What Are You Reading?: Recent Episodes
Ian and Tim
We believe the question "What are you reading?" is a powerful question. It presents each of us with an opportunity to build community, share experiences, and express the things that matter to us.
On our podcast, What Are You Reading? we talk with interesting Atlantans about books. In free-flowing conversations recorded live at Atlanta Vintage Books, we find out what people from our city are reading and how those readings relate with their lives, work, and communities.
Gigi Pedraza, founder of The Latino Community Fund, is a brilliant thinker, leader, and reader. In this lively conversation, she talks with us about the ideas and stories that shape her work engaging and mobilizing Georgia's Latino community.
Our friend Diana Chavez got a job on Joe Biden's campaign and helped him win. In this episode, she talks with us about what drove her to politics, how books empower her work, and why she should probably read more fiction.
(NSFW) Jason Green blended ultramarathon, punk, and skateboard cultures to form the Yeti Trail Runners. We talk about how books fired his imagination as a weird kid in rural appalachia, why running books suck, and what happens to the brain of a sixteen-year-old when he reads Carlos Castaneda.
In a time when religious tensions are reshaping national politics, religious historian Ryan T. Woods helps us answer urgent questions. What is an Evangelical? How did Evangelicalism evolve into what it is today? How was the Christian movement first perceived by the Romans? Why is Shirley Jackson like a pumpkin spice latte?
Wende Ballew spends a lot of time in prison. As executive director of Reforming Arts, she helps incarcerated women gain an education and tell their stories through theater.
She talks with us about how prisoners see their stories, what she reads, and how her reading life changed after her experiences in the prison system deepened.
In this mashup with "Literary Atlanta," we talk with fellow podcaster Alison Law about building community around stories.
This year at the largest independent book festival in the nation, we connected with old and new friends to talk about books, community, and Aline's secret plan to take over the podcast.
Phi Nguyen is a litigation director for Advancing Justice Atlanta, and she co-hosts our new favorite Facebook show, Wake Up Atlanta! She talks with us about translating legislation into story, connecting with her history and community through literature, and working for justice.
As the mayor of Clarkston, Ted guides policy in the most diverse square mile in America. He talks with us about the books that led him to environmentalism and politics, and we help him decide whether or not to read "Game of Thrones."
Yehimi Cambron's artwork has become iconic in the struggle for immigrant rights in Atlanta. She talks with us about her own migration to life as a teacher, artist, and activist.
Tim and Ian left the security of the bookstore and ventured out to Urban Grind in West Midtown to hear local poets perform before a live audience. In this episode, we learn what drives them to open mics, how they hope people will connect with their work, and what slam poetry is all about. NSFW!
David and George pastor churches at points of racial tension. In our most NSFW episode yet, we talk with them about Jesus, prophets, powers, principalities, and good books. At the end, George urges you to send us money.
Novelist and publisher Steve McCondichie's hometown of Newnan, Georgia made national headlines when a Nazi group held a rally there and Antifa arrived to counter-protest. Steve tells us how the town responded, and we talk about the importance of honest stories about the South.
Gary and Vivian Chapman capture hope and dignity in difficult places around the world through photography and storytelling. They talk with us about what drives them, listening to audiobooks, and the weird thing Gary looks for in bookstores around the world.
Kaitlin B. Curtice was a Southern Baptist when she began to recognize and connect with her Potawatomi heritage. We talk with her about the writers who have helped her navigate her complex identity and what led her to write her new book, Glory Happening.
In one of our favorite episodes to date, rapper, writer, and community organizer Sho Baraka talks with us about hope, activism, faith and partisan politics.
Kalin Thomas is the Program Director at The Wren's Nest. She talks with us about preserving folklore and equipping a new generation to tell their stories.
Tim and Ian recap their 2017 in books and talk about what's next for the podcast. Along the way, we discuss reading authors who aren't dead white men, political novels, and Jesus.
Author Amena Brown takes us on a tour of Atlanta's poetry scene, tells us about the vulnerability of writing her new book, "How to Fix a Broken Record," and agrees with us that it's a good thing to cry sometimes.
Marco left his home on Buford Highway to study political science. Now he's back in the neighborhood cultivating community as president of Los Vecinos de Buford Highway. We talk with him about the books that brought him home and what they showed him about the place.
GA State House candidate Bee Nguyen is a lifetime reader. She talks with us about immigrant fiction, riding the train, how her refugee parents perceive her activism, and empathy in politics.
Our friend Judy reads, works, and writes at points of racial tension. We talk with her about building bridges, Christianity, generational trauma, immigration, books, and why people need to stop being such buttholes sometimes.
We talk with Tim's middle school English teacher about literature, teaching, politics, and the role of reading in rural America. Tim also gushes a few times about her impact on his young, malleable mind.
Founder of Refuge Coffee Company Kitti Murray talks with us about poetry, diversity, and where her Christian faith meets her desire for justice. We also go on and on about running.
It's a special on-site edition of the podcast! Tim and guest host Aline Mello take to the streets at Atlanta's very own Decatur Book Festival and talk with fellow attendees, authors, and publishing companies - and they just may run into a few friends along the way.
Brett Trapp, a pastor's kid from small-town Alabama, told his story of coming out in the Christian community on his blog "Blue Babies Pink." He talks to us about the author's who inspired him, the ideas he's exploring, and how he honors the people he writes for and about.
We talk cultivation and books with farmer, anthropologist, and reader Keisha Cameron. She tells us how she creates space for diversity, creativity, and meaningful change through farming, hospitality, and food.
Brian Bollinger takes a break from his work as Executive Director of Friends of Refugees to talk books with us. He walks us through his wide-ranging list of current and upcoming reads. Along the way, we talk about nonprofit work, Christian spirituality, and Spanish language learning.
In the wake of the conflict in Charlottesville, we talk with Atlanta Vintage Books staff Bob Roarty and Megan Leach about what to read for context, hope, and direction.
Aline Mello is an editor, writer, and immigrant. She talks with us about involuntary politicization, guarding her stories, the potency of poetry, and how her reading and writing have shifted after the election.
Anarchist, artist, and avid reader Megan Leach talks with us about why radical ideas matter, and how literature is the ideal place to encounter them. Along the way, we talk about zines, collage, abandoned places, and independent bookstores around the world.
Immigration Advocate Tim Isaacson tells us how he went from working with the CDC to pastoring a church to legal advocacy for immigrants. He talks about the books that influenced him along the way, and why Evangelicals sometimes miss out on the chance to love their immigrant neighbors.
We crack a beer and talk about the links between solitary activities and community with rocker, reader, and runner Eric North. We also finally settle the debate over the ethics of audiobook consumption and hear a song based on a William Blake poem that Eric found in a Henri Nouwen book.
Author, immigrant, and artist Francisco Dosal tells us what books inspired him to write his novel Beyond the Good & Evil. He tells us what it's like to grow up undocumented, what he wants the next generation of immigrants to know, and how the treatment of violence in The Things They Carried shaped his own writing.
Bookseller, Atlantan, and co-owner of Atlanta Vintage Books Bob Roarty tells us which book sparked his lifelong love of reading, what makes Elmore Leonard so great, and how to respond to customers seeking ancient Satanic texts.
Hey everyone, I know it's been a few weeks. We've already got several interviews under our belts, and are getting the final pieces ready to debut our premiere episode. In the meantime, here are some behind the scenes photos:
Thanks to David Park for the great photos!
What are you reading, Atlanta?
We want to know. You shouldn't keep your stories to yourself.
We believe the question "What are you reading?" is a powerful question. It presents each of us with an opportunity to build community, share experiences, and express the things that matter to us.
On our podcast, What Are You Reading? we talk with interesting Atlantans about books. In free-flowing conversations recorded live at Atlanta Vintage Books, we find out what people from our city are reading and how those readings relate with their lives, work, and communities.
You can join the conversation on Goodreads - Facebook and Twitter are coming soon. And always feel free to e-mail us at whatareyoureadingpodcast@gmail.com.
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