Photo provided by Leah Johnson.
This month on The Facing Project Radio Show –
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!
February 3, 2024 (1 hour) –
Connecting Across Difference
A community leader reflects on racism and growing up Black in a neighborhood that straddled a racial divide, and a mother of a young trans girl invites naysayers into their home to see the heart of her child.
The Legacy of Stories
A grandmother in Ohio pens a letter to her infant granddaughter sharing the history and promises of their tight-nit Black neighborhood, while a son in Colorado begins to appreciate his late-father’s paintings during a trip to his alma mater.
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February 10, 2024 (1 hour) –
Finding Strength in Your Story
A gay teen who was kicked out of his home and forced into sex trafficking writes a letter to his parents, and a teen survivor of dating violence shares early warning signs from her own experiences.
Walk in My Shoes
An Indiana man with autism gives a peek inside of his mind and explores a friendship that helped him discover that “nothing is too difficult to overcome,” and a college student in North Carolina decides that self-love is more important than letting other people define her worth.
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February 17, 2024 (1 hour) –
Empathy & Proximity
A mother in Indiana asks others to see her daughter with autism for who she is, and a man who comes out of the closet later in life stands up for himself (and ultimately others) in a small Ohio community.
Life After the Bomb
A woman forced from her home as a child by nuclear testing in the Bikini Islands reflects on the aftermath of that fateful day, and an Indiana man whose life changed shortly after he tucked his kids in for the night finds peace through the darkest hours.
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February 24, 2024 (1 hour) –
NEW episode: Telling Authentic Stories with Bestselling Author Leah Johnson
Host J.R. Jamison sits down with award-winning middle-grade and young adult author Leah Johnson to talk about writing authentic stories for kids, the harmful effects of book banning in America, and the founding of Loudmouth Books—her banned titles bookstore in the heart of her hometown.