The Mighty Writers Podcast... with Maureen Boland

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.

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 good people-watching, and public transportation came to mind. Bus drivers, train conductors, transit workers — they all see an incredible cross section of the city’s population every day. My grandfather, Charlie Gibbons, knew this well: He was a trolley car driver for SEPTA, Philadelphia’s public transportation system. So as a sort of tribute to Charlie, I decided to interview someone who drove the same route that he did.

That’s what led me to SEPTA driver Soup Davis, who talks to me in this episode about what it’s like to see all those people, and why he decorates his trolley for the holiday season each year.

Soup’s perspective on the city is fresh and interesting. Like me, I’m guessing you’ll walk away from this episode with a deep appreciation for all of the city workers who maintain optimism and sincere concern for the people around them. That’s not always easy in Philadelphia.
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.

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 will have 9 biweekly episodes (our first episode with Eagles legend Malcolm Jenkins came out a little early), focused on good people doing good work in and around a big American city.

Known for its sports fans and food, history and grit, inequality and authenticity, Philadelphia maintains a complicated relationship with the notion of brotherly love.

But Maureen finds lots of love in these intimate conversations with genuine, open-hearted people who share stories about justice, healing, hope and joy.
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.

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: Lessons from a Legendary Defender.”

In addition to his achievements on the field, Jenkins is admired for the work he did with Anquan Boldin and other NFL players to form the Players Coalition, which transformed the NFL by bringing together owners, players and other stakeholders to fight racial injustice. In 2010 he founded the Malcolm Jenkins Foundation, which aims to make positive change in the lives of youth in Louisiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and his home state of New Jersey.

In this episode, we discuss writing, influential people and moments in Jenkins’ life, activism and fatherhood.
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The Mighty Writers Podcast with Maureen Boland is produced by Mighty Writers in partnership with Rowhome Productions. The executive producer is Tim Whitaker. Rowhome’s executive producers are Alex Lewis and John Myers. This episode was produced by John Myers.
Our theme song was composed by Jim Morgan.

This episode also includes music from Blue Dot Sessions.

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 try to help students with problems like grief. Rarely did I see an immediate impact — that is, until I observed the work of Uplift, formerly known as The Center for Grieving Children.
Uplift’s therapists go into schools (and other places where kids gather) and convene groups of young people who have lost someone significant. Some of my students involved with Uplift moved from despondent and unfocused to engaged and hopeful after just six sessions. My only regret was that they couldn’t work with more of the kids in my school. It sometimes felt like they were only getting at the tip of an iceberg.
Because I believe so deeply that children need this kind of support, I invited Samantha Anthony, a senior clinician, to speak with me about her work facilitating therapeutic grief groups with youth in grades K-12. Like others at Uplift, Samantha also provides support for the families of grieving children.
Samantha and I talk about how grief presents itself in young people, as well as our own experiences with grief, her work with students at the Juvenile Justice Center, and what it means to say that grief is a social justice issue.
It’s a heavy but hopeful conversation about the good that comes when we acknowledge grief in community and with mindful empathy.
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.