For much of her life, Ali Russell has been uncertain about religion. Even as a little girl, she’d ask her parents, “How do we know we’re worshiping the right God?” She even had a Jesus dream that still lingers with her today. In this episode, Ali shares her story to her longtime friend and Nashville poet Dana Malone, who takes Ali’s religious odyssey and transforms it into poetry.  

The story and poem from this episode were recorded by field producer Tasha French Lemley at Casa Azafran in Nashville. 

Credits: Versify is hosted by Joshua Moore, a poet with The Porch, Nashville’s nonprofit literary center. The show is edited and produced by WPLN’s Tony Gonzalez, with additional editing on this episode by Mack Linebaugh, Alicia Marie Brandewie, Anita Bugg, and Susannah Felts.

The show is mastered by Carl Pedersen. The music is by Chris Zabriskie and Textile Audio, found through the Free Music Archive.

Versify is a production of Nashville Public Radio and PRX. Stories and poems are gathered with the help of The Porch. ****