abroad and get a higher level of coaching to develop her skills and make her dream to become a professional surfer, come true.
She herself helps and coaches village kids, boys and girls, to start surfing. She is an example to many.Elke Maria Löhnerz, motorbiker, teacher / Germany
Today on the podcast Trui joins me to talk about her mission and what she has seen and learned from the back of a motorcycle across continents and within cultures that many of us do not often hear from. She has also been kind enough to share photos of her project “Move She Does” which you can see here or in your podcast app as the episode plays.
Today on the podcast we are joined by the Ukraine director of the War Childhood Museum, to hear about the work they do and how it is being impacted by the ongoing invasion.
I’d like to also inform you that if you appreciate the unique and impactful work they are doing, they could really use your help. Please go to warchildhood.org to find out how to make a monetary donation.
