For attorney and aspiring writer Adam Hill, his journey towards understanding the life of his younger brother Eric, began by coping with Eric’s death, both in the present, and 1,000 years before either of them was ever born. Adam tells his story to poet Kelley Bell, about the process of chronicling his brother’s untimely passing, their family’s journey to lay him to rest, and how his death opened a door for Adam to more fully understand a faith practice that motivated his brother to travel across the globe in search of truth.  Then Kelley takes the Hill family's spiritual pilgrimage, and turns it poetry.   

Versify is a production of Nashville Public Radio and The Porch — Nashville’s nonprofit literary center.  Editing for this episode came from WPLN’s Mack Linebaugh with additional editing by Anita Bugg. The episode was written, hosted, and produced by Joshua Moore. Today’s story and poem were recorded by Tasha Lemley at Southern Festival of Books in October of 2018. 

The music is by Blue Dot Session and Claudio Nuñez — found through the Free Music Archive. 

The show is distributed by P-R-X.

Tasha Lemley, has spent much of her professional life championing the stories of people on the margins. She Cofounded The Contributor, a Nashville nonprofit “street newspaper” that helps to empower people experiencing homelessness. But even with a career’s worth of exposure to the types of hardship that can come from living on a social periphery. There were still some harsh realities that Tasha was unprepared for. Today Tasha speaks with poet Sally Harvey Anderson, about her visit to a Southern Nevada cathouse, and how a brush with the unglamorized fact of the American Sex trade transformed her commitment to social advocacy. Then Sally takes that formative experience and turns it into poetry.

Versify is a production of Nashville Public Radio and The Porch — Nashville’s nonprofit literary center.  Editing for this episode came from WPLN’s Mack Linebaugh with additional editing by Anita Bugg. The episode was written, hosted, and produced by Joshua Moore. Today’s story and poem were recorded by Tasha Lemley at Southern Festival of Books in October of 2018.

The music is by Blue Dot Session and Lee Rosevere — found through the Free Music Archive.

*The show is distributed by P-R-X. *

There are about as many ways to fall in love with the craft of writing as there are books to be read. But whatever the means of introduction, that first literary gateway drug, it’s typically hard to forget. But for Nashville non-fiction writer Rob Simbeck, his route to an early love of literature, began with an American tragedy. Today Rob speaks with poet Ashley Trabue, about his experience, living through a decade that fractured the country, and how that turmoil pointed him towards a love of telling stories, a discovery that helped to keep Rob from unraveling in more ways than one. Then Ashley takes the broad scope of those experiences, and turns them into poetry.

Versify is a production of Nashville Public Radio and The Porch — Nashville’s nonprofit literary center. Editing for this episode came from WPLN’s Mack Linebaugh with additional editing by Anita Bugg. The episode was written, hosted, and produced by Joshua Moore. Today’s story and poem were recorded by Tasha Lemley at the 2018 Southern Festival of Books.

The music is by Lee Rosevere — found through the Free Music Archive.

The show is distributed by P-R-X.

Perhaps you’ve had the experience of standing on some nondescript street corner, minding your own business, when a stranger comes along and tries to chat you up. Maybe you found yourself thinking "I hope this person’s not a murderer” — a fear which typically seems dramatic. But when Rachel Gladstone had a similar type of run in with her neighborhood exterminator, she was shocked to find just how plausible that concern actually was. Rachel Speaks with poet Alicia Marie Brandewie about a series of unsettling encounters with the pest control man up the street. Then Alicia takes Rachel’s surprising narrative and turns it into poetry.

Versify is a production of Nashville Public Radio and The Porch — Nashville’s nonprofit literary center.  Editing for this episode came from WPLN’s Mack Linebaugh with additional editing by Anita Bugg. The episode was written, hosted, and produced by Joshua Moore. Today’s story and poem were recorded by Sean Clark at Coco’s Italian Market in February of 2018.

The music is by Blue Dot Session and Lee Rosevere — found through the Free Music Archive.

*The show is distributed by P-R-X. *

When Ritagay Sisk-Jaimson first joined the Phillidelphia chapter of the Black Panther Party in 1969, she was under scrutiny not only from some of its members but also the federal government. Ritgay & her daughter Tandekile Francis sit down to speak with poet Courtney Sinclaire Brown, about their family’s multigenerational commitment to public service. And how Ritagay’s lifelong association with the Black Panther Party has cemented their belief in offering public aid by any means necessary. And then Courtney takes their activist’s legacy and turns it into poetry.

Versify is a production of Nashville Public Radio and The Porch — Nashville’s nonprofit literary center.  Editing for this episode came from WPLN’s Mack Linebaugh with additional editing by Anita Bugg. The episode was written, hosted, and produced by Joshua Moore. Today’s story and poem were recorded by Tasha Lemley at The Nashville Symphony’s 2019 Let Freedom Sing Concert.

* The music is by Blue Dot Session — found through the Free Music Archive. *

*The show is distributed by P-R-X. *

For Nashville muralist Andee Rudloff, the process of making a public artwork is about a lot more than adding a little color to urban landscapes. Andee sits down with poet J Joseph Kane, to talk about how an early exposure to her grandmother’s love of narrative and improvisational art spurred her towards a career crafting murals out of community stories. And then Joe takes the arc of Andee’s artistic journey and turns it into poetry.

Versify is a production of Nashville Public Radio and The Porch — Nashville’s nonprofit literary center. Editing for this episode came from WPLN’s Mack Linebaugh with additional editing by Anita Bugg. The episode was written, hosted, and produced by Joshua Moore. Today’s story and poem were recorded by Tasha Lemley at 2018 Southern Festival of Books.

The music is by Blue Dot Session, Podington Bear, and Jahzzar— found through the Free Music Archive.

For Indigo, a young gender fluid person, the decision to live as their authentic self, hasn’t been easy. Today Indigo speaks with poet Susannah Felts, about the journey start their life over in Nashville while dealing with the hurdles of displacement, family disapproval, and challenges with mental health. Then Susannah takes the patchwork of those experiences and turns them into poetry.  

 Versify is a production of Nashville Public Radio and The Porch — Nashville’s nonprofit literary center.  Editing for this episode came from WPLN’s Mack Linebaugh with additional editing by Anita Bugg. The episode was written, hosted, and produced by Joshua Moore. Today’s story and poem were recorded by Tasha Lemley at Music City Central. 

 The music is by Blue Dot Session and Scott Gratton— found through the Free Music Archive. 

The show is distributed by P-R-X.

When we talk about the casualties of war, often the emphasis gets placed on the visible losses, but for the people like Rani Banjarian, a Lebanese international student turned East Nashville Maths teacher, who actually endure those conflicts,  the intangible changes, are often just as costly. Today Rani speaks with his form college professor, poet Destiny Birdsong, about his experience living under the shadow of war, and how what he learned from that ordeal, transformed is relationship to his country, and led him to pursue an education overseas. A decision that’s caused Rani to be torn between his family and his ambitions. And then Destiny takes his complex history, and turns it into poetry.

Versify is a production of Nashville Public Radio and The Porch — Nashville’s nonprofit literary center.  Editing for this episode came from WPLN’s Mack Linebaugh with additional editing by Anita Bugg. The episode was written, hosted, and produced by Joshua Moore. Today’s story and poem were recorded by Joshua Moore at Nashville Public Radio.

The music is by Jahzzar, and Blue Dot Session— found through the Free Music Archive.

*The show is distributed by P-R-X. *

After surviving the Mumbai terror attacks. Linda Ragsdale made good on her promise to honor her friend Naomi’s last wish — teach her how to draw a dragon — by starting a non-profit to travel the world and teach children around the globe about peace. But five years into fulfilling that promise, Linda was faced with yet another threat to her life. Linda tells poet Amelia Edelman about her journey toward recovery, her mission to teach peace through her nonprofit “The Peace Dragon,” and how an unexpected cancer diagnosis threatened to unravel her beliefs. Then Amelia takes Linda’s decade of harrowing ordeals and transform them into poetry.

Linda Ragsdale felt lucky to get the last seat on a trip to Mumbai, intending to deepen her practice of meditation. She found herself instead struggling for survival — in the middle of India's most severe terrorist attack in decades. In part one of this two-part season finale, we hear how Linda's world disintegrated into chaos - and began to find order once again. Warning: This episode contains descriptions of violence.

Versify is a production of Nashville Public Radio and The Porch, Nashville’s nonprofit literary center. Editing and production came from WPLN’s Emily Siner, with additional editing by Anita Bugg, Susannah Felts and Mack Linebaugh. The episode was hosted, scripted and produced by Joshua Moore. The music is by Blue Dot Sessions and Jahzzar. Versify is distributed by PRX.

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