Five Questions

In which Donnie talks about deliberately simplifying his life, the surprising similarities between being an actor and working as a nurse specializing in end-of-life care, the effects on Donnie when he was a teenager of his cousin's death, the importance of local flavor when he's traveling, what it means to make people laugh, and more.

In which Mary Jane talks about the unexpected influence on her life of our high school French teacher Madame Alnwick; her time in Europe, Africa, and Hawaii; her sculpting work in plaster, ceramic, and bronze; meeting her Tongan husband on a flight from Salt Lake City; the unique traits she inherited from her Chinese father (who had to flee China as a child) and Mormon hippie mother; and much more.

In which Mark discusses his unexpected counter with the Yakuza while on a mission in Japan, playing the trumpet, growing up in Idaho and the influence that his senator had on Mark's childhood, his adventures in Sequoia National Park, his Czech ancestry, and more.

In which Tiffany talks about being a trailblazing African-American woman judge, her Monopoly acumen, what she learned from being offered an afterschool job at Pizza Hut, the surprises of parenthood, Dave Chappelle, and more.

Yay chickens! Sustainable farmer and best-selling author Forrest Pritchard talks about cat-shaped vending machines that dispense cars, his insatiable need for sunshine and a good soundtrack, patronizing advice that turned out to be true, the joy of stonemasonry, and so much more. 

Listen to the song he mentions here.

In which Genevieve discusses the beautiful cold and quiet of snowshoeing, having an adundance of what she needs, raising chickens with her children, her unlikely decision to move cross country with someone she didn't actually know very well, and working as a women's health nurse or, in another universe, a historical landscaper.

In which Niraj discusses his journey from growing up in New York to becoming an urban farmer in Washington, DC, the connection between his new farming techniques and his family's farming history in India, why strawberries grown in a greenhouse have more flavor, how working on the roof of the Environmental Protection Agency changed his life, and more. 

Learn more about Niraj's work at http://www.cultivatethecity.com.

In which Nancy discusses the isolation of making art; the diverse occupations of pastamaking, art and graphic design, and running a business; her newfound political activism; and the influence of her Italian heritage on her daily life.

In which Trinishia discusses experiencing life as a native Washingtonian, learning Spanish in Mexico, scuba diving, her aspirations to live and work in Francophone Africa, reading her husband's mind, gentrification, her kids' fluency in Mandarin, and more.

In which Paul Douglas discusses the drama of breeding Siamese fighting fish as a teenager, being schooled in Scrabble by his sisters, unexpectedly visiting a Venitian church with a storied musical history, why people need to listen more and talk less, the importance of his Southern roots, how he would like to direct Candide, stage managing A Streetcar Named Desire, how the experience of dual consciousness of seeing A Long Day's Journey Into Night on stage inspired him to do theatre, and more.