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Ahimsa – Ep 23 with Supriya Kelkar

Supriya Kelkar was born and raised in the Midwest. She learned Hindi as a child by watching three Bollywood films a week. After college she realized her lifelong dream of working in the film industry when she got a job as a Bollywood screenwriter. She has credits on one Hollywood film and several Hindi films. AHIMSA, inspired by her great-grandmother’s role in the Indian freedom movement, is her debut middle-grade novel.

In 1942, when Mahatma Gandhi asks Indians to give one family member to the freedom movement, ten-year-old Anjali is devastated to think of her father risking his life for the freedom struggle.

But it turns out he isn’t the one joining. Anjali’s mother is. And with this change comes many more adjustments designed to improve their country and use “ahimsa”–non-violent resistance–to stand up to the British government. First the family must trade in their fine foreign-made clothes for homespun cotton, so Anjali has to give up her prettiest belongings. Then her mother decides to reach out to the Dalit community, the “untouchables” of society. Anjali is forced to get over her past prejudices as her family becomes increasingly involved in the movement.

When Anjali’s mother is jailed, Anjali must step out of her comfort zone to take over her mother’s work, ensuring that her little part of the independence movement is completed.

Lightless – Ep 22 with C. A. Higgins

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C. A. Higgins writes novels and short stories. She was a runner-up in the 2013 Dell Magazines Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing and has a B.A. in physics from Cornell University. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Jon talks with Catherine about her book, Lightless, the first in a trilogy.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY BUZZFEED AND KIRKUS REVIEWS • With deeply moving human drama, nail-biting suspense—and bold speculation informed by a degree in physics—C. A. Higgins spins a riveting science fiction debut guaranteed to catapult readers beyond their expectations.

Serving aboard the Ananke, an experimental military spacecraft launched by the ruthless organization that rules Earth and its solar system, computer scientist Althea has established an intense emotional bond—not with any of her crewmates, but with the ship’s electronic systems, which speak more deeply to her analytical mind than human feelings do. But when a pair of fugitive terrorists gain access to the Ananke, Althea must draw upon her heart and soul for the strength to defend her beloved ship.

While one of the saboteurs remains at large somewhere on board, his captured partner—the enigmatic Ivan—may prove to be more dangerous. The perversely fascinating criminal whose silver tongue is his most effective weapon has long evaded the authorities’ most relentless surveillance—and kept the truth about his methods and motives well hidden.

Secret Brooklyn – Ep 21 with Michelle Young and Augustin Pasquet

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Michelle Young is a graduate of Harvard College in the History of Art and Architecture and holds a master’s degree in urban planning from Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, where she is an Adjunct Professor of Architecture. She is the author of Secret Brooklyn: An Unusual Guide, New York: Hidden Bars & Restaurants, and Broadway. Michelle appears regularly as a guest speaker in documentaries, on television, and at conferences on urban issues. She has traveled to over forty countries and is always looking for the next adventure.

Augustin Pasquet is from Paris, has lived in Nigeria, Switzerland and Thailand and recently fell in love with Brooklyn, where he lives now. He has a master degree in marketing from ESSCA Business School in France and worked at L’Oreal in sales and marketing for 7 years. Augustin spends his off-time traveling, taking pictures with his Canon 5D camera or his rapidly increasing Lomo collection. He has traveled to 25 countries, including Cuba, Madagascar and Bolivia.

Untapped Cities unearths New York City’s most unique and surprising places, stories and events for the inquisitive reader. Untapped Cities is a community of over 500 passionate contributors, interested in what’s hidden and unnoticed, and how our history informs city life now and in the future.

Political Art Diary – Ep 20 with Naomi Pitcairn

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Naomi Pitcairn is an artist and activist committed to advancing the urgent social issues of our times. She is passionate about the rights of immigrants, whistleblowers, native americans and other oppressed minorities. Using disruptive art projects and purposeful pranks along with her arts background (including her time as a Times Square billboard painter) she has masterminded over 50 gigantic street art chalks from the Bay area to Baltimore and garnered a fair amount of positive press for her causes over the years.

Naomi’s Twitter

Finding Yourself – Ep 19 with Krystal Chong

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Krystal was the former Chief Marketing Officer and advisor to the board for Honey Bun Limited when she resigned to go on a journey to answer the questions that consumed her.

Through her Eat-Pray-Love-esque journey, she not only found the answers she was in search of, and a deepened spiritual relationship with life, but the journey healed her struggles with depression and anxiety and has given her a lasting sense of peace and joy, even in turbulent times.

She is now a motivational writer and speaker, and runs KrystalChong.com, a company which produces media that is entertaining and empowering, designed to help others live their most fulfilling lives. She has an MBA in International Business and a BSc in Psychology. She resides in Manhattan with her Norwegian husband and their unbelievably adorable dog, doing the work that she loves.

In this episode, Jon talks with Krystal about her book, What The Hell Am I Supposed To Do With My Life.

Instagram: Krystal Chong

Facebook: Krystal Chong Live Full Live Free

From FBI Fugitive to Freedom – Ep 18 with Malik Wade

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Malik Wade has lived three lives. As a teenager, he was an enterprising drug dealer. As a young man, he was a fugitive from the FBI and eventually a prison inmate. As an adult, Malik transformed his life to become a mentor, author, entrepreneur, and the Executive Director of Scholastic Interest Group. When not speaking at universities as a youth advocate, he likes to work out, read, write, and travel to places like Ghana. Malik lives in San Francisco.

Buy Pressure: From FBI Fugitive to Freedom on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Social Media for Malik Wade:

How Videogames Transformed Our World – Ep 17 with Andrew Ervin

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Andrew Ervin is the author of the novels Burning Down George Orwell’s House and Extraordinary Renditions. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, and many other places. He lives in Philadelphia and teaches at Temple University

In Bit by Bit, a blend of history, memoir, and reportage, Andrew Ervin sets out to understand the explosive popularity of this often maligned cultural form. He travels to government laboratories, junk shops, and art museums. He scientists and hobbyists, critics and game makers. He installs a full-sized and obscenely loud Donkey Kong arcade cabinet in his basement, and plays enough Minecraft to suffer from “Minecraft syndrome,” the effect of seeing objects in real life as poorly rendered blocks.

Social Media:

Andrew’s Facebook

Andrew’s Twitter

Andrew’s Instagram

Andrew’s Amazon Author Page

The Beauty of Space – Ep 16 with Jon Ramer

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Jon Ramer is a space artist, writer, President of the International Association of Astronomical Artists, Fellow IAAA member, retired military officer, avid photographer and world traveller.

IAAA/Jon Ramer’s Patreon page for the new book, Our Alien Earth.

Great Books Written In Prison – Ep 15 with Ward Regan

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Ward Regan has a Ph.D. in Labor and Cultural History from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He teaches history and philosophy at New York University’s Liberal Studies Program. He edited and contributed to Great Books Written in Prison, published in 2015 by McFarland Press. His chapter “Thomas Paine: life during wartime” was published in the anthology Experiencing the French Revolution, published by Oxford University in 2013. He was also a Consulting Producer for the documentary Obit, released in 2017. Dr. Regan was also the first president of UAW 7902, the adjunct faculty union at New York University and The New School.

The Crossroads of Art and Meditation – Ep 14 with John F. Simon Jr.

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John F. Simon, Jr. is a visual artist and author of “Drawing Your Own Path” (Parallax Press, 2016) As one of the pioneers in the development of Software Art, his seminal work “Every Icon” was included in the 2000 Whitney Biennial and his ‘art appliances’ can be found in the permanent collections of The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and The Museum of Modern Art in New York, among others.

Jon speaks with John about his book, Drawing Your Own Path: 33 Practices at the Crossroads of Art and Meditation.

Relevant websites:

Drawing Your Own Path book website
John’s Daily Drawings
John’s Professional and Gallery Work

Social Media:

Facebook group for Drawing Your Own Path
Instagram for Drawing Your Own Path

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Ahimsa – Ep 23 with Supriya Kelkar

Lightless – Ep 22 with C. A. Higgins

Secret Brooklyn – Ep 21 with Michelle Young and Augustin Pasquet

Political Art Diary – Ep 20 with Naomi Pitcairn

Finding Yourself – Ep 19 with Krystal Chong

From FBI Fugitive to Freedom – Ep 18 with Malik Wade

How Videogames Transformed Our World – Ep 17 with Andrew Ervin

The Beauty of Space – Ep 16 with Jon Ramer

Great Books Written In Prison – Ep 15 with Ward Regan

The Crossroads of Art and Meditation – Ep 14 with John F. Simon Jr.