The Afterword: A Conversation About the Future of Words

We are in another election year- and thought folks may enjoy listening to our most popular show from 2020! It is relevant and we hope you gain insight from our guests! #vote #elections #campaigns 

Some editors say sports stories are the hardest stories to write because we already know the endings. But readers and viewers love them anyway! Even folks who don't keep up with sports often find something to warm their hearts in an inspiring tale.

Why are sports stories captivating even to people who aren't sports fans? And why do sports stories carry their enormous power to create social change? To talk about that, Amy and Holland invited Dr. Tom LeGrand, a former sports podcaster, and Brendan Scott, an English teacher and a coach, to the table. 

Dr. Tom LeGrand serves as the Regional Director Carolinas for Impact America. Tom also has experience in radio broadcasting, podcasting, and writing. From 2010-2012, Tom co-hosted The Lettermen's Lounge, a sports podcast that covered local, national and international athletics. It is a subsidiary of Jungle Gem Sports, LLC.

Brendan Scott earned a degree in English from the University of Colorado and then traveled to Guatemala where he taught writing, English, and physical education for three years at the Inter-American School of Xela. After returning to the U.S., Brendan earned a master's degree in English Education at Regis University and began teaching high school English. He also coaches the women's basketball and cross-country teams at Jefferson High School. Brendan recently married April, a librarian, after proposing to her on a trip to Harry Potter World. He blogs at Living Spiritually and Adventure With Brendan.

Moral outrage narratives fueled by social media continue to be a very real trend. Many people around the globe jump to wrong conclusions and develop what often leads to moral panic. How can we scale back the rhetoric? Is there a solution to this tribalism? What is the impact of developing ingroups and outgroups on our communities?

  We are rereleasing this episode from 2020. Not surprisingly, much of the conversation with Dillon Smith and Rob Henderson is even more relevant today.

Mark Twain reportedly said, "Everybody Talks About the Weather, But Nobody Does Anything About It." The weather really has changed history, and we talk about it with Dr. Vladimir Jankovic of the University of Manchester and Dr. Elizabeth Smith of the University of Oklahoma. Weather affects culture, politics, economics, and architecture as well as our plans for the day. This was a popluar conversation when we dropped it last February. With all the current weather events- we want to keep our focus on the skies and learn from the experts!

On season 3 of The Afterword Podcast, we had the priveldge of speaking with Dr. Andrew Budson from Boston University and Dr. Christy Tangney with Rush University. They discussed memory, dementia, cognitive decline, and neuroplasticity. These experts debunked several popular theories about how to keep our minds sharp while giving us insight into what really works for cognitive health. 

With all the recent news about the MIND diet, we wanted to re-release this episode as a refresher and a renewal for those interested in brain health.

This past summer, we were given a preview of the true military story depicted in the new movie called Devotion.  Our guests J.P. Miller and Vanessa Molden shared their personal connections to the lives of heroes we may not have heard about in our episode on African American Military stories. JP Miller is a Desert Storm veteran and author of many books for young readers. JP's books are filled with African American characters and culture. We also had Vanessa Molden, museum operations and education manager at the African Military History Museum where the premiere of the movie Devotion occurred with us. This re-release is a timely and vital conversation!

Holland Webb and Amy Bowlin take a look back over the 2022 year on The Afterword Podcast. We reflect on essential elements and metaphors as well as the connections we have made. Our expert guests have been the essential element to our enlightening conversations. We are grateful to all our listeners and subscribers over these last 4 seasons. Please tell your friends about us and as always- You are welcome at our table!

 There are so many advancements in technology, yet it's hard to keep up with the latest cyber threats on our personal devices, businesses and governments. Each day it seems like there is something new we need that we need to know. Keeping safe in the metaverse is important and we had the opportunity to talk about cyber security with Andrew Bustamante, a former covert CIA intelligence officer and Fortune 10 corporate advisor. We are re-releasing this vital conversation as we end this season.

The world just witnessed the global action steps at the COP27 UN Climate Change Conference in Egypt. It raised continual awareness that weather impacts every aspect of our lives. On our podcast this year, this episode was the most downloaded of all our conversations. We are re-releasing this powerful conversation with Chris Hennon  professor at UNC Asheville and  Bill Martin who is with the National Weather Service (NOAA). Listen to our expert guests share insight about the changes in weather prediction and what we need to think about for the future.  

As we head into the World Cup this week, we are re-releasing this  enlightening episode! We want to consider how soccer intersects with global politics. If you need a refresher on how the World Cup is organized, listen to our expert guests!

The World Cup only occurs every four years and it is a benchmark that reflects how countries view themselves and their communities.

Bob Jones University men’s head coach Greg Fulton and semi-professional soccer player Javier Mombiela share the significance of this sport.

The future of soccer has many up-and-coming players, yet some current athletes may be retiring and playing their last games. We will learn how these changes will continue to impact equity in pay, media coverage, and professional level play for all footballers.