SEASON 4, EP. 1: GARDENS IN THE FRIENDSHIP DESERT with ARI HONARVAR
Roger Kimmel Smith interviews the multi-talented Ari Honarvar about her “arranged friendships” idea and other creative responses to the epidemic of loneliness and social isolation. A former refugee from Iran, Ari is a Musical Ambassador of Peace and author of the novel A Girl Called Rumi.
SEASON 3, EP. 8: BARBARA WEST: THE UPSIDE DOWN HANDY WOMAN
The astounding “color commentary” in Barbara West’s writing bursts forth from her efferverscent personality, some sources of which—the Christian pacifist tradition in which she was raised, her humanistic education, Buddhist meditation practice, and nursing career—receive insightful examination in this conversation with her old friend Roger Kimmel Smith.
SEASON 3, EP. 7: EXODUS FROM TEXAS
Parents of transgender children face an increasingly hostile environment in many U.S. states. Chris West speaks to one couple from Texas who chose to relocate in the northeast. Plus an update on The Humanist Being.
SEASON 3, EP. 6: ASSEMBLYMEMBER ANNA KELLES: POWER IS RESPONSIBILITY; HUMAN HEALTH AND PLANET HEALTH
Dr. Anna Kelles represents the 125th Assembly district in Central New York as a Democrat. Her public health background and Ph.D. in nutritional epidemiology give her a powerful, humanistic perspective on policy for the public good. Interview conducted by Roger Kimmel Smith.
SEASON 3, EP. 5: FIND A NEW BELIEF (WITH AIDAN KING)
Aidan King has become a key contributor to The Humanist Being as a member of our steering group. She tells a lot about her life story and the challenges she has overcome in this very enjoyable interview with Chris and Roger.
SEASON 3, EP. 4: POLYAMORY AND OTHER SHENANIGANS
Roger Kimmel Smith interviews his When Humanists Attack!! co-host Vincent Downing and Vincent’s polyamorous partner Pup Treble, an NYC-based musician and sex educator. The two of them have launched The Humanist Being’s new Polyamory Education Project. Read more about it on this website.
SEASON 3, EP. 3: WHAT MAKES US HUMAN? with URIEL ABULOF
Uriel Abulof has a knack for framing wonderful questions. The Israeli-born political philosopher teaches at Princeton, Cornell, and Tel Aviv University, and offers an online course called HOPE, or Human Odyssey to Political Existentialism. His blog is called “Sapienism: Living Up to Our Humanity.” Abulof and interviewer Roger Kimmel Smith plunge into a heady discussion of “what sets us apart and brings us together” as humans.
SEASON 3, EP. 2: GREECE WITH GAIL
The third season of When Humanists Attack!! opens with a fascinating exploration of modern Greek history, culture, and music. Roger Kimmel Smith interviews Gail Holst-Warhaft, the author of books on the hashish-fueled rebetika music genre and the nisiotika music of the Aegean islands, as well as a biography of Zorba the Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR FIRST TWO SEASONS ON YOUTUBE:
Guy in Hotel Gets Reactions
Person on the street gets reactions from fellow Atheists and Secular Humanists at the American Atheist Convention 2022.
Transgenderism and You
What is this whole transgender thing? Roger Kimmel Smith checks his assumptions with Lukas West, LGBTQ agenda explainer.
John Gastil:
“How Do We Democracy?”
Citizen John Gastil of Penn State University, author of Hope for Democracy and a leading academic mind focused on the nitty-gritty of democracy, reviews highlights of his career and scholarship on how to promote the essence of democratic governance: public policy deliberation.
Rob Robinson:
“The Failure of the American Dream”
Vincent Downing interviews Rob Robinson, an economic justice activist whose radicalization came after losing his long-term job and going through homelessness in Miami and New York. Robinson, an organizer with Partners for Dignity and Rights, breaks down the systemic failure of U.S. capitalism and outlines a vision of an economy that protects land and housing from relentless commodification.
Talena Lachelle Queen:
“Poetry as Education”
Talena Lachelle Queen is Poet Laureate of Paterson, New Jersey, and the force behind the annual Paterson Poetry Festival. A master teacher and social entrepreneur, Queen blows her interviewers away with her brilliance and clarity.
H.J. Evans:
“Escaping from the Jehovah’s Witnesses”
Roger was fortunate to be introduced in 2021 to H.J. Evans, who had just published the book Leaving the Tower: Why Jehovah’s Witnesses Are Wrong About Just About Everything. In addition to covering most of the book’s main points, Evans also tells stories about his own experience, which he largely left out of the book. Evans is now the co-host of the Top Secret Book Club podcast.
