Podcasts at Lesley University

Why We Write

Why We Write is an interview-style podcast that takes a look at our diverse and award-winning community of writers — from alumni and professors to visiting authors. Each episode takes a deep dive into the work, habits, inspiration and motivation of our guests, who write for the page, the stage, and every age. Join us as we take a look at what it really means to be a published author in the 21st century.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, or Stitcher.

Interdisciplinary Investigations

Hosted by Associate Professor Jeff Perrin, Interdisciplinary Investigations highlights the interdisciplinary work and research of Lesley PhD students, alumni, and friends of the Lesley community. In our first season, we focus on the subjective and phenomenological experience of listening. The foundation of our investigation focuses on making sense of the world through the sounds, and lack of sounds, that we encounter in our daily interactions. How do we hear these sounds and how do we create meaning from them? How does listening help us understand the world and our place in it?

Beyond the Flag

Beyond the Flag brings you conversations with Interactive Design BFA students Madeline Meyer '21 and Jess Stevens '21, and Indigenous leaders who are part of the Community Design Studio and the College of Art and Design's year-long effort to support a legislative initiative to reconsider the seal, motto, and flag of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Our work informs the legislative commission, engages public spaces throughout Massachusetts, and encourages outcomes that reconcile the symbols of a hurtful colonial past with the cultural, political, environmental, and social priorities of Native and non-Native communities today.

Who We Are

Who We Are is our short form podcast (15 minutes or less!) that celebrates the people who make Lesley a dynamic, diverse, creative, compassionate hub of learning and innovation. Each episode will feature one person from our community as they share their stories. From a record-setting cross-country cyclist to an immigrant navigating race and purpose in Boston, meet the people who define and shape Lesley.

More podcasts featuring the Lesley community

Here is a selection of recent shows to give you a taste of the fascinating topics our professors and graduates are working on.

Text Sets in Action: Pathways through Content Area Literacy
Educators, authors, and Lesley Professors Mary Ann Cappiello and Erika Thulin Dawes reveal how text sets can prompt serious thinking more effectively than any single text. Teachers who adopt this approach find that the texts’ various lenses enable students not only to meet curriculum standards but also to experience lasting engagement and a spirit of inquiry across the disciplines.

Trailblazers with Walter Isaacson: Working Out While Staying In
Associate Professor Donna Halper shares the history of exercise on the radio and television, from an audio fad that caught on in the 1920s to Jane Fonda's workouts.

The Future of Design Education with Heather Shaw
It’s not a secret that technology is moving so fast it’s hard to keep up, especially design education. In the last few decades the way we think about design has dramatically changed so how are students keeping up? AIGA Boston's The Boston Designcast talks to Associate Professor Heather Shaw about design education, where it's been and where it's headed.

The Artsy Podcast: What Happens When Art Meets Craigslist
On a number of occasions, College of Art and Design faculty Sophie Barbasch has used Craigslist to ask strangers personal questions. On this podcast, she talks about turning those answers into artwork and the moral complications.

Weekend Edition: Author Explores a Dark History Through a Magical Story in ‘Rise of the Jumbies’
Bestselling author and MFA in Creative Writing professor Tracy Baptiste talks with NPR’s Lulu Garcia-Navarro about her Caribbean folk tale-inspired novels for middle grade readers.

SoundOff Podcast: Donna Halper on Radio, Religion and Rush
Veteran journalist and Associate Professor Donna Halper speaks about her discovery of the band Rush during her disc jockey days, as well as her religion and long career in radio.

Fresh Air: As Marriage Standards Change, A Therapist Recommends 'Rethinking Infidelity'
NPR’s Terry Gross interviews couples therapist and Lesley alumna Esther Perel ’82, whose book “The State of Affairs” looks at marriage and infidelity. Perel also has a popular podcast “Where Should We Begin.”

Teaching Matters
Alumna Sydney Chaffee ’07 has traveled the globe in recent months as the National Teacher of the Year. On this broadcast, she discusses her teaching “epiphany,” social justice, and her experiences in the classroom.

Jason Reynolds
Award-winning young adult author Jason Reynolds talks about being part of the Marvel universe, discusses James Baldwin’s “The Fire Next Time” on Book Riot’s Recommended, and speaks about becoming a reader with Gayle King on CBS.

Want to be included in the next Lesley podcast/broadcast roundup? Email us at news@lesley.edu.