Closer Than They Appear

Carvell Wallace and his young daughter talk about how scary it is to confront a bear. Season 1 starts November 15, 2017. 

Who or what is in your own past right now that you need to face, but aren’t facing — and why not? Host Carvell Wallace has a theory that maybe this whole nation is just 320 million people who all need to talk with someone they're afraid to talk to. He certainly needs to do that himself. Actor Mahershala Ali joins Carvell to talk about family, America, and grace.

Carvell Wallace turns to Shereen Marisol Meraji from NPR's Code Switch to ask: How can we come together as a country when it seems like so many things are working to keep us apart? Thanksgiving is one of the only days of the year when a lot of us - literally, physically - have to come together with people we might not agree with, whether we want to or not. It's the quintessential American holiday. So who are the quintessential Americans?

Going out and talking to people is a little thing, but it's also a big thing. Especially if those people are different from you, or might not like you, or might even reject you. Carvell Wallace talks to someone who's doing just that. Dr. Ayaz Virji is the town doctor in the 1400-person town of Dawson, Minnesota. He, his wife, and their three children are the only Muslim family in Dawson. The 2016 election changed how he saw his neighbors — so he started talking.

Carvell Wallace goes to his hometown of McKeesport, PA and it's like visiting a small town... but it's also like visiting the remaining survivors of an apocalypse. Carvell talks with his childhood friend, Shamrace Mims. Decades ago, they rode bikes and played Atari. They sat on porches in the late afternoon, throwing rocks and talking rap crews and Transformers. That was of course until Carvell moved. The town changed. And Carvell's path and Shamrace's path... they diverged.

Do you love America? No, seriously, Carvell Wallace wants to know: do you love America? Today, he talks with Van Jones and Rabia Chaudry about love. Love for our country, love for the complicated humans in our lives, and love for ourselves. Together, they also explore power, specifically political power, and whether or not we can pursue political power with love.

How do you stand against evil, but not the evildoer? How do you go to war for what's right with love for the people you're fighting? Carvell Wallace talks with legendary civil rights lawyer and activist Eva Paterson. And at long last, he also reconnects with his Aunt Bea — the white woman who partially raised him — for the first time in nearly 20 years.

How do you feel about the future? Do you feel hopeful? Do you feel scared? Can we move forward together as a country? In our Season 1 finale, Carvell Wallace reflects on his journey, connects with his kids about their vision for the future, and gathers insight from Alexis Frank, a 27-year old army veteran who wants to make political change.

Carvell will be onstage with Antique Naked Soul at SXSW in Austin, TX on Wednesday, March 14, 5-6pm CT. Can’t be there in person? Listen in on TuneIn LIVE. PLUS: subscribe to Jetty’s newest show, Game of Our Lives.

Carvell and Antique Naked Soul went to SXSW last week to perform the show live on stage, and talk about their music, its role in the public sphere, and why musicians and podcasters should always work together.

Carvell went to Seattle to record a live episode of the show with visual artist Sondra Perry. They looked at images from her exhibit, “Eclogue for [in]HABITABILITY,” and talked about race, displacement, survival, and overcoming the limits of our imagination. Thank you to the Seattle Art Museum for inviting us!