The America Magazine Podcast

July 21-28 - Chris Korzen on the Common Good

americamagazine — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:53:18 +0000

In advance of the Convention for the Common Good in Philadelphia July 11-13, Chris Korzen sat down with Tim Reidy to discuss the gathering and what the Catholic notion of the common good can offer to U.S. society. Chris also talks about the 2004 election, the Catholic Voting Project, and his new book, A Nation for All.

Ron Hansen on Exiles

americamagazine — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:18:44 +0000

Ron Hansen, the author of Mariette in Ecstasy, talks about his new novel, Exiles, a work of historical fiction that chronicles the drowning of five German nuns on the German ship Deutschland as well as Gerard Manley Hopkins’ efforts to compose a poem to commemorate the event.

Courting the Latino Vote

americamagazine — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:26:47 +0000

Karen Sue Smith, editorial director of America, analyzes the Latino vote and its potential impact on the 2008 election. Nearly 18 million Latinos are registered to vote, 4 million more than in 2004, and their numbers are growing in states throughout the country, not just in the Southwest. Interestingly, immigration is not the number one issue for these voters–the war and the economy have taken precedence in recent polls. Read Smith’s article on Latino voters from the June 23-30 issue of America.

Poetry Contest Winner Michael Suarez, S.J.

americamagazine — Thu, 29 May 2008 19:45:42 +0000

Michael Suarez, S.J. won this year’s Foley Poetry Contest with his poem, “Going.” In this interview, Fr. Foley discusses his inspiration for his poem, and why he thinks religious poetry should embrace humor. Fr. Foley teaches at Fordham University and at Oxford in England.

May 26-June 2 Podcast - A History of the New York Church

americamagazine — Tue, 20 May 2008 16:28:13 +0000

To celebrate the 200th anniversary of the archdiocese of New York, Msgr. Thomas J. Shelley has written a history of the archdiocese from its earliest days to the present. In this interview, Msgr. Shelley tells stories of the colorful bishops, priests and laity who have called the New York church home.

May 12-19 Podcast - Playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis

americamagazine — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:57:59 +0000

Stephen Adly Guirgis, author of “Our Lady of 121st Street” and “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot,” talks about his new play, “The Little Flower of East Orange,” which is playing at the Public Theater in Manhattan through Sunday May 4. In an interview recorded at his home in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Guirgis discusses his Catholic upbringing, moments of grace in his life and the writers who have inspired him.

May 5 Podcast - David Gibson on the Pope’s Visit

americamagazine — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 17:58:05 +0000

David Gibson, author of The Rule of Benedict: Pope Benedict XVI and His Battle with the Modern World, discusses the pope’s recent visit to the United States, including his private meeting with sexual abuse victims and his address to the U.N. Gibson also offers a first-hand view of the liturgies in Washington and New York, and reflects on how the trip might shape Benedict’s papacy and the American church as a whole.

April 28 Podcast - Ten Best Catholic Novels

americamagazine — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 21:42:30 +0000

In this excerpt from “Pathways of Learning,” Sister Marie Pappas’ weekly show on “The Catholic Channel Sirius Radio 159,” America associate editor Jim Keane, S.J., and Fordham University professor Angela O’Donnell discuss their “top 10″ Catholic novels. Among the authors who make the list are Graham Greene, Flannery O’Connor, Ron Hansen and the science-fiction author Walter Miller.

April 21 Podcast - ‘Sex and the Soul’

americamagazine — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 18:55:35 +0000

Donna Freitas, author of Sex and the Soul: Juggling Sexuality, Spirituality, Romance, and Religion on America’s College Campuses, describes the “hook-up culture” prevalent on both Catholic and non-Catholic campuses, and why students aren’t happy about it. Many students yearn for a more traditional romantic culture, Freitas explains, yet they are unsure how to attain it. Only evangelical schools seem to have succeeded in creating an alternative environment, with the cultivation of elaborate courtship rituals. Can such a model be brought to Catholic schools? Maybe not, but Freitas offer advice for young people trying to escape the degrading excesses of the college party culture.

April 14 Podcast - America’s Centennial Begins

americamagazine — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 18:11:24 +0000

With its April 14, 2008 issue, America begins its 100th year of publication. On this week’s podcast, editor Drew Christiansen, S.J. discusses the magazine’s long history, how much has changed since 1909, and how much remains the same. Joining him are acting publisher James Martin, S.J., and James Keane, S.J., who along with Jim McDermott, S.J., will be editing a series of historical pieces for the centennial year.

March 31- April 7 Podcast - ‘The Power of Forgiveness’

americamagazine — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:44:51 +0000

Filmmaker Martin Doblmeier discusses “The Power of Forgiveness,” his new documentary for PBS. The film tells stories of both individual and group forgiveness, and reports on forgiveness studies, a blossoming field of scientific inquiry. Doblmeier talks about his trip to still-segregated Northern Ireland, where experts are trying to integrate the lessons of forgiveness into the curriculum, and recounts the heated reaction to the proposal to build a “garden of forgiveness” at the Ground Zero memorial in New York City. To see when the film will be playing in your city click here. You can order the film, and “The Power of Forgiveness” book, on the Journey Films Web site.

March 24 Podcast - Remembering Oscar Romero

americamagazine — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 16:47:52 +0000

March 24 marks the 28th anniversary of the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador. Michael E. Lee, a professor of theology and Latin American studies at Fordham University, discusses the life of Archbishop Romero, and the status of his cause for canonization. Among the issues addressed is whether Romero in fact experienced a “conversion” shortly after his appointment as archbishop.

March 17 Podcast - Roger Haight on Theology Since Vatican II

americamagazine — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 21:35:13 +0000

Roger Haight, S.J., visiting professor at Union Theological Seminary and author of a three-volume work on ecclesiology, Christian Community in History, discusses the extraordinary flowering of Catholic Theology since Vatican II. Among the figures he reflects upon are Karl Rahner, Johannes B. Metz and Elizabeth Johnson. According to Fr. Haight, the “expanded territory covered by the theologians of our era bears comparison to the transition from the monastery to the university in the high middle ages.” Fr. Haight’s article on Catholic theology since Vatican II from the March 17 issue of America is available here.

March 10 Podcast - On Catholic Poetry

americamagazine — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 21:50:38 +0000

Catholic poet Angela O’Donnell talks about her work, including her “saint” series of poems, which includes odes to such unconventional “saints” as Herman Melville and Vincent van Gogh. Features readings of two of her poems published in America.

March 3 Podcast - Best Picture Roundup Part 2

americamagazine — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:00:05 +0000

Fr. Jim Martin, associate editor of America, and Bill McGarvey, editor-in-chief of Busted Halo, discuss this year’s Best Picture nominees. Covered this week: “There Will Be Blood” and “Atonement,” plus our Oscar picks. Part 2 of a two-part series.

February 25 Podcast - Best Picture Roundup Part I

americamagazine — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 19:20:47 +0000

Fr. Jim Martin, associate editor of America, and Bill McGarvey, editor-in-chief of Busted Halo, discuss this year’s Best Picture nominees. Covered this week: “Michael Clayton,” “No Country for Old Men” and “Juno.” Part 1 of a two-part series.

February 18 Podcast - Jesuit Mission in Nigeria

americamagazine — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 22:28:53 +0000

Peter Schineller, S.J., a new associate editor at America, discusses his years in Nigeria, and the difficulty adjusting to American culture after such an extended time abroad. Read Fr. Schineller’s article on the tragic plane crash that killed 60 of his students. Also available: his 1991 article on “Culture Shock on Returning to America.”

February 11 Podcast - Sidney Callahan on Suffering

americamagazine — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 18:17:15 +0000

Psychologist and author Sidney Callahan discusses evolutionary thought, feminist theology and C.S. Lewis in a wide-ranging interview about her new book, Created for Joy: A Christian View of Suffering.

February 4 Podcast — Entering the Jesuits During a Time of Scandal

americamagazine — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 19:36:46 +0000

James T. Keane, S.J., discusses his article “Vocation and Crisis,” (America, 2/4/08) about his decision to enter the Jesuits during the height of the sexual abuse crisis.

January 21-28 Podcast - Bioethical Dilemmas

americamagazine — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 16:35:16 +0000

Fr. John Paris, an ethicist at Boston College, describes two recent cases that pit doctors against caregivers over the best course of treatment for a non-responsive patient. Fr. Paris also discusses his work with Catholic couples facing the tragic choice of what to do with a baby with lethal abnormalities.