North Carolina is one of only two states in the US where 16 and 17 years old kids are routinely charged as adults for even the most minor offenses. This policy has serious consequences for the youth involved. In this bonus podcast episode, poet Kane Smego shares a gripping poem called, “Oh Carolina” about justice and conflict in North Carolina. Download the Bonus Episode Now Season 1 of the Stories with a Heartbeat podcast is over, but you can still download all the episodes today! Stories with a Heartbeat is a new podcast produced by North Carolina Public Radio and hosted by poet Will McInerney that uses poetry and storytelling to help us understand conflict. You can subscribe to this podcast on iTunes , Google Play , or your podcast platform of choice. Check out Kane's website to learn more about his poetry. Thanks to Torian Ugworji, Robalu Gibsun, and the VCU Ram Slam for the audio from Kane’s poem. Subscribe To This Podcast

Amin Drew Law is a Palestinian-American poet and educator based in Washington D.C. In his poem, "The Secret Weapon of Chubby Boys," Amin taps into a classic schoolyard conflict and provides a hilarious and heartwarming solution. On this bonus episode of Stories with a Heartbeat, we reflect on some of the classroom conflicts we covered in season 1 of the podcast. From the first days of elementary to college graduation, we explored the spectrum of friction at school. This week we hear from poet Amin Drew Law with a new, potent, and poetic reminder of school conflict. Download the Bonus Episode Now Season 1 of the Stories with a Heartbeat podcast is over, but you can still download all the episodes today! Stories with a Heartbeat is a new podcast produced by North Carolina Public Radio and hosted by poet Will McInerney that uses poetry and storytelling to help us understand conflict. You can subscribe to this podcast on iTunes , Google Play , or your podcast platform of choice. Follow

Rafeef Ziadah is a Palestinian poet and human rights activist living in London. Her poem, “We Teach Life, Sir,” is powerful and poignant reminder of the human condition in conflict. On this bonus episode of Stories with a Heartbeat, host Will McInerney reflects on some of the stories from our past episodes covering the Chapel Hill Shooting in season 1. Rafeef's beautiful and moving poetry is emblematic of the legacy and the lasting message of life that Deah Barakat , Yusor Abu Salha , and Razan Abu Salha left behind. Listen to Rafeef's poem with the link below. Download the Bonus Episode Now Season 1 of the Stories with a Heartbeat podcast is over, but you can still download all the episodes today! Stories with a Heartbeat is a new podcast produced by North Carolina Public Radio and hosted by poet Will McInerney that uses poetry and storytelling to help us understand conflict. You can subscribe to this podcast on iTunes , Google Play , or your podcast platform of choice. Check out

Graduation speeches tend to be predictable and repetitive. They rarely leave a lasting impression. But a couple months ago, Harvard Graduate School of Education student Donovan Livingston's voice echoed around the world as his poetic commencement speech went viral .

As athletes from around the world compete for gold in Rio this summer, poets from across the U.S. are facing off in a different kind of competition. It is called a poetry slam. On this episode of Stories with a Heartbeat , we talk to poetry slam champion Dasan Ahanu to figure out what this poetic conflict is all about, and how to win. Download Episode 11 Now In 2010, Dasan Ahanu and host Will McInerney were on a slam team together. They were competing in the Southern Fried Poetry Slam . Southern Fried is one of the the largest and longest running poetry slams in the world. Their team from Durham, North Carolina made it all the way to finals that year. Dasan recalls what it felt like to be in a big-time poetry slam like Southern Fried. "It's one of the most amazing feelings ever, everything moves in slow motion, you feel like there is this aura around you, you are totally conscious of everything you are doing in terms of body motion, you are hearing each word as it comes out," he said.

CJ Suitt is a young black poet living in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. And he has a simple and frightening question, "Would I be shot if I called the police?" CJ uses his poetry to combat stereotypes and to build bridges of understanding. But he admits, in the wake of yet another series of high profile killings of black men by the police, something has changed. CJ no longer feels safe walking at night. This week on Stories with a Heartbeat, CJ Suitt shares his thoughts and poetry on the fear of police violence. Download This Week’s Episode CJ is not afraid of being robbed or assaulted. He is afraid of being perceived as a threat. "It's night time, I'm a black male, a dark skinned black male. I'm walking in the street. People don't see nothing but a shadow. And because there is no understanding. Or a willingness to understand. There is just a jump to a reaction," he said. But CJ is not only afraid of being perceived as a threat. He is also afraid because there is no one he can call for

In a month filled with tragedy, how do we make sense of it all? This week on the podcast, we use a poetic lens to try and find meaning within conflict. July 2016 is Dhaka and Baghdad and Medina and Baton Rouge and Falcon Heights and Dallas and Aleppo and Juba and Nice and another and another and another - and another. It feels like the news won’t stop. It feels like the second this is published there will be another name to add to the list. This week on Stories with a Heartbeat , we turn to poetry. Poetry does not have all the answers or some magic solution, but it connects us, it helps us find meaning, and it inspires us to think and act. In the first story, host Will McInerney reflects on a simple conversation with a Palestinian refugee that both challenged and changed the way he reports on tragedy. Conflict brings out the full spectrum of human potential. Conflict exposes the unthinkably worst in people, and it simultaneously shines light on the absolute best. Conflict is human, it

School is full of conflict. This week we explore three conflicts in the classroom. Students and teachers use poetry and stories to reflect on moments of friction at school and help us understand why they matter. Stories with a Heartbeat is a new podcast from WUNC hosted by poet Will McIneney that uses poetry and storytelling to explore the complexity of conflict.

Seven poets from across the US share new works written and posted to Facebook within one day of the recent mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando . These poems are raw, personal, and earnest. In the wake of such horrific violence, host Will McInerney passes the mic to seven writers to help us understand what happened at the Pulse nightclub on June 12th . When the country is collectively at a loss for words, sometimes poets can help us find them. Subscribe to this Podcast

George Yamazawa uses spoken word poetry to address personal conflicts and inner struggles. Yamazawa is a National Poetry Slam Champion and his writing is deeply tied to his Japanese-American heritage. In this episode of Stories with a Heartbeat , host Will McInerney talks with poet George "G" Yamazawa , and we hear a poem by G about a conflict involving language, identity, and his father's accent. In his poem, “The Bridge” (which recently went viral ) G reflects on his frustrations and fears about not being able to fully communicate in his parent’s native tongue, Japanese. “I love being American.” G says, “But the thought of your language being lost is something I’ve worried about and something that makes me feel disconnected.” In the poem, G explores his father’s Japanese accent as a reminder of his own internal struggles with language and identity in America. "The accent is the mark of an immigrant. It's a ruler with mile-long increments that measures the distance away from home." In

Poet Mohammad Moussa believes his friend Deah Barakat was murdered in a hate crime; and he refuses to remain silent. Shattered Glass, Mohammad’s multi-media spoken word poetry show is a year of reflection and mourning wrapped in the power of storytelling and signed with a poet’s pen. It’s a demand for answers and accountability, and it’s a journey that leaves us both broken and whole. On this episode of Stories with a Heartbeat , host Will McInerney sits down with Mohammad Moussa to talk about poetry, processing, and parking disputes. Subscribe to this Podcast Over the past four episodes of Stories with a Heartbeat we explored the human stories behind the Chapel Hill shooting. We pulled out the magnified glass and the atlas to track the emotions and motives of this complex narrative. We talked to family members, close friends, the police, and local reporters. Today, we turn to a poet to help us make sense of it all. This is the final installment in our 5-part series on the tragedy. On