George is a chiropractor who employs other alternative methods of healing including a method called Body Talk. George describes the mystical art of body talk in which the soul communicates the state of one's being.
Greg grew up in West Virginia. He became a Baha'i when he was a young man in the late 60's.. He traveled throughout South and Central America early in his Baha'i career. He has since returned to his roots in West Virginia. Greg is a song writer. Some of his songs have traveled all over the world and he finds them in the most unexpected places. We talk about this and play some of his songs during the interview. You can find his songs here. You can also see Greg playing on this YouTube video.
Podcast Release Date: Saturday, September 29, 2012
Since the age of 4, Barbara has wanted to live in another country. Although that was her childhood wish, she wasn't able to live in another country, but she has had opportunities to travel around the world. Barbara is an Associate Professor of Special Education at the University of South Florida.
Marilyn grew up with a grand piano in her home but her mother never thought to offer piano lessons to her. When Marilyn was 9 she asked her mom for piano lessons. She ultimately became an accomplished pianist playing her first public concert when she was ten and played with an orchestra when she was 12. She has played for Arthur Fiedler and was compared to Rachmaninoff by one critic. She is now 87 years old.
Tom has a mission. His mission is to let the world know about generating power by water. The process is called electrolyzing in which you produce what is called hydroxy gas. An electrolyzer takes water and by way of a low power source and pulsing that power source, you create a hydrogen/oxygen gas mixture called hydroxy gas that stays in a gaseous form for a short period of time. This hydroxy gas has a faster flash point than gasoline which can be ignited to produce power. The interesting phenomenon is that if you pulsate the power source to the electrolyzer producing the hydroxy gas at the same natural frequency of water, you maximize the quantity of the hydroxy gas. Tom's first effort is to fit up an old oldsmobile with an electrolyzer to demonstrate the feasibility of powering a car with water. Very interesting stuff.
Talibah's history includes the Black Panter movement and Stokley Carmichael's All African Peoples Revolutionary Party. Today, Talibah is an educator. Among other topics, she talks about how being an educator helped her quickly get the Baha'i principle of progressive revelation. She also describes how she integrates the Baha'i principle, independent investigation of truth, in the classroom.
A Singer/songwriter, Darrell's most recent CD is called Plain and Simple. He has a trio that includes Rick Heyman on bass and Michael Parker on drums. I had Darrell select a few songs to play and talk about in the interview. Some of which come from his new CD. You can also find Darrell on his youtube channel. He's played at the Tucson Arizona Folk Festival for a number of years now. Check out his website, DarrellSongs.com
A Baha'i now living in Croatia. Michael wrote a book called Changing Patterns: Friendship, Fellowship and Transformation. The book addresses what it means to share the teachings of the Baha'i Faith with others. We also talk about the human potential and the positive outlook the Baha'i Faith brings for the destiny of human civilization.
Mona's parents got swept up in the 1979 Iranian revolution. Mona's father was a member of the first Baha'i National Spiritual Assembly after the revolution. One day in August of 1980 all the members of the assembly just disappeared never to be heard from again. Immediately a second assembly was formed. Mona's mother was a member of this subsequent assembly. That assembly was arrested a year and a half later. The whole assembly was executed soon after the arrest. So Mona lost both her parents within three years of the revolution. A third assembly was put in place and all members of that body were subsequently executed. Since the 3rd Baha'i national assemly, there has been no Baha'i administration allowed by the authorities. During the interview we discuss the current movement Education Under Fire protesting the Iranian government's disbanding of the Baha'i Institute for Higher Education in Iran. Mona has contributed to BIHE as an instructor.
Adib is a Baha'i from Haiti who is currently an engineering student at the University of Massachusetts. Adib has the unique distinction of being born in Haiti and grew up there all his life, yet his parents are Iranian. Adib was in Haiti at the time the earthquake struck. We talk about the earthquake and other aspects of Haiti.
Glenn is a Baha'i from Canada who has been in the broadcasting business for 35 years and is now retired. He has recently used his wonderful voice to recite Baha'u'llah's work the Tablet of Carmel which you can find on YouTube. He is currently working on an audio book called The Second Coming.
Kathy is an attorney by trade. She practiced family law in Richmond and also provided assistance to the Baha'i National Center. She spent 18 years in Haifa Israel in service to the Baha'i World Center. During that time she published a book, "Lighting the Western Sky - The Hearst Pilgrimage & Establishment of the Baha'i Faith in the West". We talk about her book and she reads an excerpt in the interview.
Terry is a retired educator who has taught internationally. He's contemplating writing an introductory to the Baha'i Faith tieing current events to the teachings. In the latter part of the interview we discuss the economic situation and the associated Baha'i teachings.
A Baha'i who intentionally went to a black college in the early '60s in the segregated south because she felt the need to promote racial integration. Today she is a psychotherapist. We discuss her time in the south as well as her psychotherapy practice.
Calvin is founder and lead facilitator of Social Centric; an organization he designed to provide education and training for all ages to enhance human interactions and global progress. He is a former Assistant Director of the National Conference for Community Justice/Anytown USA Arizona Region. He has taught for Upward Bound at Arizona State University and the Arizona National Guard's Freedom Academy.
A Baha'i now living in England who grew up in Colombia and is the former care taker for the Baha'i House of Worship in Panama. Nina had a near death experience when she was 3 or 4 years old which seemed to drive the direction of her life. She takes us through her spiritual journey in this interview.
Tyree refers to himself as a spiritual rapper. He and his wife have a recording label called Koppa2Gold. He also hosts a radio program on KOPN in Columbia MO called KORE Issues.
Lee Ann started out as a professional musician before switching to teaching. She has traveled all over the world and shares her experiences in the interview.
Podcast Release Date: Saturday, September 17, 2011
Cary is a photographic artist who uses a variety of both traditional and digital darkroom techniques to, "go beyond the limitations of the camera to achieve a personal style." You can find his work on his website EnochsVision.com.
Joye grew up, on and off, the Cheyenne River Sioux reservation. She was raised as a Baha'i and used her religious background to spread the teachings of unity and diversity among the Sioux people. She provides an interesting historical perspective on native American history. To this day she works to preserve the native Lakota ceremonies.
Born in Austria to Iranian parents, Roya and her family moved to Iran in 1976 only to escape it five years later due to the persecutions they faced as Bahá'ís. Roya is a multi-media artist and an author of the book People With No Camel. She is currently working on her photo-based installation piece "Search for Simurgh", a sequel to her novel “The People With No Camel”.
Pascal grew up in Burundi under extreme violent conditions, both within his family and out. He provides an enlightening historical perspective on the situation both in Burundi and Rwanda. He is now in the US finishing his education.
Munirih is a musician who actually goes by two names: Farideh and Munirih Sparrow. Under her name Farideh she has made two CDs: Seasons of Loving and Symphony of Chemistry. Under her name Munirih Sparrow she will be releasing a new CD called Morning to Midnight in September. I play cuts from all three CDs in the interview.
Ronnie tells the story of how he was legally blind as a kid and his Mom was so determined to find a cure for her son that she quit her job and moved out to Iowa to a chiropractic school. In addition to Ronnie's eyesight returning, his mother became a chiropractor. Ronnie is a writer who has published two children's books, Lillie and Peggy, and The Unexpected Day and Trust. He now hosts a radio program on the Portsmouth community radio station called Don't Dis My Ability. He also made a film about suicide among the disability community called Just One More Day. Ronnie is also a poet and he shares some of his poetry in the interview.
Fereshteh grew up in a Baha'i family in Iran until she was 15. Her family decided to leave Iran to serve the Baha'i Faith elsewhere and ended up in El Paso, Texas. Fereshteh married an American and had an opportunity to return to Iran with her new family by way of her husband's company. While in Iran, she completed her four year college degree. She and her family returned to the US in 1976 and she continued her education, getting her PhD in psychology. Her thesis was on the psychology of martyrdom, which we talk about in the interview.
Alejandro is a Baha'i from LA. He grew up in Nicarauga. He talks about growing up in a very Catholic country and what it was like being a Baha'i in that environment. He reads some of his poetry at the end of the interview. I apologize for the sound quality. I didn't get the balance right between his voice and mine.
Parvaneh grew up in Iran prior to the Islamic Revolution. She shares with us what was life like growing up as a Baha'i in a country that is very prejudiced against the religion.
Sandy is a professional musician who has a CD called Prayers that you can find on iTunes. I include a couple of songs during the interview and I play two more of Sandy's songs after the close of the interview.
Lillie is a 90 year old woman who became a Baha'i in the 60s in the south as a result of her son becoming a Baha'i. She talks about the effects of segregation on the Baha'i community at that time. You can hear her son, Rick, in the background helping Lillie in the interview.
Red is a professional musician with a focus on family music. He has released award winning CDs such as his classic recording Teaching Peace. We include several of Red's songs in the interview and along with his commentary. Red's website is RedGrammer.com.
Gail describes her life growing up and also in Estonia where she went after getting married. She worked with the elderly after returning from Estonia. She is now working on two books, one about her work with terminal patients and the other about her father, Fletcher Bennett. She shares excerpts from these in the interview.
Joanne describes how she almost became a Christian minister until she met her husband in seminary school. After becoming a Baha'i she and her family have lived in the Crow Creek reservation in South Dakota, South Carolina, Samoa, Fiji, Hawaii, the Navajo Reservation, and Maine; plus traveling in Siberia and plans to travel in Greenland.
For the 1st 20 years of Mary Helen's life, she grew up near a small historically black college associated with the Texas A&M system. Then she became a Baha'i. After that, Mary Helen finds her self in Samoa, Hawaii, Guam, Saipan, the Navajo Indian Nation, and Africa.
Michael did a stint at the Brookings Institue before getting his PhD in Economics. He now teaches economics at Pamona College in California. In this interview we talk about the economic teachings of the Baha'i Faith.
Judy is a retired social worker who specialized in hospice care. She is also the author of two children's books, The Elegant Osa Bearly and The Gift. We discussed how the Baha'i principles on the soul and life after death helped her in her work in hospice care.
Travis for many of his younger years devoted his life to his music, but eventually had to abandon it to support a budding family. Later in life Travis was inspired to compile a book on the subject of happiness which he makes available for free from his website happyspirit.info.
At the age of 11, Kloud converted from Islam to a Baha'i while growing up in Baghdad. Both she and her older sister were imprisoned for becoming Baha'is while under the Saddam Hussein regime. She now lives in the US.
Leanne was raised as a Bahá'í in Northern Virginia, near Washington D.C. Her career path has been somewhat unconventional, starting off in engineering at Motorola, jumping tracks to Human Communication and a short teaching job at a local community college, and finally leading to her starting a business of her own, creating Bahá'í audiobooks. Today she explains what led to her decision to start that business, and what kinds of things she had to learn in order to take it from an idea to reality. She has published the audio book Advent of Divine Justice.
Four years ago I interviewed Phyllis and Gene and at that time they were traveling the US in their RV and drafting stories about the work in the field of race unity to be developed into a book. Well they're back this time on a road trip promoting their just published book Longing: Stories of Racial Healing.
Mona was raised in a Persian Baha'i family that immigrated to the United States in the early 1970's before the revolution in Iran. She grew up in a small town outside of Philadelphia, PA. Her professional career included working several years in the broadcasting industry as a television news reporter for an ABC-affiliate in upstate New York. She shares with us her story of how being a Baha'i has shaped and defined both her professional and personal life.
Nabil was raised in Portugal but now lives in Stratford, ON where he is pursuing a career as a singer, song-writer and recording engineer. In 2006 Nabil graduated from Metalworks Institute with a diploma in Audio Engineering and Music Production. He has since started an independent music label, Nkindle Productions, and has been busy with writing and recording projects.
Peggy's Mom was involved with UNICEF and had instilled in Peggy the concept of helping others in need and the oneness of mankind at a very early age. Peggy describes how she became a Baha'i and her experience being in an inter-racial marriage.
Jacqueline is a Lakota who was born on the Sioux Rosebud Reservation, and grew up in the southern Black Hills of South Dakota. I apologize in advance for the quality of the sound. Please hang in there as you listen to the interview. Jacqueline's story about the internal conflict she had to deal with in regards to her native spiritual upbringing and her catholic education, her becoming a Baha'i which is a "lesson to be learned" for those who teach the Baha'i Faith, and her explanation of the origin of her family name are all worth listening to. Enjoy!
Zabine grew up in Germany. She left Germany at 17 and settled in Hawaii and lived there for 30 years, running a social agency for 10 of those years. She nows lives in the Seattle area. She has created a website conveying the message of the Baha'i Faith calledHeart to Heart.
Brent became a pacifist in college before becoming a Baha'i. Today he is an immigration lawyer and a great story teller. His website is bahai-storytelling.blogspot.com/.
Deloria's heritage hails from two native tribes, Yankton Sioux on her father's side and Chickasaw on her mother's. Before starting a family, Deloria worked for United Indians for all Tribes Foundation. She is now the interim director of the Office of Aboriginal Affairs for the Baha'i Community in Canada.
A Baha'i who has dedicated his life to innovating teacher education. He was the dean of the college of education at the University of Mass. from 1968 - 1978. He is co-author of the book American Schools: The 100 Billion Dollar Challenge with Bill Cosby.
Born and bred in Louisville, KY, Ryan became a Baha'i while in high school, but it was when he was in Zambia that he realized what it was to serve the Baha'i Faith. At around 12, Ryan got interested in rap music. He is now a professional musician and is in a group called Common Market. They have produced 4 projects either as CDs or as digital downloads. I caught Ryan on the go, so he's conducting the interview while traversing Seattle. So you hear a lot of traffic in the background. Ryan says he is constantly around traffic.
Bob grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland. His parents had him on a tight leash growing up, so when his parents died when he was 18, Bob decided to travel all over the world. Unfortunately he found his life heading downhill for the next 20 years as he was searching for something. He's now retired and feels that he's found what he was looking for.
A 3rd generation American Baha'i now living in Washington DC. She had traveled all over the world and one of her occupations was to write and broadcast for the Voice of America.
A racial and cultural diversity trainer who is now integrating spirituality into his training curriculum and is author of the book "Seeing Heaven in the Face of Black Men"
Paul was born and raised on the north shore of Boston. Growing up Paul was a tinkerer from an early age and is now an industrial modeler. Paul became disillusioned with Christianity and rejected religion totally. It was not until he shared a paranormal experience with his young daughter that triggered his spiritual search.
An educator, who at a young age was driven to understand the basis of Judaism and Christianity and all the world's religions. Alex wrote a book that introduces Christians to the relationship between the Bible and the Baha'i Faith, called "Preparing for Christ's New Name".
Bill is the former director of the Louhelen Baha'i School in Davison, Michigan. He is now the executive director of a 501(c)(3) organization called Diploma Plus.
A Baha'i currently residing in Budapest who directed the film Mocha Frapuchino and has started a Baha'i audio books project. You can see the trailer for Mocha Frapuchino at www.mochafrapuchino.com, and you can see his audio book project at www.voicesdivine.com.
Steve grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. His parents were singers active in the Lutheran Church, so music was a very important part of Steve's growing up. He was actually going to study to become a concert pianist but was discouraged. Steve tells his very interesting story on how he ran into the Baha'i Faith.
Mehr grew up in Iran, England and the US. She left Iran to go to boarding school in England just before the Islamic Revolution. She came to the US after high school to go to university. After university she developed a thriving acting career. She also uses her voice over talents for audio books, one of which is Saffron Kitchen, where she provides about eight characters. She recently helped in the film "Precious" casting the children and directing the children. She is the co-founder of the non-profit organization Children's Theatre Company.
A mental health counselor who has worked with Doctors without Borders in Kosovo, Kashmir, Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Malaysia, Russia, South Africa, and, Myanmar.
My interview with Jane is a sequel to my interview with Paul Jensen. Jane's sister became a Baha'i first. At first Jane gave no thought to her sister's belief, even as she passed and ignored the Baha'i House of Worship in Wilmette, IL just about every day. Once her sister got married, her brother-in-law gave her a book called "Thief In The Night". It was that book that got her to consider the Baha'i Faith more seriously. Her life totally took a different turn after becoming a Baha'i.
Paul grew up in Denmark during WWII. He had a very adventurous spirit that took him first to Canada, then to the US, and then after becoming a Baha'i to the Bahamas and Panama.
This week is fund raiser week at Valley Free Radio so there is no interview to post this week. Instead I am posting a piece by Margaret Tash about the Baha'i perspective on nutrition. Enjoy! I'll have an interview for next week.
Rob loved both sports and acting, but acting became his predominant interest growing up. Then the last few years in high school he also discovered his enjoyment in painting. Rob went to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston studying painting. During his last year there, he became very interested in poetry. After college, he discovered the inner-comedian inside him. Rob describes how it was the Bahá'í art of consultation that attracted him to the Bahá'í Faith
Tahereh is of Persian heritage. She was born in Brazil and grew up there. Tahereh tells a very interesting story about, as a teenager, narrowly escaping a life-long affliction. After graduating from university, Tahereh went to Tanzania to work for a non-governmental organization or NGO. The NGO is called Chipua and it works with children who are expelled from school because they fail their entrance exams.
Raymond grew up in the Watts area of LA. He was in the movie business in the early 70's first as an actor and then as a casting director. The last movie he was in was the Nutty Professor I with Eddy Murphy. After his acting career Raymond got involved with street youth counseling.
Scott is a Native American who grew up on the Makah Indian reservation in Washington state. His mother became a Bahá'í when Scott was very young, so Scott grew up as a Bahá'í. Scott went to college and got his degree in museology. He helped establish a museum at the Makah reservation. After finishing the project, he realized he wanted to be a doctor, so he went back to school and got his medical degree. He is now a family practice physician. < Download MP3 File >
Ruth Forman
Podcast Release Date: Monday, August 24, 2009
Ruth is a published poet whose works include "We Are The Young Magicians" (which was the result of her winning the prestigious Barnard New Women Poets Prize), "Renaissance", "Young Cornrows Callin' Out The Moon", and "Prayers Like Shoes". You can also find her work on the Dawnbreaker Collective Anthology "Arise". Ruth was interviewed on NPR where she had the opportunity to read her work "Cornrows Callin' Out The Moon". I play the interview later in the program. < Download MP3 File >
Luke Slott
Podcast Release Date: Saturday, August 22, 2009
Luke Slott is a musician from Dublin, who has just released his first CD "Don't Go Back To Sleep". He is now in the US working on a second CD project with the producer Kelly Snook. Before playing the interview, I play a clip from CSpan on the subject of the US Congress House Resolution 1008 that condemns the persecution of the Bahá'ís in Iran. The first speaker is Democratic representative Mark Burman of California. He is the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee. The second speaker is Republican representative Steve Chabut of Ohio. The resolution was passed in the House of Representatives in August 2008 < Download MP3 File >
Barbara West
Podcast Release Date: Monday, August 17, 2009
I play two items in this episode. The first is a telephone Barbara West, a 91 year old Bahá'í from California. The other is 2 parts of a 7 part series of Oprah Winfrey interviewing Rainn Wilson, star in the hit sitcom series The Office. Barbara West is 91 years old and lives in California. Barbara's mother, Ramona Allen Brown (1889-1975), became a Bahá'í when Barbara was an infant, by going to teas hosted by Helen Goodall and her daughter Ella Goodall Cooper. The tea group was called the peaches and Barbara was referred to as the baby peach. Ramona Brown authored the book about her experiences with 'Abdu'l-Baha when he was in the country in 1912 called Memories of 'Abdu'l-Baha. After Barbara's children were grown up, she traveled with Tony Lee's Tours which arranged travel tours to Bahá'í holy sites around the world. < Download MP3 File >
Tom Price
Podcast Release Date: Monday, August 10, 2009
Tom grew up in southern California. Tom's initial life goal was to become a lawyer, but circumstances prevented him from pursuing that career. Instead he found himself in Australia, where he studied music and became quite successful as a music producer there. Tom moved back to the US in the late 80's. His CDs include Songs of the Ancient Beauty. For a selection of other CDs Tom has produced you can go to the website Bahá'í Distribution Service. < Download MP3 File >
Mary-Anne Graham
Podcast Release Date: Monday, August 3, 2009
At a very early age, Mary-Anne was drawn to the church community even though her parents were not. In high school she became a Southern Baptist. She ran into the Bahá'í Faith in her 20's. She tells the story of how she was able to transcend her fundamentalist Christian beliefs to become a Bahá'í. She is currently completing her B.S. in Elementary Education; lived in China for over a year and taught English at two universities; she is on the Board of Directors of MicroSteps, a non-profit that provides educational opportunities to under-served populations; and she is on the Board of the Sino-Judaic Institute, a non-denominational, non-political and non-profit organization which was founded in 1985 by a group of international scholars and lay persons for the purpose of promoting understanding between Chinese and Jewish peoples and to encourage and develop their cooperation in matters of mutual historic and cultural interest. < Download MP3 File >
Mahnaz Javid
Podcast Release Date: Monday, July 27, 2009
Mahnaz came to the US from Iran as an exchange high school student. After the Islamic revolution in Iran, Mahnaz ended up staying in the US. She is a co-founder of the educational service organization called the Mona Foundation, named after a Bahá'í high school student by the name of Mona Mahmudnizhad, who was executed in Iran for her beliefs. < Download MP3 File >
Elden Kelly
Podcast Release Date: Friday, July 24, 2009
Elden is an accomplished musician who graduated from the New England Conservatory. He produced a CD called 1000 Doors which are original musical compositions using the Bahá'í writings. You can find his CD on his website EldenKelly.com. < Download MP3 File >
Joyce Watanabe
Podcast Release Date: Monday, July 13, 2009
Joyce was born in a World War II Japanese internment camp. When she was 2 her family moved to Seabrook, NJ. When she was 12 her family returned to Gardena, CA where they had lived before the war. Joyce's life experiences dramatically expanded after she became a Bahá'í. < Download MP3 File >
Ray Zimmerman
Podcast Release Date: Monday, July 6, 2009
Ray grew up as an atheist. He explains how he could become a Bahá'í from such a perspective. < Download MP3 File >
Kurt Hein
Podcast Release Date: Monday, June 8, 2009
When Kurt was 18, doing his freshman year at Chapman College, he participated in the Seven Seas division - a four-month semester circling the globe on a ship. It was a transforming experience for him, allowing him to discover his world community. Kurt describes his finding the Bahá'í Faith, and how it informed what he would do for the rest of his life. < Download MP3 File >
Phil Christensen
Podcast Release Date: Monday, June 1, 2009
After getting his PhD in education at the University of Massachusetts, Phil worked at the Bahá'í National Center (as Secretary of the National Youth and Teaching Committees), then spent five years in Canada before going to Kenya in 1980 to develop and implement US Agency for International Development funded social and economic development projects. He and his family have been in Africa ever since. Most of Phil's work in Africa has been on educational development projects. Currently he is about to start up a project for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to enhance the use of radio for agricultural extension to small farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. Phil had used radio before in Africa for social and economic development. His first project in Kenya used radio to teach English to children in rural primary schools. < Download MP3 File >
Jess Firth
Podcast Release Date: Monday, May 18, 2009
Jess was born in New Zealand and studied film at university there. He then moved to London and started a film production company called Quest Media Productions. Their first production is called "The Wayfarer" which documents his investigation of the Bahá'í Faith by traveling around the world.
Juli grew up as a Bahá'í and pursued two careers: Computer Information Systems and Singer/Songwriter. Juli recorded a CD in 1998 called Jules From The Heart. Since 1997, Juli has been directing a Bahá'í Youth Dance Workshop called NINE, which stands for Now Is The New Era. < Download MP3 File >
Nina Dini
Podcast Release Date: Monday, April 27, 2009
Nina is Iranian and came to this country in the late 70's with her husband to continue their education. Soon after arriving, the Islamic Revolution took place, and because they were Bahá'ís their funds for continuing school were completely cut off. They ultimately completed their education and Nina now teaches at Springfield College in MA. < Download MP3 File >
Snatam
Podcast Release Date: Monday, April 13, 2009
For this interview I did something different for A Bahá'í Perspective. A listener asked if I would interview a Sikh performer. I thought this was an interesting proposition, so I took it on. So here is a telephone Snatam, a Sikh musical performer. Snatam is an American. Her family became Sikhs when she was young and so grew up with the Sikh way of life. She has now started a family and travels performing her music and teaching yoga to children. You can find Snatam's music on the website spiritvoyage.com. < Download MP3 File >
Steve Hemingway
Podcast Release Date: Monday, April 6, 2009
Steve describes himself as growing up to become a "marginal" man not completely integrated with his surroundings. His first encounter with Bahá'ís was when he was 20 years old returning from England on board a boat in 1957. On the boat were Bahá'ís returning from the funeral of Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith. Steve has a number of websites. He mentions his work with laughing yoga, that site is SpiritOfLaughter.com. His website promoting his writing is SLHemingway.com. And the website for his music is SLHemingway.Homestead.com. < Download MP3 File >
Judy Soaring Hawk
Podcast Release Date: Monday, March 30, 2009
Judy is the product of a mixed marriage. Her father is native American and her mother is white. She grew up as a pentacostal christian but she had nagging questions even as she preached the gospel. She found herself in an abusive marriage and decided to leave Kansas and go to LA. It was in LA that Judy ran into the Bahá'í Faith. < Download MP3 File >
Van Gilmer
Podcast Release Date: Monday, March 23, 2009
Although growing up, his community knew him as a musician, he went to college to study architectural engineering. However, music stayed with him throughout his life. In 1992 Van introduced the merging of the Gospel musical form and Bahá'í scripture at the Bahá'í World Congress in NYC. He is now the musical director at the Bahá'í House of Worship in Willmette, IL. < Download MP3 File >
Charles Cooper
Podcast Release Date: Monday, March 16, 2009
Charles was going through life moving up the food chain when the Vietnam War and other personal tragedy hit. This caused him to start questioning the purpose of life and it was the beginning of his spiritual search. When he was about to think there was nothing out there that would feed his spiritual need, he ran into the Bahá'í Faith. < Download MP3 File >
Kevin Locke
Podcast Release Date: Monday, March 9, 2009
A Native American who shares his Lakota heritage with audiences all over the world, including the traditional hoop dance and Northern Plains flute playing. You can learn more about Kevin at his website KevinLocke.com. After the close of this program you will hear excerpts from Kevin Locke's CDs Hoop of Life and Midnight Strong Heart. < Download MP3 File >
Dell Campbell
Podcast Release Date: Monday, February 23, 2009
Dell grew up in a musical family in Ohio and was a musician himself. He branched out into audio engineering for radio and then got involved in the movie industry. It was while he was working at Warner Bros. that he ran into the Bahá'í Faith. His biggest project was starting up the Bahá'í radio station WLGI. < Download MP3 File >
Bradford Baker
Podcast Release Date: Monday, February 16, 2009
A young man who grew up in a completely dysfunctional family and was heavily into gang activity during his youth, yet was able to rise above this history to become a Bahá'í and dedicate his life to service toward humanity. < Download MP3 File >
Osmar Ramos-Caballero
Podcast Release Date: Monday, February 9, 2009
Osmar is African-Cuban and came to the States when he was 11 years old. In 1999, his family settled in Holyoke, MA where they ran into the Bahá'í Faith. Osmar became a Bahá'í after his family moved to the Midwest and he stayed behind to attend Holyoke Community College. After posting the interview Osmar emailed me a demo of his band. < Download MP3 File >
Nina Gordon
Podcast Release Date: Monday, February 2, 2009
Nina grew up in the south, and when a young women at the time of World War II, she was very angry on how African-Americans were treated, so she left the south for CA. She tells a funny story on how she manipulated her husband into going back into the service so she could find what she was looking for (you'll have to listen to the interview to understand what I'm talking about). It was when they were in Guam that Nina ran into the Bahá'í Faith. < Download MP3 File >
Tim McLane
Podcast Release Date: Monday, December 29, 2008
A Bahá'í from the San Francisco bay area. He grew up in a very religious and social activist family. When Tim went to college his intention was to become a minister like his father. It was in college that Tim ran into the Bahá'í Faith. He left college after becoming a Bahá'í and became a professional musician. In 1977 Tim went to Guatemala to help the Bahá'í Faith there. It was there that he first started producing Latin music. Today he is writing music for films. His website is TimMcLaneMusic.com. < Download MP3 File >
Jack Gordon
Podcast Release Date: Monday, December 22, 2008
Although, Jack grew up in a religiously blended family, his Jewish culture from his father's side, allowed him to grow up with a Jewish identity. As it so happened his mother's extended family were Bahá'ís, and it was through one of his cousins that Jack took more interest in the Bahá'í Faith while in college. Jack eventually ended up in Madagascar where he became confirmed in the Bahá'í Faith. He recently returned to the US and is in the D.C. area watching over his uncle and working on a project called Payam-e-Doost, which in Farsi means "the message from the friend", which he explains in the interview. < Download MP3 File >
Louise Matthias
Podcast Release Date: Monday, December 8, 2008
Louise is the daughter of Dorothy Baker, a well-known historical figure in the Bahá'í Faith. Louise tells her story growing up as a Bahá'í, and tells us the details surrounding her mother's tragic death. Louise's daughter, Dorothy Freeman Gilstrap, wrote a book about Dorothy Baker called From Copper To Gold: The Life of Dorothy Baker. < Download MP3 File >
Denali Weiler
Podcast Release Date: Monday, December 1, 2008
Denali grew up in the rural northwest. As a teenager she was caught up in the pressures of fitting in and the Bahá'í Faith wasn't conducive to that. When she graduated from high school, she decided to go on a Bahá'í year of service, which Denali explains is an opportunity for a young Bahá'í person to give a year of service to help the Bahá'í Faith somewhere. She chose Ecuador because it sounded like a great place to travel and she had certain expectations of what her experience would be like serving in Ecuador. The experience was much different than her expectations, and the hardship of the year of service actually confirmed her in the Bahá'í Faith. She wrote a book about her experience titled Arising: A Year of Service Handbook for Volunteers. Before playing Denali's interview, I play an excerpt from the podcast Interfaith Voices by Maureen Fiedler. Maureen interviewed Rainn Wilson in one of her sessions. You can find the Interfaith Voices podcast at InterfaithRadio. org. < Download MP3 File >
James Williams
Podcast Release Date: Monday, November 3, 2008
Before James became a Bahá'í he was working for a social agency promoting race unity. After becoming a Bahá'í, James branched out into a multititude of endeavors. One of them being the sole producer of a local TV news program called "The World Today" in Roanoke, VA. < Download MP3 File >
Christina Quinn
Podcast Release Date: Monday, October 20, 2008
A Bahá'í musical artist whose CDs include Crimson Robe and He is the Healer. < Download MP3 File >
Janabe Caldwell
Podcast Release Date: Monday, October 13, 2008
A Knight of Baha'u'llah who, after World War II, got his engineering degree and became a research scientist. Soon after, he and his wife and young children moved to the Aleutian Islands to help the Bahá'í Faith. Janabe describes the difficulties of living on the Aleutian Islands, and the miraculous circumstances of his departure. Janabe is also an author. His books include The Aleut, From Night to Knight, and In the Heart of Words. < Download MP3 File >
Randie Gottlieb
Podcast Release Date: Monday, September 29, 2008
Randie grew up in a culturally Jewish, but atheistic family. She describes her miraculous story on how she ended up becoming a Bahá'í. She, along with her husband, Steve, is the author of the book Once To Every Man and Nation. She is now a diversity trainer. Her website is unityworks.net.
A Bahá'í and executive director of the Center for Diversity in the Communication Industries at Emerson College. Among his many accomplishments is his founding a video, film and multimedia company called ComTel Productions; founding a non-profit organization called Pupil of the Eye: Vision for Unity in Education; and writing and producing the award winning documentary film "The Invisible Soldiers: Unheard Voices", which aired on PBS. And now he is working on a memoir called Remembering The Pupil of the Eye: Stories of Faith, Race and Patriotism. In my first Smitty back in February 2007, he described his growing up in Greenville SC and his encounter with the Bahá'í Faith. < Download MP3 File >
Phillipe Copeland
Podcast Release Date: Monday, September 15, 2008
A Bahá'í who grew up in search of a spiritual community that recognized what he had recognized which was the oneness of all religions. He has a blog called Bahá'í Thought where he addresses current events from a Bahá'í perspective. It took me a minute or so to get the sound right, so it sounds a little funky at the beginning. But be patient, you'll enjoy this interview. < Download MP3 File >
Ladjamaya
Podcast Release Date: Monday, August 25, 2008
A Bahá'í who started out being a teacher, then discovered the performer within while working at the Bahá'í UN office in NY, and is back to being a teacher in Arizona. Before I played the interview, I played a speech by Congressman Kirk. On July 30th, 2008, Congressman Kirk of Illinois spoke on the House floor in support of his resolution #1008 condemning Iran for its persecution of Bahá'ís. The resolution overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives. After the interview portion of the program I play two selections from Ladjamaya's CD "Intone My Servants" which can be found at Special-Ideas. < Download MP3 File >
Vivian Lee White Baravalle Gilliam & Stu Gilliam
Podcast Release Date: Monday, July 28, 2008
This is a Skype Vivian and Stu Gilliam. Vivian grew up in New Rochelle NY when the school district was segregated. After a stint in the TV industry, Vivian married and moved to Italy. Vivian now resides in the Czech Republic. Stu Gilliam has been an entertainer all his life. He started as a magician then a ventriloquist with the act Stu & Oscar. It was the Stu & Oscar act that got Stu into television. He ultimately became a stand-up comic on such shows as the Ed Sullivan Show, the Dean Martin Show, Hollywood Squares and the Arthur Godfrey Show to mention a few. Vivian & Stu live near an airport so you'll hear planes flying overhead once in a while during the interview. < Download MP3 File >
Robert Sylvester
Podcast Release Date: Monday, July 21, 2008
Bob is an educator who spent 24 years in Africa living in Zambia and Botswana. Before playing Bob's interview, I play a news piece by Chicago Public Radio. In May 2008the Bahá'ís of the United States held their 100th annual National Convention at the Bahá'í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, when they elected their national governing council called the National Spiritual Assembly. Chicago Public Radio covered the convention. < Download MP3 File >
Donna Kime Jeffers
Podcast Release Date: Monday, June 30, 2008
Donna started singing professionally when she was 16, starting with Ray Anthony and other bands. After touring with these bands, Donna got the opportunity to debut the Doublemint Gum jingle. Donna returned to working with a band making a couple of albums for the Command label. < Download MP3 File >
Derek Cockshut
Podcast Release Date: Monday, June 16, 2008
Derek grew up in Lancashire England. At about the age of 15, Derek started looking at other religions such as Buddhism, Zoroastrianism and Islam. He also ran into the Bahá'í Faith at that time but didn't seriously look into it until he returned from Cambridge where he had studied economics. Derek tells a funny story about his introduction to the Bahá'í Faith. < Download MP3 File >
Carol Brooks
Podcast Release Date: Monday, June 2, 2008
Carol is a Bahá'í from the Denver area. She grew up in Buffalo, NY, then moved to NJ and finally settled in the Denver metropolitan area in her teenage years. It was while she was in middle school in Denver that she and her mother discovered the Bahá'í Faith. < Download MP3 File >
Jean Thompson
Podcast Release Date: Monday, May 19, 2008
Jean grew up in the segregated south and became involved with the civil rights movement, starting in the early sixties with the NAACP and then later with the Congress Of Racial Equality (CORE). When she moved to California her social activism widened to include the antiwar and antipoverty movements. She eventually moved to western Massachusetts where she ran into the Bahá'í Faith. < Download MP3 File >
Bruce Randall
Podcast Release Date: Monday, May 12, 2008
Bruce is not a Bahá'í. He heard my program on Valley Free Radio and contacted me with an interesting proposal. What if we do an someone who is not a Bahá'í and has questions about the Bahá'í Faith. I thought this was an interesting idea, so I went along with it. It turned out to be a wonderful experience. < Download MP3 File >
Harry Logan
Podcast Release Date: Friday, May 9, 2008
Harry is a Bahá'í from Jamaica that was passing through after being in Haifa, Israel as a delegate from his country to elect the world governing body of the Bahá'ís called the Universal House of Justice. Since I had some time after Harry's interview, I decided to play the audio from an information video on the history of the Bahá'í Faith since Harry had touched on it briefly in the interview. < Download MP3 File >
Michael Lindsey
Podcast Release Date: Monday, May 5, 2008
Mike ran into the Bahá'í Faith when he and his best friend from high school were seekers of spiritual truth. This search lead Mike to Sufism and then ultimately to the Bahá'í Faith. < Download MP3 File >
Deb Rodgers
Podcast Release Date: Monday, April 28, 2008
A Bahá'í who grew up in a little town called Camphill, AL during the segregated '60s. She was despised both by the white and the black members of her community because of the lightness of the color of her skin, so she turned to books. However, her mother would beat her when she found out she was reading. When she turned 18 she went off to college to be as far away as possible. She majored in English and became an accomplished journalist. < Download MP3 File >
Layli Miller-Muro
Podcast Release Date: Saturday, April 26, 2008
My son, Damian, was in the Washington, DC area and had an opportunity to interview Layli Miller-Muro at the Tahirih Justice Center. Layli is the founder and executive director of the Tahirih Justice Center, which is a free legal service for women and girls who are fleeing human rights abuses. She co-wrote a book titled Do They Hear You When You Cry? which describes the immigration case involving female genital mutilation that inspired the creation of the Tahirih Justice Center. < Download MP3 File >
Dorothy Hansen
Podcast Release Date: Monday, April 21, 2008
An 82-year old Bahá'í who had a career in television in the fifties with a TV show in California called Dottie Hansen's High Time, which was a teenage dance show. The unique thing about Dorothy's show at that time was that it was racially integrated, which at times got her into trouble. Like the time she danced with an African-American on the show. She was threatened to be taken off the air. Her show ultimately won an Emmy. After becoming a Bahá'í, Dorothy traveled to more than 50 countries. < Download MP3 File >
Allison Grover Khoury
Podcast Release Date: Monday, April 14, 2008
Allison was raised as a Bahá'í and she spent her formative years living in India where she went to the New Era High School, where her parents were administrators. Allison speaks of her time there and the adjustment she had to make coming back to the states. < Download MP3 File >
Lou Meyer
Podcast Release Date: Monday, March 31, 2008
A former priest who realized while teaching at a catholic high school, that he know longer believed in the tenets of his faith. He later ran into the Bahá'í Faith. < Download MP3 File >
Jafred & Christina Mato
Podcast Release Date: Monday, March 24, 2008
A Bahá'í couple who met at the Bahá'í World Center in Haifa, Israel, she is an American and he is Kenyan. They currently reside in Wilbraham, MA. I started the Christina with her new baby on her lap. < Download MP3 File >
Vito Benenati
Podcast Release Date: Monday, March 10, 2008
A Bahá'í from Long Island who was adrift after returning from the Vietnam War, but found direction after running into the Bahá'í Faith. Before playing this interview, I play a piece from National Public Radio about a Bahá'í family hosting an interfaith children's class focusing on virtues. < Download MP3 File >
Brande Watson
Podcast Release Date: Monday, March 3, 2008
Brande's father taught at Wiley College at the same time that Professor Tolson lead his great debate team as depicted in the 2007movie, The Great Debaters, starring Denzel Washington. Brande describes how he became a Bahá'í in Austin, TX in 1960. Brande dedicates this interview to the memory of "my dearest, beautiful wife, Evelyn (Breckenridge) Watson, whom I had seen in a most vivid vision in 1955 at a very low point in my life, but whose corporeal self I first saw in 1987. She passed away April 3, 2003 in my arms." Brande's list of accomplishments include: Listed in 'WHO'S WHO OF INTERNATIONAL PROFESSIONALS' vol 2 1998 edition, p. 1439, was national champion sprinter (100 yard dash and 220 yard dash) in 1952, college professor (International Business) at Central State Univ. and Antioch College in Ohio (also debate team coach), dean of the Louis G. Gregory Bahá'í Institute in S.Carolina 1973 to 1975. < Download MP3 File >
Ken Jeffers
Podcast Release Date: Monday, February 25, 2008
An 80 year old Bahá'í who now resides at the Desert Rose Bahá'í Institute. He's just started the World Peace Movement Project that promotes the Bahá'í statement The Promise of World Peace. < Download MP3 File >
Shay Cooper
Podcast Release Date: Monday, February 18, 2008
A Bahá'í from Wendell, MA who is co-founder of the Prana Health and Yoga Center in Salem, MA. < Download MP3 File >
Rainn Wilson
Podcast Release Date: Sunday, February 17, 2008
My son, Damian, was at the Northeast Bahá'í Youth Conference this year where 1000 young people gathered in Stamford CT. At this conference, Rainn Wilson, who plays the supporting character role of Dwight Shrute in the hit TV sitcom, The Office, was there as the keynote speaker. Damian had the opportunity to have a one-on-one Rainn. In the interview, Rain mentions his work with the non-profit organization the Mona Foundation. < Download MP3 File >
WLGI Baha'i Bookshelf
Podcast Release Date: Saturday, February 16, 2008
This is a rebroadcast of the radio program Bahá'í Bookshelf produced by the Bahá'í radio station WLGI in Hemmingway, SC. The interview is conducted by Susan Aude, former television news anchor at the NBC-affiliate WIS in Columbia, SC. In this segment, Susan is interviewing Bahá'í author Pamela Brode about her book The Power of Prayer: Make a Joyful Noise. < Download MP3 File >
Bhakti Hough
Podcast Release Date: Monday, February 11, 2008
General manager for the Bahá'í radio station WLGI at the Louis Gregory Bahá'í Institute in Hemmingway, SC. < Download MP3 File >
Richard Hoff
Podcast Release Date: Monday, January 28, 2008
Richard had a tragic upbringing. At 18 he moved to his uncle's farm and found out he was a great salesman. It was when he was a salesman that he ran into the Bahá'í Faith. < Download MP3 File >
Jeff Hajibandeh
Podcast Release Date: Monday, January 14, 2008
In high school, Jeff was reborn as a Christian. When he went off to college he became the worship leader for the on campus Christian fellowship. Jeff tells his story on how he ran into the Bahá'í Faith while at college. < Download MP3 File >
WLGI Baha'i Bookshelf
Podcast Release Date: Thursday, January 10, 2008
This is an interview by Susan Aude, former television news anchor at the NBC-affiliate WIS in Columbia, SC with Bahá'í author Heather Cardin who wrote the book Partners in Spirit: What Couples Say About Marriages That Work. This is a rebroadcast of the radio program Bahá'í Bookshelf produced by the Bahá'í radio station WLGI in Hemmingway South Carolina. < Download MP3 File >
Robin Chandler
Podcast Release Date: Monday, January 7, 2008
A Bahá'í from the Boston area who is both an artist and social scientist. < Download MP3 File >
Rhett Diessner
Podcast Release Date: Monday, December 17, 2007
Although Rhett grew up in a Bahá'í family, he didn't claim the Bahá'í Faith as his own until going to college. He first became a nurse and worked on a Native-American reservation. Then he went back to school and got a degree in school psychology and then went back to the reservation to work in the school system for another three years, at which time he left to get his doctorate. He is the author of the book Psyche in Eros: Bahá'í Studies in Spiritual Psychology.
At age 13 Bill read the Bible and started asking questions. At age 15 he read the Quran and recognized that same Voice from the Bible. At age 18, Bill knew that these and the other major world religions were linked together somehow, but didn't know what that link was. Bill describes his journey to discovering that linkage. He is a published author and has contributed to the Encyclopedia of Millennialism. < Download MP3 File >
Kahani Skydance
Podcast Release Date: Monday, December 3, 2007
A Bahá'í who basically made the Peace Corps her career after becoming a Bahá'í. Before the interview I play a piece from the radio program The State We're In produced by Radio Netherlands. This piece updates the plight of Bahá'ís and other religious minorities in Egypt. < Download MP3 File >
Erica Toussaint
Podcast Release Date: Monday, November 19, 2007
A Bahá'í whose great grandfather, Howard Colby Ives, was a Unitarian minister who became a Bahá'í in 1912. < Download MP3 File >
Dora Carlyn Horton
Podcast Release Date: Monday, November 12, 2007
A Bahá'í who lives both in NYC and in Florida. She is an actor, musician and composer, a makeup artist, a chef and a playwright. At the end of the program I play cuts from Dora's new CD, Pathway To Paradise. < Download MP3 File >
Susan Aude
Podcast Release Date: Monday, November 5, 2007
A Bahá'í and former television news anchor at the NBC-affiliate WIS in Columbia, SC. < Download MP3 File >
Kamran Hakim
Podcast Release Date: Monday, October 29, 2007
A Bahá'í who grew up in Iran and came to the United States when he was 18 to go to university just prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution. It was during this time that Kamran investigated the Bahá'í Faith for himself even though he was raised as a Bahá'í. In the interview Kamran refers to three Bahá'í books and provides a concise summation of each. These books are Some Answered Questions,The Book of Certitude, and The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys.
A Bahá'í from Long Island, NY who discovered his calling in social work when in college. He discovered the Bahá'í Faith from an ad in the newspaper. He has written an introductory book on the Bahá'í Faith called Divine Journey: Exploring the Bahá'í Faith.
A Bahá'í who discovered the Bahá'í Faith when he was steeped in the hippie culture with all its attendant activities both positive and negative. < Download MP3 File >
Jacob Ayvazian
Podcast Release Date: Monday, October 1, 2007
A Bahá'í of Armenian descent. His parents grew up in Iran and moved to Brazil to help the Bahá'í Faith there. Jacob was born in Brazil and lived there until he decided to get his post graduate degree, so he moved to western Massachusetts with his young family in the early 1990's. < Download MP3 File >
Howard Menking
Podcast Release Date: Monday, September 24, 2007
An 83 year old Bahá'í now living in West Virginia. When he first became a Bahá'í just after World War II, he went to Brazil for a year. After returning from Brazil, he and his wife, Joanne, were the first Bahá'ís in Cape Verde, Africa. They stayed in Cape Verde until there was a Bahá'í community established there. < Download MP3 File >
Jackie Tobias
Podcast Release Date: Monday, September 17, 2007
A Bahá'í from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Jackie grew up in Michigan and moved to Florida when she was 29. It was in Florida that Jackie discovered the Bahá'í Faith, but it took her nine years before she got the courage to officially identify herself as a Bahá'í. < Download MP3 File >
Brett Gamboa
Podcast Release Date: Monday, September 10, 2007
Brett is a PhD candidate in English Literature at Harvard University, where he studies Shakespeare and directs plays. In this interview he speaks about growing up in a Catholic family in California, the disintegration of that family through divorce, and his first encounters with the Bahá'í Faith. < Download MP3 File >
Cara Williams
Podcast Release Date: Monday, September 3, 2007
A Bahá'í who grew up in Bufort, SC. Before she became a Bahá'í she owned her own business and did a stint as a private investigator. She is currently the administrator for the non-profit organization One Human Family, as well as working for a non-profit called the Community Re-investment Association. < Download MP3 File >
Carol Rutstein
Podcast Release Date: Saturday, August 25, 2007
A Bahá'í from Amherst, MA who grew up with the Bahá'í Faith. Her father was Curtis Kelsey, who learned about the faith when he was a young man. Carol's husband, Nathan Rutstein, wrote the book, He Loved And Served, The Story of Curtis Kelsey. Carol talks about Nathan's writing career and talks about how his career got started when her daughter inspired him to write Go Watch TV. Carol was a professional singer performing in musical theater and spending about a year traveling with Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians. When I finished the interview, Carol handed me a CD recording of a talk her father gave in 1970. I took snippets from the talk and created a 20 minute excerpt which I play following Carol's interview.
A Bahá'í who, from an infant, grew up in Central Africa. He returned to his country of birthright (the U.S.) to live to complete high school and university. He went to England to get married and get his PhD. Before returning to the U.S., where he currently lives, his family lived in Australia and Rumania. In Rumania he worked for the U.N. organization UNESCO, and now he and a partner are consultants for Social and Economic Development projects. < Download MP3 File >
Jeff Bohnhoff
Podcast Release Date: Monday, August 13, 2007
A Bahá'í musician and musical producer who moved around a lot growing up, going to about 12 different schools. He became a Bahá'í after marrying Maya who was a Bahá'í. It was the Bahá'í book Thief In The Night by William Sears that lead him to becoming a Bahá'í. Jeff talks about filk music, as did Maya in her interview. Visit their website MysticFig.com.
A Bahá'í musician and author of science fiction and fantasy works as well as short essays on issues related to the Bahá'í Faith. Her music is a joint venture with her husband, Jeff, and their musical styles include filk. The music in this podcast is all from Jeff and Maya's work. Their website is MysticFig.com.
A Bahá'í from Iran whose paternal grandfather was a Zoroastrian in the 19th century. When her grandfather heard about the Bahá'í Faith he wrote to Baha'u'llah, the prophet-founder of the Bahá'í Faith and asked Him seven questions. In the Zoroastrian Faith, seven is a very holy number. Baha'u'llah responded to her grandfather in a tablet called "Seven Questions Answered". It has been recently translated into English and can be found in the Bahá'í compilation Tabernacle of Unity. < Download MP3 File >
Greg Dahl
Podcast Release Date: Monday, July 23, 2007
An American Bahá'í now living in Bulgaria. Greg went to Harvard to study physics but ended up getting his PhD in Economics. After college Greg worked for the International Monetary Fund of the World Bank for 27 years. His work took him to such countries as Haiti, Sierra Leone and Madagascar. In the interview we discuss globalization and his new book One World, One People: How Globalization is Shaping Our Future. I apologize for the poor quality of the recording. I was having difficulty with VFR's studio telos (the thingy that transfers the output of the soundboard to the telephone line). Greg couldn't hear me, so I had to have the microphone way up, which created a terrible hum and allowed background noise to filter into the interview. However, the interview is still well worth listening to. I started our interview by asking Greg where he grew up and what was it like growing up there. < Download MP3 File >
Owen Allen
Podcast Release Date: Monday, July 16, 2007
A Bahá'í who grew up in rural Australia; went to the big city for boarding high school and university where he studied physiotherapy. He returned to the rural life after university by settling in a rural part of Queensland, where he ran into the Bahá'í Faith. His mother's first reaction to Owen becoming a Bahá'í was "why did you join a religion whose members get killed!" referring to the persecution of the Bahá'ís in Iran. This is my first attempt at using Skype for the interview. I'm not thrilled about the quality, but it may be a tad clearer than through the telephone. < Download MP3 File >
Bahman Payman
Podcast Release Date: Monday, July 9, 2007
A Bahá'í from Iran who came to the United States to finish his medical schooling. After completing his schooling, he returned to Iran and worked at a Bahá'í hospital called Red Lion Society. When the Khomeini regime took over, they confiscated the hospital, assassinated the chief of staff, Dr. Hakim, and arrested or killed other Bahá'í physicians working there. Bahman and his family happened to be in the US when this happened, so he stayed in the US and practiced medicine here. He's now retired and is volunteering for two Bahá'í-inspired institutions, Health for Humanity and the Tahirih Justice Center. < Download MP3 File >
Nosrat Scott
Podcast Release Date: Monday, July 2, 2007
A Bahá'í from Iran. In Iran, Nosrat had to suppress her desire to express her belief freely. So after university, she decided to leave Iran for the United States. She was included in Dan Rather's book, The American Dream. < Download MP3 File >
Bertha Petruski
Podcast Release Date: Monday, June 25, 2007
A Bahá'í now living on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, who spent nine years in Bulgaria. In the interview Bertha refers to the Virtues Project. You can find information about the virtues project at these two websites: http://www.virtuesproject.com/index.php and http://www.virtueoftheweek.org/. Before playing the interview I play an audio clip of a statement by the Bahá'ís to the House of Representatives' International Relations Committee Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations on June 30, 2006 < Download MP3 File >
Kathy Penn
Podcast Release Date: Monday, May 28, 2007
A Bahá'í from Lancaster, PA, who discovered the Bahá'í Faith in Bolivia, and found her true calling in teaching children. < Download MP3 File >
Rabi Musah
Podcast Release Date: Monday, May 21, 2007
An associate professor of biochemistry at the State University of New York, who grew up in Ghana. < Download MP3 File >
Bernard Streets
Podcast Release Date: Monday, May 14, 2007
A microbiologist who worked in industry, but when he retired, used his talents to help others in Costa Rica. Bernie refers to the Bahá'í Peace Statement in is stories about Costa Rica. You can find the complete text of The Promise of World Peace here: The Promise of World Peace < Download MP3 File >
Somava Stout
Podcast Release Date: Monday, May 7, 2007
A Bahá'í from the Boston area who is a pediatrician and founder of the children's organization, Raising Peacemakers < Download MP3 File >
Hal Williamson & Sharon Eakes
Podcast Release Date: Monday, April 30, 2007
With Sharon's help, Hal wrote the book Liberating Greatness, The Whole Brain Guide to An Extraordinary Life. Their website is http://www.hopellc.com/. < Download MP3 File >
Anthony Lopez
Podcast Release Date: Monday, April 16, 2007
A Bahá'í of both Italian and Puerto Rican descent. He grew up in New York City and found out that he could bring joy to the lives of children by bringing fictional characters to life. He now lives in Florida. Anthony's websites include: http://www.bahaiway.com/ and http://www.4allproductions.com/ < Download MP3 File >
Jay Green
Podcast Release Date: Sunday, April 8, 2007
While I was at the Bahá'í Conference Center called Green Acre in Eliot Maine, attending a workshop called The Holy Spirit's Invitation to Perfect Unity, I contacted my friend Jay Green for an interview. Jay works at the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs at the University of New Hampshire. < Download MP3 File >
Phyllis Ring
Podcast Release Date: Saturday, April 7, 2007
I was at the Bahá'í Conference Center called Green Acre in Eliot Maine, attending a workshop called The Holy Spirit's Invitation to Perfect Unity. Phyllis Ring ( her website) was one of the facilitators of the workshop. She is a freelance writer living in Exeter New Hampshire. < Download MP3 File >
Lars Patenaude
Podcast Release Date: Monday, April 2, 2007
This is a continuation of my Lars Patenaude. In this second telephone interview Lars describes his journey from the point at which he became a Bahá'í at the Bahá'í Academy called Landegg in Switzerland. He describes his involvement with the World Summit for Sustainable Development in South Africa and his work for the non-governmental organization called Education for Peace in Bosnia. < Download MP3 File >
Jamshid Afnan
Podcast Release Date: Monday, March 19, 2007
A Bahá'í from Wilbraham, MA and Vice President of Information Services for ISO New England an independent system operator that coordinates, controls and monitors the operation of the electrical power system for New England. Jamshid is a descendant from the family of the Persian prophet-founder of the Babi Faith titled the Bab, spelled B-a-b, which means Gate in Arabic. In 1844 the Bab declared his mission as the one announcing the coming of He Whom God Shall Make Manifest. Bahá'ís believe that this is a reference to Baha'u'llah the prophet-founder of the Bahá'í Faith. The Bab's life was quite miraculous and resembled the life of Christ in many ways including his dramatic martyrdom. I started the interview by asking Jamshid to give a brief synopsis on the Babi religion and its prophet-founder the Bab. < Download MP3 File >
Children's Theatre Company-Boston
Podcast Release Date: Monday, March 12, 2007
Somava Stout is the creator and director of the kids organization Raising Peacemakers, and the director of the Children's Theatre Company of Greater Boston. < Download MP3 File >
Sarah Page
Podcast Release Date: Monday, March 5, 2007
Sarah is a Bahá'í whose work is clearly a service to humanity. She is currently the assistant executive director of fund development for HAP, a non-profit, Housing Partnership organization. < Download MP3 File >
Lars Patenaude
Podcast Release Date: Monday, February 26, 2007
Like other folks I interview, Lars Patenaude has more to tell than one hour can allow. In this first telephone interview segment Lars describes his journey that lead him to becoming a Bahá'í. It includes dropping out of college, going back to college, being a rock'n'roll band manager, and going to graduate school. < Download MP3 File >
Steven Kolins
Podcast Release Date: Monday, February 19, 2007
A Bahá'í who graduated from the University of Wisconsin with double majors in physics and philosophy, and double minors in psychology and math. He then went to NC to go to graduate school, and it is in NC where Steven met his wife, Sally. He now provides computer support for a school system. He and Sally have been involved in a number of service organizations, and Steven is a wikipedia enthusiast. Steven mentions two works by Baha'u'llah in the interview, "The Seven Valleys" and the "Kitab-i-Iqan" which means the Book of Certitude in English. Steven also makes reference to a 12 step organization called Bahá'ís In Recovery Fellowship or BIRF for short. < Download MP3 File >
William Smith
Podcast Release Date: Monday, February 12, 2007
A Bahá'í and executive director of the Center for Diversity in the Communication Industries at Emerson College. In this interview, I barely scratched the service of Dr. Smith's life. In one hour we covered the very interesting story of how he ran into the Bahá'í Faith in high school, while living in a very rough neighborhood. I'll invite Dr. Smith back to talk about his many accomplishments including, founding a video, film and multimedia company called ComTel Productions; founding a non-profit organization called Pupil of the Eye: Vision for Unity in Education; and writing and producing the award winning documentary film "The Invisible Soldiers: Unheard Voices", which aired on PBS; and many, many other endeavors. < Download MP3 File >
Susan Maneck
Podcast Release Date: Monday, February 5, 2007
A Bahá'í who holds a masters degree in Oriental Studies and a PhD in history. She is currently an associate professor of history at Jackson State University in Mississippi. < Download MP3 File >
Stephanie Fielding
Podcast Release Date: Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Stephanie Fielding is a Bahá'í of Mohegan descent who lives in Uncasville, CT, where she helps to restore the nearly lost language of the Mohegan people. Her story begins in Hawaii where we learn that Stephanie's ancestry also includes Chinese, Hawaiian, African, and Irish heritage, along with her Native American ancestry. Once she married and became a Bahá'í at 18, she and her husband Dwayne, started their life together by going to Africa, after a chilly start in North Dakota. Her life adventures take her to such places as Nigeria, Lousiana, Colorado and then to her Native American roots in Uncasville, CT. < Download MP3 File >
Seals & Crofts
Podcast Release Date: Wednesday, January 3, 2007
A Bahá'í friend of mine, Mike Andros, gave me a cassette tape labeled 1977/1978. When I listened to it, it was a recording of a dialogue between Jimmy Seals, Dash Crofts and their producer Marcia Day after a Seals and Crofts recording session, talking about the Bahá'í Faith. Seals and Crofts are best known for the 70's hits Summer Breeze and Hummingbird. < Download MP3 File >
Deborah Hampton
Podcast Release Date: Wednesday, December 27, 2006
A Bahá'í from Chattanooga, TN who found out she had cancer in 1994 and has written a book "Slapped Awake: Living with Breast Cancer; Journey in Poetry and Prose". Deborah mentions an article that she wrote that is an excerpt from her book. You can find that article here: Book Excerpt
A 92 year old Bahá'í from Lima, OH, now living in Norwich CT, who in the 40's lost her daughter, Carrie, in a car accident when her daughter was only 11 years old. Her daughter, Carrie, had become a Bahá'í by hearing about it from their neighbor. Before Carrie died, Bobbie happened to pick up one of Carrie's Bahá'í books and got interested in the Bahá'í Faith too. In the interview, Bobbie refers to a well known Bahá'í historical figure named Dorothy Baker, and Baker's husband Frank. They lived in the same Bahá'í community in Lima. If any one is interested in learning more about Dorothy Baker, I recommend the book "From Copper to Gold: The Life of Dorothy Baker" by Dorothy Freeman. You'll hear background voices periodically in the interview. Bobbie always leaves her apartment door open, so once in a while hallway chatter comes through. I started the interview by asking Bobbie where she grew up, and what was it like growing up there.
A graphic designer who started his career & family in Ireland then returned to the US and established himself in CT. He joined an industrial design firm in Farmington, CT and ended up buying the firm with a partner. < Download MP3 File >
Sharon Dixon Peay
Podcast Release Date: Tuesday, December 5, 2006
A Bahá'í who grew up in the Hartford, CT area. When Sharon finished high school a year early, she went to Yale to study economics. She now works for the CT State Treasurer's Office. In the interview, Sharon refers to the Bahá'í peace statement. The document is entitled "The Promise of World Peace"
A Bahá'í and author of the book "Partners in Spirit: What Couples Say About Marriages That Work". We also find out in the interview that she is a poet and has other works in the pipeline for publication. You can find her blog here: Heather's Blog
A Bahá'í who grew up in the southside of Chicago. She moved to Hartford, CT when she started working at Travelers Insurance Co. She soon got married and became a stay-at-home mom in New London, CT, where she became a neighborhood activist. She got involved with the Multicultural Coalition of Southeast CT and the Institute for the Healing of Racism. Now she is a social worker for the state of CT. < Download MP3 File >
Druzelle Cederquist
Podcast Release Date: Monday, November 20, 2006
A Bahá'í and author of the book, The Story of Baha'u'llah: Promised One of All Religions. You can find her book here. She also has a blog.
Here is a story of the good little Catholic girl that asked too many questions, so she became a social activist, and then a political radical, before eventually becoming a Bahá'í. As a Bahá'í her horizons broadened and she felt a calling to go to Africa. < Download MP3 File >
John Medina
Podcast Release Date: Monday, November 6, 2006
I did a telephone John Medina, a Native American descended from a Mexican tribe. He graduated valedictorian at his high school in Douglas, Arizona and got his Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Arizona. However he found himself needing more in life than working for a consumer electronics manufacturer. He decided to get his masters degree in education and is now teaching 6th graders. He also realized that there was something he had to put down on paper that was also inside him. The product of this effort is his book "Faith, Physics and Psychology: Understanding the Human Spirit". I started the interview by asking John to describe where he grew up. < Download MP3 File >
Here is an incredible story of a woman, from a Mexican-American migrant farm-working family; traveling from place to place, season to season, picking crops with her family until she was 19. From these roots, Beatriz Fereira becomes a lawyer defending the rights of those in circumstances from which she grew up. I started the interview by asking Beatriz to describe what it was like growing up as a migrant farmer. I apologize for the sound quality of the interview, the phone connection was not very good. < Download MP3 File >
Karen Perry James
Podcast Release Date: Tuesday, October 17, 2006
A Bahá'í who grew up in New York City; moved to CT after getting married and raised her two kids in New London, CT. She was instrumental in bringing the Institute for the Healing of Racism to New London as a member of the Multicultural Coalition of SE CT. < Download MP3 File >
Brian Lepard
Podcast Release Date: Monday, October 9, 2006
Brian is a professor of law at the Univ. of Nebraska. He is the author of two books: Rethinking Humanitarian Intervention: A Fresh Legal Approach Based on Fundamental Ethical Principles in International Law and World Religions; and Hope For a Global Ethic: Shared Principles in Religious Scripture. < Download MP3 File >
Jeanine Sacco
Podcast Release Date: Saturday, October 7, 2006
Jeanine is an educator and is currently the co-administrator of the Green Acre Bahá'í Conference Center in Eliot, ME with her husband Jim. Together, when they were a young family with two pre-school children, they packed up their belongings and headed for South America. They eventually started a school inspired by the principles of the Bahá'í Faith called The School of Nations. They nurtured it for fifteen years, seeing the school mature and stand on its own. < Download MP3 File >
Dr. Holly Hanson
Podcast Release Date: Sunday, October 1, 2006
A Bahá'í from South Hadley, MA, who is a professor at Mt. Holyoke College of History and African and African-American Studies. She is the author of two books: Social and Economic Development, A Bahá'í Approach; and Landed Obligation: The Practice of Power in Buganda. She recently took a sabbatical to do research on the history of Kampala. < Download MP3 File >
Mary K. Makoski
Podcast Release Date: Saturday, September 30, 2006
A Bahá'í from Suffield, CT who is an actor by training. In the interview she describes how after meeting her husband they soon went to Ireland and when they returned they settled in Suffield, CT. Mary K. has been in plays with the Suffield Players as far back as 1983. She describes how she used her acting talent to help create and perform the two-woman production, Amazing Grace: Stories of Personal Transformation. I started the interview by asking Mary K. where she grew up and what was it like growing up there. < Download MP3 File >
Gene and Phyllis Unterschuetz
Podcast Release Date: Monday, September 4, 2006
A Bahá'í couple from the Midwest, who, after their nest of children was emptied, decided to hit the road in service to communities throughout the US; promoting the principles of the Bahá'í Faith; primarily in the area of race unity. < Download MP3 File >
Manal Gillett
Podcast Release Date: Saturday, August 5, 2006
Manal Gillett is a Bahá'í of Iranian descent, but who was born in Iraq. She knew only Arabic when she moved back to Iran at the age of 22, and then moved to Africa a few years later teaching math and science for nearly 30 years in the country of Cameroon. I start the interview by asking Manal how it ended up that she, being of Iranian descent, was born and raised in Iraq? < Download MP3 File >
Ramin Gillett
Podcast Release Date: Friday, August 4, 2006
Ramin Gillett is a 25 year old Bahá'í youth who grew up in Africa, in the country of Cameroon, and came to the United States for university, and lost his way. His story describes the struggle he went through and the reward of finding his calling. He also describes his recent service trip to Rwanda with the service corps organization called the Orien Aid Foundation. < Download MP3 File >
David Gillett
Podcast Release Date: Thursday, August 3, 2006
A Bahá'í who has lived in Africa, in the country of Cameroon for thirty years teaching English in the public school system. < Download MP3 File >
Bahia Odess-Gillett
Podcast Release Date: Thursday, July 6, 2006
Many times Bahá'í youth will take a year off between high school and college and do what Bahá'ís call a Year of Service. This typically involves volunteering at a Bahá'í inspired project of some kind in service to humanity. Bahia Odess-Gillett is a 19 year old who, after graduating from high school, went overseas to Northern Ireland to participate in a social issues-oriented dance workshop called Lights of Unity and to Kosovo where she worked for a non governmental organization called the Global Perspectives Development Centre. The interesting part of the story is her resistance to the idea of doing a year of service and the events in her life that led her to changing her mind. < Download MP3 File >
Dr. Michael Penn
Podcast Release Date: Monday, July 3, 2006
An African-American professor of psychology at Franklin & Marshall college, the oldest college in PA founded soon after the birth of this nation. He teaches psychopathology with courses related to the development of mental illness; and his interests include the relationship between culture and psychopathology; hope and hopelessness; and human spiritual development. < Download MP3 File >
Dr. Jim Sacco
Podcast Release Date: Monday, July 3, 2006
The co-administrator of the Green Acre Bahá'í Conference Center in Eliot ME with his wife, Jeanine. Jim got his doctorate in education at the University of Mass. After getting married and having two small children, Jim quit his job as an assistant professor at the University of MD to go to serve the Bahá'í Faith in Paraquay. Eventually the Saccos ended up in Brazil starting up a school called the School of Nations, which is a Bahá'í inspired school in the town of Brazilia. In this interview Jim shares his thoughts and experiences of living as an American in Brazil. < Download MP3 File >
Mary K. Radpour
Podcast Release Date: Sunday, July 2, 2006
A Bahá'í from Chattanooga TN who is a licensed clinical social worker. In addition to her private practice, she is one of the founders of the Authenticity Project which she describes in the interview. < Download MP3 File >
Elena Mustakova-Possardt
Podcast Release Date: Saturday, July 1, 2006
I was at a conference called Cultivating Spirituality at the Bahá'í conference center, Green Acre, in Eliot Maine. One of the presenters at the conference was Elena Mustakova-Possardt, a Bulgarian-born educator who came to the United States when communism fell in Eastern Europe, to study at the University of Mass. She focused her doctoral studies on the subject of critical conscientiousness, integrating the heart with the intellect. I was able to pull her aside during the conference to have a few minutes to interview her for A Bahá'í Perspective. The interview is very "on location" so you hear the comings and goings of the conference participants during the interview. < Download MP3 File >
Alfred Kikoti
Podcast Release Date: Sunday, May 21, 2006
A Bahá'í from Tanzania who has been drawn to the protection of the wildlife in his country. He started his career as a game warden in a nature conservancy park, but realized more had to be done to protect Tanzania's wildlife. He developed a unique way to have villagers see the wild animals as a resource rather than a liability to their farms and family. He has just completed his first phase of academic work for his doctorate in Elephant Ecology & Conservation at the University of Massachussetts and is returning to Tanzania for a two year stint to perform field work in support of his doctorate studies. < Download MP3 File >
Ray Estes
Podcast Release Date: Saturday, May 13, 2006
In this interview Ray shares a tender story about his mother who died when he was a young child. < Download MP3 File >
Greg Kagira-Watson
Podcast Release Date: Sunday, May 7, 2006
Greg is a Bahá'í from the midwest who has recently finished a doctoral program at Harvard in Education and is now in Atlanta with his wife Waithera. < Download MP3 File >
Waithera Kagira-Watson
Podcast Release Date: Sunday, May 7, 2006
I went to Cambridge, MA to interview Greg and Waithera Kagira-Watson for A Bahá'í Perspective. Waithera was a bit reticent about doing an interview, so I did the Greg first. Well by the time I was through with Greg, Waithera was willing to share her story. I happen to have Waithera's interview ready before Greg's, but Greg's will be coming soon. Waithera is a Bahá'í from Kenya who followed her sister to the US and ended up getting a Bachelor's degree here and she and her husband, Greg, are relocating to Atlanta Georgia in June. Before the interview I play an excerpt from the podcast Interfaith Voices hosted by Maureen Fiedler. This interview is of Kit Bigelow, Director of the Office of External Affairs for the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States, discussing the persecution of the Bahá'ís in Iran. < Download MP3 File >
Jacki Odess-Gillett
Podcast Release Date: Saturday, May 6, 2006
My wife and a Bahá'í from Hadley MA who has lived in New England all her life and describes her spiritual journey that includes spending 8 years in a commune in Western Mass. We started the interview by her describing how this journey began. < Download MP3 File >
Soheil Samari
Podcast Release Date: Sunday, April 23, 2006
A Bahá'í originally from Iran who left for the US soon after the Islamic Revolution and started a family. After about ten years in the US he and his wife decided to move to Saipan and have lived there ever since. I started the interview by asking Soheil, where he grew up and what was it like growing up there. < Download MP3 File >
Dr. Jeanne Swinney
Podcast Release Date: Sunday, April 16, 2006
A Bahá'í from Amherst, MA who ran into the Bahá'í Faith in California after finishing nursing school, then went to Africa for 8 years and when she returned got her doctorate at the University of Texas. < Download MP3 File >
George Goding
Podcast Release Date: Sunday, April 9, 2006
A Bahá'í from Rochester, VT, who had a rough childhood, left home at an early age, served in World War II and the Korean War, and an engineer job-shopper who traveled throughout New England and as far south as Richmond, VA. < Download MP3 File >
Paul Robbins
Podcast Release Date: Sunday, April 2, 2006
Paul is a Bahá'í from Wilbraham Massachusetts who was formerly a political consultant and is now a public relations consultant for both corporate and non-profit organizations. < Download MP3 File >
Dr. Fides Ushe
Podcast Release Date: Saturday, March 4, 2006
A Bahá'í originally from Malawi who is now a professor of mathematics at Springfield College. < Download MP3 File >
Minoo Moghaddam
Podcast Release Date: Saturday, February 11, 2006
A Bahá'í from Wilbraham, MA who escaped Iran with her family after the Islamic Revolution. < Download MP3 File >
Ash Hartwell
Podcast Release Date: Tuesday, February 7, 2006
In the 2nd segment Ash continued his journey by describing how he ended up in Amherst, MA and ultimately to Uganda and Botswana. In this final segment Ash describes his work in Egypt and finally in Afghanistan. < Download MP3 File >
Ash Hartwell
Podcast Release Date: Monday, February 6, 2006
In the first segment Ash described his experiences as one of the first peace corps volunteers, and his adventures in Ethiopia for that assignment. Ash concluded that segment by describing his experience as an educator in the Washington DC school system and the start of the Upward Bound organization. In this segment Ash continues his journey by describing how he ended up in Amherst, MA and ultimately to Uganda and Botswana. < Download MP3 File >
Ash Hartwell
Podcast Release Date: Sunday, February 5, 2006
Ash is an educator and a Bahá'í who has spent 25 years in Africa and is now residing in Amherst, MA on the faculty of the Center for International Education at the University of Mass. The stories that Ash has to tell are too many to capture in a one hour segment, so this is the first in a series. < Download MP3 File >
Ray Estes
Podcast Release Date: Friday, January 27, 2006
A Bahá'í from Chapel Hill, NC who is a commercial designer by trade, but his first love is discovering spiritual truths from the Bible and the Bahá'í writings. This interview is the first in a series. In this interview, Ray describes his upbringing and his spiritual journey leading him to the discovery of the Bahá'í Faith. To him "Life is an adventure". < Download MP3 File >
Ray Estes
Podcast Release Date: Friday, January 27, 2006
This is the 2nd in a series of interviews with Ray Estes, a Bahá'í for many years who comes from a background of a born-again Christian, who has studied the Bible for many years and has developed new understandings of some of the Bible stories now that he is a Bahá'í. In this interview Ray talks about the Bible story of Adam and Eve. I start out the interview asking Ray what the Bahá'í perspective is regarding the story of Adam and Eve; a story that can be found in the religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. < Download MP3 File >
Ray Estes
Podcast Release Date: Friday, January 27, 2006
This is the 4th in a series of interviews in which Ray discusses how one can reconcile what seemingly appears to be a contradiction between science and religion. < Download MP3 File >
Ray Estes
Podcast Release Date: Friday, January 27, 2006
This is the 3rd in a series of interviews with Ray Estes, a Bahá'í for many years who comes from a background of a born-again Christian. The Bible story that Ray talks about in this interview is the story about Noah's Ark.
This is the 5th in a series of interviews in which Ray discusses the prophesies in the Bible regarding the 2nd coming of Christ and how he interprets these passages. < Download MP3 File >
Katherine Knaplund
Podcast Release Date: Saturday, January 7, 2006
A Bahá'í youth currently an undergraduate student at UMASS who did a year of service in India between high school and university. < Download MP3 File >
A Bahá'í youth currently living in South Hadley, MA and is a student at Springfield Technical Community College. A very interesting and moving interview < Download MP3 File >
Juan Caban
Podcast Release Date: Sunday, December 4, 2005
A member of the Amherst, MA Bahá'í Community who was the former Assistant Director of Admissions at the University of Massachusetts < Download MP3 File >
A member of the Amherst, MA Bahá'í community who emigrated to the US from Ghana many years ago. < Download MP3 File >
Dr. John Woodall
Podcast Release Date: Sunday, November 6, 2005
A Bahá'í from Lunenburg, MA, who is a psychiatrist who assisted in trauma facilitation in Bosnia and is founder of the Unity Project. < Download MP3 File >
Marjan Hajibandeh
Podcast Release Date: Sunday, October 30, 2005
A UMASS student who chose to take a year off from her studies to do a Bahá'í year of service in Africa. < Download MP3 File >
Pasha tells her humorous story about how she found the Bahá'í Faith. < Download MP3 File >
Shirin Selph
Podcast Release Date: Sunday, October 16, 2005
A Bahá'í from Western MA who was the former Multi-cultural Specialist for the Springfield Public Schools and Global Educator of the Year in 2000. < Download MP3 File >
Roohina Seihoun
Podcast Release Date: Sunday, September 25, 2005
A Bahá'í who escaped Iran with her small children soon after the Islamic Republic was formed. < Download MP3 File >
Mabel Garis
Podcast Release Date: Sunday, September 18, 2005
Author of the Uncle Wiggly Series and other books. Former Bahá'í NGO Representative to the United Nations. < Download MP3 File >
Nathan Rutstein
Podcast Release Date: Sunday, September 11, 2005
A dear friend of the Bahá'í Community, Nathan Rutstein, passed away, two hours after sunset on May 22, 2006 . Nathan Rutstein was an author of some 20 books, taught at the University of Mass in Amherst, and at Springfield Technical Community College. And before that, he was the International News Editor for NBC during the Huntley-Brinkley era. I started the interview by asking Nat where he grew up and what was it like growing up there? . We will miss him dearly. In honor of our brother who has moved on to the next world, I'm replaying an interview that I recorded with Nat on September 11, 2005. < Download MP3 File >
Ray Elliott
Podcast Release Date: Thursday, August 25, 2005
A member of the Amherst, MA Bahá'í community who is involved in a number of community associations including the local chapter of the NAACP and the Interfaith Council. < Download MP3 File >
