On Being

Before Pope Francis, James Martin was perhaps the best-loved Jesuit in American life. He’s followed the calling of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order, to “find God in all things” — and in 21st-century forms. To delve into Fr. Martin's way of being in the world is to discover the "spiritual exercises" St. Ignatius designed to be accessible to everyone more than six centuries ago. Also his thoughts on the "un-taming" Christmas.

James Martin is a Jesuit priest and editor at large of America magazine. His books include "The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything," "Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor and Laughter are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life," and most recently "Jesus: A Pilgrimage." This interview is edited and produced with music and other features in the On Being episode "James Martin — Finding God in All Things." Find more at onbeing.org.

They are partners in music and in life — recovering something ancient and deeply American all at once, bringing both beauty and meaning to what they play and how they live. Béla Fleck is one of the greatest living banjo players in the world. He’s followed what many experience as this quintessential American roots instrument back to its roots in Africa and taken it where no banjo has gone before. Abigail Washburn is a celebrated banjo player and singer, both in English and Chinese. Nashville Public radio brought us together at the Belcourt Theater in their hometown.

Béla Fleck has recorded over 40 albums, most famously with The Flecktones and New Grass Revival. His albums include "Flight of the Cosmic Hippo," "UFO Tofu," "Rocket Science," and "The Sparrow Quartet EP." Abigail Washburn is a banjo player and singer. Her albums include "Song of the Traveling Daughter" and "City of Refuge." Their 2014 duo album is called "Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn." This interview is edited and produced with music and other features in the On Being episode "Béla Fleck + Abigail Washburn — Beauty in Banjo and in Life." Find more at onbeing.org.

Go to the doctor and they won't begin to treat you without taking your history — and not just yours, but that of your parents and grandparents before you. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Isabel Wilkerson points this out as she reflects on her epic work of narrative non-fiction, "The Warmth of Other Suns." She's immersed herself in the stories of the Great Migration, the diaspora of six million African Americans to the north of the U.S. in the 20th century. It's a carrier of untold histories and truths that help make sense of human and social challenges newly visible at the heart of our life together.

Isabel Wilkerson won the Pulitzer Prize for her work as Chicago Bureau Chief of "The New York Times" and was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Obama in 2016. Her book "The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration," won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction. This interview is edited and produced with music and other features in the On Being episode "Isabel Wilkerson — The Heart Is The Last Frontier." Find more at onbeing.org.

In an unsettled political moment, at the end of a divisive campaign, the late, great civil rights elder Vincent Harding is a voice of calm, wisdom, and perspective. He was wise about how the civil rights vision might speak to 21st-century realities. Just as importantly, he pursued this by way of patient yet passionate cross-cultural, cross-generational relationship. He reminded us that the Civil Rights Movement was spiritually as well as politically vigorous; it aspired to a "beloved community," not merely a tolerant integrated society. He posed and lived a question that is freshly in our midst: Is America possible?

The late civil rights elder Vincent Harding was chairperson of the Veterans of Hope project at Iliff School of Theology in Denver, where he was professor of Religion and Transformation. He posed and lived a question that is freshly in our midst: Is America possible? This interview is edited and produced with music and other features in the On Being episode "Vincent Harding — Is America Possible?" Find more at onbeing.org.

To reassert the liveliness of ordinary things, precisely in the face of what is hardest and most broken in life and society — this has been Michael Longley’s gift to Northern Ireland as one of its foremost living poets. He is a voice for all of us now, wise and winsome about the force of words in a society that has moved away from sectarianism in living memory. A profound conversation before an adoring crowd at The MAC Belfast.

Michael Longley has written more than 20 books of poetry including "Collected Poems," "Gorse Fires," and his most recent collection, "The Stairwell." This interview is edited and produced with music and other features in the On Being episode "Michael Longley — The Vitality of Ordinary Things." Find more at onbeing.org.