What's Your Why?

Her memoir is called "Lightning Flowers: My Journey To Uncover The Cost Of Saving A Life."

“This book will make you feel less alone. Pick it up and you will hear a human voice.” New York Times

Eleven years ago, when she was 24, Katherine Standefer was working as a ski instructor and a climbing teacher in Jackson, Wyo., when she suddenly passed out in a parking lot. She later learned that she has long QT syndrome, a genetic heart condition in which the heart can suddenly quiver instead of rhythmically pumping blood.

 It can lead to there not being enough blood in vital organs, which causes someone to pass out," Standefer says. "If they're lucky, they might wake back up. If they're not lucky, they could die of sudden cardiac death."

For years, she's lived with a medical device embedded in her chest, an implanted cardiac defibrillator, a tiny version of the machines in hospital rooms that deliver shocks to someone whose heart has stopped beating or has developed a dangerous arrhythmia. Standefer's device was implanted 11 years ago, when she was 24.

Her book chronicles the ways her condition and the defibrillator changed her life, like experiencing accidental jolts of electricity to her heart as well as her journeys to Africa to visit mines where the precious metals used in making it are extracted. She wanted to explore the human cost of creating these devices. And she writes about making complicated medical decisions with potentially life-or-death consequences while living with little income on the margins of the nation's health insurance system.

Lightning Flowers was a Finalist for the 2021 Kirkus Prize in Nonfiction. The book was also a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice/Staff Pick and the NYTBR’s Group Text Pick for November 2020. Named one of O, The Oprah Magazine’s Best Books of Fall 2020, it has been featured in People Magazine, on NPR’s Fresh Air, and on the goop podcast. Lightning Flowers was a Finalist for the 2021 Arizona/New Mexico Book Award in Autobiography/Memoir, selected as the Common Read 2022-2023 at Colorado College, and shortlisted for the 2018 J. Anthony Lukas Works-in-Progress Award from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism and the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard.

Learn more about Katherine on her website.

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When I first heard of the book, Fault Lines in the Constitution: I was excited for the opportunity to learn the reason and development of writing this book. And basically, their WHY? 

Many of the political issues we struggle with today have their roots in the US Constitution.

Husband-and-wife team Cynthia and Sanford Levinson take readers back to the creation of this historic document and discuss how contemporary problems were first introduced—then they offer possible solutions. Think Electoral College, gerrymandering, even the Senate. Many of us take these features in our system for granted. But they came about through haggling in an overheated room in 1787, and we’re still experiencing the ramifications.

The authors have written a book that approachably zooms in on issues that foundationally impacted our government from the beginning and highlights how these same issues rise up as challenges today. 

Without picking sides of an argument, Cynthia and Sanford Levinson articulate a complex topic in an accessible way for readers young and old.

Cynthia Levinson holds degrees from Wellesley College and Harvard University She is a former teacher and educational policy consultant and researcher.

Her husband Sandy Levinson or Sanford Levinson is an American legal scholar, a professor in the Law School and the Department of Government at the University of Texas

Written in 1787, ratified in 1788, and in operation since 1789, the United States Constitution is the world’s longest surviving written charter of government. Its first three words – “We The People” – affirm that the government of the United States exists to serve its citizens. The supremacy of the people through their elected representatives is recognized in Article I, which creates a Congress consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives. The positioning of Congress at the beginning of the Constitution affirms its status as the “First Branch” of the federal government.

The Constitution assigned to Congress responsibility for organizing the executive and judicial branches, raising revenue, declaring war, and making all laws necessary for executing these powers. The president is permitted to veto specific legislative acts, but Congress has the authority to override presidential vetoes by two-thirds majorities of both houses. The Constitution also provides that the Senate advise and consent on key executive and judicial appointments and on the approval for ratification of treaties.

“Opinionated, may be controversial, but should spark a national dialogue about our Constitution and the nation’s future.” —Dan Rather

“When one of the nation’s foremost constitutional scholars teams up with one of the nation’s favorite young adult authors, the result is a highly educational, readable and entertaining look at the United States Constitution, warts and all. Cynthia and Sanford Levinson’s “Fault Lines in the Constitution,”  could not be more timely and thought provoking.” — Ted McConnell, Executive Director, Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools, Assistant to Chairman, Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution 1986-1990.

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April is National Poetry Month    We celebrate and promote the art of poetry and storytelling.  We recognize the place and possibilities that poets and poetry have in civic life, including helping communities address issues of importance.   Kealoha is the first Poet Laureate of Hawaiʻi. As an internationally acclaimed poet and storyteller, he has performed throughout the world -- from the White House to the ʻIolani Palace, from Brazil to Switzerland. He is the first poet in Hawaiʻi's history to perform at a governor's inauguration, was selected as a master artist for a National Endowment for the Arts program, was named an American Academy of Poets Laureate Fellow, and delivered the keynote address for MIT’s special commencement ceremony in 2022. Kealoha’s latest work, The Story of Everything, is a science-based theater production that has toured in various cities throughout the United States and premiered as a feature film at the 2022 Maui Film Festival and the 2022 Hawaiʻi International Film Festival.   Here is a link to the list of Academy of American Poets Luareate Fellowships from state and year, including Kealoha! 

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Do you know what you truly want from your life? 

“You can’t have it all but you can have what matters.” Bonnie Wan  

That’s her motto and mantra. In her interview she talks about where she grew up, her journey and her inspiration. 

As the creator of “The Life Brief,” Bonnie Wan has crafted a strategy for helping everyday people live with greater clarity, creativity, and courage. 

“The Life Brief” has grown from an agency talk into a workbook, keynote talks and workshops. Wan has shared her work in a Masterclass on Advertising & Creativity, on Katie Couric’s Katie talk show, and on HuffPost Live. Bonnie Wan is author, speaker and teacher of The Life Brief, a practice for creative and courageous living. 

Bonnie is also Partner and Head of Brand Strategy at the world renown advertising agency, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, creators of “got milk”, the Budweiser lizards and decades of culture driving creative campaigns. In addition to overseeing clients such as BMW, Comcast, Frito-Lay and HP, Bonnie’s work also includes innovative, award-winning campaigns fighting child sex trafficking, cyberbullying, gender inequality, racial injustice and college-campus rape. Bonnie has spent the last three decades building brands, making meaning out of messes and obsessing about human behavior. 

In 2010, during a personal crisis of meaning, Bonnie wrote a creative brief for her life and The Life Brief was born. The resulting Life Brief saved her marriage (not once, but twice), catapulted her career, centered her parenting and opened up doors for serving others. Ultimately, The Life Brief has kicked off ten years of adventure, packed with unexpected twists and unimaginable gifts. 

https://www.ideaarchitects.com/our-authors/bonnie-wan/

https://goodbysilverstein.com/leadership/bonnie-wan

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Mat Hames is an Emmy winning Executive Producer and Director, known for his two feature length Independent Lens documentaries What Was Ours and When I Rise (both available on Prime video), as well as award winning documentary series including Power Trip: The Story of Energy (Prime Video, PBS, AppleTV).  Mat is currently directing A State of Mind for Wyoming PBS, a series focused on mental health issues for Americans living in the mountain west. 

What Was Ours, filmed on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming over a period of several years, was recently featured on HBO’s This Week Tonight with John Oliver. Mat’s directorial debut was Last Best Hope, a nationally broadcast PBS film about the Belgian Resistance and escape lines during WWII, for which he was knighted by Belgian King Albert II. Mat’s six hour series on the history of energy Power Trip: The Story of Energy has to date been seen by more than 3 million viewers on networks in over 10 countries. . Power Trip received coveted Rockefeller Foundation and Sloan Foundation funding. Mat traveled to eight countries and interviewed 100 experts on topics concerning the history of energy. Season Two production is currently underway filming in Iceland, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

Mat’s other recent films include The Art of Home (PBS Living Channel), and Fossil Country (Wyoming PBS). 

Mat is a co-founder of production studio Alpheus Media, based in Austin Texas. In addition to documentaries, with Alpheus Media, Mat has also directed short films for clients like Warner Bros, The Economist, Johns Hopkins and the Redford Center at Sundance, as well as hundreds of online video campaigns for brands such as Whole Foods, the University of Texas, Movember, Partners in Health, and LIVESTRONG.

www.mathamesfilm.com

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Tori Murden McClure is no stranger to trail blazing. 

Tori Murden McClure is the President of Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky. Tori may be best known as the first woman and first American to row solo and unassisted across the Atlantic Ocean. Also she was the first woman and first American to travel over land to the geographic South Pole skiing 750-miles from the ice-shelf to the pole. Tori has worked as chaplain of Boston City Hospital, as policy assistant to the Mayor of Louisville, director of a shelter for homeless women, and has worked with the boxer and humanitarian Muhammad Ali.  

Tori is an accomplished mountaineer and has completed major climbs on several continents. Tori is a graduate of Smith College. She holds a Masters in Divinity from Harvard Divinity School, a Juris Doctorate from the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law, and a Masters of Fine Arts in Writing from Spalding University.  

Though many titles fit — athlete, adventurer, chaplain, lawyer, university administrator — it’s hard to put just one to her name. Her diverse career accomplishments include working as a chaplain at a Boston hospital, as the director of a Kentucky-based women’s shelter, as a policy assistant in the Louisville Mayor’s Office, and as the first full-time employee of the Muhammad Ali Center, a nonprofit cultural hub dedicated to celebrating the boxer. 

Her memoir, “A Pearl in the Storm: How I Found My Heart in the Middle of the Ocean,” published in 2009, became the basis of the stage musical, “Row.” The musical premiered in the summer of 2021 at the prestigious Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts. 

More on Tori: President Mclure of Spalding University   Womens History Month | Adventurer Tori Murden Mclure (video)   Womens History Month | Adventurer Tori Murden Mclure (article & photos)

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Dr. Gigi Jasper is a retired English teacher living in Rock Springs, Wyoming.

In this episode, you'll hear about why Gigi moved to Wyoming, her career as a public school teacher, and her experience with discrimination as an African American woman living in rural Wyoming.

Her inspiration, guidance, and resilience as she taught and mentored young people throughout her teaching career, and through that inspiration, she helped young people find tools and paths for their own lives.

“And I was told by whoever it was, "We don't hire women." And he was saying that while there was a woman worker not 25 feet behind him.  Well, it was pretty clear that my being female was not his objection. And so, in some ways my welcome to Wyoming was having to file with the EEOC.” Gigi Jasper

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Also known as African American History Month, the event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating Black history.

Watch Black History Documentaries

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Musical Crossroads: African American Influence on American Music

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I want to give a warm welcome to Danielle Allen. Danielle's work to improve the world for the youth has taken her from intructing college classes to the helm of a $6 billion foundation, writing as a national opinion columnist, democracy, reform, civic education, and most recently running for governer of Massachusetts. She made history as the first black woman to ever run for statewide office in the state. As well as being the 2020 winner of the library of congress Kluge prize, recieved for her internationally recognized scholarship and political theory and her commitment to improving democratic practice and civics education. The Kluge prize recognizes scholarly achievement in the disciplines not covered by the Nobel prize. 

Danielle Allen studies classics, democratic theory, politiceal soceology, and the history of political thought. A professor at Harvard, she directs the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Ethics. She has published widely on justice, government, and ctitizenship both in ancient Athens and modern America. She is the lead investigator for Harvards democratic knowledge project striving to strengthen democracies. 

Welcome Danielle Allen!

Learn more about Danielle:

Team America The Indivisible

Danielle Allen: Harvard U

Edmond & Lily Safra: Center For Ethics

Danielle's TED Talk

Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equity (video)

Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equity (book)

This podcast is in partnership with The Jackson Hole Center for Global Affairs (JHCGA) a leading nonpartisan NGO based in Jackson, Wyoming.  We bring leaders and communities together in Jackson Hole to drive breakthroughs to global challenges.

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Bronwyn Minton is a multi-disciplinary artist, curator, and arts leader living in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Minton holds a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. She is the recipient of the Wyoming Governor’s Arts Award, two Wyoming Arts Council Visual Arts Fellowships, a Wyoming Arts Council Visual Arts Fellowship Honorable mention, and the Cultural Council of Jackson Hole’s Creative Pulse Award. Minton’s work has been shown nationally and internationally, and is in public and private collections. 

Minton works with notions related to human interaction in the natural world; inclusive of scientific observation, physical involvement, and cultural experience. Her work consists of drawing, animation, photography, sculpture, clay, printmaking, and interactive installations. Using simple forms derived from nature, her work exploits radically different scales, from the microscopic to the monumental, bringing attention to how we fit with and construct nature.  Last but not least, Bronwyn is the Executive Director of the Art Association of Jackson Hole. Minton served as the Director of Exhibits and Programs at the Art Association for a year and a half. Prior to the Art Association, Minton was at the National Museum of Wildlife Art for over 13 years, where she most recently served as Associate Curator of Art and Research.  

Minton, an amazing artist, is 1 of 5 Wyoming artists selected for Women To Watch. The 2024 exhibit is the National Museum of Women in the Art's biennial exhibition series that features underrepresented and emerging women artists who create in any medium including, but not limited to, painting, sculpture, print, drawing, photography, film, digital, installation, and sound. Wyoming will participate for the first time in NMWA’s Women to Watch exhibition, held in Washington, DC in 2024. Bronwyn is 1 of 5 artists chosen from across Wyoming to be invited to submit their work. But only one will be chosen to be on exhibit in a permenent collection at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington D.C!

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Katy Ann Fox wanders through the West witnessing windblown mountains and sunlight to gather emotion and imagery for her landscape paintings. Her oil paintings host a feeling of peace and respect for her subject as she focuses on texture and color harmony. She grew up in north central Idaho, moved to San Francisco, California for her Masters in Fine Art degree at the Academy of Art University and now makes her art at the foot of the Teton Mountain Range. In addition to painting, she does woodblock printing and hand thrown pottery and some sewing.

Katy majored in business economics at the University of Idaho, with an art minor. She went on to study painting at San Francisco’s Academy of Fine Art where she received a master’s degree in fine art. After school, Fox moved to Jackson Hole. By 2015 she was celebrated as the Art Association’s Artist of the Year. She is noticeable figure in the region’s arts community, teaching pottery classes for the Art Association, painting a mural behind Trio Restaurant, assisting with programs and events at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, and exhibiting at Altamira Fine Art and in the Center Theater Gallery.

Katy is one of five Wyoming artists selected for Women To Watch. The 2024 exhibit is the National Museum of Women in the Arts biennial exhibition series that features underrepresented and emerging women artists who create in any medium including, but not limited to, painting, sculpture, print, drawing, photography, film, digital, installation, and sound. Wyoming will participate for the first time in NMWA’s Women to Watch exhibition, held in Washington, DC in 2024 and Fox is one of the five inspirational and talented artists chosen from across Wyoming to be invited to submit their work. BUT, only one will be chosen to be on exhibit in a collection at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington D.C!

Katy's Website 

JH News & Guide Article

Buckrail Article

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