The Mighty Writers Podcast... with Maureen Boland
The Mighty Writers Podcast with Maureen Boland is a show from Mighty Writers, a Philly nonprofit that promotes literacy as a tool for social change. Through decades of experience as a writing teacher, host Maureen Boland knows the power of storytelling and mindful listening; how an honest story, especially one that looks unflinchingly at a sometimes brutal world, has the power to lessen the isolation, despair and polarization so many of us feel. Like the Mighty Writers centers themselves, this podcast is a place to find creativity, compassion and community through devotion to writing and storytelling.
The Mighty Writers Podcast with Maureen Boland is produced by Mighty Writers in partnership with Rowhome Productions. The executive producer is Tim Whitaker. Lead producer is Sojourner Ahebee. Rowhome’s executive producers are Alex Lewis and John Myers.
The Mighty Writers Podcast theme song was composed by Jim Morgan.
Episodes
21 episodes
A Mighty Writer from Kensington: Brooke Fulton
We end the second season of the award-winning Mighty Writers podcast in my personal comfort zone, as I sit down with a former student,16-year-old Brooke Fulton.Brooke talks to me about her childhood in one of the most distressed neig...
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Season 2
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Episode 10
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26:01
Identity and Authorship with Candice Iloh
At Mighty Writers, our days revolve around helping young people find their voices, which is why we’re especially excited when we connect with authors who speak to the issues that matter to them. In this episode, I talk to
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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34:47
The Power of Fun with Dave Raymond, aka the Original Phillie Phanatic
In Philadelphia, one figure who needs absolutely no introduction is the Phillie Phanatic, the team mascot who is as iconic in these parts as Dr. J, Ben Franklin, or Rocky Balboa.Beyond being a key fixture of Phillies' home games, the...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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43:21
Talking About Grief With Counselor Samantha Anthony
Philadelphia is awash in grieving children and families. But it’s not all bad news, because where there are serious problems, there are humans at work on serious solutions. In my years as a classroom teacher, I saw many organizations...
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42:02
Coming of Age in the City of Brotherly Love with Semaj H.
I’ve been obsessed with coming-of-age stories since I first read “A Catcher in the Rye” when I was in seventh grade. That obsession is probably what made me feel entirely at home when I became a ninth grade English teacher. There is very lit...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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31:01
American Dreaming with Yakquelin Garduño
I often say that my favorite thing about being a classroom writing teacher was my access to stories. It was enriching to me as a teacher and as a human being to learn about my students' lives through their stories. And I learned a lot about ...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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31:16
Resisting and Resting with Liz Wesley
My close friend and colleague Liz Wesley knows what it’s like to fight for fairness in a profoundly unfair world. She battled her way through the education system as a child only to find herself up against some of the same forces of inequity...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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28:38
Fighting for Children’s Rights with LuQman Abdullah
LuQman Abdullah caught my attention when I read his commentaries on gun violence in the Philadelphia Citizen.He emphasized something that had become evident to me through my work as a classroom teacher: Young people are not being hea...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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27:18
Riding the Trolley with Soup Davis
I am an obsessive people-watcher. Which is one of the reasons working in a school never-got old for me. Schools are full of people and stories. When I started the podcast, I thought about other workplaces that allow for go...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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28:37
Trailer: The Mighty Writers Podcast Season 2
Here's a taste for what's in store for our second season! Season 2 officially launches on December 14th. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Season 2 of the Mighty Writers Podcast with Maureen Boland...
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Season 2
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Episode 0
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2:00
Winning With Malcolm Jenkins
We kick off the second season of the Mighty Writers Podcast with a conversation with former NFL safety and two-time Super Bowl champ Malcolm Jenkins who recently published a revealing and introspective memoir, “What Winners Won’t Tell You: L...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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42:35
Reflecting on Season 1 with Pat Cooper
On paper, Maureen Boland and Pat Cooper might seem like unlikely friends. They come from very different backgrounds and have had totally disparate life experiences. Maureen was Pat’s high school teacher years ago. But as deeply curious peopl...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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29:42
Mighty Writing at Covenant House
The U.S. is facing an unprecedented youth crisis: 1 in 10 young adults is dealing with some form of homelessness each year, and the numbers of them struggling with mental health issues has increased dramatically. When host Maureen Boland was...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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32:46
Notes From Helen Ubiñas
In this episode, we speak with award-winning Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Helen Ubiñas about her career path, themes in her writing, the challenges of being a woman of color in journalism, and why she created The Ñ Fund, a scholarship fun...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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30:57
Food for Thought from Mighty Writers in Kennett Square
Kennett Square, PA, aka the Mushroom Capital of the World, is about an hour south of Philadelphia. Fully half of the U.S. gets its mushrooms from Kennett Square, and the majority of people who make that happen, often in substandard working a...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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32:16
Meeting Jane Wong in Atlantic City
Kirkus called Jane Wong’s debut memoir about her childhood in Atlantic City “a generous, steaming stew of a book loaded with personality and originality and sprinkled with the fiery chili of rage.” In this episode we talk to Wong about struc...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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39:21
Will the Kids Be Alright? With Dr. Laurie Santos
In January, Yale psychology professor Laurie Santos adapted her popular “Science of Well-Being” course for teen audiences. That curriculum was picked up by Philadelphia high sc...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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39:20
Sinking with Joseph Earl Thomas
“A brilliant and fucking fearless debut.” That’s what acclaimed author Carmen Maria Machado said about “Sink” by Joseph Earl Thomas — and that was just the beginning of the rav...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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30:40
Letting Go with Linda Geraghty
In 2021, mother, writer and yoga instructor Linda Geraghty was featured in the stirring and critically acclaimed documentary Our American Family. The project, which was filmed ov...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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32:49
Love At First Sight
Thirty-year-old Akeiba Emerson shares her journey from foster care to adoption. Like too many children, Akeiba experienced abuse and neglect as she moved through 22 different foster care placements before she was old enough to read. But, thanks...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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37:01
Introducing: The Mighty Writers Podcast with Maureen Boland
The Mighty Writers Podcast with Maureen Boland is a new show from Mighty Writers, a Philly non-profit that promotes literacy as a tool for social change. Through decades of experience as a writing teacher, host Maureen Boland knows the power of...
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Season 1
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Episode 0
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1:24