Though often invisible, Islamophobia is still alive in the United States today, from bullying in schools to political scapegoating to violence at houses of worship.

On this episode, we speak with Jordan Denari Duffner, a doctoral student at Georgetown University and author of the new book Islamophobia: What Christians Should Know (and Do) about Anti-Muslim Discrimination.

Talking with contributing writer Paul Moses, Denari Duffner explains how Islam nourishes her own faith, and calls on Christians to become better acquainted with their Muslim neighbors.

For further reading:

·     ‘Enough Bromides,’ Thomas Albert Howard

·     ‘In the Steps of Father Abraham,’ Paul Moses

·     ‘No One is a Stranger,’ Jordan Denari Duffner

Nearly one hundred days into Joe Biden’s presidency, the new administration is rethinking American foreign policy on a number of fronts—including relations with Iran.

On this episode, assistant editor Regina Munch speaks with John Ghazvinian, Executive Director of the Middle East Center at the University of Pennsylvania and author of the book America and Iran: A History, 1720 to the Present.

Ghazvinian explains that while most Americans are used to thinking of Iran as an adversary, that hasn’t always been the case. A deeper knowledge of the rich history between the two countries would go a long way toward improving diplomatic relations today.

For further reading:

-      The Paradox of Deterrence, Bernard G. Prusak

-      A Better Way, The Editors

-      Christian Iran, Christopher Thornton

Kirstin Valdez Quade’s debut novel The Five Wounds tells the story of a year in the life of a Mexican-American family, chronicling their struggles as they confront teenage pregnancy, unemployment, and addiction.

On this episode, Valdez Quade speaks with Commonweal managing editor Katie Daniels about the value of vulnerability, the religious history of the American southwest, and the importance of empathy in fiction.

For further reading:

·     Hope for Suffering Souls, Valerie Sayers

·     To Look Closely Is to Love, Kirstin Valdez Quade

·     Writing into Uncertainty, Dominic Preziosi

PS: “The problem in life is that we need so many epiphanies—one is not enough.”—Kirstin Valdez Quade

Ep. 54 – ‘Tell Me Your Story’

Maria Hinojosa’s nearly thirty-year career as a journalist includes reporting for PBS, CNN, and NPR, as well as anchoring and producing the Peabody Award–winning radio program Latino USA.

She’s also the founder of Futuro Media, an independent nonprofit that provides a platform for people often overlooked by mainstream journalism.

On this episode, Hinojosa speaks with assistant editor Regina Munch about her career in media, her recent memoir, Once I Was You, and her work informing readers and listeners about the changing cultural and political landscape in America.

For further reading:

·     Refounding Chicago, Milton Javier Bravo

·     No Longer Peripheral, César J. Baldelomar

·     Welcoming the Stranger, The Editors

Can we “converse” with God? Why can prayer be so difficult, sometimes even impossible? And is there a right way to do it?

On this episode Fr. James Martin, author of a new book on prayer, shares his thoughts on these questions, but he also takes on a bigger one: why do humans pray at all?

For further reading:

·     Spring Cleaning, Katherine Lucky

·     Perpetual Lent, Claudia Avila Cosnahan

·     Lenten Reflections, a collection

At the start of spring training, with opening day a little more than a month away, it’s time to talk about baseball.

On this episode, theologian Carmen Nanko-Fernández, whose work focuses on the surprising connections between religion, politics, and popular culture, helps us do just that. 

Baseball, Nanko-Fernández explains, is much more than a game. That’s especially true along the U.S.-Mexico border, where sports, race, immigration, labor, and politics are all intertwined.

For further reading:

·     Béisbol, Baseball, & ‘Bad Hombres,’ Carmen Nanko-Fernández

·     Quit Trying to ‘Fix’ Baseball, Gregory K. Hillis

·     More than Cricket, Rand Richards Cooper

How does great fiction work? Which techniques enable readers to lose themselves in plots and connect with characters?

On this episode, celebrated novelist and short story writer George Saunders shares the lessons he’s learned from Russian masters like Chekhov and Tolstoy.

The best literary works, Saunders tells Commonweal literary editor Anthony Domestico, are much more than something beautiful or entertaining. Like the liturgy, they’re also a way of loving.

For further reading:

·     A Kindly Presence of Mind, Anthony Domestico

·     A Moralist with an Ear, John Garvey

·     Near Occasion, Dominic Preziosi

What kind of Catholic is Joe Biden? And what prospects does his presidency hold for the bitterly divided U.S. Church?

On this episode, Commonweal associate editor Matt Sitman speaks with contributing writer Massimo Faggioli about his new book, Joe Biden and Catholicism in the United States.

This political moment, Faggioli argues, is different from any other. With public institutions in decline and democracy’s survival no longer assured, Biden’s challenge—like that of Pope Francis—is to unite a center than may no longer exist.

For further reading:

·     Lots of Politics, Little Legitimacy, Massimo Faggioli

·     The One Missing Fact, Paul Moses

·     The New Integralists, Timothy Troutner

Can private corporations provide public goods? Can capitalism contribute to movements for social justice?

In her book Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America, Georgetown history professor Marcia Chatelain notes that big companies like McDonald's historically have failed to deliver the social benefits they’d promised.

And as racism and white supremacy remain potent forces in American life—and in the Catholic Church—we should harness our power to care for one another, rather than our power as consumers, to bring real change.

For further reading:

·     Three Cheers for Socialism, David Bentley Hart

·     Authentically Black, Truly Catholic, Tia Noelle Pratt

·     Many and One, Vinson Cunningham

In an interview with Commonweal last spring, Pope Francis called on Catholics to meet “this time of great uncertainty” with creativity and grace.

On this special end-of-year episode, we’re revisiting four of our favorite conversations with Catholics who’ve inspired us to do just that:

-      Susan Bigelow Reynolds on changing parish realities

-      Stephen Hough on accepting his own sexuality

-      Fr. Bryan Massingale on racism and white supremacy

-      Ellen Koneck on the spiritual lives of Gen Z

We hope you’ll enjoy hearing from them again as much as we have.