5/27/19 @9:30am pst - Award-winning author and retinal surgeon Andrew Lam joined host Janeane Bernstein to talk about his latest book, Repentance

LISTEN to today's show featuring Andrew Lam

May 1, 2019 carries the burdens and celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the 442nd Regiment heading off to fight in World War II. The 442nd was made up of the Japanese American men taken out of internment camps all over the west coast; they fought valiantly at home and in Europe to prove their loyalty to the US.

Award-winning author and retinal surgeon Andrew Lam releases Repentance (Tiny Fox Press) on that commemorative day. The novel tells of Daniel Tokunaga and the journey he goes on to discover his father’s connection to the 442nd during World War II. Answers unravel as the Department of Defense investigates a horrible mishap that happened in a battle against the Germans in France, and Daniel searches for the truth behind his family’s catastrophic past.

"Suspenseful, touching, and beautifully written." --Margaret George, New York Times best-selling author of Elizabeth I


France, October 1944. A Japanese American war hero has a secret.

A secret so awful he'd rather die than tell anyone--one so entwined with the brave act that made him a hero that he's determined never to speak of the war. Ever.

Decades later his son, Daniel Tokunaga, a world-famous cardiac surgeon, is perplexed when the U.S. government comes calling, wanting to know about his father's service with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during WWII. Something terrible happened while his father was fighting the Germans in France, and the Department of Defense won't stop its investigation until it's determined exactly who did what.

Wanting answers of his own, Daniel upends his life to find out what his father did on a small, obscure hilltop half a world away. As his quest for the truth unravels his family's catastrophic past, the only thing for certain is that nothing--his life, career, and family--can ever be the same again.

5/27/19 @9am pst - author Diane Dewey joined host Janeane Bernstein to talk about her book, Fixing the Fates: An Adoptee’s Story of Truth and Lies.

LISTEN to Janeane's conversation with author Diane Dewey.

Months after the passing of her adopted father, Diane Dewey was contacted by none other than her biological father in Switzerland. Finally coming in contact with her father unravels mysteries, secrets, and lies surrounding Diane’s birth and her mother. “Fixing the Fates: An Adoptee’s Story of Truth and Lies” (She Writes Press, June 4, 2019) is a fascinating account of one woman’s emotionally vulnerable 14-year-long journey to redefine the meaning of family in her life that had been missing for so long.

“Fixing the Fates” encourages its readers to reassess what it means to have family. Diane views family as a emotional commitment that is absolutely not limited to biological relationships; she hopes to communicate to her audience that family is not simply either “blood” or “adopted”, but that they can both peacefully exist in the same space.

"Diane Dewey’s Fixing the Fates: An Adoptee's Story of Truth and Lies is a remarkable story of family secrets and the turmoil that follows when those lies are unraveled. Dewey’s writing is vivid, honest, and transportive, her search for answers is inspiring and intriguing, and the lessons learned are powerful. Life, indeed, is unpredictable." —Dinty W. Moore, author of Between Panic & Desire

In conversation, Diane discusses:

Diane’s 14 year journey of reuniting with her biological family and meeting her Swiss husband

The international element of the story and how this really was life changing for her in the sense that her now in Switzerland and would have never otherwise have been

Connecting with a biological parent specifically as an adult adoptee

The humor and spiritual dimension to her story and writing

Why she decided to get her masters in mental health counseling

Using writing as a way to make sense of a life changing occurrence

How her travels, not only with this personal experience but also her time working with the Guggenheim museum and traveling extensively for that, influence her writing

That her father conducted the search for her rather than vice versa (and that the motives of biological fathers are often treated with suspicion)

DIANE DEWEY Diane holds her BA from Villanova University, the Honors Program in Liberal Arts. She later completed a certificate program from The Art Institute of Philadelphia, working for the Solomon. R. Guggenheim Museum and the National Academy, before founding her own art appraisal firm. Diane earned a Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling from Capella University in 2015. She lives in St. Petersburg, Florida and near Schaffhausen, Switzerland with her husband and their rescue dog. Fixing the Fates is her first book. For more information about Diane, visit her website: http://dianedewey.com/

5/22/19 - Janeane spoke with Leonard Kim, managing partner at InfluenceTree, a brand accelerator where Kim and his team build and develop your (personal or business) brand. Kim also shared details about his up-coming book he co-authored with Ryan Foland called Ditch the Act.

LISTEN to today's conversation with Leonard Kim.

Use your failure, mistakes, and vulnerabilities to fund success―the proven guide to building a powerful personal brand through the fearless admission of just being human


Business professionals are finding it harder and harder to break through the noise. The problem is, most of it is just that: noise. What if you could gain more career success, respect, and a powerful digital presence by being your natural, flawed self instead of pretending to be perfect? Ditch the Act takes a strategic approach to this little-known secret to help you build an authentic, long-lasting personal brand. The authors―both marketing and communications experts―explain why exposure is important and how it cultivates more durable connections than any polished persona can, and they show how to use stories of failure and weakness in ways that build trust and loyalty from large audiences.


Inside, you’ll find an actionable, 7-step process for driving brand differentiation and growth. Actions include:


•Crafting a unique bio and creating an “exposure resume”
•Writing out stories and thought leadership insights based on the exposure resume
•Extracting key content pieces to turn into video scripts for posting, sharing, and embedding in existing content
•Fostering camaraderie in new relationships


People are getting weary of―and, frankly, seeing right through―the oversized egos dominating the business world today. By building a personal brand that is honest and authentic and that reveals personal struggles, you can build stronger, longer-lasting relationships―and achieve greater success.

ABOUT LEONARD KIM
Leonard Kim is managing partner at InfluenceTree, a brand accelerator where Kim and his team build and develop your (personal or business) brand. He also spearheads digital strategy for USC's Medical Enterprise. On the side, Kim is a keynote speaker and blogs at LeonardKim.com. He currently resides in Los Angeles and loves cupcakes.

5/20/19 @9:30am pst - Janeane spoke with New York Times Bestselling author Laura Schroff live on KUCI 88.9fm

LISTEN to today's conversation with Laura Schroff

The #1 New York Times Bestseller
AN INVISIBLE THREAD By Laura Schroff
and Alex Tresniowski


PRAISE FOR THE #1 New York Times BESTSELLING MEMOIR

AN INVISIBLE THREAD:

“An Invisible Thread is like The Blind Side, but instead of football, it’s food. These are two people who were brought together by one simple meal, and it literally changed the course of both of their lives. This is a must-read . . . you can read it in a day because it’s impossible to put down. If you read it and find it as moving as I did, pay it forward: buy a copy and give it to a friend.” – Rachael Ray, host of The Rachael Ray Show


“If you have a beating heart—or if you fear you’re suffering a hardening of the emotional arteries—you really ought to commit to this book at the earliest possible opportunity . . . read this book. And pass it on. And encourage the next reader to do the same.”

– Jesse Kornbluth, Huffington Post




From #1 New York Times bestselling authors Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski comes the young readers edition of an inspirational memoir about an unlikely friendship between a busy sales executive and a homeless eleven-year-old boy.

One Monday afternoon, on a crowded New York City street corner, eleven-year old Maurice met Laura and asked for spare change because he was hungry. Something made Laura stop and offer to take Maurice to lunch. They met for dinner on the following Monday, and the Monday after that, and wound up getting together on m0re than 100 Mondays, forging an unlikely friendship that changed both their lives forever.

Based on the true story of Laura Schroff and Maurice Mazyck, An Invisible Thread chronicles the bond between an eleven-year-old boy and a busy sales executive; a heartwarming journey of hope, kindness, adventure, and love—and the power of fate to help us find our way.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Laura Schroff is a former advertising executive who helped launch three of the most successful start-ups in Time Inc. history— In Style, Teen People, and People Style Watch. Schroff has also worked as the New York Division Manager at People magazine. Since the release of An Invisible Thread, Schroff has been a keynote speaker at over 300 schools, libraries, charities and bookstores, encouraging people to find for their own invisible thread connections and appreciate the power of small acts of kindness. Lives in Westchester, NY

Alex Tresniowski is a former human-interest writer at People and the bestselling author of several books. His other titles include An Invisible Thread, Waking Up in Heaven, and The Light Between Us.

WATCH the interview on the TODAY show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7BrnbjMmyI

ADDITIONAL PRAISE FOR THE #1 New York Times BESTSELLING 2011 MEMOIR

AN INVISIBLE THREAD:


“[A] complex and unswervingly honest story about a woman and a boy who saved each other. By its raw honesty and lack of excess sentimentality, it is even more inspirational. This is a book capable of restoring our faith in each other and in the very idea that maybe everything is going to be okay after all.”

– Catherine Ryan Hyde, author of Pay It Forward and Jumpstart the World


“An Invisible Thread—a remarkable story, told so beautifully and honestly—shows us what’s possible when we are not afraid to connect with another human being and tap into our compassion. It is a story about the power each of us has to elevate someone else’s life and how our own life is enriched in the process. This special book reminds us that damaging cycles can be broken and not to neglect the humanity of the strangers we brush up against every day.”

– Chris Gardner, bestselling author of The Pursuit of Happyness


“This is one of the most touching and refreshing and inspiring stories I have read in a long time. If you had made this story up, I wouldn’t have believed it, but it’s true. We all need something to inspire us, and I promise you, this book will make you want to stand up and do something nice for people. What a wonderful and needed story for all of us.

An Invisible Thread is fantastic.”

-Mike Huckabee, Former Governor of Arkansas, Host of Fox News; Huckabee Show


“This book is a game-changer . . . each chapter touches your heart. An Invisible Thread is a gift to us all. America needs this book now more than ever.”

– Coach Ron Tunick, national radio show host, The Business of Life

5/20/19 - 9:15am pst - Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. Co-founder and Training Director, High Conflict Institute. Bill joined host Janeane live on KUCI 88.9fm.

LISTEN to today's show with Bill Eddy.

WHY WE ELECT NARCISSISTS AND SOCIOPATHS – AND HOW WE CAN STOP! (on sale May 21) by clinical social worker and veteran mediator Bill Eddy. In this invaluable guide to identifying dangerous personalities in politics, the world’s leading authority on high-conflict personalities explains how these politicians often capture 40% of the vote while dividing the majority – and what we can do to prevent this from happening.

Arguing that it is personality - not politics - that allows high conflict individuals to obtain positions of power, Eddy addresses a previously unidentified phenomena that poses a threat to our world and offers insightful advice for anyone seeking to make better choices at the polls.

About Why We Elect Narcissists and Sociopaths—and How We Can Stop

Bestselling author, therapist, lawyer, and mediator Bill Eddy describes how dangerous, high-conflict personalities have gained power in governments worldwide–and what citizens can do to keep these people out of office.

Democracy is under siege. The reason isn’t politics but personalities: too many countries have come under the sway of high-conflict people (HCPs) who have become politicians. Most of these high-conflict politicians have traits of narcissistic personality disorder, antisocial (i.e., sociopathic) personality disorder, or both. This is the first and only guide for identifying and thwarting them.

HCPs don’t avoid conflict, they thrive on it, widening social divisions and exacerbating international tensions. Eddy, the world’s leading authority on high-conflict personalities, explains why they’re so seductive and describes the telltale traits that define HCPs–he even includes a helpful list of forty typical HCP behaviors.

Drawing on historical examples from Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and Nixon to Trump, Maduro, and Putin, Eddy shows how HCPs invent enemies and manufacture phony crises so they can portray themselves as the sole heroic figure who can deal with them, despite their inability to actually solve problems. He describes the best ways to expose HCPs as the charlatans they are, reply to their empty and misleading promises, and find genuine leaders to support. Eddy brings his deep psychotherapeutic experience to bear on a previously unidentified phenomena that presents a real threat to the world.

Bill will discuss:

• How narcissistic leaders seduce us into voting for them
• Why high conflict politicians can’t turn off their followers
• How our media promotes high conflict personalities – and what we can do about it
• The basic 5-point emotional message that all High Conflict Politicians use
• How voter drop-outs, moderates, and resisters can unite before the general election

About Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq.

Bill Eddy is a lawyer, therapist, mediator and the co-founder and Training Director of High Conflict Institute. He developed the High Conflict Personality theory (HCP Theory) and has become an international expert on managing disputes involving high conflict personalities and personality disorders. He provides training on this subject to lawyers, judges, mediators, managers, human resource professionals, businesspersons, healthcare administrators, college administrators, homeowners’ association managers, ombudspersons, law enforcement, therapists and others. He has been a speaker and trainer in over 30 U.S. states and 10 countries.

As an attorney, Bill was a Certified Family Law Specialist in California and the Senior Family Mediator at the National Conflict Resolution Center in San Diego. Prior to becoming an attorney in 1992, he was a Licensed Clinical Social worker with twelve years’ experience providing therapy to children, adults, couples and families in psychiatric hospitals and outpatient clinics. He has taught Negotiation and Mediation at the University of San Diego School of Law for six years and he is on the part-time faculty of the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at the Pepperdine University School of Law and the National Judicial College. He is the author of numerous articles and several books.

5/20/19 - 9:00am pst - Matt Paneitz, Executive Director Long Way Home, joined host Janeane Bernstein live on KUCI 88.9fm

Matt Paneitz
Executive Director
Long Way Home
San Juan Comalapa, Guatemala


LISTEN to today's conversation with Matt Paneitz

www.lwhome.org

Mission: Long Way Home is a non-profit organization which uses sustainable design and materials to construct self-sufficient schools that promote education, employment and environmental stewardship.


In support of its mission, LWH’s committed community of volunteers and staff have joined together to design and build a campus in San Juan Comalapa, Guatemala that now provides a vibrant, accessible, and democratic education to over a hundred children, grades K-9. Students attending Técnico Chixot Education Center increase their literacy skills and thus their economic sustainability; they also learn first hand what it means to be an active participant and contributor to a developing democratic society. Additionally, the Center’s students engage in service learning projects that provide opportunities for them to utilize their passions and imaginations as well as problem-solving skills. They work cooperatively, creatively, and resiliently to develop their own minds and hearts in projects that build capacity in their local communities.

According to political thinker and educator John Dewey, who developed experimentalism and is a primary influence shaping LWH’s philosophy, “education must first be human”. With this in mind the organization places people and sustainable living at the center of its school community where environmentally consciousness living and green building techniques are taught as well as modeled.

LWH is a mission-driven organization that works to resist the forces of economic and environmental devastation through education. Enacting teaching and learning “as a practice of freedom”, LWH directs its initiatives and resources to break the cycle of poverty through the formulation and practice of ground-breaking solution-oriented effort.

In a time of global crisis when people and the natural world face growing challenges to livelihood and sustainability, LWH responds with thoughtful and data-driven humanitarianism; facilitated through creative problem-posing strategies, imaginative experimentation, and courageous exploration. In keeping with this guiding principle, LWH is an innovative and pioneering research institute dedicated to the gathering and analysis of data relevant to its mission. 

WATCH the Long Way Home Green Building videos.

5/13/19 @9:30am pst - Leeav Sofer, Co-Founder & Artistic Director of the Urban Voices Project joined Janeane on KUCI 88.9fm

LISTEN to today's show featuring Leeav Sofer

About Leeav Sofer
artistic director & co-founder

Leeav is currently on faculty at the Colburn School in Los Angeles where he teaches classes, directs choirs, and community engagement programs. He earned a performance degree in clarinet and voice from California State University of Long Beach and has performed at venues such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Ford Amphitheatre, and the Staples Center. In addition to co-founding Los Angeles’ only current Jewish Youth Orchestra, he also leads the band Mostly Kosher, dedicated to preserving and progressing cultural folk music of the Judaic heritage for future generations.

ABOUT
The Urban Voices Choir is composed of artists and performers from the Skid Row neighborhood in Downtown Los Angeles. Throughout the year, they are sharing music and its healing power with many individuals and audiences inside and outside the neighborhood of Skid Row, the epicenter of Los Angeles’s homeless crisis. The choir is one of many programs presented by Urban Voices Project, a non-profit that brings the healing power of music directly to individuals disenfranchised by homelessness, mental health issues, and unemployment. Community singing and music education combine to provide practical opportunities for individuals to transcend their current circumstances and participate in a creative program of positive change.The Urban Voices Project has found recognition in the front page of the Los Angeles Times and was featured on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered in 2014 as well as The New Yorker in 2018.

Leeav Sofer
Urban Voices Project, Co-Founder & Artistic Director
Insta: @urbanvoicesproject
FB: facebook.com/urbanvoicesproject
Check out Urban Voices Project on NBC’s Today Show!

5/13/19 @9am pst - Denise Kaufman of the Legendary band, Ace of Cups, joined Janeane live on KUCI 88.9fm

LISTEN to today's conversation with Denise Kaufman!

WATCH the ALBUM TRAILER

Meet the Legendary Ace of Cups

The Beloved All-Female Rock Group from the 1960s San Francisco Psychedelic Scene

From 1967 to 1972, the Ace of Cups were at the epicenter of the ‘60s cultural and social revolution. From the Acid Tests to the protests, from the free concerts in Golden Gate Park to the ballrooms of San Francisco, they shared stages with everyone from The Band to the Grateful Dead, and were chosen to open for Jimi Hendrix the week after his groundbreaking performance at The Monterey Pop Festival.

Despite eliciting music industry interest for their exceptional songs, sublime harmonies and exuberant live performances, the Ace of Cups never got the chance to make a record…until now.

About Denise Kaufman 

Growing up in San Francisco during the 1960s placed Denise right in the center of the cultural revolution. Her commitment to social justice and exploratory approach to life led her to adventures in counterculture: to being arrested at UC Berkeley's Sproul Hall protests during the Free Speech Movement, to "getting on the bus” (as "Mary Microgram") with Ken Kesey, the Merry Pranksters and the Grateful Dead; to forming the legendary Ace of Cups.

5/8/19 - Shout out to my fellow talk show host, Calvin Gantt, who invited me on his show, AWOKE. Loved every minute! Here's the AUDIO>

Today, I was a guest on Calvin Gantt's show, AWOKE, live on KUCI 88.9fm. We chatted about everything from my early Montessori education, today's educational system and my view of SATs (I bombed mine - twice), the importance of knowing how to deal with life's funks (personal and professional) and so much more! Calvin has a fantastic show with a genuine, conversational and organic style. 

Listen here. 

About Calvin Gantt
Calvin Gantt is a writer, public speaker, radio talk show host, community organizer, and Interfaith minister, who has dedicated his life to being of service to others.

calvingrace.com

blogger, writer, radio show host

TODAY 5/7/19 - JORDAN REID, founding editor of the Ramshackle Glam blog calls in to our KUCI studios! Feeling anxious? Who isn't! Your fears are fodder for this astute, hysterical activity book: THE BIG ACTIVITY BOOK FOR ANXIOUS PEOPLE

JORDAN REID - founding editor of the Ramshackle Glam blog chats with host Janeane Bernstein, host of "Get the Funk Out!" - KUCI 88.9fm.

LISTEN to today's conversation with Jordan Reid!

Feeling anxious? Who isn't! Your fears are fodder for this astute, hysterical activity book: THE BIG ACTIVITY BOOK FOR ANXIOUS PEOPLE

We’re at a cultural moment where “anxiety” extends beyond the boundaries of a diagnosable disorder; it’s practically become a way of life. Part journal, part coloring book, part weird coping mechanisms, and part compendium of soothing facts, THE BIG ACTIVITY BOOK FOR ANXIOUS PEOPLE is an outlet for anyone who wants to take a break from reality, laugh through fears, and recognize with every page that they are not alone.



As a founding editor of the popular lifestyle blog Ramshackle Glam, Jordan Reid’s audience is well-acquainted with her honest, witty writing style. Erin Williams is also beloved for her fresh, quirky drawings that compliment Reid’s familiar voice. THE BIG ACTIVITY BOOK FOR ANXIOUS PEOPLE exemplifies the culmination of both their talents.


Jordan Reid will discuss:

· How to navigate your social media feeds without having an anxiety attack

· Anti-anxiety office strategies (Get through the workday without apologizing, meditations you should try, etc.)

· Zen mantras for the anxiously inclined

· Reasons why having anxiety is a good thing

· Why getting older is actually kind of okay

· In addition, she shares obscure diseases you probably don’t have, AND soothing facts about hand sanitizer.



So, on a bad day, color in the soothing grandma. On a really bad day, find step-by-step instructions on how to build an underground bunker. Reid and Williams want everyone to remember that they’re in good company: Anxious people are some of the funniest and most interesting and creative humans on the planet. (They know, because they are two of them.)

About the Book

Feeling anxious? Who isn't! Your most irrational (and sometimes rational) fears are hilarious fodder for this sharp and relatable activity book.

These days, anxiety is simply part of the human experience. Part journal, part coloring book, part weird coping mechanisms, and part compendium of soothing facts, The Big Activity Book for Anxious Peoplewill be an outlet for anyone who wants to take a break from reality, laugh through her fears, and realize with every page that she is not alone--and to help her figure out what to do when it's 3AM and she's wide awake worrying about whether she cc'ed the right "Bob" on that email. (Probably.)

Activities include:
* Fun Facts about Aging!
* Public Speaking: A Diagram
* Your Hotel Room Carpet: A Petri Dish of Horrors
* Obscure Diseases You Probably Don't Have
* Zen Mantras For The Anxiously Inclined
* Soothing Facts about Hand Sanitizer

On a bad day, try coloring in the soothing grandma. On a really bad day, find step-by-step instructions on how to build an underground bunker. Reid and Williams want everyone to remember that they're in good company: anxious people are some of the funniest and most interesting and creative humans on the planet. (They know, because they are two of them.)

About the Authors:

Jordan Reid is the founding editor of the lifestyle blog Ramshackle Glam and the author of two parenting and style memoirs. Her hobbies include creating unnecessary complications, insomnia, and maintaining an impressive collection of fake plants. She lives in California with her two children, elderly shih tzu, and twin orange cats.

Erin Williams is a writer, illustrator, and cancer researcher. She lives with her husband, daughter, and two terrible cats in New York City. She loves true crime podcasts, increasingly complex skin care routines, and going to bed at 9 PM.

5/6/19 @9:45am pst - Grace Talusan, the author of Paper Bodies: a memoir spoke with host Janeane Bernstein on KUCI 88.9fm

The Body Papers will be published by Restless Books on April 2, 2019. Pre-order everywhere books are sold or at Restless Books. 

LISTEN to today's conversation with featured guest Grace Talusan.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Born in the Philippines, young Grace Talusan moves with her family to a New England suburb in the 1970s. At school, she confronts racism as one of the few kids with a brown face. At home, the confusion is worse: her grandfather’s nightly visits to her room leave her hurt and terrified, and she learns to build a protective wall of silence that maps onto the larger silence practiced by her Catholic Filipino family. Talusan learns as a teenager that her family’s legal status in the country has always hung by a thread—for a time, they were “illegal.” Family, she’s told, must be put first.


The abuse and trauma Talusan suffers as a child affects all her relationships, her mental health, and her relationship with her own body. Later, she learns that her family history is threaded with violence and abuse. And she discovers another devastating family thread: cancer. In her thirties, Talusan must decide whether to undergo preventive surgeries to remove her breasts and ovaries. Despite all this, she finds love, and success as a teacher. On a fellowship, Talusan and her husband return to the Philippines, where she revisits her family’s ancestral home and tries to reclaim a lost piece of herself.

Not every family legacy is destructive. From her parents, Talusan has learned to tell stories in order to continue. The generosity of spirit and literary acuity of this debut memoir are a testament to her determination and resilience. In excavating such abuse and trauma, and supplementing her story with government documents, medical records, and family photos, Talusan gives voice to unspeakable experience, and shines a light of hope into the darkness. 

gracetalusan.com

5/6/19 @9:15am pst - Dr. Aysha Akhtar joined host Janeane Bernstein to talk about her book, Our Symphony With Animals: On Health, Empathy, and Our Shared Destinies

LISTEN to today's conversation
with featured guest Aysha Akhtar

Our Symphony With Animals:

On Health, Empathy, and Our Shared Destinies

By Aysha Akhtar, M.D., M.P.H

Publication Date: May 7, 2019

Press Release :: Aysha’s Website :: Aysha’s Twitter :: Aysha’s Facebook

A leader in the fields of animal ethics and neurology, Dr. Aysha Akhtar examines the rich human-animal connection and how interspecies empathy enriches our well-being. Deftly combining medicine, social history and personal experience, Our Symphony with Animals is the first book by a physician to show how deeply the well-being of humans and animals are entwined. Interwoven throughout is Dr. Akhtar’s own story of being a young girl who was bullied in school and sexually abused by her uncle. Feeling abandoned by humanity, it was only when she met Sylvester, a dog who had also been abused, that she found strength for both of them. Against the backdrop of her inspiring story, Dr. Akhtar asks, what do we gain when we recognize our kinship with animals? She travels around the country to tell the stories of a varied cast of characters―including a former mobster, an industrial chicken farmer, a Marine veteran―and comes face to face with a serial killer. Through storytelling that is entertaining, profound, and touching, Dr. Akhtar reveals what happens when we both break and forge bonds with animals. She demonstrates how humans are neurologically designed to empathize with animals, and how violence against them goes against our nature. In equal measure, the love and friendship we give to other species biologically reverberates back to us. Humanity’s compassion for animals is the next step in our species’ moral evolution and a vital component of our own health. Our Symphony with Animals is the definitive account for why our relationships with animals matter. 8 pages of color photographs

www.amazon.com

About Dr. Aysha Akhtar (EYE-SHA ACK-TAR):

Akhtar is double board-certified in both neurology and preventive medicine and has a master’s degree in public health. She is the Deputy Director of the Army’s Traumatic Brain Injury Program. Previously, she worked for the Office of Counterterrorism and Emerging Threats of the Food and Drug Administration. She is a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Public Health Service, in which she deploys to assist with national public health emergencies. She is also a fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics and is a consultant editor for The Journal of Animal Ethics. She is the author of Animals and Public Health and lives in Maryland.

5/6/19 @9am - Janeane spoke with Alyson Richman about her latest novel, THE SECRET OF CLOUDS (Berkley Hardcover; On Sale February 19, 2019) is an emotionally charged story of a dedicated teacher who works with a student with a rare illness, and how each is shaped and changed by the other.

LISTEN to today's show with special guest Alyson Richman!

Teacher Appreciation Day, which takes place annually on the first Tuesday in May, is quickly approaching on May 7, 2019! Internationally bestselling author Alyson Richman's latest novel, THE SECRET OF CLOUDS (Berkley Hardcover; On Sale February 19, 2019) is an emotionally charged story of a dedicated teacher who works with a student with a rare illness, and how each is shaped and changed by the other.



In an interview, Richman will talk about the following topics:


The book was inspired by one of Richman’s dear friends, a teacher in Richman’s native Long Island, NY, who shared how she once tutored a child who was too sick to attend school, and realized a decade later what a lasting impression this student had on her life.


Richman’s friend also shared a special lesson she uses in all of her classes. Each year, this teacher has students write letters to their future selves, and she then seals these letters in addressed envelopes and keeps them in a drawer for years. When these students are set to graduate high school, Richman’s friend mails the letters back. Richman was so moved by this story that she decided to incorporate it into her book.


Richman did extensive research to inform the novel, particularly into the teaching methods and lesson plans that she describes. She selected such methods because they are based on first-hand accounts of use in Long Island school districts.


Various teachers inspired Richman to become a writer – and their lasting impact is with her still today.



ABOUT THE BOOK

In THE SECRET OF CLOUDS, Katya, a rising ballerina, and Sasha, a graduate student, are young and in love when an unexpected tragedy befalls their native Kiev, Ukraine. Years later, after the couple has safely immigrated to America, the consequences of this incident cause their son, Yuri, to be born with a rare health condition that isolates him from other children. Maggie, a passionate and dedicated teacher, agrees to tutor Yuri at his home, even though she is haunted by her own painful childhood memories. As the two forge a deep and soulful connection, Yuri’s boundless curiosity and unique wisdom inspire Maggie to make difficult changes in her own life. And she'll never realize just how strong Yuri has made her—until she needs that strength the most.

5/2/19 - JASON BAUMANN, New York Public Library Coordinator of Humanities and LGBTQ Collections, spoke with host Janeane Bernstein

JASON BAUMANN

LISTEN to today's featured conversation
with Jason Baumann.

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the historic Stonewall uprising, a new anthology celebrating the past, present, and future of LGBTQ activism

Among the topics covered in THE STONEWALL READER:

· The presence of LGBTQ activism before Stonewall: Although many people think of the Stonewall uprising as the start of LGBTQ liberation movements, they were preceded by almost a decade of activism from organizations like the Mattachine Society and the Daughters of Bilitis, who organized conferences, published nationally distributed magazines, and demonstrated at the White House and the Pentagon.

· The emergence of transgender political organizing: Some might consider transgender activism to be a recent phenomenon, but there was an emerging transgender rights movement in the 1960s through pioneering magazines like Tranvestia and organizations like the Erickson Educational Foundation and the Labyrinth Foundation Counseling Service.

· The people of color on the front lines: Trailblazing figures like African American activists Ernestine Eckstein, Joel Hall, and Marsha P. Johnson, Latinx activists Sylvia Rivera and Jeanne Córdova, and Japanese American activist Kiyoshi Kuromiya were at the center of the LGBTQ movements of the time.

· Early queer revolts: Stonewall was preceded by earlier queer revolts like the Cooper Do-nuts Riot in Los Angeles in 1959, the Dewey’s restaurant sit-in in Philadelphia in 1965, the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot in San Francisco in 1966, and the protests against the raid of the Black Cat Tavern in Los Angeles in 1967, among others.



THE STONEWALL READER reminds us of the importance of everyday resistance, and the wildfire that can spread from one small spark.

ABOUT THE EDITOR:

Jason Baumann is the Susan and Douglas Dillon Assistant Director for Collection Development at the New York Public Library. Baumann coordinates the Library’s LGBTQ Initiative, for which he has curated two exhibitions—1969: The Year of Gay Liberation and Why We Fight: Remembering AIDS Activism. Baumann has curated Love & Resistance: Stonewall 50, a major exhibit at NYPL for 2019.



https://www.nypl.org/staff-profiles/jason-baumann