It’s no secret that the United States has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world. Less well known, though, is what actually takes place within prison walls.  

On this episode, Commonweal editor Dominic Preziosi speaks with veteran journalist Bill Keller, founder of the Marshall Project and author of the new book What’s Prison For? Punishment and Rehabilitation in the Age of Mass Incarceration. 

Having spent years immersed in prisons as a reporter and teacher, Keller offers a blunt indictment of our broken prison system, while also pointing out real possibilities for reform.  

For further reading:

“The Purposes of Punishment,” Derek Jeffreys 

“Carceral Aesthetics,” Griffin Oleynick

“Waking the Giants,” Regina Munch

Ep. 89 - Life Inside, and Out

Conversations at the intersection of politics, religion, and culture: Commonweal Magazine editor Dominic Preziosi hosts The Commonweal Podcast, a regular compendium of in-depth interviews, discussions, and profiles presented by Commonweal’s editors and contributors.

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One of the misconceptions about Judaism is that the religion is concerned primarily with justice and the law, not love and grace. 

That’s precisely backward, argues Rabbi Shai Held, president and dean of the Hadar Institute in New York and author of the new book Judaism Is About Love. Jewish theology, spirituality, and ethics emerge as free responses to a generous, loving God.

On this episode, Held speaks with associate editor Griffin Oleynick about how recovering this more accurate view of Judaism can help believers and non-believers alike lead richer, fuller, more joyful lives.
 
For further reading:

Why Christians should read Leviticus and Deuteronomy


Tzvi Novick on Jewish memory after October 7

An update on Jewish-Christian dialogue

Ep. 129 - Judaism’s Loving Heart

For decades, discussions of poverty and inequality in America have tended to focus on cities. That’s understandable—cities are often the places where income disparities are most visible. 

But as poverty researchers Kathryn Edin, H. Luke Schaefer, and Timothy Nelson argue in their recent book The Injustice of Place, traditional income-based indicators of poverty can mask the “deep disadvantage” faced by rural communities across the country. 

On this episode, they join associate editor Regina Munch to discuss how centuries of resource extraction, racism, and “internal colonization” have blocked the advancement of regions like Appalachia, southern Texas, and the “cotton belt” from sharing in American prosperity. 

For further reading:

Luke Mayville on how progressives can win in rural America 

An interview with poverty expert Matthew Desmond


The editors on pandemic-era relief bills

Ep. 128 - Diagnosing Disadvantage in America

Vinson Cunningham is one of the most dynamic critics working today. Best known as the New Yorker’s theater critic and co-host of the weekly podcast Critics at Large, he’s also the author of the novel Great Expectations, based on his experience working for the Obama campaign in 2008.

On this episode, Cunningham joins Commonweal contributing writer Anthony Domestico for a discussion about criticism—engaging deeply with a work of art on a personal level, and then responding in writing and speech—as a way of life. Along the way, they also touch on the theological dimensions of Great Expectations.

Anybody, Cunningham argues, can be a critic. All it takes is curiosity, and the willingness to share your observations with others. 

For further reading: 

Vinson Cunningham on Pope Francis’s Fratelli tutti


William Giraldi on criticism as an act of love


Paul Baumann reviews Barack Obama’s memoir

Ep. 127 - Criticism as a Way of Life

We’re all familiar with the tired stereotype of the “God of the Old Testament,” a capricious creator Who subjects His chosen people to endless cycles of punishment and retribution. 

But in her reading of the Book of Genesis, novelist and essayist Marilynne Robinson describes a God of gentleness, one wildly in love with creation and humanity.

In this special episode of the Commonweal Podcast, moderated by senior editor Matt Boudway, poet and memoirist Christian Wiman joins Robinson for a conversation about the Book of Genesis. 

Robinson and Wiman also discuss scripture and theology more generally—especially as the two practice it through fiction and poetry. 

For further reading: 

Marilynne Robinson on forgiveness in Genesis


Christian Wiman on the Bible as poetry


Jack Miles on the Bible and translation

Ep. 126 - God, According to Marilynne Robinson

The past year or so hasn’t been the best one for higher education. Debates over affirmative action, free speech, and affordability, combined with recent cuts to the humanities, have led many to wonder what the future holds. 

Here to speak about all of this is Nicholas Dirks, former chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, and author of City of Intellect: The Uses and Abuses of the University. 

Dirks argues that we certainly need structural change. Even more important is that colleges and universities return to their core functions: the pursuit of free inquiry, reasoning about fundamental human values, and training future generations of engaged citizens. 

For further reading: 

Zena Hitz on why we need the humanities


Nancy Dallavalle on whether Catholic colleges have a future

Our recent editorial on affirmative action and affordability

Ep. 89 - Life Inside, and Out

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