As India celebrates 76 years of independence - Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has drawn criticism for promoting a kind of hindu nationalism that’s rooted in the colonial period. Rohan Kalyan says Modi’s vision for India doesn’t leave much room for non-hindus and other minorities. And: Neel Amin studies the writings of British hunters in 19th century India. He says a nomadic people called the Banjara threatened the sense of colonial superiority held by the British. Later in the show: In 1765, the ruler of the Indian province of Awadh was defeated in battle by the East India Company. Flush with war debt, he turned to his wife, Bahu Begam, to bail him out. Nick Abbott looks at how Bahu Begam leveraged her wealth to gain political influence during the colonial period. Plus: While Greco-Roman polytheism has long died off, Hinduism remains alive and well. In fact, it’s the third largest religion in the world. So what accounts for its staying power? Atin Basu says it’s because there’s no jealousy among the pantheon of Hindu gods.

For the past nine years, Hans-Peter Plag has taken on the perspective of an alien ecologist coming to Earth. And when he looks at Earth, he sees a crisis of overgrowth. Humans, he says, have become a virus. If we don’t learn to do more with less, he fears that we will irreparably disrupt the planetary system that keeps us alive. And: America is one of the largest donors to global humanitarian aid. But the sheer size and red tape involved in the emergency response can inadvertently undermine the goal to help people in need. Daniel Beers says there’s a global movement towards working more with local organizations where these humanitarian crises happen because the people closest to the crisis are uniquely aware of how to create efficient solutions. Later in the show: The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights allows states to suspend certain rights during emergencies, but only if necessary. Evan Criddle says that in the past 25 years, American presidents have invoked emergency powers with increasing frequency. And those measures have been deeply controversial. Plus: It's reassuring to know that wherever we are across the country, we can rely on a warm and comforting voice to get us the help we need just by dialing 9-1-1. Liz Ellcessor says that 9-1-1 is an intricate national media network of hyperlocal dispatch centers.

Join With Good Reason for a series of conversations that bring Furious Flower Poetry Lifetime Achievement honorees in conversation with a new generation of Black poets. This episode features Lorna Goodison and Shauna Morgan on time travel, Band-Aids, and how human beings are always capable of surprise. And: Cornelius Eady and Clemonce Heard on jazz solos, memorializing Black death, and whispers that filled the high school hallways after the first poem he ever wrote.

Join With Good Reason for a series of conversations that bring Furious Flower Poetry Lifetime Achievement honorees in conversation with a new generation of Black poets. This episode features Tim Seibles and Ariana Benson on alien life, good grammar, and the dreams of Langston Hughes. And: Elizabeth Alexander and Nicole Sealey on the treasures of archives, the work of a generation, and the resonant truth you feel in your bones.

Grace Flores-Hughes was shattered when her husband passed away after a long illness. She rushed into dating, hoping to fast forward past the grief. But she discovered that grief could not be rushed. And: Can knowing your partner’s love language really guarantee a good relationship? Louis Hickman says no. He and his colleagues found that personality traits were a much greater indicator. And those, too, can change as relationships and people change. Later in the show: Valentine's Day can bring a bit of a reckoning for relationships or singledom. But Kimberly Lawrence found that all year round, the search for love and relationship satisfaction is bumming college women out. Plus: Kent Wascom thought he was a Louisiana boy until he got to Louisiana. There, he reckoned with his West Florida roots and started to learn more about the historical significance of his home. His new book The Great State of West Florida is a phantasmagoric love letter to home.

When Nikki Giovanni passed away in December at the age of 81, she left a legacy that will continue to be a beacon of light for generations to come. We first had Nikki on With Good Reason more than 20 years ago when I spoke to her about space travel and her poem, Quilting The Black Eyed Pea. And: Rapper Tupac Shakur famously sported a “thug life” tattoo… and so did Nikki Giovanni. I sat down with her in 2014 to talk about the poem she dedicated to Tupac after he was killed in 1996. Later in the show: The dean of southern cookery, Edna Lewis, penned an essay called “What is Southern?” describing how food is intertwined with the seasons and cultures of the south. Back in 2008 we had Nikki Giovanni read a portion of that essay and talk about her friendship with Edna. This interview was conducted by former producer, Nancy King - who passed away in 2010. Plus: In 2020, Virginia Humanities brought Nikki Giovanni in conversation with Tressie McMillan Cottom. It was part of an online event called “Have A Drink With Nikki and Tressie” - moderated by Irène Mathieu. They talked about everything from their early writing days, to finding their voice, and the future of art and literature in the Black community.

For centuries, we could measure the health of our economy in terms of employed versus unemployed. But that’s outdated now. Victor Tan Chen says that the American workforce is precarious for Americans and no one is exempt. And: In the late 90s, students rode bikes naked across Virginia Tech’s college campus to protest sweatshop abuses overseas. The students were part of The United Students Against Sweatshops collective. Dale Wimberly says that the group protested labor conditions at overseas sweatshops where people made collegiate apparel. They never made structural changes, but they did expand workers' potential to unionize. Later in the show: Right before World War I, Winston Churchill decided to power the British Navy’s ships with oil rather than coal. This made ships faster and enabled them to travel further. This change was thought to have been a reason for the Allies success in World War I. And it made oil more critical to national security. Andrea Wright says that labor strikes at oil production sites were dealt with harshly because they were seen as a threat to national security. Plus: After growing up witnessing child servitude first hand in Ghana, C. Nana Derby dedicated her life’s research to finding ways to end it. But what she found is that the laws that international courts pass do not translate to change on the ground.

We’ve all forgotten someone’s name at a party or social gathering. It can be a special kind of embarrassment. One that makes you want to disappear and crawl under a rock. Daniel Willingham shares why we’re all terrible with names and how we can be better. And: Not only are we humans terrible with names, we’re also not great at remembering unfamiliar faces. It’s why eyewitness accounts are notoriously unreliable. Mitchell Meltzer is working with his students to crack the code on what makes a good or bad eyewitness. Later in the show: Students rely on learning and memory to absorb and retain information. But the advent of AI has thrown a wrench in that whole process. Kathleen Arnold explains how AI programs like ChatGPT have impacted learning and memory in her classroom. Plus: Jeff Gibbons studies how memory affects the believability of news. He set up an experiment where participants read headlines that ranged from the outrageous to the ordinary. His findings open up a fascinating window into the human condition.

For the last decade or so, more and more Americans have taken part in a new New Year’s tradition: dry January. You probably know somebody doing it right now–maybe it’s you! Neeral Shah walks us through the benefits of taking a month off of alcohol. Later in the show: If you’ve got a meditation goal for 2025, you might get unexpected benefits. Daniel Berry says mindfulness training isn’t just personal, it also helps the people around us. And: It’s no surprise that exercise helps us sleep. But how much do we need to be doing to make a difference? And does the kind of movement matter? Trent Hargens shares his tips.

Growing up in Southwest Virginia, Tyler Hughes has been steeped in the traditions of mountain music and dance from a young age. For him, music is about community. And: Life skills classes for people with exceptional needs often teach things like cooking, money skills, and street safety. Karen Feathers and Jackie Secoy believe that appreciating, listening to, discussing, and even playing music are important life skills, too. Later in the show: Imagine you’re looking at a piece of art like a painting or a sculpture. You can probably describe it in some basic ways using math–it’s 30 inches long, it’s twice as tall as it is deep, that sort of thing. Robert Wells says we can do the same thing with music. Plus: 60 years later, The Beatles still capture our attention–and new audiences, too! Thomas Payne is helping a new generation fall in love with John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

Brian Donaldson is one of the most accomplished pipers in the world - winning many of the major awards and even performing in front of the queen of England. Now he’s the pipe band director at Virginia Military institute. He says Queen Elizabeth was a huge fan of bagpipe music. And: Zines and 90’s punk culture are intimately linked. Iconic punk bands like Bikini Kill relied on zines to gain a following and spread the word. Christopher Kardamibikis says Washington DC was the spot for zines and the underground punk scene. Later in the show: Being a mom is hard. But it can also be one of the most joyous experiences of life. Jessica Gardner’s ceramic artwork explores the good, the bad, and the ugly of motherhood in the modern era. Plus: There’s a second arts and crafts movement underway and it’s flourishing on social media apps like Instagram and Tiktok. Mary Wright says just like the first one, the second arts and crafts movement is a response against consumerist culture and mass production.