Kurt Vonnegut, one of the greatest American writers of all time, was a Hoosier!  Colleen and Janice go deep into discussing the life and work of Vonnegut with special guest, Chris Lafave, curator for the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library.  

Guest: Chris Lafave is the curator for the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library, located in Indianapolis, Indiana.  

Chris has been studying and speaking about Kurt Vonnegut for over a decade, and has spoken at book festivals, schools and prisons about Kurt's life story and his influence on American culture and our world.  Mr. Lafave has always been proud to represent an organization dedicated to maintaining the ideals and memory of a man novelist Jay McInerney once described as "a satirist with a heart, a moralist with a whoopee cushion."  

14:09 Interview starts
15:15 Vonnegut history in Indiana
20:20 Education and early career
28:40 Vonnegut and social media
30:00 Vonnegut Museum and Library
39:22 First Amendment Advocacy

 Hosts: Colleen Brennan and Janice V. Rodriguez
 Co-Producers: Colleen Brennan, Janice V. Rodriguez, Michael Miltenberger
 Theme Music: Michael Miltenberger
 Sound Editing: Michael Miltenberger

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Stay in Touch with Defending Indiana
[email protected]
Defending Indiana Website
Defending Indiana on Facebook
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Defending Indiana on Twitter

So it turns out many people really do write books in Indiana.  Bronwen Carlisle from Indiana Humanities joins Colleen and Janice to discuss the books and authors that everyone should have on their reading lists.  This is a great conversation that highlights another overlooked but significant fact about the Hoosier State...and it's damn entertaining too.

Bronwen Carlisle, programs and special projects manager, manages a variety of Indiana Humanities’ literary programs, including the Indiana Authors Awards and its affiliated events. She also supports the organization with grant reporting, copy writing and project management.

Bronwen holds master’s degrees in English literature and library science from IU Bloomington and a bachelor’s degree with majors in writing and literature from Huntington University (in her hometown of Huntington, Ind.). Her literary criticism has been published in several academic books and journals. She teaches adjunct literature courses for the HU English department and serves on the board of the Imagination Library of Johnson County. Additionally, Bronwen holds a certification in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) and has taught English in China, Thailand and the states.

 Hosts: Colleen Brennan and Janice V. Rodriguez
 Co-Producers: Colleen Brennan, Janice V. Rodriguez, Michael Miltenberger
 Theme Music: Michael Miltenberger
 Sound Editing: Michael Miltenberger

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Before you fly over Indiana for the holidays, just listen to this episode.  Maybe you're missing something...?  

Colleen and Janice reminisce about their past Hoosier holidays with nods to live nativity scenes, unstable ice skating rinks and time and a half.  Fortunately,  Kathleen Crews, Director of the Santa Claus Museum & Village and Melissa Arnold, Executive Director of the Spencer County Visitors Bureau, save the episode by explaining the true magic of Santa Claus, IN.  This episode is filled with delightful surprises about the  remarkable town featured on the Today Show, CBS Sunday Morning , CBS Evening News, Good Morning America, BBC and many news outlets across the country.  Who knows, you might even decide to be less naughty and more nice this holiday season?  

 Hosts: Colleen Brennan and Janice V. Rodriguez
 Co-Producers: Colleen Brennan and Janice V. Rodriguez
 Theme Music: Michael Miltenberger
 Sound Editing: Michael Miltenberger

Stay in Touch with Defending Indiana
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We know, it's been a while!  Colleen and Janice wrap up season three with their customary witty banter while offering very little useful information.   Join us as we defend our delayed season finale and provide updates from the past year.  Season 4 coming soon!


Hosts: Colleen Brennan and Janice V. Rodriguez
Co-Producers: Colleen Brennan and Janice V. Rodriguez
Theme Music: Michael Miltenberger
Sound Editing: Michael Miltenberger

Stay in Touch with Defending Indiana
[email protected]
Defending Indiana Website
Defending Indiana on Facebook
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Defending Indiana on Twitter

Indiana has been home to extraordinary women.  From actors and singers and writers to entrepreneurs and notable women from history, amazing women have been born and raised in Indiana (or if they spent a few years here - we're claiming them too!).

One of these amazing Hoosier women, Christina Hale, worked her way through college as a proud single mother and served as a nonprofit executive for Kiwanis International, fulfilling a variety of roles that included chief communications officer and executive director for Kiwanis Youth Programs worldwide. A former state legislator for the Indiana General Assembly and the first Latina to run for statewide office in Indiana, Christina earned a reputation for bipartisanship and resolve. In 2021, Christina was appointed by the Biden-Harris Administration to head communications for the US International Development Finance Corporation. She continues to fight against sexual violence and advocate for youth and democracy.

In her book, "Why Not You?", Hale shows why, no matter your age, now is the time to find your platform and pursue the vital causes that inspire you. Christina discusses the importance of positional leadership, how to channel a servant leader’s heart, and why it’s easier than you think to create your own path toward transformative change. With powerful stories of ordinary people accomplishing extraordinary things, Why Not You? is an interactive guide that points you in the right direction and inspires you to say yes to your calling.

 Hosts: Colleen Brennan and Janice V. Rodriguez
 Co-Producers: Colleen Brennan and Janice V. Rodriguez
 Theme Music: Michael Miltenberger
 Sound Editing: Michael Miltenberger

Stay in Touch with Defending Indiana
[email protected]
Defending Indiana Website
Defending Indiana on Facebook
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In our second episode examining human rights in Indiana, Colleen and Janice discuss the events in the Indiana Statehouse and Supreme Court following the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overrule Roe v. Wade.  State senator, J.D. Ford, provides context and detail to help us understand how Indiana became the first state to ban abortion after the fall of Roe v. Wade.
 
 ***TRIGGER WARNING - This episode references sexual assault and may not be suitable for sensitive listeners.***
 
 J.D. Ford - In 2018, the voters of Indiana Senate District 29 elected J.D. Ford to the Indiana Senate   Since then, he was elected as Minority Caucus Chair and appointed to serve as ranking member on a number of important committees, including Education, Veterans Affairs and Family and Children Services.
 
 Senator Ford is the first, and so far only, openly LGBT+ member of the Indiana General Assembly. As one of the youngest members of the Indiana Senate, he is proud to represent Hoosier Millenials.
 
 Hosts: Colleen Brennan and Janice V. Rodriguez
 Co-Producers: Colleen Brennan and Janice V. Rodriguez
 Theme Music: Michael Miltenberger
 Sound Editing: Michael Miltenberger

Stay in Touch with Defending Indiana
[email protected]
Defending Indiana Website
Defending Indiana on Facebook
Defending Indiana on Instagram
Defending Indiana on Twitter

In our second episode examining human rights in Indiana, Colleen and Janice discuss the events in the Indiana Statehouse and Supreme Court following the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overrule Roe v. Wade.  State senator, J.D. Ford, provides context and detail to help us understand how Indiana became the first state to ban abortion after the fall of Roe v. Wade. 

***TRIGGER WARNING - This episode references sexual assault and may not be suitable for sensitive listeners.***

J.D. Ford - In 2018, the voters of Indiana Senate District 29 elected J.D. Ford to the Indiana Senate   Since then, he was elected as Minority Caucus Chair and appointed to serve as ranking member on a number of important committees, including Education, Veterans Affairs and Family and Children Services.

Senator Ford is the first, and so far only, openly LGBT+ member of the Indiana General Assembly. As one of the youngest members of the Indiana Senate, he is proud to represent Hoosier Millenials.

Hosts: Colleen Brennan and Janice V. Rodriguez
Co-Producers: Colleen Brennan and Janice V. Rodriguez
Theme Music: Michael Miltenberger
Sound Editing: Michael Miltenberger

In the first episode examining the state of  human rights in Indiana, Colleen and Janice discuss the history and politics of LGBTQ+ rights over the past decade with state senator, J.D. Ford.

Interview starts: 16:31
 
J.D. Ford - In 2018, the voters of Indiana Senate District 29 elected J.D. Ford to the Indiana Senate   Since then, he was elected as Minority Caucus Chair and appointed to serve as ranking member on a number of important committees, including Education, Veterans Affairs and Family and Children Services.

Senator Ford is the first, and so far only, openly LGBT+ member of the Indiana General Assembly. As one of the youngest members of the Indiana Senate, he is proud to represent Hoosier Millennials.

Hosts: Colleen Brennan and Janice V. Rodriguez
Co-Producers: Colleen Brennan and Janice V. Rodriguez
Theme Music: Michael Miltenberger
Sound Editing: Michael Miltenberger

Stay in Touch with Defending Indiana
[email protected]
Defending Indiana Website
Defending Indiana on Facebook
Defending Indiana on Instagram
Defending Indiana on Twitter

Is this "flyover" state worth a second look?  Colleen and Janice hope Hoosier photographer and entrepreneur, Joey Lax-Salinas, can convince them it is.  Lax-Salinas has changed the way Indiana appears on search engines by photographing and cataloging nearly every city and town across the entire State of Indiana (approximately 400 to date!).  With his extensive travel and knowledge of not only Indiana, but cities across the U.S., he seemed to be the most qualified for this task.  

Joey Lax-Salinas is a traveling photographer and entrepreneur whose photos and videos have been featured on Good Morning America, World News Tonight with Diane Sawyer, The Weather Channel, CNN, Forbes.com, and USAToday.com.  He is a collegiate licensed photographer of Indiana University campus photos and the author of "Good Night, Indiana University", available on bookshelves in 2023.  

17:07 Lax-Salinas interview begins 

Hosts: Colleen Brennan and Janice V. Rodriguez
Co-Producers: Colleen Brennan and Janice V. Rodriguez
Theme Music: Michael Miltenberger
Sound Editing: Michael Miltenberger

Stay in Touch with Defending Indiana
[email protected]
Defending Indiana Website
Defending Indiana on Facebook
Defending Indiana on Instagram
Defending Indiana on Twitter