Abdi Nazemian; Photo Credit – Marc Ohrem-Leclef.
In partnership with Indiana Public Radio and the broader NPR network, The Facing Project Radio Show has expanded to a weekly program in 2024. We’re bringing new life to stories in our archives, and putting empathy front and center through voice actors, themed episodes, and discussions with artists, authors, and peace activists who are using their work to create a more understanding and empathetic world.
Tune-in Saturdays at 11 a.m. EST–or if you miss a Saturday, you can get us wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!
March 2, 2024 (1 hour) –
The Depths of Addiction
An Indiana man gives an honest response to what life is like living in the throes of addiction, and a woman in Wisconsin changes her life through recovery to be a role model for her kids.
Stories That Inspire Action
A Georgia woman who was sex trafficked as a teenager shares her story and inspires a kiosk to educate air travelers in the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, and a woman in Kansas who struggled to feed her children influences the development of an on-campus food pantry.
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March 9, 2024 (1 hour) –
The End is a New Beginning
An Indiana man facing the end of his life reflects on the legacy he’ll leave behind, and an individual in Texas who lost the love of their life starts over in a new community.
New Beginnings
A Nigerian college student who escaped the Boko Haram terror group resettles in Flint, Michigan, at the height of the water crisis.
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March 16, 2024 (1 hour) –
Dreaming in America
A DACA recipient whose family fled drug cartels and NAFTA trade wars searches for a better life in Oregon. Special guest: Janet Arias-Martinez from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute in Washington, D.C.
Police and Community Relations
A Black police officer in Indiana recounts his experiences working in a predominately Black neighborhood. Special guest: Dr. Kiesha Warren-Gordon, professor of Criminal Justice & Criminology and director of the African American studies program at Ball State University.
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March 23, 2024 (1 hour) –
Life Without a Home
An Indiana man discusses his life not as a homeless person, but as someone who happens to live outside. Special guest: Lauren Knill of The Empowerment Plan, an organization that breaks the cycle of homelessness through employment and training for the unhoused.
Living to Work and Working to Live
An employee at a major corporation contemplates her career in the wake of her son’s cystic fibrosis diagnosis, and an unlikely champion steps forward to provide support. Special guest: Miriam Lewis, chief diversity and inclusion officer for Principal Financial.
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March 30, 2024 (1 hour) –
NEW episode: An In-depth Conversation with Author and Hollywood Screenwriter Abdi Nazemian
Host J.R. Jamison sits down with Hollywood screenwriter, author, and producer Abdi Nazemian, who at the age of two fled Iran with his family during the 1979 Iranian revolution. Today, he uses his identity and story as a gay Iranian-American to help build empathy and understanding, penning such works as his award-winning young adult novel Like A Love Story, and associate producing the film Call Me By Your Name that starred Timothée Chalamet.