In our first Star Crossed Story Time, Morgan Ellis and Andy Munich tell the story of their wuxia-inspired romance between members of the Xiaolin and Wudang schools.

Joanne talks about the letters that flooded into FDR’s Whitehouse and how historians reach the public using social media. Also, Justin Reid, director of African American programs at Virginia Humanities, reflects on his family’s experience of slavery.

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Dungeon World co-designer and game streamer Adam Koebel shares insight on the relationship between design and play, and the future of streaming and game publishing.

In 2015, Fox News host Bill O’Reilly challenged Univision journalist Jorge Ramos on his role as a voice for Latinos in America. In an interview with the reporter on the O’Reilly Factor, he called Ramos “an advocate for people who enter the U.S.A. illegally.”

In recent decades, however, more journalists have vocally advocated for underrepresented communities. Websites like the theGrio.com are unapologetic about finding stories the mainstream media aren’t picking up. 

On this episode, Nathan, Joanne, and Brian look at the deep roots of advocacy in journalism. They’ll also explore the recent origins of objectivity and debate the duty of the Fourth Estate.

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Game designer and graphic artist John Harper shares his journey with Blades in the Dark, and with designing and iterating over a long and storied career in independent publishing. (You know, long in RPG years.)

As the opioid epidemic continues, Surgeon General Dr. Jerome M. Adams said this week that Americans should carry and learn to use naloxone, an overdose antidote. In this episode, Nathan, Ed and Brian look at America's long history with opioids - like opium, morphine and heroin. They’ll discuss how late 19th century doctors spurred the nation’s first addiction crisis and how race and class have shaped our perception of addicts and addiction.

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Liz Chaipraditkul, independent publisher and designer of WITCH: Fated Souls, gives us the low down on working freelance, working for yourself, and navigating this wacky thing we call the tabletop RPG industry. (Remember: hire a proofreader!)

Civil rights leader Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated 50 years ago. Today he is celebrated as an American hero and championed in children’s books and inspirational posters. But have Americans lost sight of the real MLK?

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On this St. Patrick’s Day special, Brian, Joanne and Nathan explore Irish American culture and identity. 

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Game designer and interactive media writer Clio Yun-su Davis talks podcasting, immersive theatre, and the beauty of K-Pop.