The Janus Adams Show

In this wide ranging conversation, Janus Adams speaks with Felipe Zurita Quintana about his journey from a conservative upbringing in Chile and deep immersion in Mormonism—including serving a mission during California’s Prop 8 campaign— to coming out as queer, leaving the church, and dedicating his life to the work of compassion. Together, they explore how religion can both wound and heal, what it takes to reclaim one’s spiritual and moral agency, and why compassion—starting with self compassion—may be one of the most radical tools we have in today’s fractured world.

Three women click into a Zoom. OMG. Why them? Why now? Why should anyone care? All it takes is one question -- the first question, “How are you?” -- and everything we think we knew about each other can suddenly change. Who are we? How do we come to be who we are? What’s in a name? What’s in a story? What happens when we openly speak our truths? Join me for this week's episode of "The Janus Adams Show" with my guests: authors Hasna Muhammad ("BREATHE IN THE SKY: Poems, Prayers and Photographs") and Gail Straub ("HOME INSIDE THE GLOBE: Embracing Our Human Family"). In this unstructured non-interview, three women click into a Zoom and the rest is a reflection of these tense times, our lives and, perhaps, something of your own: family legacy, the strength to endure amid societal upheaval, the journey of reclaiming identity, the art of holding space for complexity. Traveling the globe through our shared stories, we explore history (up close and personal), current events, justice, injustice, sorrow, and joy. Reading to and for each other, the conversation delivers a timely blueprint for courageous connection. GUESTS - Hasna Muhammad, author, “BREATHE IN THE SKY: Poems, Prayers, and Photographs” website: BirthmarkMedia.com https://www.birthmarkmedia.com/ - Gail Straub, author, “HOME INSIDE THE GLOBE: Embracing the Human Family” website: GailStraub.com https://gailstraub.com/ THEMES - Facing challenging times with hope and solidarity - The meaning and reclamation of identity and legacy - Generational wisdom, vulnerability, and mutual encouragement - Navigating and healing divisions—personal, social, historical - The restorative power of storytelling, poetry, and community MOMENTS YOU'LL WANT TO EXPERIENCE FOR YOURSELF "I am well, I am strong ... There are people around the world, especially those in the war-torn areas, who are starving and dying and bleeding, and they cannot be strong. But I have the opportunity to be strong. ... We must each have our own set of skills, our own ideals and desire to move forward." — Hasna Muhammad [0:04:49] "I read an article recently about prisoners of war and how they maintain hope in those dire circumstances. A key thing they found was this paradox of fully facing how bad It is and simultaneously, equally at the same time, knowing that they'll get through this. I'm wanting to do that. [But] it's not hope, because that's a complicated word." — Gail Straub [0:08:40] "I admit to feeling conflicted. I have a friends who are packing up to leave the country, something I completely understand. On the other hand, I'm the granddaughter of four immigrants, three of whom left relatively privileged circumstances to emigrate to America. Two came with their young children. Two met here. I would not exist had they not dared sacrifice their all and make possible my life. " — Janus Adams [0:13:10] Learn more at JanusAdams.com https://www.janusadams.com/

HARRIET TUBMAN'S WAY - Spring Washam by Janus Adams

In a world often divided by borders, beliefs, and differences, Gail Straub offers a transformative vision of human connection. Author of "Home Inside the Globe: Embracing Our Human Family," Straub takes us on a remarkable journey from her childhood in Delaware to empowering women across Africa, India, and the Middle East.

Gail Straub, HOME INSIDE THE GLOBE (Promo) by Janus Adams

What must we do to fortify our sons (and our daughters); to teach them not just how to survive but to thrive; to save their righteous minds, bodies and spirits? This week's show: RAISING BLACK BOYS IN TOUCH TIMES with our guests, MaryAnne Howland, author of "WARRIOR RISING: How Four Men Helped a Boy on His Journey to Manhood," and Raymond Winbush, PhD, author of "THE WARRIOR METHOD: A Parents' Guide to Rearing Healthy Black Boys."

At a time when the entire world is in turmoil and the brink of chaos seems not far off, what does it take to right the world—to right the world order to balance. Are these very goals—balance, world order—the root of the problem Ambassadar Stuart E. Eizenstat, veteran U.S. diplomat, member of the Carter and Clinton administrations, former ambassador to the European Union, is this week's guest.. His new book is: THE ART OF DIPLOMACY: How American Negotiators Reached Historic Agreements. Ambassador Eizenstat (retired) was appointed by President Joe Biden to chair the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Council.

In this special broadcast, FarmArts Collective--an Agri/Cultural Center at Willow Wisp Organic Farm in Damascus, PA--discusses its second annual Juneteenth celebration. Guests: Tasa Faronii, Robin Grey Wolf Henderson, Adrienne Jensen, Faye Kaiser-Valdera, G. Oliver King, and FarmArts founder, Tannis Kowalchuk. Special thanks to Radio Catskill Program Director Jason Dole.

As an artist, Christina Hunt Wood is known for her paintings and printmaking; her “Human Nature” series which merges photography with clay imprints; her “Landscapes” of discarded "road soda" litter; her “Living Archive Project” which rethinks rural tradition through the lens of inclusive representation; and such video project installations as Untitled Interactions, the Manual Project? So, what made her―a Black artist―decide to photograph herself as in blackface? Christina Hunt Wood is this week’s guest on “The Janus Adams Show.”

Two elite swimmers (Ann Smith, 82, and Madeline Murphy Rabb, 76) journey to the National Senior Games. TEAM DREAM--a serious contender in the run-up to awards season, this little star of a film flares with unexpected brilliance; capturing imaginations and challenging long-standing assumptions about Black people, swimming, history, current realities, the surprising facts of life (and death), and joy—“Black joy.” Guests: athletes Rabb and Smith, filmmaker Luchina Fisher, and historian Kevin Dawson. This documentary short, TEAM DREAM, was made possible by the Queen Collective—an initiative begun by executive producers Queen Latifah and Procter & Gamble. Their mission: to create opportunities for women filmmakers of color to tell their stories by providing access to mentorship, production support, and distribution. The film was featured at the Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival.

What does it do to you when someone you love is ripped from the family, charged with a crime, wrongfully incarcerated, and – after nearly 25 years, continues to serve a life sentence without the possibility of parole in the infamous Angola prison – a national disgrace – despite evidence of his innocence, and still protesting his innocence? Deborah G. Plant, author of the book OF GREED AND GLORY: IN PURSUIT OF FREEDOM FOR ALL is my guest today. Informed by her own personal experience . . . armed with her skills as a scholar, author, and literary critic with a masters and doctorate in English . . . YES, this story could happen to anyone, and has too often happened to too many African-American Everymans and Everywomans Deborah Plant takes moments that can bring you to your knees and gives us a book to bring us to our senses; to a knowledge of what is being done to thousands of people in our name as American citizens. We close this episode with a profile of Angola Prison, the infamous Louisiana State Penitentiary located on the site of 8,000-acre Angola Plantation—so named for the homeland of people enslaved there. Clint Smith travelled to the prison to research his #1 New York Times bestseller, "HOW THE WORD IS PASSED: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America." He spoke about Angola during his visit to the show in 2021.

Nicole Franklin and Bryant Monteilh are the producers and co-hosts of an extraordinary podcast series, BEFORE YOU GO. Lurking in the background of that title is the taboo subject of death. But, “Before You Go” is, without question, about life. In on-site interviews, here are stories about life and living from the vantage of those who know more about the subject than most of us ever will—centenarians, people who've achieved or are nearing their 100th birthdays. What do they have to tell us about living long and living well? What would you want to pass on as your stories of a lifetime? BEFORE YOU GO: a 100-year old piano teacher with a current roster of 90 students; a Negro Leagues baseball player turned NASA scientist. It’s really quite a show.

Coming up on THE JANUS ADAMS SHOW, "Before You Go"--centarians tell stories of a lifetime. Guests: Producers and Co-Hosts, Nicole Franklin and Bryant Monteilh.

SCHOLARS & SCHOLARSHIP. Guests: Diana Hernandez & Sheila Walker by Janus Adams

For four decades, Ramon Hervey II has been a manager and publicist to some of the entertainment industry's most famous talents. Quincy Jones, Bette Midler, Richard Pryor, Vanessa Williams and Muhammad Ali!! All have sought his counsel in confidence. He's also the executive producer who brought us the Peabody award-winning documentary, "Chisholm 72, Unbought and Unbossed." But, what is FAME and why does something as elusive as fame so dominate our media and mental space? Now, to his credits and our rescue comes his book, "THE FAME GAME: An Insider’s Playbook for Earning Your 15 Minutes.”

“I see joy is a form of resistance. I see it as a source of power, because it's how we continue to stand on our two feet. Even when we're knocked down, we find that power and a lot of that power is sourced through joy that we create. And the reason why I say that joy is power is because when so much is being stripped of our rights of our voices and all of that. We choose to embody joy, that's a form of taking back our power.” When Pamela Larde, takes to the air for her talk show and podcast, she's known as “The Joy Whisperer.” Dr. Pamela Larde, PhD, is also Associate Professor of Leadership and Director of Education at the Institute of Coaching, McLean/Harvard Medical School, Founder of the Academy of Creative Coaching & Tandem Light Press, Joy researcher, mom, and our guest on this week’s show. Website: www.JanusAdams.com

He’s the New York Times bestselling author of "The Black Friend." A mover and maker, he made the Forbes “30 Under 30” list as Founder of “We Have Stories,” which provides free support to marginalized storytellers and organizations that shift cultural bias toward full inclusion. His #RentRelief campaign—a COVID19 support effort—raised more than $2 million dollars in aid. He created the largest ever GoFundMe campaign: #BlackPantherChallenge; raising over $950,000 and allowing 75,000 children worldwide to see the Black Panther film for free. He's Frederick Joseph, author of the book, PATRIARCHY BLUES, and my guest on this episode of The Janus Adams Show.

As the Israel-Hamas War evolves, what is the role of journalists and historians in deciphering the crisis? As professionals, they are trained to be well-researched, well-sourced, “objective,” and to cover “both sides” of a debate. But, what of context? That’s the question when journalist Laura Flanders joins Janus Adams for a rare conversation of this scope and magnitude by two veteran women journalists: one British-American and White, the other Afri-Caribbean-American and Black; both wary of answers, knowing that what the situation calls for is questions—not to mention: critical thinking. Laura Flanders is the Host and Executive Producer of "The Laura Flanders Show," which airs on PBS stations nationwide. She is an Izzy-Award winning independent journalist, a New York Times bestselling author, and the recipient of the Pat Mitchell Lifetime Achievement Award from the Women’s Media Center.

LAURA FLANDERS, Setting the Clock by Janus Adams

Chloe Dulce Louvouezo, author and podcaster, brings us her "undertaking of the heart"―a book so needed and so right for these times, "LIFE, I SWEAR: Intimate Stories from Black Women on Identity, Healing, and Self-Trust." With this interview, Chloe gifts us "the irony, the challenge, the faith, the resilience, the sweet manifestation, the ugly chaos, and the calm―all the ebbs and flows that frame how we experience and interpret this life." And, what a life it is―and has been―for African American women!