A noteworthy Podcast
I pick podcasts for stories that are inspiring and make me question what I think I know about the world.
Season 2 of “Human Powered” by Wisconsin Humanities delivers on all counts for me. Wisconsin Humanities is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization established in 1972 as an independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Dasha Kelly Hamilton (writer, performance artist and creative change agent) with her lyrical, warm and inviting voice joins Adam Carr (storyteller, artist filmmaker and public historian) in talking with people who have been impacted by Wisconsin prisons and the role storytelling, poetry and humanities play in our search for meaning and understanding.
The three episodes feature poetry and storytelling from people inside and outside Wisconsin prisons. Each episode takes listeners into a different project or effort to build bridges through humanities to overcome the dehumanization of incarceration. Online there’s even episode extras. And what masterful storytellers Kelly Hamilton, Carr and their guests prove to be. Thankfully, I started listening on a Saturday morning and had the time to just keep going — I just wanted to hear more.
As Kelly Hamilton leads us through a poetry workshop at the Oakhill Correctional Institution in the first episode (including sharing her prompts so we can write along), she calls on us to lean into curiosity to find our humanity. She argues that storytelling and poetry bring out our capacity for civic involvement and change and challenges us and workshop participants to find courage in our own unique relationship with words. With each episode her argument is proven, and the podcast’s featured artists share their courage and learning.
You can find the podcast on all platforms or listen online here.
Submitted by Susan Ramspacher