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.
The Mighty Writers Podcast... with Maureen Boland
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 heard.
Now maybe that’s always been the case. Maybe American adults have perennially dismissed the voices of children. But what LuQman says is that given the prevalence of guns and despair, our failure to listen is having deadly consequences.
LuQman’s passion for saving Philadelphia’s children is connected to the fact that he lost his way as a young man.
In this episode, I talk to LuQman about losing his way and about his perspective on young people.
We talk about the years he spent in prison, including five and half years in solitary confinement, and how he emerged from that time as a scholar, a leading voice in violence prevention and a human rights activist. I hope you’ll be as inspired as I am by LuQman’s vision for a more just and equitable city.
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 Danya AbdelHameid. Rowhome’s executive producers are Alex Lewis and John Myers.
Our theme song was composed by Jim Morgan.
This episode also includes music from Blue Dot Sessions.
