Remembering Through Voice and Words

Hey Friend,

I got a wonderful jolt of hope and encouragement this past weekend in Cincinnati at the Wilbur Awards for secular media covering spirituality and religion. I was there because our radio show “On Pilgrimage With Dorothy Day” on TTBOOK/WPR/PRX won a Wilbur award. What an honor to be among this mix of journalists who came from as far away as Ireland and who all poured their hearts into the projects that were recognized. As we talked, a theme emerged – remembering. Every producer, writer and filmmaker I talked with wanted their audience to remember something about history, culture, how to pay attention to what really matters in life. As some in our society work to erase or smooth or alter memory, I was struck by how this is what we as journalist memory-keepers can do.

You’ll understand – and likely be moved - if you read, listen or look at some of these pieces.

Lynne Gerber/Eureka Street Productions/Slate: When We All Get to Heaven
A 10-episode podcast series about one of the first gay-positive churches during the time of the AIDS epidemic, with audio from cassette tapes salvaged and interwoven through the series.

Diana Butler Bass: A Beautiful Year: 52 Meditations on Faith, Wisdom and Perseverance An essay for every week of the year from the noted theologian and historian, who originally published many of these thoughts on her newsletter, “The Cottage.”

Lauren Frayer/NPR: Catholic nuns, missing babies, a mass grave – and a reckoning with Ireland’s Past
Part of a continuing investigation into this heartbreaking history from NPR’s London correspondent.

Niyati Evers/The Revealer: A Radical Reimagining of “Never Again”The daughter of Holocaust survivors re-interprets the vow of “Never Again” in the context of Gaza.

The full list is here to explore. The Wilbur awards have been given by the Religion Communicators Council since 1949 - “The ultimate criterion is brilliance in communication about faith and religion with fairness and professionalism, honesty and respect.” Let me know what you think if you delve into these stories and memories.

–   Shannon