The third installment in our between-seasons miniseries, "a few of my favorite things," chosen by host John Biewen -- selections from exceptional podcast series. From producer Jess Shane and Radiotopia Presents, this is Episode 1 of "Shocking, Heartbreaking, Transformative," an innovative exploration of the process and the ethics of narrative documentary storytelling. 

The second in a between-seasons miniseries, "a few of my favorite things," chosen by host John Biewen: Episode 1 of The Copernic Affair, from the Canadaland network. The series tells the story of a sociology professor living near Ottawa who finds himself accused of a decades-old bombing attack against a synagogue in Paris. Did Hassan Diab do it? By reporters Dana Ballout and Alex Atack. 

The first of a between-seasons miniseries, "a few of my favorite things," chosen by host John Biewen. From Slow Burn, episode 1 of "Becoming Justice Thomas," an exploration, by journalist Joel Anderson, of how Clarence Thomas, a poor Black kid from a tiny town in Georgia, became ... Clarence Thomas. Episode 1 is called, "America's Blackest Child."

Host John Biewen teases Season 8 and reads an installment from his new newsletter, Keeping ScOR. Eight years after our "Seeing White" series, whiteness is still a helluva drug -- and a powerful tool for Trump 2.0. 

Music by goodnight, Lucas

Michael Kliën wants to help bring about profound change in the world, but not through the usual means. An Austrian-born Dance professor at Duke University, Kliën is a leading social choreographer. He sets up experiments involving people moving amongst each other -- wordlessly -- in pursuit of new ways of being and the "soul democratic." 

By Scene on Radio host and producer John Biewen. Music by goodnight, Lucas and Blue Dot Sessions. 

Scene on Radio is a production of the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University. 

Links:

Michael Klien’s website

Video of Kliën works: 

Parliament

Constitution

The Utopians

Sharing an episode from a series we think many of our listeners will like to hear. Reverend William Barber II and Yara Allen discuss how music intertwines with social movements, focusing on the contributions of theomusicology and Repairers of the Breach’s journey, alongside the Moral Mondays initiative. Their conversation highlights personal stories, regional influences, and the unifying power of protest music, showcasing music as a profound force for addressing social injustices and personal struggles.

With our Capitalism season and the election behind us, now what? Can we find hope and a way forward? In a live show taped December 5, 2024, at Motorco Music Hall in Durham, North Carolina, Season 7 co-hosts John Biewen and Ellen McGirt are joined by journalism professor, podcast maker, and two-time Scene on Radio co-host Chenjerai Kumanyika. They discuss how to move toward a more democratic economy and society – with the live audience, and with Camryn Smith and Courtney Smith of Durham’s Communities in Partnership. 

Episode art: Photo by Summer Steenberg. Music by Michelle Osis and Lilli Haydn. Music consulting by Joe Augustine of Narrative Music. "Capitalism” is a production of the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University, in partnership with Imperative 21. 

Host John Biewen is joined by Celeste Headlee, Chenjerai Kumanyika, Ellen McGirt, and Amy Westervelt, co-hosts of Scene on Radio's full-length seasons -- Seeing White, MEN, The Land That Never Has Been Yet, The Repair, and Capitalism -- for a free-wheeling conversation about the 2024 U.S. election of Donald J. Trump and what it all means. 

Scene on Radio comes from the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University. 

In our season finale, we visit with people on two continents who are turning core structures of capitalism on their heads – or, at least, sideways.  

By John Biewen with co-host Ellen McGirt. Interviews with John Fullerton, Ander Etxeberria, Deseree Fontenot, Corrina Gould, Regan Pritzker, Dana Kawaoka-Chen, Mateo Nube, and Marjorie Kelly. Story editor: Loretta Williams. Music by Michelle Osis; Lilli Haydn; Chris Westlake; Alex Symcox; and goodnight, Lucas. Music consulting by Joe Augustine of Narrative Music. Episode art by Harper Biewen. "Capitalism” is a production of the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University, in partnership with Imperative 21. 

The police tell us they are here to protect us. But what if their original purpose was something else altogether? Peabody Award-winning host Chenjerai Kumanyika takes listeners on a journey to uncover the hidden history of the largest police force in the world – from its roots in slavery, to rival police gangs battling across the city, to everyday people who resisted every step of the way. As our society debates where policing is going, Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD explores where the police came from.

From Wondery, Crooked Media and PushBlack.