Fordham Conversations

Hidden behind 19th-century brick walls along NoLiTa’s Prince and Mulberry streets in Manhattan is the only Catholic cemetery in Manhattan. Fordham Conversations Host Kacie Candela tours the hallowed ground and catacombs of Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral with North graveyard Tour Guide Tommy Wilkinson. It’s the final resting place of some prominent New Yorkers.

When John Aldridge fell off his commercial fishing boat 40 miles from the eastern tip of Long Island, he didn't expect to make it out of the water. Now, he and his fishing partner Anthony Sosinki are proud to call themselves Montauk's only fishermen with a book and a movie deal. Fordham Conversations host Andrew Seger talks with both John and Anthony about their experience while, on the ship "Anna Mary." We also hear from Commander Jonathan Theel of the US Coast Guard. He was the Chief of Response at the Long Island Sound Sector at the time John went missing, and headed the rescue mission.

Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with author Deanna Singh. The Fordham University Alumni discusses what inspired her to write her first children’s picture book I Am A Boy of Color.  Singh describes it as “a tribute to the beauty and power boys of color possess.” 

Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with award-winning actress, playwright, and director, Regina Taylor. The Dallas-born star is known for her role as Lily Harper in the 90’s TV series I’ll Fly Away. That earned her a Golden Globe win.  Taylor’s preformed in a number of films including Lean on Me, Clockers and Courage Under Fire. Now the Denzel Washington Endowed Chair in Theatre at Fordham is here to share her experience, advice and tell us  about bringing her play "Magnolia" to a New York City audience.  Welcome to Fordham Conversations Regina.

Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with Dr. Celia Fisher about the various health disparities the Transgender community faces, such as stigma, discrimination and lack of access to quality healthcare. Celia B. Fisher, Ph.D., is the Marie Ward Doty University Chair in Ethics, Professor of Psychology, and founding Director of the Fordham University Center for Ethics Education.

It's all about food and how it’s more than just a source of energy. Fordham Conversations host Chris Williams talks with Fordham Professor Jonathon Appels about the lack of discourse around food culture. He also shares his own experience with food.  Then Program Director at the Museum of Food and Drink, Emma Boast, talks about a project aimed at opening a museum dedicated to food in New York City.    

In the U.S. a persons with a disability is less likely to complete high school, more likely to experience unemployment and even have a higher levels of material hardships.  And on a global scale the diagnosis is sometimes worse. Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with Dr. Sophie Mitra.  The Fordham University Associate Professor in Economics talks about the association between disability and poverty.

Many conversations about America's history reiterate’s the idea that the progressive north led the opposition to slavery against the racist South.  But in fact, many of the nation’s Ivy League universities had profitable connections to slavery. Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon sits down with Dr. Craig Steven Wilder. His latest book "Ebony & Ivy: Race, Slavery, and the Troubled History of America’s Universities" explores the connection between Ivy League schools and the slave trade.

People may know the nation of Qatar for its international airline, “Qatar Airways” or its international news station Al Jazeera. But recently, an alleged fake news story has caused several nations to cut political and economic ties with the small, yet wealthy nation. Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon sits down with Dr. Everette Dennis, Dean and CEO of Northwestern University in Qatar. They dig deeper into the recent tensions that led to the embargo. They talk about news network Al-Jazeera’s role in the region. They also discuss the new media teaching and production facilities at NU-Q that’s unique to the region.  

Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon discusses “The Black Suns: An Astrophysics Adventure” with the documentary’s co-producer Carla Jackson. It follows 2 African American Scientists as they travel to different countries to track a series of solar eclipses.  The award winning film also touches on the importance of diversity in the fields of Science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Carla Jackson is also Fordham University’s Theatre Program administrator. 

What characteristics define “twenty somethings” and should there be a new way to measure maturity?  Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon looks into this with Author and Clark University Professor Jeffrey Arnett. They discuss a new life stage being called “emerging adulthood,” which happens between adolescence and adulthood.  Also, Professor of Theology and Director of the Curran Center for American Catholic Studies, Christine Firer Hinze and Fordham MA student Paul Schutz of Systematic Theology share their experience from a conference about the relationship between twenty-somethings and the Catholic Church.

Fordham Conversations host Robin Shannon looks into the often ignored physical, emotional, and sexual abuse of Elderly people. The chief program officer of city Meals on Wheels shares that she wants her volunteers to be able to identify abuse in order to better the quality of life for older individuals. Dr. Patricia Brownell a scholar at the Ravazzin Center of Aging at Fordham University explores the exploitation and abuse of elderly women on a global platform. Dr. Tina Maschi Associate Professor at Fordham’s Graduate School of Social Service sheds a light on elder abuse in prisons.

Fordham Conversations Host Chris Williams discusses what makes humans so infatuated with the freaky, unknown, and disgusting by exploring the history of side shows, literary monsters, and phobias. Adam Rin teaches side show classes at Coney Island to keep the side show tradition alive and to celebrate differences. Rebecca June teaches medieval studies at Fordham University and provides insight into the role monsters play in literature and society.   Dean Mckay is a psychology professor at Fordham who researches disgust and and its relationship to fear. 

Fordham Conversations Host Chris Williams is exploring the phenomenon of Love through scientific, literary, and philosophical perspectives.  Dr. Jay Wade of the Fordham psychology department proposes that in order to get someone to love you, you need to show them that you love them.  Fordham English Professor Phillip Sicker shares that the most interesting and desirable love stories involve complicated obstacles and trying hardships.  Dr. John Davenport of the Fordham philosophy department explains the human need for love in order to feel complete, and the differences between the early philosophers understanding of love verses romantic modern love.

Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon is shining a spotlight on young people who are making a difference in their communities through volunteer efforts.  Fordham University’s Eva Li is a Peer Health Exchange volunteer. She’s trained to teach health workshops at some of New York City’s underfunded and understaffed public high schools  Sarah Cocuzzo is the Community Liaison and Innovation Manager for the Peer Health Exchange.  Their  mission is to give teenagers the knowledge and skills they need to make healthy decisions. The group does this by training college students to teach health in public high schools that lack health education. In the studio is

Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with Social Worker, Advocate and Fordham Alumni Casey Berna. She discusses her battle with endometriosis and her documentary “Endo-truth: The Impact of Endometriosis and Infertility on Mental Health.”

We often think of the afterlife in terms of heaven and hell. But what about the afterlife on earth? Fordham Conversations Host Chris Williams looks into how some people believe life after death takes place here on earth. Fordham University Professors Joshua Schapiro and Mary Erler discuss reincarnation and the idea of an earthly Heaven. Anthony Bellov with the Merchant House Museum in downtown Manhattan talks about how the house's original owners may have never left.

David Spampinato and Dan DiOrio join John Furlong to discuss Gleyber Torres and the Yankees, Jacob DeGrom and the Mets, and the thrilling NL West battle between Colorado, Los Angeles, and Arizona. Will any of those three miss the playoffs?

Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talk with Carol Bonomo Albright and Christine Palamidessi Moore about their anthology “American Women, Italian Style: Italian-Americana’s Best Writings on Women" (Fordham Press). Their collection brings together writers with a wide range of backgrounds, outlooks, ideas, and experiences to examine the history of Italian women in America.

Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with Fordham Professor Mary Bly about William Shakespeare’s influence on pop culture.  Bly is a Shakespearean scholar who took her passion for the English poet and playwright to create the class “Shakespeare and Popular Culture.”