On The Block Radio

This week's guests are two of the most celebrated slam poets in the country. Tune in to hear them discuss art, poetry and the political power of language.

Dr. Christopher Ryan is a big personality with even bigger ideas. I first met Dr. Ryan when he came to speak at my college as a part of our speaker series, The Mouths of Others in 2013. I, like the rest of the world, was intrigued by the premise of his New York Times bestselling book Sex at Dawn. For the three of you who haven’t read it (spoiler alert), the book brilliantly examines the archaeological, anthropological and evolutionary evidence regarding the origins and functions of human sexuality. It also challenges some long-held beliefs about the supposed “natural” supremacy of life-long monogamy in our species. Dan Savage called it “the most important book on human sexuality since the Kinsey Report.” Chris is one of the leaders of a movement of folks who are trying desperately to lead us back to ourselves. Going forward by looking back. Way back. To a time before the zero-sum game of infinite progress and profit-driven hysteria had chiseled us into the civilized monsters we have become. His new book, Civi

Dr. Christopher Ryan is a big personality with even bigger ideas. I first met Dr. Ryan when he came to speak at my college as a part of our speaker series, The Mouths of Others in 2013. I, like the rest of the world, was intrigued by the premise of his New York Times bestselling book Sex at Dawn. For the three of you who haven’t read it (spoiler alert), the book brilliantly examines the archaeological, anthropological and evolutionary evidence regarding the origins and functions of human sexuality. It also challenges some long-held beliefs about the supposed “natural” supremacy of life-long monogamy in our species. Dan Savage called it “the most important book on human sexuality since the Kinsey Report.” Chris is one of the leaders of a movement of folks who are trying desperately to lead us back to ourselves. Going forward by looking back. Way back. To a time before the zero-sum game of infinite progress and profit-driven hysteria had chiseled us into the civilized monsters we have become. His new book, Civi

Special date and time -- Episode 13 drops on Monday 12-7-2015 The 1st hour of the conversation can be heard on Dr. Ryan's show, Tangentially Speaking. www.chrisryanphd.com/tangentially-speaking

This week, we had the opportunity to sit down with part of the creative team behind the award-winning science fiction anthology, Octavia's Brood. The anthology features visionary, speculative fiction written by activists and organizers. We spoke with co-editors Walidah Imarisha and adrienne maree brown about the inspiration for the book: the legendary sci-fi writer Octavia Butler. We also discussed how science fiction/speculative fiction can help us both diagnose the structures and institutions that perpetuate injustice, and envision a better way forward together. Contributor David Walker joins us to speculate on why "The Walking Dead" doesn't have more black people in it (despite taking place outside of Atlanta) and why Portland, Oregon may have even fewer black folks than the whitewashed zombie show does. An insightful, eye-opening conversation with some amazing activists and artists.

Several years ago, Tamara Rubin's two sons were poisoned with lead from unsafe painting practices used by a contractor working on her home. Both children continue to face challenges from the entirely preventable illness. Tamara has since become an internationally recognized, award-winning* lead-poisoning prevention advocate and documentary filmmaker. In 2008 she began her personal advocacy site, mychildrenhaveleadpoisoning.com. In 2011 she founded the nonprofit Lead Safe America Foundation and began working on the film MisLEAD.

Promo for On the Block (OTB) radio - Episode #10 | This week activist Cindy Sheehan stops in to talk about her walk as well we discuss what it's like to be hated by so many celebrities. | New Episodes Drop every Sunday at 5pm PST | FMI go to our website | www.OntheBlockRadio.com

Activist, author and all around pain in the ass for the status quo, Cindy Sheehan had her world turned upside down when she learned that her son Casey was killed in Iraq in 2004. Since then, Cindy has become one of the strongest, most personal and persistent voices in the movement against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In fact, I believe she has done more to reinvigorate and galvanize the anti war movement than any other single individual in the last 10 years. She camped for months in front of the Bush family compound in Crawford, Texas and was joined by hundreds of supporters in what can rightly be seen as the prototype for the Occupy movement. Her quest to end the war, bring soldiers home, and hold politicians accountable for the decisions that sent the troops to Iraq in the first place, has been unrelenting. Here we discuss the death of her son, her life as an activist and what it's like to be slandered and bullied by the likes of Sean Hannity, Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly.

With over 25 years of experience as the most widely read newspaper columnist in the American West, S. Renee Mitchell left a successful career in journalism to pursue a calling as an artist, author, poet, playwright and community activist. Nominated twice for the Pulitzer, Renee left an indelible mark on the world of journalism before stepping out into this new phase of her life. She is a celebrated spoken word artist, a painter, an inspirational speaker, a woman’s advocate and an all around tornado of art, creativity and activism. Renee has shared the stage with greats such as bell hooks, Erykah Badu, Danny Glover, pianist Tom Grant, Grammy Award winners Esperanza Spalding and Dr. Thara Memory, the late singer Linda Hornbuckle and many others. She has written a libretto, seven full plays, a children’s book, a novel, two books of poetry and countless articles and short pieces. Renee has been described as a “Creative Revolutionist” who explores the issues of gender, race, poverty, art and identity in her divers

With over 25 years of experience as the most widely read newspaper columnist in the American West, S. Renee Mitchell left a successful career in journalism to pursue a calling as an artist, author, poet, playwright and community activist. Nominated twice for the Pulitzer, Renee left an indelible mark on the world of journalism before stepping out into this new phase of her life. She is a celebrated spoken word artist, a painter, an inspirational speaker, a woman’s advocate and an all around tornado of art, creativity and activism. Renee has shared the stage with greats such as bell hooks, Erykah Badu, Danny Glover, pianist Tom Grant, Grammy Award winners Esperanza Spalding and Dr. Thara Memory, the late singer Linda Hornbuckle and many others. She has written a libretto, seven full plays, a children’s book, a novel, two books of poetry and countless articles and short pieces. Renee has been described as a “Creative Revolutionist” who explores the issues of gender, race, poverty, art and identity in her divers

Full episode live at 5pm PST | Sunday 11-8-2015 Renee has been described as a “Creative Revolutionist” who explores the issues of gender, race, poverty, art and identity in her diverse work. She has also been called a “creative healing griot, who nurtures hope, empowerment and inspiration.” I think she is an artistic doula who helps people give birth to their own creative power. In this episode, we discuss what it's like to be a person of color in a neighborhood, school or job, and what drives her to keep transforming suffering into beauty and art. Full episode live at 5pm PST | Sunday 11-8-2015

Shawnte Orion hosts monthly poetry readings in Arizona. His poetry has been published or is forthcoming in The Threepenny Review, Barrelhouse, Gargoyle Magazine, Georgetown Review, New York Quarterly and many other journals. He has been invited to read at bookstores, bars, universities, hair salons, museums, and laundromats. His first book The Existentialist Cookbook was published by NYQBooks.

Mark Schultz is an Olympic gold medalist, a pioneer in MMA fighting and the subject of the book and film Foxcatcher. His brother, Dave Schultz, was one of the greatest Olympic wrestlers of all time and was murdered in the prime of his life by the billionaire madman John DuPont. Mark's story is recounted in the book Foxcatcher, which was made into an Academy Award-nominated film in 2014 starring Steve Carrell as John DuPont, Channing Tatum as Mark Schultz and Mark Ruffalo as Dave Schultz. Mark is a bright, disciplined and confident guy. He rose to the top of his profession, had his life shattered to pieces, and rebuilt it brick by brick with a level of determination and will that few of us will ever know. He is not the usual kind of guest we have on the program, but his life demonstrates the concept of what the show is about in its own unique way. Mark's story is one of turning tragedy into triumph, of transforming unimaginable loss into a life of meaning and self-respect. And in that respect, his life is a mo

Stephan Schwartz is one of a kind. For 40 years he has been studying the nature of consciousness, particularly that aspect independent of space and time. Schwartz is part of the small group that founded modern Remote Viewing research, and is the principal researcher studying the use of Remote Viewing in archaeology. Using Remote Viewing he discovered Cleopatra’s Palace, Marc Antony’s Timonium, ruins of the Lighthouse of Pharos, and sunken ships along the California coast, and in the Bahamas. He also uses remote viewing to examine the future. He is the author of more than 130 scientific papers in a number of different disciplines. In addition to his experimental studies he has written numerous magazine articles for Smithsonian, OMNI, American History, American Heritage, The Washington Post, The New York Times, as well as other magazines and newspapers. He has produced and written a number television documentaries, and has written several books including: The Secret Vaults of Time, The Alexandria Project, Mind

Stephan Schwartz is one of a kind. For 40 years he has been studying the nature of consciousness, particularly that aspect independent of space and time. Schwartz is part of the small group that founded modern Remote Viewing research, and is the principal researcher studying the use of Remote Viewing in archaeology. Using Remote Viewing he discovered Cleopatra’s Palace, Marc Antony’s Timonium, ruins of the Lighthouse of Pharos, and sunken ships along the California coast, and in the Bahamas. He also uses remote viewing to examine the future. He is the author of more than 130 scientific papers in a number of different disciplines. In addition to his experimental studies he has written numerous magazine articles for Smithsonian, OMNI, American History, American Heritage, The Washington Post, The New York Times, as well as other magazines and newspapers. He has produced and written a number television documentaries, and has written several books including: The Secret Vaults of Time, The Alexandria Project, Mind

Stephan Schwartz is one of a kind. For 40 years he has been studying the nature of consciousness, particularly that aspect independent of space and time. Schwartz is part of the small group that founded modern Remote Viewing research, and is the principal researcher studying the use of Remote Viewing in archaeology. Using Remote Viewing he discovered Cleopatra’s Palace, Marc Antony’s Timonium, ruins of the Lighthouse of Pharos, and sunken ships along the California coast, and in the Bahamas. He also uses remote viewing to examine the future. He is the author of more than 130 scientific papers in a number of different disciplines. In addition to his experimental studies he has written numerous magazine articles for Smithsonian, OMNI, American History, American Heritage, The Washington Post, The New York Times, as well as other magazines and newspapers. He has produced and written a number television documentaries, and has written several books including: The Secret Vaults of Time, The Alexandria Project, Mind

In the Spring of 2014 the college where I work hosted our first Interdisciplinary mini-conference on “Writing Sexualities.” This several-day event featured Kimberly Dark, an internationally known writer and performer in Gender and Sexuality, and Christopher Ryan, also internationally known for his work in Sociology, Psychology and Human Sexuality, and author of the best-selling book Sex at Dawn. (Regular listeners to this show know Dr. Ryan and his work quite well, I'm sure. We will air his portion of this event in the coming weeks). The speakers also each lead a workshop open to students, faculty and the community. I was so inspired by my conversation with Kimberly that I wanted to share it with you. Kimberly teaches a body-positive form of Yoga that manages to skirt many of the pitfalls found within the modern Yoga movement in the United States. The ancient Hindu practices that were originally meant to transform the body and mind into a unified field of awareness and equanimity have become, in large part in

The mother of Yoda and the master of Faerie art. Brian is a world-renowned faerie artist whose books have sold millions of copies around the world. Wendy was in town to receive a lifetime achievement award as a woman in the special effects industry. They both were creative consultants on The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. They are also funny, endearing and full of a kind of archaic wisdom that I hope carries on throughout the life of this podcast. In this episode, we discuss Jim Henson, George Lucas, the archetypes of consciousness, the soul of art and how their son Toby peed on David Bowie during the filming of Labyrinth.

Singer, songwriter, musician, artist, playwright and elder of the old ways. David Gonzalez is primarily a storyteller. A world class storyteller to be accurate. He has performed everywhere from Broadway to the Kennedy Center, and has appeared in front of over 5,000 audiences in his career. He has a PhD in Music Therapy and is currently working with farmers in the Central Valley of California to use art, storytelling and music to explore the complex cultural experiences of the people who feed us, often without our thanks. Here we discuss art as service, his Puerto Rican and Cuban roots, the magic of poetry, Oliver Sacks, and the transformative power of authentic narratives.

Singer, songwriter, musician, artist, playwright and elder of the old ways. David Gonzalez is primarily a storyteller. A world class storyteller to be accurate. He has performed everywhere from Broadway to the Kennedy Center, and has appeared in front of over 5,000 audiences in his career. He has a PhD in Music Therapy and is currently working with farmers in the Central Valley of California to use art, storytelling and music to explore the complex cultural experiences of the people who feed us, often without our thanks. Here we discuss art as service, his Puerto Rican and Cuban roots, the magic of poetry, Oliver Sacks, and the transformative power of authentic narratives.