In 2021, Kabul was overtaken by the Taliban, prompting the evacuation of over 122,000 people from Afghanistan. Among them was Paiman. Today, he and one of his brothers have resettled in Oklahoma. Paiman is now a junior at the University of Tulsa, where he is pursuing a degree in cybersecurity.
This podcast episode is a production of the Social Justice Commission of Trinity Episcopal Church. Learn more at trinitytulsa.org.
This episode features the stories of six people who struggle to find permanent housing. In January, a Point-in-Time Count found more than 1,400 people experiencing homelessness in the Tulsa area. That’s a 4% increase over 2024.
The idea for this collection of interviews originated with the Social Justice Commission of Trinity Episcopal Church in Tulsa. The commission named the series, "A Neighbor to Love". Learn more at trinitytulsa.org.
Music composition, "Love, The Lord’s Lasso”, by Dylan Golden Aycock. Used with permission.
Tiffany grew up with schizophrenia. She started having delusions at age 4 and hallucinations around age 8.
As an adult, she earned a master's degree in Library and Information Studies. Today, she works as a reference librarian at the University of Tulsa.
Her current diagnosis is schizoaffective, depressive type. In this episode, she discusses the disorder and how it affects her life.
In 2011, Anthony Marquez deployed to Afghanistan with his dog Allie, who was trained to sniff out improvised explosive devices (IEDs). After seventeen fellow Marines died around him during the Battle of Sangin, Anthony and his brother Manny created a documentary to record a road trip during which they visited each family of the fallen Marines.
Tap here to watch the documentary:
https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/documentaries/make-peace-or-die-honor-the-fallen/
If you or someone you know has suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Text or call 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org
Photo credit: Jesse Larvick for XVII Films Archive.
Oklahoma is home to more historic All-Black towns than any other state. At its height, there were more than 50 such towns. Today, there are 13.
Osborne Celestain, Jr. is the director of the Tulsa chapter of the Major Taylor Cycling Club of Oklahoma. This spring, he pedaled 600 miles to visit each of the 13 remaining All-Black towns. I interviewed Osborne at the Fulton Street Books and Coffee Shop in the Greenwood District of Tulsa, a thriving Black neighborhood, once known as Black Wall Street. In the spring of 1921, a white mob nearly destroyed the Greenwood community. The event would come to be known as the Tulsa Race Massacre. The story of the massacre was suppressed for generations, until the late 1990s, when a state commission was formed to investigate the events. The Major Taylor Cycling Club organizes annual rides to commemorate the Tulsa Race Massacre and to tour the All-Black towns.
Check out Osborne’s ride map to trace his 600-mile tour of the 13 historic All-Black towns. The book mentioned in the podcast episode is Acres of Aspiration by Hannibal B. Johnson.
Correctional officers are exposed to violence, injury and death by virtue of their roles inside the prison system. They confront some of the same challenges that police officers, firefighters and combat military personnel face. Kelly started working as a CO at age 19 and spent 31 years in the position.
Be advised. This interview contains graphic descriptions of war and death and violence and may not be suitable for all audiences.
New Hampshire-based photographer Patrick Patterson documents human rights and conflict. He is a witness to a death row execution, the war in Ukraine and immigrant migration in this country. In this episode, Patrick eloquently humanizes the people he photographs.
The fundraising platform United 24 can be accessed at: u24.gov.ua.
You can support Patrick’s work by purchasing his photos at: williampatrickphotography.com.
Look for an upcoming photo essay on my Substack where Patrick collaborates with me and shares the photos of some of the people whose stories you heard. Just for podcast listeners like you, I’m offering a 20% discount on a Substack subscription. Simply navigate to: diaryofanation.substack.com/podcastoffer.
As a nurse practitioner, Karin Chen focuses on women’s health care. As a labor and delivery nurse, she has assisted children giving birth to children and women giving birth to babies they had to turn around and bury. Today, she practices in Lowell, Massachusetts, a Boston suburb. We discuss her career, her thoughts on the health care system and the path to healing personal pain.
This episode references Dr. Gabor Maté's book, The Myth of Normal. The documentary featuring him is called The Wisdom of Trauma.
Can you run a mile? How about 200 miles? Ed Clifford can. He's a second-generation musher who transitioned to ultra running when he turned 50. When he isn't running, he's busy building a log cabin in southern New Hampshire with his partner, Dawn. I recorded this interview on the porch outside their cabin. Photo credit: Bethany Hoyt Photography.
Over the course of his careers as a police detective and an animal cruelty investigator, Steve Sprowl has seen the worst of humanity. He's a retired detective from the Rochester, NH, police department, where Sprowl spent 25 years. Today, he works as an animal cruelty investigator at the New Hampshire SPCA. Be advised, we discuss disturbing crimes and cases of animal cruelty in this interview.
The NHSPCA receives no federal or state funding and relies entirely on community support. Paws Walk, the organization's largest annual fundraiser, takes place next month. To register or to donate, visit https://nhspca.org/paws-walk.
War causes so much needless suffering, and Russia’s war with Ukraine is one distressing illustration. New Hampshire resident Marianna Lundberg grew up in Ukraine, in the port city of Odessa. Today, her mother and grandmother remain in Ukraine. In this episode, Marianna shares stories of her country and its people as they live in the midst of the Russian invasion.
Photo credit: Leila White, Y'R Charm Photography. https://www.yrcharmphoto.com.
Here are several organizations that help the people of Ukraine:
https://razomforukraine.org. Razom means “together” in Ukrainian. Together, the organization works to build a better future for the people of Ukraine.
https://www.sunflowerofpeace.com. Sunflower of Peace is a Boston-based non-profit that provides medical and humanitarian aid for paramedics and doctors in areas of Ukraine that are affected by the violence.
https://www.sbcnh.org/welcome/en. For a resource local to New Hampshire, reach out to the Slavic Baptist Church in Londonderry to donate supplies or money.
https://ukraine.welcome.us. Welcome.US is a humanitarian group for refugee resettlement. Most people who live legally in the US may apply to sponsor Ukrainian migrants, as long as they can provide financial support.
The New Hampshire high school teacher I interviewed for this episode did something quite rare in his profession. He quit during the school year. After 17 years in the classroom. His story is one experience, but I imagine his challenges mirror what any number of other teachers across the country face today. Please be advised that some of the issues he describes may be disturbing to hear.
Carolyn Plummer has worked as a comic for nearly 25 years, and she's in the process of filming a sitcom pilot, "Finding the Funny". Later this year, she's slated to perform in Boston at "Comics Come Home", the longest-running comedy fundraiser in the US. I recently lured her into my basement for an interview. Look for Carolyn's upcoming shows at carolynplummer.com. More information on "Comics Come Home" at: camneelyfoundation.org/comics-come-home.
Fred Marple is to New Hampshire what Garrison Keillor is to Minnesota. That is to say, Fred has a vivid imagination. Fred is an author, playwright, humorist, cartoonist, singer and songwriter. His most important role is serving as the official spokesman for Frost Heaves, a quaint New England town that flies under the radar, despite his half-hearted attempts to promote it. Listen as Fred and I share our love of his home state of New Hampshire and my home state of Oklahoma.
Learn more about Fred at fredmarple.com.
James Osborne is one of the coldest people to ever survive dry land hypothermia. He watched his friend die of the same fate during a winter hike in the White Mountains, and then James went unconscious himself. He left the hospital with several amputations, but the accident also led him to find love again.
This interview is a follow-up to the previous episode in which New Hampshire author Ty Gagne details the mountain rescue and recovery effort in his book, The Last Traverse. You can order a signed copy of Gagne's book at: fullconditionsnh.com.
A New York woman climbed four of the famed Seven Summits but lost her life in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The core body temperature of a New Hampshire man dropped to a record 76 degrees in an unrelated climbing accident that killed his hiking buddy on the same mountain range.
Ty Gagne is the author of two books that explored those winter climbing accidents. He's the CEO of Primex, the New Hampshire Public Risk Management Exchange. He's also a certified wilderness first responder. His risk management strategies apply to the outdoors, the office and everyday life.
Order Ty's books or read his essays at: fullconditionsnh.com.
The following episode contains explicit language and descriptions of disturbing incidents. My guest spent a decade in prison after he accepted a plea deal on drug conspiracy and gun charges. He went from stashing hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash under his bed at home to earning a few dollars a day in federal prison while managing over $200 million in military contracts.
The United States is the incarceration capital of the world. We're home to just 4% of the global population but nearly 25% of the world's incarcerated. Do Americans commit more crimes than other people, or are other factors at play? Listen as we explore the issue together.
In New Hampshire, this summer was a banner season for mushrooms. Enthusiast Christine Gagnon with the Uncanoonuc Foraging Company recently led me on a walk in the woods and schooled me on the science of mushrooms.
From opposing the death penalty despite the murder of his father to opposing nuclear power to defend the will of the people, the impact of Renny Cushing's activism reaches beyond the borders of his home state of New Hampshire. The state representative continues to dedicate his life to a wide range of social justice issues, but a diagnosis of prostate cancer is now making demands on his time. Photo credit: Jim Cole, Associated Press.
Update: Renny passed away on March 7, 2022. Obituary in The New York Times: https://tinyurl.com/uv2enbzm.
