Everyone had their own experience last year—this was mine. We like many planted a garden. It was brought about by stillness and helped us frame a year of both creativity and joy as well as sadness and grief.

Jakob gets an email from a police officer in Germany asking to be his penpal and says yes. What followed next was a intimate cultural dance between two earnest people.

Today we present a new podcast from WKMS in Murray Kentucky called Middle Of Everywhere—Big stories from the small places we call home. What happens when an atheist stands up for free speech when the government favors Christianity? Many people in this country think that patriotism and Christianity go hand in hand, but can a person be a patriot and non-religious? In this episode, Ariel and Austin hear from one feisty and independent man who has devoted his life to crusading for freedom of expression. His journey became world renowned with his lawsuit against the state of Kentucky for denying him the vanity license plate IM GOD.

You can join “The Neighborhood” along with these wonderful, thoughtful, generous people by becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/neighbors

Who’s in “The Neighborhood”: Allison Sebastian, Adrian Cobb, Nathalie Stewart, Ben Lehman, Caroline Martin, Clark Buckner, Cody Spriggs, Dan Burns, Em Vo, Eric Detweiler, Gina, Griffin Bonham, Heather Price, John Kesling, Landon Rives, Patrick Black, Patrick Gillis, Ray Ware, Ryan Arnett, Samuel Adams, Tom and Rachel Kraft, Nikki Black, Hunter and Bonnie Moore, Newton Dominey, Bea Troxel, Craig and Brenda Burns, Laurel Dean, Travis Hall, Clark Hill, Tony Gonzalez, Christopher Mastin and my mom Tonya Lewis (thanks mom!)

Visit our website at www.neighborspodcast.com

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts to show your patriotism ;)

Music from the Blue Dot Sessions, Dan Burns. Use Dan Burns for your podcast/videogame/film project!

Our sonic logo at the beginning of the episode is by Dallas Taylor’s company Defacto Sound. Dallas makes a podcast about sound called Twenty Thousand Hertz listen at www.20k.org

Get to know your neighbors.

Photo credit: The Freedom From Religion Foundation

This episode I do something I have never done in the entire history of the show. I just interview someone. No story. I interview Michael McRay to shed some light and hope on our current political divide. He’s a Nashville-based author of the new book I Am Not Your Enemy: Stories to Transform a Divided World. He’s a story-practitioner using the power of personal stories to heal harm, make meaning, and create connection. He works most often with the global empathy nonprofit organization Narrative 4 and earne his master’s degree in Belfast, Northern Ireland, studying conflict resolution and reconciliation.

Our conversation starts with the political divide in America, but ends up in a much more intimate place. We’ll learn about the scale of sectarian danger, a scale to determine the escalation of violence that can occur based on sectarianism, a helpful tool called the PIN model for conflict resolution, and here a couple stories of disparate people connecting in deeply human ways.

Scale of Sectarian Danger (from Moving Beyond Sectarianism: Religion, Conflict and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland)

Escalation by words and actions

We are different, we behave differently

We are right.

We are right and you are wrong

You are a less adequate version of what we are

You are not what you say you are

We are in fact what you say you are

What you are doing is evil

You are so wrong that you forfeit ordinary rights

You are less than human

You are evil

You are demonic

PIN diagram

You can learn more about the story exchanges Michael refers to in this episode at: https://narrative4.com/

You can join “The Neighborhood” along with these wonderful, thoughtful, generous people by becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/neighbors

Who’s in “The Neighborhood”: Allison Sebastian, Adrian Cobb, Nathalie Stewart, Ben Lehman, Caroline Martin, Clark Buckner, Cody Spriggs, Dan Burns, Em Vo, Eric Detweiler, Gina, Griffin Bonham, Heather Price, John Kesling, Landon Rives, Marc Kochamba, Patrick Black, Patrick Gillis, Ray Ware, Ryan Arnett, Samuel Adams, Tom and Rachel Kraft, Nikki Black, Hunter and Bonnie Moore, Newton Dominey, Bea Troxel, Craig and Brenda Burns, Laurel Dean, Travis Hall, Clark Hill, Tony Gonzalez, Christopher Mastin and my mom Tonya Lewis (thanks mom!)

Visit our website at www.neighborspodcast.com

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts for peace

Music from the Blue Dot Sessions, Dan Burns. Use Dan Burns for your podcast/videogame/film project!

Our sonic logo at the beginning of the episode is by Dallas Taylor’s company Defacto Sound. Dallas makes a podcast about sound called Twenty Thousand Hertz listen at www.20k.org

Get to know your neighbors.

Coping with the pandemic, the election, really anything in 2020—it can come in waves. Sometimes after a big milestone happens, like getting married, the weight of it all can hit you like a semi truck. Need a good cry to honor the big things in your life that did or didn’t happen in 2020? Guest producer Michelle Dahlenburg brings us the story of Susan and Mark's shift to holding one of the most important days of their lives on zoom and just what it means for their union.

You can join “The Neighborhood” along with these wonderful, thoughtful, generous people by becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/neighbors

Who’s in “The Neighborhood”: Allison Sebastian, Adrian Cobb, Nathalie Stewart, Ben Lehman, Caroline Martin, Clark Buckner, Cody Spriggs, Dan Burns, Em Vo, Eric Detweiler, Gina, Griffin Bonham, Heather Price, John Kesling, Landon Rives, Marc Kochamba, Patrick Black, Patrick Gillis, Ray Ware, Ryan Arnett, Samuel Adams, Tom and Rachel Kraft, Nikki Black, Hunter and Bonnie Moore, Newton Dominey, Bea Troxel, Craig and Brenda Burns, Laurel Dean, Travis Hall, Clark Hill, Tony Gonzalez, Christopher Mastin and my mom Tonya Lewis (thanks mom!)

Visit our website at www.neighborspodcast.com

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts because my life depends on it

Music from the Blue Dot Sessions, Dan Burns. Use Dan Burns for your podcast/videogame/film project!

Our sonic logo at the beginning of the episode is by Dallas Taylor’s company Defacto Sound. Dallas makes a podcast about sound called Twenty Thousand Hertz listen at www.20k.org

Get to know your neighbors you dingus.

Cynthia Capers used to be a nurse but she chose to get out of that life and teach herself how to be a farmer. This piece was originally produced as part of the Transom Traveling Workshop in Nashville, TN at WPLN by India Hunter (her very first radio piece ever). If you’d like to make pieces like this check out www.transom.org.

You can join “The Neighborhood” along with these wonderful, thoughtful, generous people by becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/neighbors

Who’s in “The Neighborhood”: Allison Sebastian, Adrian Cobb, Nathalie Stewart, Ben Lehman, Caroline Martin, Clark Buckner, Cody Spriggs, Dan Burns, Em Vo, Eric Detweiler, Gina, Griffin Bonham, Heather Price, John Kesling, Landon Rives, Marc Kochamba, Patrick Black, Patrick Gillis, Ray Ware, Ryan Arnett, Samuel Adams, Tom and Rachel Kraft, Nikki Black, Hunter and Bonnie Moore, Newton Dominey, Bea Troxel, Craig and Brenda Burns, Laurel Dean, Travis Hall, Clark Hill, Tony Gonzalez, Christopher Mastin and my mom Tonya Lewis (thanks mom!)

Visit our website at www.neighborspodcast.com

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts PG, PG-13, R???

Music from the Blue Dot Sessions, Dan Burns. Use Dan Burns for your podcast/videogame/film project!

Our sonic logo at the beginning of the episode is by Dallas Taylor’s company Defacto Sound. Dallas makes a podcast about sound called Twenty Thousand Hertz listen at www.20k.org

Photo by N I F T Y A R T on Unsplash

Get to know your neighbors.

Having heard stories about the country he only lived in for the first year of his life, producer Jakob Lewis goes back to Frankfurt to connect with the life his parent's once had.

Story produced by Jakob Lewis, edited by Rosie Forrest, special thanks to Bill Gilcher for helping aid me in my quest to find my parent’s neighbor.

Produced for the Goethe-Instituts “Big Pond” Project.

You can join “The Neighborhood” along with these wonderful, thoughtful, generous people by becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/neighbors

Who’s in “The Neighborhood”: Allison Sebastian, Adrian Cobb, Nathalie Stewart, Ben Lehman, Caroline Martin, Clark Buckner, Cody Spriggs, Dan Burns, Em Vo, Eric Detweiler, Gina, Griffin Bonham, Heather Price, John Kesling, Landon Rives, Marc Kochamba, Patrick Black, Patrick Gillis, Ray Ware, Ryan Arnett, Samuel Adams, Tom and Rachel Kraft, Nikki Black, Hunter and Bonnie Moore, Newton Dominey, Bea Troxel, Craig and Brenda Burns, Laurel Dean, Travis Hall, Clark Hill, Tony Gonzalez, Christopher Mastin and my mom Tonya Lewis (thanks mom!)

Visit our website at www.neighborspodcast.com

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts because writing one on the bathroom stall of a Waffle House would be less helpful, though more intriguing.

Music from the Blue Dot Sessions, Dan Burns and Podington Bear.

Our sonic logo at the beginning of the episode is by Dallas Taylor’s company Defacto Sound. Dallas makes a podcast about sound called Twenty Thousand Hertz listen at www.20k.org

One woman searches for a serial panhandler and the answer to what to do when someone asks you for money.

Story produced by Tasha A. F. Lemley, edited by Tony Gonzalez, sound designed and mixed by Jakob Lewis.

You can join “The Neighborhood” along with these wonderful, thoughtful, generous people by becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/neighbors

Who’s in “The Neighborhood”: Allison Sebastian, Adrian Cobb, Nathalie Stewart, Ben Lehman, Caroline Martin, Clark Buckner, Cody Spriggs, Dan Burns, Em Vo, Eric Detweiler, Gina, Griffin Bonham, Heather Price, John Kesling, Landon Rives, Marc Kochamba, Patrick Black, Patrick Gillis, Ray Ware, Ryan Arnett, Samuel Adams, Tom and Rachel Kraft, Nikki Black, Hunter and Bonnie Moore, Newton Dominey, Bea Troxel, Craig and Brenda Burns, Laurel Dean, Travis Hall, Clark Hill, Tony Gonzalez, Christopher Mastin and my mom Tonya Lewis (thanks mom!)

Visit our website at www.neighborspodcast.com

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts because writing one on the bathroom stall of a Waffle House would be less helpful, though more intriguing.

Music from the Blue Dot Sessions, Dan Burns and Podington Bear.

Our sonic logo at the beginning of the episode is by Dallas Taylor’s company Defacto Sound. Dallas makes a podcast about sound called Twenty Thousand Hertz listen at www.20k.org

In the historic city of Magdeburg, Germany, there is a “Johnny Cash”-themed country music festival called Nashville Days – complete with corn dogs and cowboy hats. This is one of the fruits of the sister city relationship between Nashville and Magdeburg. Host Jakob Lewis, a Nashville citizen, goes to Magdeburg to see where the rubber meets the road for Sister Cities' idealistic vision to “promote peace one individual, one community at a time.”

If you’ve been to Germany, Magdeburg probably isn’t the first city that comes to mind when you to think of cosmopolitan cities. Yet for the past 15 years, Magdeburg has developed a great relationship with its sister city Nashville through the Sister Cities International program. For The Big Pond, Jakob Lewis traces the origins of the sister cities back to the aftermath of World War II as a means to (re)connect former adversaries.

Or, as Joel Dark, the Nashville chair of the Nashville-Magdeburg partnership puts it: “The concept is to build a local-to-local relationship so that international relations [are] not reduced to just relationships between governments and their agendas but can be a relationship really between people.” At a time when the US’ general tone for diplomacy has shifted, what does Sister Cities’ idealistic vision of peace really look like? Does it actually make a difference? Is it just a glorified trip club where well-to-do folks can drink wine in another country? Or is it the key to world peace? Listen to find out more.

This story was produced in 2018 as part of the The Big Pond series with the Goethe-Institut, and the Year of German American Friendship 2018/2019 under the motto “Wunderbar Together”. Special thanks to Rosie Forrest for editing this story. Thanks Rosie!

You can join “The Neighborhood” along with these wonderful, thoughtful, generous people by becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/neighbors

Who’s in “The Neighborhood”: Allison Sebastian, Adrian Cobb, Nathalie Stewart, Ben Lehman, Caroline Martin, Clark Buckner, Cody Spriggs, Dan Burns, Em Vo, Eric Detweiler, Gina, Griffin Bonham, Heather Price, John Kesling, Landon Rives, Marc Kochamba, Patrick Black, Patrick Gillis, Ray Ware, Ryan Arnett, Samuel Adams, Tom and Rachel Kraft, Nikki Black, Hunter and Bonnie Moore, Newton Dominey, Bea Troxel, Craig and Brenda Burns, Laurel Dean, Travis Hall, Clark Hill, Tony Gonzalez, Christopher Mastin and my mom Tonya Lewis (thanks mom!)

Visit our website at www.neighborspodcast.com

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts because writing one on the bathroom stall of a Waffle House would be less helpful, though more intriguing.

Music from the Blue Dot Sessions, Dan Burns and Podington Bear.

Our sonic logo at the beginning of the episode is by Dallas Taylor’s company Defacto Sound. Dallas makes a podcast about sound called Twenty Thousand Hertz listen at www.20k.org

According to a July study from the Pew Research Center, around 3% of Americans have moved because of COVID-19, many of them adults who moved back in with their parents. One of those people is Theo Greenly, a writer and radio producer in Los Angeles. When the pandemic hit, both he and his partner lost their jobs. Unsure about when they would start working again, they decided to move in with family to save money. Specifically, to move in with Theo’s mom in the house that he lived in during high school. Theo documented the process, and he produced this story about it.

You can find more of Theo’s work at TheoGreenly.com or follow him on Twitter @TheoGreenly.

You can join “The Neighborhood” along with these wonderful, thoughtful, generous people by becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/neighbors

Who’s in “The Neighborhood”: Allison Sebastian, Adrian Cobb, Nathalie Stewart, Ben Lehman, Caroline Martin, Clark Buckner, Cody Spriggs, Dan Burns, Em Vo, Eric Detweiler, Gina, Griffin Bonham, Heather Price, John Kesling, Landon Rives, Marc Kochamba, Patrick Black, Patrick Gillis, Ray Ware, Ryan Arnett, Samuel Adams, Tom and Rachel Kraft, Nikki Black, Hunter and Bonnie Moore, Newton Dominey, Bea Troxel, Craig and Brenda Burns, Laurel Dean, Travis Hall, Clark Hill, Tony Gonzalez, Christopher Mastin and my mom Tonya Lewis (thanks mom!)

Visit our website at www.neighborspodcast.com

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts so we can take down Joe Rogan!!!

Music from the Blue Dot Sessions, Dan Burns and B. Roost3r

Our sonic logo at the beginning of the episode is by Dallas Taylor’s company Defacto Sound. Dallas makes a podcast about sound called Twenty Thousand Hertz listen at www.20k.org