Connections Podcast

The University at Buffalo has launched an Innocence and Justice Project, devoted to helping inmates who were wrongfully convicted have their convictions reversed. The project brings eight students into contact with the 440 motions from inmates; those inmates might be innocent, or they might have suffered a miscarriage of justice in some way. We talk about the effort to bring more resources to inmates who don't have the means to fight their convictions. Our guests: Kim Diana Connolly, director of

International Women's Day is Wednesday, and our guests discuss gender from a wide range of lenses. At the forefront is the idea that women of color do not often benefit from the progress that the rest of society enjoys. We discuss what citizenship means, and we explore ways to make society truly equal. Our guests: Danielle Ponder, Monroe County assistant public defender, and lead singer of Danielle Ponder and the Tomorrow People Yamuna Sangarasivam , associate professor of anthropology, and

Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren is running for re-election, and she joins us for the hour. We talk about her record, her plans, and her reaction to criticism from her two opponents. You can watch this discussion on Facebook Live :

For all of ways we use the term "Epicurean," here's something strange: the original works of Epicurus himself have never been found. It's only through letters and quotations that we glimpse his work. But what if a library on a seaside villa contains the lost works of Epicurus -- and dozens of others? When Mount Vesuvius buried Pompeii in 79 AD, it also buried Herculaneum . That seaside estate contained a library of many scrolls, and the volcanic ash preserved the scrolls... in a manner of

Chuck Collins was 26 years old when he decided to give away his half-million-dollar family inheritance. He's the grandson of Oscar Mayer, and Chuck felt that he was getting too easy a ride through life. In the several decades since then, Chuck has become a leading voice in debates about equality. That includes taxes, equal opportunity, privilege, and more. His new book is called Born On Third Base , and it's a call to the 1% to see how much their fortune is due to circumstance. It's also a call

Weekend Connections is a collection of some of the most noteworthy moments from the week on Connections with Evan Dawson. This episode includes conversations about: Solidarity among the LGBTQ community, with the lead singer of MUNA; The power grid and New York State's efforts to grow the share of renewable energy sources; The book, Glass House, and the decline of a small manufacturing town; Urban farms in Rochester.

It's National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, but only one in 10 men and women with eating disorders receive treatment. Many people, especially men, suffer in silence. We discuss the stigma attached to eating disorders, while exploring what makes for effective treatment. We also hear from eating disorder awareness advocates who will share their journeys to recovery. Our guests: Mary Tantillo , professor clinical nursing at

Compared to cities its size, Rochester has the second highest rate of overall poverty. The Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative (RMAPI) has set a goal to reduce poverty in our region by 50% in the next 15 years. Is that realistic? Some critics of the Anti-Poverty Initiative say the effort has been a lot of talk, with little action, but RMAPI leaders say understanding our region’s poverty problem and developing effective strategies to alleviate it take time. Catholic Family Center is a key

The director of the Smithsonian is in Rochester, and is our guest. Technically, his title is secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, and we talk to David Skorton about his views on the arts and the humanities -- how they build cities, how they're sustained, and whether he thinks they're currently under threat. Skorton will be part of a mini-conference on Friday at the Memorial Art Gallery. Our guests: David Skorton , secretary of the Smithsonian Institution Mark Cuddy , artistic director of

When the alt-pop band MUNA was writing their new song, "I Know a Place," the Orlando night club massacre rocked the country. That event gives the song a new urgency, and Time Magazine has referred to it as a kind of LGBTQ anthem. This is a tenuous moment for the LGBTQ community. A report links the declining suicide rate with the passage of marriage equality, but the community is already reeling with the Trump administration's transgender order for schools, and concerned about other possible