How to Survive the End of the World
How to Survive the End of the World
Join Autumn Brown and adrienne maree brown, two sisters who share many identities, as writers, activists, facilitators, and inheritors of multiracial diasporic lineages, as well as a particular interest in the question of survival, as we embark on a podcast that delves into the practices we need as a community, to move through endings and to come out whole on the other side, whatever that might be. visit us @ endoftheworldshow.org
- 1 hour 21 secondsHot and Vibrant for the Apocalypse with Denée Benton
Denée Benton (Eliza Hamilton in Hamilton! Cinderella in Into the Woods! Peggy Scott on The Gilded Age!) joins the sisters Brown to explore how creative work can serve social movements, the importance of community rituals, the evolving role of celebrity in activism, the strategic importance of joy, feeling panicked less and feeling vibrant more.
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17 April 2026, 9:51 am - 30 minutes 32 secondsIf hope is a muscle, then how do I build it?
Autumn is hosting another show and you're gonna love it!
In the Season Four premiere of the Climate Changed podcast, Autumn talks with Tory Stephens, a storyteller, cultural worker, and climate justice advocate.
They explore the transformative power of climate fiction and its role in helping us envision the future. Tory discusses his groundbreaking work at Grist, where he founded Imagine 2200, an initiative that asks a simple yet radical question: What if we wrote stories not about what we fear but about what we hope to create? The discussion dives into how imagination connects with responsibility, how storytelling serves as a profound form of spiritual leadership, and why envisioning a new reality is essential for climate justice.
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Resources & Concepts Mentioned:
Thrutopia: Coined by philosopher Rupert Read and popularized by author Manda Scott through the Thrutopia Masterclass, a Thrutopian narrative threads the needle between utopia and dystopia. It focuses on writing grounded, plausible, and inspiring route maps that show exactly how we navigate through our current struggles to reach a future we’d be proud to leave behind.
Bloodchild by Octavia E. Butler: Autumn quotes the legendary science fiction author—who was the first African American woman to reach mainstream success in the genre—and her collection Bloodchild and Other Stories, reflecting on how sci-fi stimulates necessary imagination and creativity.
North Woods by Daniel Mason: A novel mentioned by Nicole Diroff from The BTS Center’s Summer Fiction Book Club, highlighting how fiction can make the natural landscape the main character.
Humans of New York: The iconic photoblog that Tory credits with changing his perspective early in his career, teaching him the unparalleled power of human-centric storytelling over dry statistics.
Visionary Fiction: A framework of world-building and storytelling that Autumn Brown and her sister use in their writing retreats, which actively wrestles with the sacred and reclaims spiritual practices.
Dream Seeds: A term favored by Grist and Imagine 2200 to describe stories that plant concrete, hopeful visions of how society could be organized completely differently.
Eve Mosher & Creating Your Story of Tomorrow: An adult education facilitator guide and video created by renowned environmental artist Eve Mosher, available on the BTS Center’s Leadership Commons.
“Seven Sisters” by Susan Kaye Quinn; 3rd place winner of the 2022 Imagine 2200 contest.
The Case of the Missing Lake by Colby Devitt; published in November 2025 by Imagine 2200.
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/torystephens
Bluesky: @torystephens.bsky.social
Imagine 2200 (Grist): About Imagine 2200: Climate Fiction
More from Tory: Shaping the Future Through Climate Fiction (Podcast Interview)
Thank Yous: We want to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who made this episode possible:
Tory Stephens, for sharing his incredible vision, imagination, and wisdom with us.
Peterson Toscano, producer of Climate Changed, for producing this episode and for providing the wonderful grounding for this episode.
The BTS Center team, for your ongoing support and for providing the resources and platform that make this podcast possible.
A podcast by The BTS Center exploring some of the most pressing questions about faith, life, and climate change.
Produced by Peterson Toscano, the podcast features acclaimed guests such as Brian McLaren, Elizabeth Rush, Craig Santos Perez, and many more.
10 April 2026, 9:24 am - 1 hour 1 minuteNew Life and Joy, Death and Grief, Absolute Bewilderment and Confusion with Kaji Reyes and Sendolo Diaminah
adrienne and Autumn are thrilled to explore the intersection of spirit, ritual and movement organizing with dear friends of the show, Kaji Reyes and Sendolo Diaminah. The conversation touches on creativity and art in ritual and ceremony, the role of geography and land in spiritual work and the challenge and potential of balancing political activism with ritual practice.
Kaji has over two decades of experience across a gamut of community organizing issues and spent seven years at Durham for All. Among other projects, he currently manages the land and animals of a budding community project called Owl Song.
Sendolo is the Co-Director of The Carolina Federation, where s/he works building governing power for working people and communities of color in North Carolina. S/he is a strategist with over 15 years of experience in community and electoral organizing, as well as experience winning and holding elected office.
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3 April 2026, 10:25 am - 1 hour 8 minutesA Flirtation with Capitalism with Jenn Kidwell and Brandon Kazen-Maddox
The sisters are ecstatic to welcome OBIE Award-winning artist Jenn Kidwell and ASL artist Brandon Kazen-Maddox to discuss “we come to collect: a flirtation, with capitalism,” a play which invites "you to roll in the pigsty of American consumerism." The New Yorker calls Kidwell "a comic genius in a leopard-print bra and puffball coat."
In this episode, we learn how the play emerged, where its accretion of collaborators came from, mirror as metaphor and set-piece, the artistry of ASL and why everyone should learn it and how this striking work of art asks audiences to literally give Jenn money!---
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27 March 2026, 10:20 am - 1 hour 6 minutesWrite The Next World With Us
adrienne and Autumn are joined by Kate McCabe (Founder and Executive Director of Bog & Thunder), Max Sussman (Culinary Director of Bog & Thunder) and Dwight Dunston (facilitator, hip-hop artist, educator, and activist) to chronicle and celebrate their majestic time on a private island in the wilds of West Cork for a writing workshop unlike any other.
Writing the Next World is a space to ideate, experiment with genre, and find a writing voice that creates more possibilities for our collective future, all while exploring the beautiful Connemara countryside and eating outstanding food.
The event is rooted in the lineages of visionary and speculative fiction and Black Feminist Praxis.
The next one is coming up JULY 5TH - JULY 10TH. APPLY HERE!
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Listen to WRITING THE NEXT WORLD: the album by duns
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Max's Egg Salad Recipe!
6 eggs
40 gm celery, diced
20 gm pickles, diced
60 gm mayo
30 gm red onion, diced
2 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped
2 scallions, sliced
Pinch MSG
plenty of salt and pepper
1. Bring pot of water to a boil. Add eggs and start a 10 minute timer, keep eggs at a low boil the entire time.
2. After 10 minute timer goes off, place eggs in ice bath until cool.
3. Chop eggs or break up with gloved hands.
4. Mix with remaining ingredients, adjust seasoning to taste.
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TRANSCRIPT
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20 March 2026, 11:03 am - 1 hour 31 secondsMoving Toward the Horizon of Love Together with Sonya Renee Taylor
Originally recorded on IG live, adrienne and her friend, the author, activist and artist Sonya Renee Taylor process being a survivor in these times.
Loving shouts to Tarana Burke for all the portal opening and Amanda Doyle for clear history sharing.
Let it make us seeds of love, let us hold each other tight and continue to pull back the veil.
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6 March 2026, 9:20 am - 1 hour 7 minutesBuilding a Movement Full of Doors and Windows with Morgan Bassichis
The sisters are THRILLED to build with their dear friend, Morgan Bassichis. Morgan is a comedian, musician, Anti-Zionist activist and writer who has been called “a tall child or, well, a big bird” by The Nation and “fiercely hilarious” by The New Yorker. Their show, Can I Be Frank? just won an Obie!
The trio discuss finding the funny in the sad and tragic, the life of a Jewish artist fighting for Palestine, being brought up in the cult of 'it's complicated', the clarity of doing what we can to disentangle Judaism and Zionism, tapping into compassion, how haters can't make good art, shared power vs. siloed power and the precipice of something big happening in OUR lifetime.---
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27 February 2026, 10:03 pm - 1 hour 7 minutesWho We Are Becoming Matters with Norma Wong
The sisters are THRILLED to welcome poet, Zen master and Indigenous Hawaiian leader Roshi Norma Wong back to the show! Her new book is part story-poem-instruction manual. It's called Who We Are Becoming Matters and is now available wherever books are sold! CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT
AN INDIE BOOKSELLER.
In this conversation they discuss Minneapolis, Norma's cool hand clasp model to show how our minds and feelings can sync up or not, dealing with trauma and grief, especially with all the chaos around us, what discipline entails and the true meaning of Aloha.---
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20 February 2026, 9:51 am - 59 minutes 48 secondsLive from The Great Northern (feat. Penguin Daddies)
adrienne and Autumn convened in Minneapolis at the end of January for a live taping of the show at The Great Northern Winter Festival. Every year The Great Northern puts on a winter festival that celebrates our coldest season as a time to gather, create, and connect. It’s an open invitation to engage with the outdoors, experience art and culture, and embrace winter, together
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13 February 2026, 12:42 pm - 52 minutes 1 secondAutumn Brown Becomes the Vision
Autumn was recently in conversation with Dr. Chera Reid and Dr. Trinel Torian on their wonderful podcast, Becoming the Vision where they invite visionaries from the field of philanthropy and beyond who believe and practice the idea that we must change ourselves in order to change the world. Subscribe to Becoming the Vision wherever you listen to HTS.
In this episode they talk through Autumn's creative origin story and then go deep into Autumn's new book, Temper: Practicing Freedom in an Unfree World.YOU CAN AND SHOULD PRE-ORDER NOW!
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6 February 2026, 5:50 pm - 1 hour 10 minutesI am a Funeral Pyre with Nnenna and Pierce Freelon
The sisters are ecstatic to welcome Nnenna and Pierce Freelon to the show.
Nnenna is a GRAMMY nominated jazz singer, storyteller and grief sojourner. Her latest album is Beneath the Skin. Her new book is Beneath the Skin of Sorrow: Improvisations on Loss.
Nneena’s son Pierce is a GRAMMY nominated artist, picture book author and podcaster. His GRAMMY nominated children’s music albums AnceStars (2023) and Black to the Future (2021) have been featured on Today Show, NPR and Billboard. He has written songs for the PBS Kids animated series’ Alma’s Way and Work it Out Wombats!
The Freelons regal the Browns with tales of the late great architect/husband/father, Phil Freelon, being Maya Angelou's friend, manufacturing space ice cream, living in an Octavian future, having to leave Nancy Drew behind and go off-planet, settling in North Carolina, making puppet art about grief, digging where your tears fall and scatting your way through the universe.
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HTS ESSENTIALS
30 January 2026, 6:12 am - More Episodes? Get the App