Podcast

The Fact of a Body

by Bedrosian Center

The Fact of a Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich is a true crime memoir. After encountering the child murderer Ricky Langley, Alexandria’s desire to work as a lawyer to fight against the death penalty is up-ended. She spends several years investigating Ricky’s story as a way to confront the story of her own child abuse. This is a deeply moving book, and a relatively easy read given the morose topic – a testament to the author’s skill.

Our conversation ranges from the effects of trauma on individuals and communities to the genre itself. If you haven’t read it yet, beware that we assume you’ve read it, spoiler alert!

Featuring Jeffery A. Jenkins (@jaj7d ‏), Lisa Schweitzer (@drschweitzer), Brettany K. Shannon (@brettanyshannon), and Deborah Winters

Follow us on Twitter! @BedrosianCenter

Special thanks to Flatiron Books for sending us review copies!

To listen to the Bedrosian Book Club discussion of The Fact of a Body click the arrow in the player on this post. Or you can download it and subscribe through ApplePodcasts, Soundcloud, or Google Play

American Assassin – directed by Michael Cuesta

by Aubrey Hicks, Jonathan Schwartz

Director Michael Cuesta brings the fictional hero of Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp novels to the big screen in the new film, American Assassin. The all-star cast includes Dylan O’Brien, Michael Keaton, and Taylor Kitsch as part of a threesome tied together through the specter of betrayal and revenge, set upon a backdrop of international espionage and nuclear threat.

We discuss the level of violence in the film, its portrayal of U.S. black-ops and anti-terrorism efforts, the film’s space within the spy thriller genre, the motivations of the studio, the acting, the gender themes, how millennials may be viewing it, and so much more.

Featuring host Erroll Southers and guests Alessandro Ago, Lt. Col. Olivia Nelson, and David Warshofsky.

Let us know what you think of the film and our conversation at Facebook or Twitter.

Marissa Gluck: “I would have given you a very different answer before November 2016”

by Brettany Shannon

Marissa Gluck is a digital research strategist who’s worked in tech since the mid-90s, an urbanism and architecture writer, and a principal of the design-cum-civic engagement non-profit Design East of La Brea, or de LaB. Through her unique bundle of expertise, Marissa gives us insights into how her three fields engage with issues of culture, identity, and civic participation. This long, fun conversation is about how Marissa is, above all, an conversationalist. Learn how she uses empathy and storytelling to make things accessible to her audience, whoever they are at the time.

Thanks again for listening and let us know what you think of the conversation on Twitter (Bedrosian, me), Facebook, or email.

The Handmaid’s Tale

by Aubrey Hicks, Jonathan Schwartz

Hulu has adapted The Handmaid’s Tale,  the classic novel by Margaret Atwood, into a 10 episode saga of life in the dystopia of Gilead. Gilead is a totalitarian society in what was formerly the United States, ruled by a twisted Protestant fundamentalism in its ‘return to traditional values’. Host Jonathan Schwartz is joined by three fierce women of USC to discuss the series’ timeliness, its narrative of motherhood, the fear of religious fundamentalism, feminism, and the absence of a discussion on race.

To listen to the Price Projection Room discussion of The Kingdom click the orange arrow in the Soundcloud player at the top of this post. Or download and subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, or Google Play.

Let us know what you think of the film and our conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

White Tears

by Bedrosian Center

For our discussion of Hari Kunzru’s White Tears, we return to the question: can America overcome its sin of racism? Or will our collective inability to deal with the consequences of our actions win the day? If you have not read this novel, beware – this podcast it mostly spoilers! We dive into the themes Kunzru explores in this complex novel, relish the strong prose, and question the role of cultural memory and American identity.

To listen to the Bedrosian Book Club discussion of White Tears click the orange arrow in the Soundcloud player here -or you can download it and subscribe through ApplePodcasts, Soundcloud, or Google Play

Featuring Ange-Marie Hancock Alfaro (@AngeMarieH), Aubrey Hicks (@AubreyHi), and David Sloane (@dcsloane53)

How to Stop Feeling Marginalized and Start Engaging in Politics

by Anthony W. Orlando

You may think politics isn’t for you. It’s for the elites. It’s for the rich and powerful. It isn’t for people who look like you or talk like you or live like you. Well, that may be the world we’ve constructed, but it’s not inevitable. You deserve better.

Still not convinced? Good! This episode is for you! Learn how you can become a part of the solution.

In this episode, inspirational speaker and social work professor Melissa Bird knocks down the misconceptions that marginalize us and replaces them with the attitude we need to take on the injustices in our nation today.

To listen to this episode of Our American Discourse, click the arrow in the Soundcloud player here. Or you can download it and subscribe through ApplePodcasts, Soundcloud, or Google Play.

The Originalist

by Bedrosian Center

John Strand’s The Originalist shines a light onto a polarizing Supreme Court Justice; Antonin Scalia. When a bright, liberal law school graduate embarks on a nerve-wracking clerkship with Justice Scalia, she discovers him to be both an infuriating sparring partner and an unexpected mentor.

Listen as Jody David Armour, Oliver Mayer, Jon Sonego, and Jade Wheeler delve into the politics of individual court members, Originalism, civil rights, civic duty, and what it means to be an American.

To listen to the Price Projection Room discussion of The Originalist, click the arrow in the Soundcloud player at the top of this post. Or download and subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, or Google Play.

The Hotel Play

by Bedrosian Center

On April 29, 1992, Los Angeles erupted into chaos and violence after four white police officers were acquitted in the beating of African American Rodney King. The Hotel Play asks what, if anything, has changed in the past 25 years?

Join Jody David Armour, Paula Cizmar, Aubrey Hicks, and David Sloane as we think about race, Los Angeles, art, and social movements. We look at the moment that was the uprising in 1992 and how community organizing that grew out of that moment became a movement.

To listen to the Price Projection Room discussion of The Hotel Play, click the arrow in the Soundcloud player at the top of this post. Or download and subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, or Google Play.

Build, Baby, Build: Make the City Affordable Again

by Anthony W. Orlando

If you live in a major city, you probably know that the rent is “too damn high.” What if the city’s rental affordability crisis were in your hands? Would you do something about it? We think you might, and that’s why you’ll want to hear from the one renter who’s taking on big-city politics and showing us all how it’s done.

In this episode, we get down to the grassroots of housing advocacy with Sonja Trauss.

To listen to this episode of Our American Discourse, click the arrow in the Soundcloud player here. Or you can download it and subscribe through ApplePodcasts, Soundcloud, or Google Play.