Episodes

Oct. 7, 2021

The Garden

Everyone had their own experience last year—this was mine. We like many planted a garden. It was brought about by stillness and helped us frame a year of both creativity and joy as well as sadness and grief.

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Sept. 23, 2021

The Pen Pal

Jakob gets an email from a police officer in Germany asking to be his penpal and says yes. What followed next was a intimate cultural dance between two earnest people.

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Dec. 18, 2020

IM GOD Neighbors Presents: Middle Of Everywhere

Today we present a new podcast from WKMS in Murray Kentucky called Middle Of Everywhere—Big stories from the small places we call home. What happens when an atheist stands up for free speech when the government favors Christianity? Many people …

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Dec. 4, 2020

I Am Not Your Enemy

This episode I do something I have never done in the entire history of the show. I just interview someone. No story. I interview Michael McRay to shed some light and hope on our current political divide. He’s a Nashville-based …

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Nov. 13, 2020

The Coronabride

Coping with the pandemic, the election, really anything in 2020—it can come in waves. Sometimes after a big milestone happens, like getting married, the weight of it all can hit you like a semi truck. Need a good cry to …

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Oct. 30, 2020

The Joy Of Chickens

Cynthia Capers used to be a nurse but she chose to get out of that life and teach herself how to be a farmer. This piece was originally produced as part of the Transom Traveling Workshop in Nashville, TN at …

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Oct. 16, 2020

Finding My Parents

Having heard stories about the country he only lived in for the first year of his life, producer Jakob Lewis goes back to Frankfurt to connect with the life his parent's once had. Story produced by Jakob Lewis, edited by …

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Oct. 2, 2020

Finding Stephanie

One woman searches for a serial panhandler and the answer to what to do when someone asks you for money. Story produced by Tasha A. F. Lemley, edited by Tony Gonzalez, sound designed and mixed by Jakob Lewis. You can …

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Sept. 11, 2020

Nashville's Sister City

In the historic city of Magdeburg, Germany, there is a “Johnny Cash”-themed country music festival called Nashville Days – complete with corn dogs and cowboy hats. This is one of the fruits of the sister city relationship between Nashville and …

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Aug. 28, 2020

Leaving The Du Barry

According to a July study from the Pew Research Center, around 3% of Americans have moved because of COVID-19, many of them adults who moved back in with their parents. One of those people is Theo Greenly, a writer and …

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Aug. 14, 2020

The Hadley Park Line Dancers

Meet Joann Jones. She's 79 years old, and she loves to dance. So, she helped start a line dancing class for senior citizens at the Hadley Park Community Center in North Nashville. For Joann, the group has become like a …

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July 31, 2020

Neighbors presents: Resettled

For this episode Neighbors is presenting an episode from the show Resettled from VPM: Not a lot of teens are excited about being the “different” kid that stands out in high school. As a Muslim teen from Iraq, Fatimah is …

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July 17, 2020

Sunday Night Soul

Nashville, Tenn., aka Music City, has thrown a lot of money at its own tourism industry. But if you walk country music’s famed Broadway Street you will notice that these tourist spaces are overwhelmingly white. But just across the river …

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June 13, 2020

Listening, Learning, Taking Action

A list of resources to learn from this moment so it's not just a moment. We recommend this course, the 7 Day Anti Racism Challenge that starts June 15th but possibly will repeat again Podcast recommendations You can find all …

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May 22, 2020

The Race Horses Of The Sky

Today we’re giving you a break from all things Covid and we’re entering into the intriguing and competitive world of pigeon racing. From the pigeons released at the first Olympic Games to the heroic birds of WWI, homing pigeons have …

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May 8, 2020

How Long Is The Dark?

In August of 2017 Neighbors co-host Jakob and his wife Catherine got to witness a total solar eclipse from inside an orchard owned by a living saint—Hector Black. Hector is 95 and has lived a storied life, most notably he …

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April 24, 2020

The Tree

When a Nashville man named Robert was young, no one seemed to care that he didn’t know how to read. As he got older, lack of literacy affected his life in devastating ways no one could have predicted. Now at …

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April 10, 2020

The Stuttering Paradox

"The Stuttering Paradox" is the story of a Nashville musician who saw stuttering as his greatest flaw. After trying to "fix" it his entire childhood, he was confronted with the "subway challenge”. By facing his fear JP Ruggieri learned to …

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March 27, 2020

Pay Attention

This episode is an artful exploration of Neighbors' year of hiatus in which host Jakob Lewis had a son and put on a performance art piece about preparing for his birth. Utilizing old interview tapes from Neighbors over the years …

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March 24, 2020

Staying Sane And Connected: Calls From Our Neighbors

We put out a call last week to listeners and friends across the globe who are in isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. We asked you to share the ways in which you’re managing to stay connected while we’re all so …

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March 17, 2020

Let's Stay Connected

Hi there! Neighbors Season 7 officially launches March 27th, but we thought everyone could use some connection today. We want to hear from you and give you an opportunity to share! Call into the Neighbors "reverse complaint" line. This voicemail …

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Dec. 5, 2019

Neighbors is coming back! Season 7 trailer

When Jakob signed off of his last episode he said he was taking a hiatus of an undetermined length. The open endedness of that declaration is now resolved! It took 1 year, but the show is back with an additional …

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Dec. 4, 2018

The Hero's Journey

The town of Harrenheim is mysteriously out of water, yet its reservoir is full. The Heroes’ Guild summons four of its bravest to investigate. These particular heroes are middle schoolers, playing a tabletop roll-playing game at a Nashville community center. …

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Nov. 21, 2018

My Grandma's A Spy

What happens when you want to learn more about your cultural heritage and find out that your grandma was a spy? 80-year-old Sara McCall grew up in Cuba. Now her family is learning just exactly how she came to America. …

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