Knox Pods

John Rawls warns against a political life dominated by dogmatic fanaticism or apathetic resignation. The University of Tennessee Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy and the Knox County Public Library invite you to participate in a study of his book, Justice as Fairness: A restatement. Each podcast episode is in a discussion format facilitated by a University of Tennessee faculty member with expertise on Rawls's work. No previous knowledge of Rawls's work is expected.

This is part two, Principles of Justice, with Dr. Otis Stephens of the College of Law (recorded February 1, 2010).

John Rawls warns against a political life dominated by dogmatic fanaticism or apathetic resignation. The University of Tennessee Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy and the Knox County Public Library invite you to participate in a study of his book, Justice as Fairness: A restatement. Each podcast episode is in a discussion format facilitated by a University of Tennessee faculty member with expertise on Rawls's work. No previous knowledge of Rawls's work is expected.

This is part one, Fundamental Ideas, with Professor Joseph Cook of the College of Law (recorded January 25, 2010).

Kim Trent, Executive Director of Knox Heritage, surveys the trends of preservation and how they're playing out in Knoxville in this discussion of Past and Future City: How Historic Preservation is Reviving America’s Communities by Stephanie Meeks and Kevin C. Murphy.

“Stephanie Meeks makes a compelling case for creating great cities through historic preservation and she shares strategies that can guide us along the way,” Trent said.  “She also addresses the challenges we all face in preservation since the work touches on so many aspects of our communities: history, economics, urban planning, diversity, transportation, affordable housing, sustainability, architecture, real estate, and government among many others. But for those who value history, architecture and sustainable communities, the rewards are definitely worth the struggle and make success all the sweeter and more meaningful.”

Dr. Rebecca Klenk shares her appreciation of Bad Feminist: Essays by Roxane Gay. "Provocative, gut wrenching and hilarious, Roxane Gay's Bad Feminist is a strikingly insightful collection of essays on life and popular culture for our times," Klenk said. "Engaging everything from The Hunger Games to rape culture to competitive scrabble to her favorite color (pink) to trigger warnings with verve and razor-sharp wit, Gay blends intimate personal narrative and astute cultural analysis into a powerful statement on the relevance of feminism."

Friends of the Knox County Public Library, Union Ave Books, the Knox County Public Library, and the East Tennessee Historical Society present an evening with award-winning author Nathaniel Philbrick discussing his book Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution. (Recorded May 16, 2017. The audio quality improves about three minutes into this recording.)

Dr. Michelle Commander and panelists Tatia Harris, Andrew Swafford, and Renee Kesler respond to the neo-slave narrative Kindred by science fiction writer Octavia Butler. 

Kindred follows Dana Franklin, a Black woman of 1970s California, who is transported back in time to the plantation of her ancestors, a white slaveowner and the freeborn woman he buys. Dana struggles to survive the brutality and understand all of her kindred and the complexities of the communities they inhabit. Published in 1979, Kindred is taught in high school and college classes.

Sam Venable shares anecdotes and some personal reactions to Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and a Culture in Crisis by J. D. Vance in this episode of the Books Sandwiched In podcast (edited from his January 25 remarks). This compelling memoir looks at the struggles, attitudes and dysfunction in an economically declining area of America. Vance was born in rural eastern Kentucky, but grew up largely in Rust Belt Ohio. Although his grandparents succeeded in generational upward mobility—they moved north for manufacturing jobs that are now disappearing—the family continued to struggle in the middle class with the same issues that they had tried to leave behind.

A newspaper columnist and author of twelve books, Venable is a native of Knoxville and a graduate of the University of Tennessee. He has won more than three dozen national and regional writing awards, including the national feature writing award from the Society of Professional Journalists for his 2014 series, "Fragments of Hate."

Dr. Stuart Brotman discusses Free Speech: Ten Principles for a Connected World by Timothy Garton Ash in this episode of Books Sandwiched In. Ash offers a deeper understanding of issues such as corporate control of communication, influence of money, role of whistle blowers, possible threats to national security, and more.

 "Today, there is a great power struggle over the shape, terms and limits of global freedom of expression that is raging around us—both inside the smartphones in our pockets and inside our heads," Brotman said. Dr. Brotman is Distinguished Endowed Professor in the School of Journalism and Electronic Media at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He also serves as a Nonresident Senior Fellow in the Center for Technology Innovation at The Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, and on the Global Internet Freedom Advisory Council of The Media Institute.

Jackie Clay and Ronni Chandler discuss the education reforms proposed in the book Rac(e)ing to Class: Confronting Race and Poverty in Schools and Classrooms by H. Richard Milner. "Both poverty and race are impacting the educational experiences of our most vulnerable and marginalized students who depend on school for so much more than academic success," Chandler said. Clay is an instructor with the University of Tennessee College of Social Work, and Chandler works with Project GRAD Knoxville.

Tammy Kaousias discusses the book Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America by Ari Berman, which details the struggle and increasingly intense backlash against the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Kaousias says “this struggle is going on right now, and each one of us is a living participant and creator of this historical struggle.” Kaousias was appointed to the Knox County Election Commission as an Election Commissioner in the 2013–2015 term. Her legal work includes the area of restoration of rights for those with criminal records and advising candidates on qualification issues.