The Commonweal Podcast

By Commonweal Magazine

What's The Commonweal Podcast about?

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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The Commonweal Podcast episodes:

04.18.2024
Ep. 128 - Diagnosing Disadvantage in America
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...
04.04.2024
Ep. 127 - Criticism as a Way of Life
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...
03.21.2024
Ep. 126 - God, According to Marilynne Robinson
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...
03.07.2024
Ep. 125 - What Are Universities For?
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...
03.04.2024
Ep. 124 - The GOP Attack on Catholic Shelters at the Border
Recent weeks have seen an intensification of the Republican campaign against Catholic groups that offer assistance to migrants and refugees along the southern border. Last month, Texas state attorney general Ken Paxton announced a lawsuit against Annunciation House, a network of...
02.22.2024
Ep. 123 - The Hall Beside Belief
For many religious people, the pandemic accelerated a decline in institutional allegiance and trust that was already well underway. Many Catholics stopped attending Mass and still haven’t returned. One figure who thinks deeply about the contemporary decline in religious practice and...
02.08.2024
Ep. 122 - The New Suburbia
For the first time, a majority of Americans now live in the suburbs—places that have been transformed over the past several decades by boom-and-bust construction cycles and rapid demographic shifts. On this episode, associate editor Regina Munch speaks with journalist Benjamin...
01.25.2024
Ep. 121 - Rescuer of the Written Word
For decades, Fr. Columba Stewart, a Benedictine Monk of St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota, has traveled the world in an effort to preserve manuscripts belonging to endangered communities. On this episode, Fr. Stewart joins Commonweal editor Dominic Preziosi to discuss...
01.11.2024
Ep. 120 - An Evening with Christian Wiman
Last month, Commonweal hosted a book launch in New York City with poet Christian Wiman. The topic was his new book Zero at the Bone: 50 Entries Against Despair, a mixture of poetry, essays, quotations, and close readings. The former editor...
12.21.2023
Ep. 119 - Best of 2023
On this special year-end episode, we’re revisiting four of our favorite conversations from the past year. Sociologist Matthew Desmond explains how the United States can choose to abolish poverty. Sr. Helen Prejean and singer Ryan McKinney discuss the Metropolitan Opera’s production...
12.07.2023
Ep. 118 - Why Conservatives Should Be Pro-Labor
American workers have fared poorly in recent decades, suffering the loss not just of purchasing power, but of political power, too. On this episode, Commonweal senior editor Matt Boudway speaks with journalist Sohrab Ahmari, a conservative political commentator and editor whose...
11.22.2023
Ep. 117 - Processing the Synod
Last month’s Synod on Synodality in Rome is perhaps one of the most important ecclesial gatherings to take place since the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. But what exactly happened remains unclear. On this episode, Commonweal editor Dominic Preziosi is...
11.09.2023
Ep. 116 - Saving Liberalism
Today, the political and social philosophy known as liberalism—which champions democracy, individual rights, and free enterprise—is on the defensive. Conservatives often charge it with eroding community, while some progressives view it as a justification for economic exploitation. On this episode, Yale political...
10.18.2023
Ep. 115 - An Opera for ‘Life People’
Dead Man Walking, based on the acclaimed memoir by Sr. Helen Prejean, may be the world’s most popular contemporary opera. But it had never before been performed on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City—until now. On...
10.05.2023
Ep. 114 - Moving With the Ocean
With its frequent earthquakes, mudslides, wildfires, and other maladies, California is no stranger to environmental disaster. But in the long run, even these highly visible effects of climate change pale in comparison to the looming threat of sea-level rise. On this...
09.22.2023
Ep. 113 - How to Abolish Poverty
The fact that nearly 40 million Americans live in poverty is a national embarrassment. But it’s also a choice. If poverty exists, it’s because we “wish and will it to.” That’s the thesis of Princeton sociologist Matthew Desmond, who joins Commonweal...
09.07.2023
Ep. 112 - Has News Always Been ‘Fake’?
The 2016 presidential election brought “fake news” to the center of national debates over media bias, election interference, free speech, and content moderation. But the phenomenon isn’t exactly new. Misleading stories, sensationalism, and outright lies, explains Andie Tucher, have been part...
08.24.2023
Ep. 111 - Writers Shouldn’t ‘Prance’
John McPhee is widely regarded as America’s most prolific nonfiction author. Over a career spanning seven decades, McPhee has written more than thirty books, elucidating everything from shipping and boatbuilding to geology, engineering, and aviation. On this episode, McPhee joins contributing...
08.10.2023
Ep. 110 - Living for God Alone
Religious life stands in radical opposition to much of modern culture. But what is it, exactly? On this episode, philosopher Zena Hitz speaks with senior editor Matt Boudway about her new book on religious life—a crucial part of the Catholic Church,...
07.27.2023
Ep. 109 - Bordering on Compassion
The border is a place, but it is also a metaphor: for our complicated personal identities and political allegiances, and for the moral claims made on us by those born on the other side. On this episode, interpreter and activist Alejandra...
07.13.2023
Ep. 108 - God’s Editor
Though you’ve probably never heard of him, book editor Eugene Exman (1900–1975) exerted tremendous influence on the shape of American religion in the twentieth century. On this episode, special projects editor Miles Doyle speaks with Stephen Prothero, author of the new...
06.29.2023
Ep. 107 - Rescuing Philosophy
What should philosophy do? Despite record numbers of practitioners, today the discipline is in crisis, awash in abstraction and increasingly isolated—even within the academy. But there’s a way out, argues veteran philosopher Philip Kitcher. It starts with attending to the ordinary...
06.15.2023
Ep. 106 - Belief in Something Big
At first glance, John West’s Lessons and Carols: A Meditation on Recovery is an unconventional memoir about addiction and the healing power of community. But it also addresses the challenges of belief today, when almost everything—the nation, religious institutions, the environment—appears...
05.25.2023
Ep. 105 - How Hospitals Could Be
Is single-payer health care really feasible in America? For one Texas physician, the answer is an unqualified ‘yes.’ On this episode, Commonweal associate editor Regina Munch speaks with Ricardo Nuila, an internist at Houston’s Ben Taub hospital and author of the...
05.11.2023
Ep. 104 - After We’re Gone
Would the world actually be better without us? For most of human history, the question was inconceivable. But now, anxious over climate change and elated at technological breakthroughs, a growing chorus of thinkers is heralding the end of humanity’s reign on...
04.27.2023
Ep. 103 - Out Loud
As National Poetry Month draws to a close, Commonweal’s Claudia Avila Cosnahan is joined by poet, scholar, and professor Joshua Bennett to talk about his new book, Spoken Word: A Cultural History. A prominent slam champion himself, Bennett explains how spoken...
04.20.2023
Ep. 102 - Writing Climate Change
In honor of Earth Week, we’re releasing a special bonus episode featuring our friend Dorothy Fortenberry in conversation with Commonweal editor Dominic Preziosi. Fortenberry, who has written and commented widely on climate change, is also the co-writer and executive producer of...
04.13.2023
Ep. 101 - A ‘Mindset’ of Misanthropy
The billionaire founders of Big Tech firms are constantly touting “revolutionary” new products like cryptocurrency, AI, and the metaverse. They claim these exist “for the good of humanity,” but we should be extremely wary of their altruistic professions. On this episode,...
03.30.2023
Ep. 100 - Renaissance Man
In addition to being an accomplished writer, frequent Commonweal contributor Clifford Thompson is also a self-taught painter. On this episode, Thompson speaks with associate editor Griffin Oleynick about his first solo gallery show in New York City. Using Thompson’s art as a...
03.09.2023
Ep. 99 - Hot & Bothered
In communities across the United States, the effects of climate change are already displacing tens of thousands of Americans from their homes. How should the federal government respond? What are the responsibilities of homeowners and insurers? These questions lie at the...
02.23.2023
Ep. 98 - Gustavo Arellano’s California
Los Angeles Times columnist and podcast host Gustavo Arellano is well known for his acerbic sense of humor and his commitment to holding powerful figures to account. On this episode, Arellano joins Commonweal Director of Mission & Partnerships Claudia Avila Cosnahan...
02.09.2023
Ep. 97 - Ukraine, Revisited
It’s been nearly a year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and we’ve since become accustomed to tragic reports and gruesome images of the war. But there’s another side of Ukraine—its complicated history and rich culture—that’s seldom seen by Americans. On this episode,...
01.26.2023
Ep. 96 - Unity, not Uniformity
It’s no secret that the demographics of the American Catholic Church are changing rapidly and radically. The future of Catholic parishes depends on their ability to welcome and adapt. On this episode, we speak with Candler School of Theology professor Susan...
01.12.2023
Ep. 95 - Must We Forgive?
When a crime is committed or moral injury occurs, we often respond in one of two ways: we condemn the offense and seek redress, or we declare our willingness to forgive and move on. But a reflexive willingness to pardon—though praised...
12.22.2022
Ep. 94 - Best of 2022
On this episode, we’re revisiting four of our favorite conversations from the past year. Mallory McMorrow explains how her faith informs her politics and denounces the GOP’s “performative nonsense.” Mollie Wilson O’Reilly and Natalia Imperatori-Lee react to the Supreme Court’s decision...
12.08.2022
Ep. 93 - A Flock without Shepherds?
Last month saw the election of Archbishop Timothy Broglio as leader of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops—a choice seen by many as a reactionary rebuke to Pope Francis and his synodal agenda. On this episode, regular Commonweal contributor Massimo...
11.22.2022
Ep. 92 - Which Latino Voter?
In the aftermath of the midterm elections, political experts and the media are once again trying to make sense of the choices that Latino voters made at the ballot box. On this episode, editor Dominic Preziosi is joined by Eli Valentin,...
11.04.2022
Ep. 91 - Care, Commodified
Women who cross the border to perform care work for American families—cleaning their homes, running their errands, and raising their kids—number among the most hidden and undervalued laborers in our society. Too often, their voices go unheard. On this episode, Commonweal...
10.20.2022
Ep. 90 - A City to Live In
It’s no secret that access to affordable housing in America is increasingly out of reach. Activists in the growing YIMBY (“Yes In My Back Yard”) movement believe they have a solution: build more of everything. On this episode, associate editor Griffin...
10.06.2022
Ep. 89 - Life Inside, and Out
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...
09.22.2022
Ep. 88 - A Hidden Struggle
For many Catholic women experiencing infertility, the Church has not been a welcoming, listening place—and that’s something that needs to change. On this episode, associate editor Regina Munch speaks with Emma McDonald, a doctoral candidate at Boston College who has researched...
09.08.2022
Ep. 87 - Sounds of Silence
Ancient monks entered the desert wilds of Egypt and the Holy Land in search of solitude and silence. What they found instead was a rich sonic landscape replete with melody, cacophony, and deep spiritual resonance. On this episode, associate editor Griffin...
08.04.2022
Ep. 86 - Not Too Late
Intractable racism, increasing inequality, and intensifying climate change—for author and environmental activist Bill McKibben, these are some of the legacies wrought by the growth of American suburbs during the past forty years. On this episode, McKibben joins Commonweal associate editor Griffin...
07.21.2022
Ep. 85 - Should Catholics Promote Democracy?
For most of its history, the Catholic Church clung to a deep skepticism concerning the legitimacy of democracy. But that all changed during the twentieth century, explains Notre Dame historian and longtime Commonweal contributor John McGreevy. On this episode McGreevy talks with...
07.07.2022
Ep. 84 - Forward & Backward
One quality of a Catholic poet is a heightened capacity to see—not just into the future, but into the past as well. On this episode, poet Paul Mariani speaks with Commonweal contributor Anthony Domestico about his latest collection, All That Will...
06.09.2022
Ep. 83 - ‘An Early Spring’
In the American Church today, few figures are as outspoken about the need for Catholics to treat LGBTQ people with love, respect, and compassion as Jesuit priest Fr. James Martin. Martin is also the subject of a new documentary, Building a...
05.25.2022
Ep. 82 - ‘Broken Places’
Few living writers speak as eloquently and incisively about the terrible contradictions of armed conflict as Marine Corps veteran and award-winning author Phil Klay. On this episode, Klay joins Commonweal senior editor Matt Boudway to discuss his new book Uncertain Ground:...
05.10.2022
Ep. 81 - Is This What We Wanted?
It’s been just over a week since Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s draft opinion appearing to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked to the press. On this episode, Commonweal editor-at-large Mollie Wilson O’Reilly and theologian Natalia Imperatori-Lee share their initial reactions...
04.27.2022
Ep. 80 - McMorrow’s Way
On April 19, Mallory McMorrow, Democratic State Senator of Michigan, delivered a speech in the chamber of the Michigan State Capitol. It instantly struck a chord on social media, and has since been viewed by millions of people throughout the world. Pushing back...
04.14.2022
Ep. 79 - Beyond Consent
As the #MeToo movement was unfolding, Washington Post columnist Christine Emba began asking questions about the broader health of American sexual culture. On this episode, Emba speaks with Commonweal contributing writer and Christianity Today editor Kate Lucky about the findings presented...

What's The Commonweal Podcast about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Commonweal Podcast episodes:

Ep. 128 - Diagnosing Disadvantage in America

Ep. 127 - Criticism as a Way of Life

Ep. 126 - God, According to Marilynne Robinson

Ep. 125 - What Are Universities For?

Ep. 124 - The GOP Attack on Catholic Shelters at the Border

Ep. 123 - The Hall Beside Belief

Ep. 122 - The New Suburbia

Ep. 121 - Rescuer of the Written Word

Ep. 120 - An Evening with Christian Wiman

Ep. 119 - Best of 2023

Ep. 118 - Why Conservatives Should Be Pro-Labor

Ep. 117 - Processing the Synod

Ep. 116 - Saving Liberalism

Ep. 115 - An Opera for ‘Life People’

Ep. 114 - Moving With the Ocean

Ep. 113 - How to Abolish Poverty

Ep. 112 - Has News Always Been ‘Fake’?

Ep. 111 - Writers Shouldn’t ‘Prance’

Ep. 110 - Living for God Alone

Ep. 109 - Bordering on Compassion

Ep. 108 - God’s Editor

Ep. 107 - Rescuing Philosophy

Ep. 106 - Belief in Something Big

Ep. 105 - How Hospitals Could Be

Ep. 104 - After We’re Gone

Ep. 103 - Out Loud

Ep. 102 - Writing Climate Change

Ep. 101 - A ‘Mindset’ of Misanthropy

Ep. 100 - Renaissance Man

Ep. 99 - Hot & Bothered

Ep. 98 - Gustavo Arellano’s California

Ep. 97 - Ukraine, Revisited

Ep. 96 - Unity, not Uniformity

Ep. 95 - Must We Forgive?

Ep. 94 - Best of 2022

Ep. 93 - A Flock without Shepherds?

Ep. 92 - Which Latino Voter?

Ep. 91 - Care, Commodified

Ep. 90 - A City to Live In

Ep. 89 - Life Inside, and Out

Ep. 88 - A Hidden Struggle

Ep. 87 - Sounds of Silence

Ep. 86 - Not Too Late

Ep. 85 - Should Catholics Promote Democracy?

Ep. 84 - Forward & Backward

Ep. 83 - ‘An Early Spring’

Ep. 82 - ‘Broken Places’

Ep. 81 - Is This What We Wanted?

Ep. 80 - McMorrow’s Way

Ep. 79 - Beyond Consent