A Bend in the Road

"Being brave is not a singular occurrence; it’s a journey that we can choose to undertake every day. " - How We Learn to Be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith and Life, 

In June of 2020, with the eyes of the world watching and the ears of the world listening,  Bishop Mariann Budde had the courage to speak up about the mistreatment of protestors at the hands of the police and the misuse of St. John's Church in Washington D.C.  Her experience during that time, and the days and weeks that followed, led her to write How We Learn to be Brave.

As the ninth bishop of Washington, Bishop Budde is the spiritual leader for 86 Episcopal congregations and ten Episcopal schools in the District of Columbia and four Maryland counties. She is also the first woman elected to this position. Join Roberta as she talks to Bishop Budde about that seminal moment in 2020, courage and faith, and a little bit of Eleanor Roosevelt to round things out.

Things we talked about in this episode:

Episcopal Diocese of Washington
How to Be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith and Life
Eleanor Roosevelt: The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum

Episode Credits

• Clips featured are copyright FDR Library and CNN.
• A Bend in the Road is written, hosted, edited, and produced by Roberta Panjwani and created by Roberta Panjwani and Diane Sims
• Our Assistant Producer and Editor for this episode is Elias Rosner
• Our Technical Directors and Audio Engineers are Charles Gallo and Elias Rosner
• Original Music is written and performed by Diane Sims
• Our Digital Media producer is Elias Rosner 
• Logo and Website created by Parker Gaidimas
• Our thanks to Bishop Mariann Budde for being with us today.
• You can find How We Learn to Be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith and Life wherever you get your books. For  more information about all of Bishop Budde’s writings and work, please visit the Episcopal Diocese of Washington at edow.org.

Take a trip to the Pacific Northwest with Roberta to experience the epic return of the legendary musician Joni Mitchell during Brandi Carlile’s “Echoes through the Canyon” weekend at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington State. Roberta talks with concertgoers who traveled across the country—and the world–about the impact that Joni and music has played in their lives. We hear many remarkable moments from the June 9 & 10, 2023 shows featuring Joni, Brandi, Sarah McLachlan, Annie Lennox, Marcus Mumford and many more. Highlights include “A Case of Blue,” “Big Yellow Taxi,” “Both Sides Now,” and “The Circle Game.”

Things we talked about in this episode:
Gorge Amphitheatre
Joni Mitchell at Newport CD featuring the Joni Jam

The Musicians
Joni Mitchell
Brandi Carlile
Annie Lennox
Sarah McLachlan
Marcus Mumford
Allison Russell
Lucius
Taylor Goldsmith
Blake Mills
Celisse Henderson
Wendy & Lisa
Ben Lusher
Tim Hanseroth
Phil Hanseroth
Rick Whitfield
Josh Neumann

Episode Credits

• A Bend in the Road is written, hosted and produced by Roberta Panjwani and created by Roberta Panjwani and Diane Sims.
• Our Editor for this episode is Roberta Panjwani with consultation from Diane Sims and additional edits from Elias Rosner.
• Our Technical Directors and Audio Engineers are Charles Gallo and Elias Rosner.
• Our Digital Media producer is Elias Rosner.
• Logo and Website created by Parker Gaidimas.
• Original Music is written and performed by Diane Sims.
• Special thanks to the Gorge Amphitheatre, Joni Mitchell, Brandi Carlile, Annie Lennox, Sarah McLachlan, Marcus Mumford and all of the musicians featured in this episode.
• Additional thanks to Greg Raj, Kelly, Ellen and everyone who shared their experiences. And to Andrea–this episode is for you.

Felicia Eve has been everything: a podiatrist, a stay at home mom, a fundraising consultant, and, currently, a business owner as the CEO and founder of String Thing Studio, a yarn shop in Brooklyn. Join Felicia as she sits down with host Roberta and shares her stories on life, loss, and most importantly, yarn.

Things we Discussed in the Episode:

String Thing Studio

Felicia on Now This News

Keep a Child Alive

Episode Credits

• A Bend in the Road is written, hosted and produced by Roberta Panjwani and created by Roberta Panjwani and Diane Sims.
• Our Assistant Producer and Editor for this episode is Olivia Esteban.
• Our Technical Directors and Audio Engineers are Charles Gallo and Elias Rosner.
• Our Digital Media producers are Elias Rosner and Olivia Esteban.
• Logo and Website created by Parker Gaidimas.
• Original Music is written and performed by Diane Sims.
• Special thanks to Felicia and Parker for being with us today.

Have you ever thought about sneezing on Larry King? Well, if you have, then you and Ben Greenman have that in common. Join Roberta Panjwani as she interviews Ben about some of his work and his forays into almost becoming a doctor. For the unfamiliar, Ben Greenman is the New York Times bestselling author of The Slippage and Superbad and the former longtime editor for The New Yorker. Not content to only do that, he’s also Questlove’s long-time collaborator and has written memoirs with George Clinton and Brian Wilson as well.

Things we Discussed in the Episode:

Ben’s Books

Ben in the New Yorker

Ben in the New York Times

Interview with Questlove and George Clinton

Prince Interview

Episode Credits

• A Bend in the Road is written, hosted and produced by Roberta Panjwani and created by Roberta Panjwani and Diane Sims.
• Our Assistant Producer and Editor for this episode is Olivia Esteban.
• Our Technical Directors and Audio Engineers are Charles Gallo and Elias Rosner.
• Our Digital Media producers are Elias Rosner and Olivia Esteban.
• Logo and Website created by Parker Gaidimas.
• Original Music is written and performed by Diane Sims.
• Special thanks to Ben for being with us today.

You know Oprah? Yeah. That Oprah. We don’t have Oprah but we do have the next best thing. Leigh Haber is the editor and former Vice President of Book at O magazine. Join us as she joins host Roberta Panjwani on a deep dive into Leigh’s role as Director of Oprah’s Book Club, what it’s like to interview writers (or as she calls them, Rock Stars) and the power of books to make change and do good in the world. 

Things we Discussed In the Episode:

Oprah's Book Club

Colum McCann Interview

Diana Gabaldon Interview

You Are Here by Karen Lin-Greenberg

Victory City by Salman Rushdie

Salman Rushdie New Yorker Article

Dances by Nicole Cuffy

A Small Sacrifice for Enormous Happiness by Jai Chakrabarti

Episode Credits:
Special thanks to Leigh for being with us today.

A Bend in the Road is written, hosted and produced by Roberta Panjwani and created by Roberta Panjwani and Diane Sims.

Our Associate Producer and Editor for this episode is Olivia Esteban with additional edits by Elias Rosner.

Our Technical Directors and Audio Engineers are Charles Gallo and Elias Rosner.

Our Digital Media producers are Elias Rosner and Olivia Esteban.

Logo and Website created by Parker Gaidimas.

Original Music is written and performed by Diane Sims.

What do you want to do? Who do you want to be? These are the questions that Tony Award winning actor Robert Sean Leonard grapples with. Join him and Roberta as they talk about his work as an actor and some of the artists he’s collaborated with. Wondering why that name sounds familiar? You might recognize Robert as Neil Perry from Dead Poets Society, Dr. James Wilson in House MD, or onstage as Edmund on O’Neill’s A Long Day's Journey Into Night.

Things we Discussed in the Episode:

Dead Poets Society
House M.D.
The Invention of Love
Arcadia
Long Day’s Journey Into Night
The Gilded Age

Episode Credits

• A Bend in the Road is written, hosted and produced by Roberta Panjwani and created by Roberta Panjwani and Diane Sims.
• Our Assistant Producer and Editor for this episode is Olivia Esteban.
• Our Technical Directors and Audio Engineers are Charles Gallo and Elias Rosner.
• Our Digital Media producers are Elias Rosner and Olivia Esteban.
• Logo and Website created by Parker Gaidimas.
• Original Music is written and performed by Diane Sims.
• Special thanks to Robert for being with us today.

Hot off the release of her latest standup comedy special, Plant Based Jokes, comedian and podcast host Ophira Eisenberg joins Roberta to discuss what it’s like to tell stories at The Moth, the riskiness involved with audience interactions, and how storytelling has changed since the pandemic. Ophira is currently the host of the podcast Parenting Is A Joke and as well as hosting the now-concluded Ask Me Another, NPR’s comedy trivia show, with Jonathan Coulter for 9 years.

Things we Discussed in the Episode:

Ophira’s Website: www.ophiraeisenberg.com 

Plant Based Jokes: https://800pgr.lnk.to/PlantBasedJokesID

Parenting Is A Joke: https://link.chtbl.com/PIAJ

Ophira on the Moth: https://themoth.org/search/results?q=ophira

NPR’s Ask Me Another: https://www.npr.org/programs/ask-me-another/ 

Episode Credits

• A Bend in the Road is written, hosted and produced by Roberta Panjwani and created by Roberta Panjwani and Diane Sims
• Our Assistant Producer and Editor for this episode is Olivia Esteban
• Our Technical Directors and Audio Engineers are Charles Gallo and Elias Rosner
• Our Digital Media producers are Elias Rosner and Olivia Esteban
• Logo and Website created by Parker Gaidimas
• Original Music is written and performed by Diane Sims
• Special thanks to Ophira for being with us today

Best-selling author Sarah Weinman loves true crime and loves wondering why we all love true crime. Her books probe these questions and more, bolstered by impeccable research, immensely readable prose and, at the heart of the story, the desire to present the humanity of the subjects, not the perpetrators, of the crimes. Join Roberta as she talks with Sarah from her home in Brooklyn about her books The Real Lolita, Scoundrel, & Women Crime Writers of the 1940 & 1950s and the reasons why we are all so obsessed with true crime.

Things discussed in the episode:
Sarah Weinman’s Website
Serial Podcast
New York Times Crime Column
Etan Patz Case
Firing Line with William F. Buckley Jr.: “The Edgar Smith Story: Part I,” Firing Line broadcast records, Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Program S0029
Dorothy B. Hughes- In A Lonely Place (Amazon)
Crime Reads Article: "In A Lonely Place and Postwar America"
Robin Gigl
Stephen Spotswood
Danya Kukafka

Episode Credits:

• A Bend in the Road is written, hosted and produced by Roberta Panjwani and created by Roberta Panjwani and Diane Sims
• Our Assistant Producer is me, Elias Rosner 
• Our Technical Directors and Audio Engineers are Charles Gallo and Elias Rosner
• Our Editor is Elias Rosner 
• Our Digital Media producers are Elias Rosner and Olivia Esteban
• Logo and Website created by Parker Gaidimas
• Original Music is written and performed by Diane Sims
• The clip from Firing Line with William F. Buckley is copyrighted by the Hoover Institution.
• Special thanks to Sarah for being with us today.
• Transition music via https://www.FesliyanStudios.com

When one shares a story, they can become a part of a healing and empowering experience. Stories are powerful - cathartic, emotive, and full of truths, hidden or not - and our guests this week know that quite well. Nina is a life coach and the author of a new book Creek Music: What a Year in the Woods Taught Me About Seasons, Surrender and Joy. Her son Noah Taylor is a 28 year old café manager, storyteller and an aspiring writer. They are frequent performers at the The Moth StorySLAMS in Philly. Join host Roberta Panjwani as she talks with them about their experiences on the stage, how they got there, and the life events that shaped what they tell and how they tell it.

Links for things discussed in the episode:
Nina Groop's Website
The Moth

Episode Credits:

• A Bend in the Road is written, hosted and produced by Roberta Panjwani and created by Roberta Panjwani and Diane Sims
• Our Assistant Producer is me, Elias Rosner 
• Our Technical Directors and Audio Engineers are Charles Gallo and Elias Rosner
• Our Editor is Elias Rosner 
• Original Music is written and performed by Diane Sims
• Our Digital Media producers are Elias Rosner and Sabrina Garcia 
• Logo and Website created by Parker Gaidimas
• The excerpt you heard at the beginning of the episode is from Nina's new book: Creek Music: What a Year in the Woods Taught Me about Seasons, Surrender & Joy.

Director Maite Alberdi had a great idea for a new film, one that merged her love of film noir with documentaries, so she began working as an assistant to a Chilean private eye. But when the lead detective broke his hip before filming, she wound up making a very different film - a film that earned her a nomination for a 2021 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Join Roberta as she sits down with Maite to discuss The Mole Agent, filmmaking and the importance of community during any season of life.

Links for things discussed in the episode:
Micromundo Productions
Maite and The Mole Agent
Maite’s new project: The Eternal Memory

Episode Credits:

• A Bend in the Road is written, hosted and produced by Roberta Panjwani and created by Roberta Panjwani and Diane Sims.
• Consulting for this episode done by Diane Sims.
• Our Assistant Producer is Elias Rosner.
• Our Technical Directors and Audio Engineers are Charles Gallo and Elias Rosner.
• Our Editor is Elias Rosner.
• Original Music is written and performed by Diane Sims.
• Our Digital Media producers are Elias Rosner and Sabrina Garcia.
• Logo and website created by Parker Gaidimas.
• We are grateful to Maite Alberdi and Daniela Sandoval and to Micromundo Productions for permission to include audio clips from The Mole Agent.
• Original music from The Mole Agent composed by Vincent Van Warmerdam. Additional music composed by Jose Luis Perales ["Te Quiero"]