This Is Nashville – Details, episodes & analysis

Through guided dialogues, One Small Step encourages participants to listen just as much as they speak and stay open to a wide range of opinions. Dialogue Vanderbilt has partnered with StoryCorps to bring One Small Step to Middle-Tennessee and Jad Abumrad, Vanderbilt’s Distinguished Research Professor of Communication of Science and Technology and co-founder of Radiolab, joins us to talk about the essentials and efficacy of this ambitious program.

This episode was produced by Mary Mancini and Josh Deepan.

GUEST

• Jad Abumrad, Distinguished Research Professor of Communication of Science and Technology and co-founder of Radiolab, Vanderbilt University

FURTHER READING

• One Small Step FAQ
• Watch One Small Step conversations

Today, we talk about Tennessee’s job market and some of the major concerns employers and employees face right now. We also hear about the local resources available to help anyone, even young people, figure out their next career step and get support while navigating a job search.

This episode was produced by Katherine Ceicys.

GUESTS

• Dr. Donald Bruce, Boyd Distinguished Professor in the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee
• Adam Sichko, Senior Reporter, Nashville Business Journal
• Paul Hines, Team Lead Nashville, American Job Center
• Dr. Julie Williams, Associate Vice President, Student Affairs Nashville State Community College
• Betsy Wills, Co-Founder of YouScience, Author of "Your Hidden Genius"

FURTHER READING

• University of Tennessee Knoxville | Boyd Center Report Shows Tennessee’s Economy to Surpass US Growth in 2025
• Nashville Business Journal | Here's what companies expect for hiring and pay in 2025

Demand for affordable spaces outpaces supply, rates are soaring and parking management wrongfully charge fees and boot without warning. Today, we discuss parking problems, what can be done to alleviate some of them, and what the future of parking looks like as new construction continues to boom and expand into residential areas. And we want to hear from you! Call 615-760-2000 to join the conversation. Parking Management companies that were contacted did not want to comment or did not respond to requests.

This episode was produced by Joan Kite.

Guests

Nicholas Brindle | Senior Associate Council, Tennessee Department of Human Services
Jacob Kupin | Council member, District 19

One of the gifts of living here in Middle TN is that our state is full of some of the nation’s most beautiful ponds, rivers, and lakes. There are so many ways to enjoy the water from swimming, to paddling a kayak, canoe or paddle board, to fishing. If you’re not familiar with how to jump in, how can you get started? And what do you need to know to stay safe? We’re talking with local water enthusiasts about how they’re enjoying Tennessee’s natural waterways this summer- and what you need to know to get out there to join them. Join us!

Today's Guests:

• Tennessee State Park Ranger Candace Daniels
• Joel Morales, Stand up paddle boarder
• Stephanie Sullivan, Tennessee Scenic River Association (TSRA) Operations Manager
• Gabbie, Nashville 8th grader and TSRA River Kids participant
• Geoff Luckett, American Canoe Association (ACA) Kayak and Kayak Fishing Instructor
• Blake Osborn, MSTU Outdoor Pursuits Coordinator

Today's show was produced by Katherine Ceicys.

Dr. Townsend’s lab ‘cares about why people get sick’ and applies organic chemistry to help people everywhere get and stay healthy. He is pioneering the chemical make-up of human breast milk. He discovered a new class of sugars in human milk that prevent babies from getting viral and bacterial infections, and the wide-reaching applications for his lab’s work span from new medicines to industrial paint from new medicines to industrial pain. 

Today we’re talking with Dr. Townsend about his work, how he became a chemist,  and why he especially loves helping others find their success in what many consider one the most difficult fields of scientific study. Join us!

Today's Guest:

• Dr. Steven Townsend, Stevenson Professor of Chemistry at Vanderbilt University

Further Reading and Listening:

• Vanderbilt's Quantum Potential series featured Dr. Townsend. You can watch the video here.
• Check out our episode Exploring Vanderbilt’s new Quantum Potential series

Music Citizens is about the people who make music work. Each episode will explore what it takes to do the jobs that keep the music business moving and introduce you to the characters who are often well-known within their worlds but whose vital work goes largely uncelebrated. 

Today, we’re speaking with Jason Moon Wilkins, program director for WNXP and host of the Music Citizens podcast, and Justin Barney, assistant program director for WNXP and the reporter and producer of Music Citizens, about their new project, the inspiration behind it, and the first episode (“The Lifer,” featuring The End’s Bruce Fitzpatrick). Then, later on in the show, we’re joined by the president of the Music Venue Alliance of Nashville, Chris Cobb, to take a look at the difficulties facing independent music venues in Nashville, like The End.

This episode was produced by Mary Mancini.

Guests

• Jason Wilkins | Program Director, WNXP; Host of Music Citizens
  
  
  
• Justin Barney | Assistant Program Director, WNXP; Reporter and Producer of Music Citizens
• Chris Cobb | President, Music Venue Alliance of Nashville

Further Reading

• You can listen to the first episode of Music Citizens wherever you get your podcasts or visit the WNXP website.
• This year, the Tennessee General Assembly passed legislation to create a "Live Music & Performance Venue Fund" to be administered by the Tennessee Entertainment Commission. You can read more about the bill by visiting the website of Tennessee's state legislature.
• You can learn more about Music Venue Alliance of Nashville, or MVAN, by visiting their website at mvan.org.

Meanwhile, time marches on — as do cases, appeals and new bills. Today, we're welcoming journalists and authors Liliana Segura, Steven Hale and Joe Ingle to talk about their latest work writing about this punishment.

Today's guests:

Liliana Segura | Investigative journalist covering the U.S. criminal justice system, The Intercept
Steven Hale | Author, "Death Row Welcomes You"; journalist at Nashville Banner
Joe Ingle | Death row chaplain; author Too Close to the Flame

Further in:

• The books our guests have written include "Death Row Welcomes You: Visiting Hours in the Shadow of the Execution Chamber" by Steven Hale, “Cruel and Usual: The History of Lethal Injection" by Liliana Segura, and "Too Close to the Flame: With the Condemned inside the Southern Killing Machine" by Joe Ingle.
• To learn more about new legislation that allows the death penalty for child rape convictions in Tennessee, you can read this WPLN News story.
• Executions were put on hold in Tennessee in 2022 after the release of a third party review. You can read about the report findings here.

When Tonya started looking for books for her children to read, she noticed that they all featured white kids. At the same time she wanted to get back into journalism and even considered writing classroom curriculum. Writing for the classroom didn't work out, but writing children's books that celebrate Juneteenth and a diverse range of Black hairstyles.

Today, she joins us to talk about how she came to Nashville, how she became an author, culturally responsive education and why she chooses to homeschool her children. 

This episode was produced by Elizabeth Burton.

In 2024, many different faith communities are flourishing in Middle Tennessee and local religion reporters, whose work often reaches national audiences, have a lot to cover. 

Today we are joined by Liam Adams, Religion Reporter for The Tennessean, Holly Meyer, the Global Religion News Editor for the Associated Press, and WPLN’s own Rachel lacovone, one of the our newsroom leaders who has reported and edited much of WPLN's religion coverage. They'll break down the latest news and share what it’s like to report on a topic that is both deeply personal and emphatically public for so many. Join us!

Today's episode was produced by Katherine Ceicys and Mary Mancini.

GUESTS

• Liam Adams, Religion reporter, Tennessean
• Holly Meyer, Global Religion News Editor, Associated Press
• Rachel Iacovone, Editor and Reporter Religion News; Director of Multiplatform Publishing, WPLN 

US diplomats live and work overseas, helping US citizens abroad as well as building relationships with host countries. They get a new assignment to change countries — and often the languages they’re working in — about every two years. What is their life and work really like? And who are the people working here in the US to support US foreign policy goals? Today we’re talking with native Tennesseans who are serving in the US State Department's Civil Service and Foreign Service. We’ll find out what it takes to represent the US internationally and the steps anyone can follow to have their own "globally available" adventure. Join us!

This episode was guest-hosted and produced by Katherine Ceicys.

Today's Guests:

Lou Fintor, Diplomat in Residence North Central Region (MI, IN, KY, TN), U.S. Department of State
Joanna Wulfsberg, U.S. Foreign Service Officer
Paul Wulfsberg, U.S. Foreign Service Officer
Shavangi Sutaria, U.S. Civil Service Officer

Further Reading and Listening:

• Check out: careers.state.gov to learn more about the U.S. Foreign Service and the Civil Service and how to apply. As of 2024, the Foreign Service application process is conducted fully virtually. 
• You can also reach out to Lou Fintor, Diplomat in Residence for the North Central Region which includes Tennessee, here.
• Interested in military service? Check out our episode A soldier, a sailor and a marine all walk into the studio…