For some, a book is just a book. For others, it can be life-changing, or controversial, or both.

When the Age-Appropriate Materials Act was signed into law by Governor Lee in 2022, it paved the way for certain book titles to be challenged and removed from both school and public libraries. Now, the debate about access, education and community values rages throughout the state.

What does book banning actually look like? Who’s making these calls — and how do they affect readers? Today, we unpack the issue, share perspectives and talk about what might be at stake when a book disappears from the shelf.

Guests:

We’re bringing our voices together in harmony.

It’s a show where everyone has a part. This is a choir town, after all. And choral music is a communal act. We’re visiting with the symphony chorus, the Crimm singers and Vox Grata. Do your warm ups and join us for a singing on the web, on 90.3 or live streaming on our YouTube channel.

This episode was produced by Josh Deepan. 

Guests

At 84, biochemist Billy Hudson is still at it, researching collagen and kidney function. He's been named as a 2026 medal of honor recipient by the Ellis Island Honors Society. An unlikely pioneer in the field of nephrology, Hudson endured poverty and abuse in rural Arkansas, not even finishing high school before he found himself on a welcoming college campus. After a successful research career, he's spent the last two decades trying to make a path to higher education for kids like himself through a program he started with his wife and siblings called Aspirnaut. Not until he was working with kids whose stories rivaled his own trauma did he start dealing with it in a meaningful way. 

Note: The details of Hudson's story are somewhat graphic and there is some mention of thoughts of suicide.

Further Reading:

It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for our weekly roundtable discussion featuring a variety of voices. Otherwise known as The Roundabout.

Today is for anyone who’s ever thought, “I’m not sure I can live here anymore,” or “I just got here and I’m never leaving.” People threaten to leave where they’re from for all kinds of reasons: rising costs, community, limited opportunity, politics, principle, or personal health. After yesterday’s conversation about Tennessee expats, today we’re talking with those who’ve considered leaving and decided to stay, at least for now, as well as folks who came from other parts of the country and found Tennessee a more welcoming place to land.

Guests:

Folks are flocking to Nashville from around the country — and even around the world. Today we explore the other side of the story.

As Middle Tennessee’s economy continues to outpace much of the nation, fueled by a steady influx of new residents, there’s also a consistent stream of departures. For some, it was a single inciting moment; for others, a gradual realization over time. Now living as expats, former Nashvillians join us remotely from California, Illinois, Oregon and Maryland to tell their stories.

Guests:

Tennessee could get about $1 billion to invest in its rural health care over the next five years. Gov. Bill Lee and his administration are drumming up excitement for the plan, which they say is an opportunity to rebuild the state's broken rural health infrastructure.

But some critics are worried there may be strings attached.

On today's episode of This Is Nashville, our Healthcare Hollow series continues. We’re sorting through the good, the bad and the unknown in this moment of rural health transformation.

Guests:

Arielle Zionts, rural health correspondent, KFF Health News
Jacy Warrell, chief executive officer of the Rural Health Transformation Fund
Jessica Snowden, pediatric infectious disease pediatrician and vice chancellor for research, University of Tennessee Health Science Center

This episode is part of our Healthcare Hollow series, made possible, in part, by the NIHCM Foundation.

Kevin Dyson was part of the biggest play during the biggest season the Tennessee Titans have had to date. He saw the highs of the Music City Miracle and the bitter lows of being one yard short at Super Bowl XXXIV. And before long, he found his injury-prone career cut short in 2005. He wanted to coach but didn’t have the credentials. So he went back to school and found education was his passion. He earned a doctorate, became a public school principal in Williamson County, and now he’s starting his own athletics-focused charter school in Nashville — Music City Academy, scheduled to open in fall of 2027 if approved by the Metro Schools board of education. 

His mother asks him why he doesn’t just take it easy. Dyson points to the title of his book, "Qualified So I Am Justified," and says he’s still got something to prove.

It’s now or never to plant something if it’s going to survive the Middle Tennessee summer. Today, we dedicate our weekly roundabout to the when's, where's and what's to plant — or whether we should plant at all given the dry spring we’ve had. Our panel includes an arborist, a naturalist and a nurseryman and we want to hear from you!

The phone lines open at noon at 615-760-2000. You can also pop into chat on our YouTube stream with your questions and thoughts.

This episode was produced by Josh Deepan. 

Guests

Tasked with overseeing Title VI compliance, the Metro Human Relations Commission works to ensure that the city’s 10,000 employees can do their jobs free from discrimination based on race, color, or national origin. Since 2015, the commission has released IncluCivics, a recurring report that looks at the hiring trends, retention rates, and progress toward building a more inclusive environment across departments.

The 2026 edition was released today, and in this episode, we take a closer look at what the data reveals. Where is the city making progress, and where do disparities remain? More importantly, how can leaders and communities use this information to drive meaningful change?

Later on, we also preview the upcoming Community Needs Evaluation from Metro Social Services. Released yearly for the last seventeen years, this year's report,  "Affordability Issues for African Americans in Nashville: Enduring Legacies. Emerging Issues," focuses on continued affordability challenges facing African Americans in Nashville.

Together, these reports raise critical questions about equity, opportunity, and the future of our city.

This episode was produced by Mary Mancini.

Guests:

America’s rural hospitals are closing at an alarming pace, and Tennessee holds the highest closure rate.

In a series of reports this month, WPLN takes an in-depth look at this crisis — how it has harmed communities and what is being done to reverse course.

In this episode, Health Reporter Catherine Sweeney and This Is Nashville host Blake Farmer dive into history of these closures. Then, Catherine takes us to Linden — a rural Tennessee town that lost its hospital and got it back. Finally, providers discuss what communities can do to fill in the gaps when traditional health care delivery is hard to find.

This episode is part of our Healthcare Hollow series, made possible, in part, by the NIHCM Foundation.

Guests

Kyle Kopec, Chief Operating Officer, Braden Health
Shatiqua Jamerson, Administration and Programs Coordinator, Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center
Dr. Charae Farmer-Dixon, Dean, Meharry School of Dentistry at Meharry Medical College