Medical Training (December 10, 2008)
All of us can appreciate the sage, compassionate advice we receive from our doctor when we're suffering from, say, severe knee pain, shortness of breath, or breast cancer. This week's essayist, Ben Brown, reminds us that our doctors learned much of their wisdom from remarkable, yet anonymous people whom we, the patients, will never know and, to whom, we owe a priceless debt. Ben Brown lives in Providence and is a medical student at the Brown University Medical School.
Role Models (December 3, 2008)
During the course of our lives we sometimes have unexpected realizations and insights inspired by unexpected sources. This week's essayist, Bob Pelcovits, recalls one of his very special insights and reflects on its profound implications for our ability to understand the world in which we live. Bob Pelcovits is a professor of physics at Brown University. Pelcovits lives with his family in Providence.
Play (November 26, 2008)
All of us can recall the unrestrained joy we experienced as children when we played with toys and friends without formal adult supervision. But for many of today's children, this sort of spontaneous play seems more and more rare. This week's essayist, Janice O'Donnell, reflects on this sad reality and the reasons why we need to greatly expand opportunities for children to play. For the last 23 years Janice O'Donnell has been Executive Director of Providence Children's Museum.
Postcards (November 19, 2008)
Sometimes in life we discover that little things amount to big things, assuming far more significance than they appear to have at first blush. This week's essayist, Philip Eil, shares his insights about how little things can be packed with profound meaning. Philip Eil recently returned to his hometown of Providence after attending college in Michigan and living in San Francisco in New York. He is a freelance writer and substitute teacher at the Wheeler School, his alma mater.
Compassion (November 12, 2008)
Many of us have known moments of true anguish and hopelessness during the course of our lives. This week's essayist, Heather Sullivan, reflects on the possibility of hope, compassion and kindness during those harsh times when we are steeped in despair. Heather Sullivan is a writer, poet, and teacher who lives in Middletown, Rhode Island. She has written for the Block Island Poetry Project, The RI Writers' Circle, The Providence Journal, and She Shines Magazine, among others. Her poetry is forthcoming in the Newport Roundtable's Walls and Bridges Anthology.
What Lies Ahead (November 5, 2008)
In life's quieter moments, many of us wonder, often with a complicated mix of excitement and anxiety, what lies ahead in life for the people we love and for all humankind. This week's essayist, Jack Partridge, shares his reflections - reflections that came upon him unexpectedly.
Jack Partridge is an attorney active in the political and cultural life of Rhode Island. He also writes crime novels set in Providence. His books include "Straight Pool" and "Carom Shot".
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Remembering Kristallnacht (October 29, 2008)
Throughout our lives we sometimes find ourselves in the midst of circumstances that are full of despair and, it seems, hopelessness. This week's essayist, Brian Mayer, reflects on the kind of hope that sometimes can be found amidst despair . . . and about hope's powerful legacy. Brian Mayer is the cantor of Temple Emanu-el in Providence. He has taught at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, the Hebrew College in Newton Centre, Massachusetts, and was featured in the nationally televised ABC-TV documentary "To God's Ear," which was nominated for an Emmy Award.
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Hearing (October 22, 2008)
Many of us have learned the hard way what it means to lose something that is precious to us and that we may have taken for granted - say, an heirloom, a close friendship, or our health. This week's essayist, Marie Younkin-Waldman, reflects on what it means to get that precious something back in one's life. Marie Younkin-Waldman has been a teacher, disabilities specialist, therapist and host of the public access cable television show, Tea With Marie
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Land (October 15, 2008)
For centuries Rhode Islanders have struggled to understand their complex - and sometimes controversial - relationship to their land. As this week's essayist, Kathy Swann, observes, our relationship to the land on which we live has a great deal to do with our fundamental identity as individuals and as part of the commonweal. Kathy Swann is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Leadership Rhode Island. She lives with her family in West Greenwich, Rhode Island.
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WaterFire (October 8, 2008)
Thousands of Rhode Islanders have been mesmerized by Providence's WaterFire, drawn in by its unique and captivating blend of sights, sounds, and aroma. This week's essayist, Andrew Rock, shares his beliefs about the power of WaterFire from his unique vantage point floating along the Providence River. Andrew Rock is the president of the Rhode Island-based Lobster.com - a national lobster vendor - and sits on the Board of Directors of WaterFire Providence.
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Talking (October 1, 2008)
We human beings have a unique claim on our ability to use words to communicate with one another. All of us have discovered how words can be used to connect with one another and, at times, to hurt one another. This week's essayist, Barbara Schweitzer, reflects on the meaning of words in her life.
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Barbara Schweitzer is a psychotherapist and author of 33 1/3: Soap Opera Sonnets, published by Little Pear Press. She is the recipient of two merit fellowships for poetry from the state of RI.
Sports and Kids (September 24, 2008)
Many of us appreciate the profound influence that sports can have in a child’s life. Sadly, we’ve also been horrified by reports of parents who have lost all sense of perspective about their children’s athletic lives. This week’s essayist, Dan Doyle, shares his beliefs about the role sports should play in children’s – and their parents’ – lives.
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Dan Doyle is founder and executive director of the Institute for International Sport at the University of Rhode Island and author of the “The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting.”
Positive Change (September 17, 2008)
One of the inevitabilities in our lives is change - some of it for the better and some of it not. This week's essayist, Nancy Kirsch, shares her beliefs about dealing with changes in her life.
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Nancy Kirsch lives with her family in Providence. She is a writer, editor, and publicist, and the recipient of the Metcalf Diversity in the Media award.
Dreams (September 10, 2008)
For some, like Phan Sok, who was born and raised in Cambodia, hope is what remains when so much else has been stripped away. Phan Sok submitted his essay to This I Believe — Rhode Island shortly before he and his family made the painful decision to leave Rhode Island and the United States.
Phan Sok is a physician who received his medical training in Vietnam and practiced medicine in Cambodia. He received a Master of Public Health degree from Brown University and a Master of Social Work degree from Rhode Island College. Because of immigration restrictions in the United States, Dr. Sok and his family recently moved to Canada. His essay is read by Sonn Sam, principal of the Peace Street Campus of the MET School in Providence and a member of Rhode Island’s Cambodian community.
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Grief Lessons (September 3, 2008)
For most of us, life is filled with a complicated mix of joy, sorrow, mundane tasks, exhilarating moments, and for some, unspeakable loss. This week's essayist, author Ann Hood, shares her story of the remarkably intimate and intense grief of losing a child.
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Choices (August 27, 2008)
Everyone faces painful, sometimes excruciating choices as we move through our lives. This week we feature an encore essay by Amy Kalisher, who shares her beliefs about difficult choices. Kalisher is an artist, writer, and freelance graphic designer. She studied art, writing, and graphic design at the Rhode Island School of Design.
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Speaking Out (August 20, 2008)
Christine Sherwood reflects on the lessons she has learned over the years about the unique privilege we enjoy in a democracy - the privilege of speaking out. Sherwood is a freelance writer who lives in Providence with her family.
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Young Voices (August 13, 2008)
Karen Feldman is the co-director of Young Voices, a Rhode Island organization that transforms urban youth into powerful advocates. She is joined by teenagers Grace Ajayi, Johanna German and Rick Rodriguez. They believe youth have the power to change Rhode Island.
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Pets Feelings (August 6, 2008)
Many listeners are deeply devoted to household pets that enrich their day-to-day and night-to-night lives.
This week’s essayists, Steve and Pam McGarva, share their experiences caring for animals that are much less fortunate. Steve and Pam McGarva are actively involved in Island Dog, Incorporated., an organization that has placed 500 stray dogs in the United States, including a dozen in Rhode Island.
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Bread (July 30, 2008)
Bread is a staple in our lives. But beyond mere sustenance, bread also has a much broader significance for many of us.
Mark Binder, shares his beliefs about the meaning of bread in his life. Mark Binder is an author, storyteller . . . and bread baker. He lives with his family in Providence and is the author of several books, including The Bed Time Story Book; It Ate My Sister; and The Brothers Schlemiel.
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Art (July 23, 2008)
Judith Tolnick Champa is the former director and curator of the Fine Arts Center Galleries at the University of Rhode Island. In the face of a budget crunch, the University recently made deep cuts to the Fine Arts Center Galleries program - eliminating the director/curator position.
She shares her beliefs about the meaning of art in her life, and in the life of our community.
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Reading (July 16, 2008)
Jody Lisberger teaches women's studies and writing at the University of Rhode Island. Her stories have been published in the Michigan Quarterly Review, Fugue, Confrontation, Thema and the Louisville Review. She also has a new story collection, Remember Love, published by Fleur-de-Lis Press
She believes in the power of words, especially those that appear on paper. Her essay explores the impact that reading has on people's lives.
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Friends(July 9, 2008)
Some beliefs remind us of how we would like to live, not how we do live. Cathleen Calbert reminisces about past friendships. (Originally aired June 27, 2007)
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Rainbows (July 2, 2008)
Lisa Sussman is a writer, editor and mother living in East Greenwich. She thinks that all of us, including political candidates, should pay more attention to the innocent beliefs of our children.
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