In this episode I have the privilege of speaking with the brilliant writer, Vajra Chandrasekera, where we discuss his award-winning fantasy novel, "The Saint of Bright Doors." The story revolves around a boy named Fetter – who has certain gifts (he can see other worldly beings that are invisible to the rest of us, he doesn’t have a shadow, and he can defy gravity at times) - and is trained by his mother to become an assassin from when he is a young child. His one and only target is his father, who happens to be a well-known religious leader, known as The Perfect and The Kind.

There are so many layers to this story but the one I am most interested in addressing in my conversation with Vajra is the theme of Buddhist violence. When we think of Buddhism or Buddhists we tend to imagine a pacifist people, monks meditating, Mindfulness!, people practicing loving kindness & compassion. Indeed, these are important aspects of Buddhism, and I would argue, of all religions. And when we hear of "religious violence," perhaps the last group of people we might think of are Buddhists or Buddhist monastics. However, this is the community - specifically the activities and beliefs of the radical Sri Lankan (Sinhala) Buddhist nationalists, that is being highlighted in "The Saint of Bright Doors."

In addressing the themes of state violence, ethno-nationalism, genocide, communal resistance, and the people and the power structures – both the visible and the invisible - that shape us, Vajra Chandrasekera's work reminds us that Buddhist violence isn’t just the stuff of fantasy.

To learn more about Vajra and work please visit his website at vajra.me

Information about the Sri Lankan civil war was drawn from an article written by Nithyani Anandakugan in the Harvard International Review: https://hir.harvard.edu/sri-lankan-civil-war/

In this episode I have the privilege and JOY of speaking with Deesha Philyaw, the award winning author of "The Secret Lives of Church Ladies" – a short story collection revolving around "four generations of women who are grappling with who they want to be in the world, as they are caught between the church’s double standards and their own needs and passions." This book is …. a revelation, and if you haven’t read it yet, I really don’t know what you’re waiting for! Kirkus Review just named it as one the best books of the century. Although we do talk about some of the stories in the collection, I wanted to start off our conversation with focusing on the place of the church in Black communities. Historically, churches represented the first formal “black public spheres” that were developed in the United States. It was the primary community institution owned and controlled by Black individuals themselves. And so Deesha and I begin by discussing the very important social, cultural, and political role the Church has played in the lives of African American communities, but then turn to some of reasons why the contemporary church might be losing some of its relevance for those same communities today. We talk about Deesha’s own struggles with the Church and how this conflict shows up in her stories, as well as how her writing has helped her find some freedom - as well as some closure - from her relationships with her mother and father.

To learn more about Deesha and her writing, podcasts, and projects please visit her website at www.deeshaphilyaw.com

There is so much information out there that we are constantly bombarded with – especially if you are a parent – around how, why, where, and how much we use and interact with digital technologies and, of course, it’s impact on our well being. Whether it is streaming something on YouTube or Netflix, playing video games, engaging with social media, or just being on your phone, the message is usually one sided: a lot of doom & gloom baked in with "it's just bad for you." Books like Jonathan Haidt's best seller, “The Anxious Generation,” argue that the exponential rise in rates of adolescent mental illness is a result of the mass adoption of smartphones, along with the advent of social media and addictive online gaming, what he calls “the Great Rewiring of Childhood” – a childhood that has apparently shifted from primarily a play-based one to a phone-based one. Although I do agree with some of what he says, such as how schools should be phone-free spaces, tech companies who design apps, games, social media, and now, AI tools – should be legally compelled to make these experiences safe for children, and also how the age of social media use should be raised. However, I don’t think the moral alarm and panic that also surrounds this messaging is that helpful. This is why I find the work and research of my guest in this episode to be SO refreshing.

Dr. Katie Davis, an Associate Professor at the University of Washington (UW) and Director of the the university’s Digital Youth Lab, wants to help parents make sense of the often-confusing landscape of research and media messages about kids and technology. In her latest book, Technology’s Child, which we discuss in this episode, Katie explores digital media’s role in the ages and stages of growing up. She draws on her decades long expertise in developmental science and design research and asks what happens to the little ones, the tweens, the teenagers when technology – which is ubiquitous in the world we inhabit – becomes a critical part of their lives? Instead of setting up the dichotomy of is it good / bad or asking how much is too much or completely removing all devices, she urges us to consider how we can use what we know about technology’s role in child development to help children of all ages make the most of their digital experiences. As she argues, self-directed experiences of technology, one initiated, sustained and ended voluntarily, can actually support healthy child development, especially when it takes place within the context of community – whether it’s a relationship between parent and child, an online community, friends, or within the school.