In this special episode, guest hosts Debra Lane and Ann Marie Luce, two educators and researchers with extensive backgrounds in leadership development and organizational studies, discuss their new book, Building Inclusive Leadership Beyond the Gender Binary, which seeks to help build the broader understanding of the complexities surrounding gender and leadership that is necessary to foster insights for organizations seeking a more inclusive and equitable leadership landscape.

The book works from the premise that the gender binary presents a paradox for organization leaders and raises the question of how to forge new paths and confront gender-based stereotypes. The authors observe that many leaders outside of the gender binary remain absent from critical research and leadership studies.

They also observe that societal expectations and stereotypes influence the journeys of all gender identities across professions and that challenging beliefs about leadership may allow organizations to break through the gender binary and embrace gender-fluid leadership styles.

Written during a time when our world feels increasingly divided, this book brings together different voices and experiences to help restore authentic leadership. It's not just about theory - it's about solutions that work in organizations.

Chapters covered in this discussion include:

"Leadership 'Qualities' and Gendered Social Cues: An Intersex Perspective" by Seri Robinson

"Sharing Power Willingly" by Jack Harris and Rocco Capraro

"The Individual Within the System" by Lydia Loizides

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Note: There is a third author of the book, Jenna Konyak Terrel, who is not present for this discussion.

About your host's:

Debra Lane, is a veteran educator with over 30 years of experience leading schools in the U.S. and abroad. She has taught from pre-K to graduate-level courses and directed talent development and equity initiatives in numerous school settings and systems.

With advanced degrees from Baylor, Virginia Tech, George Mason, and U.Va., her research on bullying prevention has guided schools and government agencies. A sought-after speaker and consultant, Dr. Lane is dedicated to leadership development, curriculum innovation, and inclusive education worldwide.

Ann Marie Luce, is a globally experienced educational leader who recently joined Citibank as vice president in Enterprise Risk Management Training programs. Her two decades in international education include work as associate director of the Centennial Center at Hobart and William Smith College, where she shaped leadership and entrepreneurship programs for students. With a doctorate from Gonzaga University focused on cultural intelligence and women's leadership, Dr. Luce champions global competence, diversity, and inclusion through humanistic leadership and systems thinking.

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The authors see the book as not just another academic text but as a practical guide for creating change in how people think about and practice leadership. By sharing stories and solutions, they hope to help organizations move from talking about inclusion to making it happen.

Join Upstart Crow for an engaging discussion about how leadership is changing, and learn practical ways to create more inclusive workplaces where everyone thrives.

You can purchase a copy of the book or single chapters at: Building Inclusive Leadership Beyond the Gender Binary

Please, visit the Upstart Crow website for more information about what we do, our hosts, guests, and how you can support the show: https://upstartcrow.org/

Constance Sayers has published three novels (A Witch in Time, The Ladies of the Secret Circus and The Star and the Strange Moon) in four years. All are books that appeared in seven languages and have sold more than 200,000 copies.

Reflecting on those works, she discusses what it was like:

• to write that many novels so quickly
• how she wove into the first book the craft techniques that made readers enthusiastic for the second and third
• how she wants to manage production of the fourth
• plus her ideas for the next phase of her creative life, as well as how she is deliberately laying plans to achieve her goals

In the course of the discussion, she also reveals the source for her recurring demon character, Althacazur.

Hosted by William Miller

Connect with Constance on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/constancesayers/

Be sure to visit her website: https://constancesayers.com/

Find out more about the show: https://upstartcrow.org/

Thank you for listening to Upstart Crow, a part of Watershed Lit Radio

Copyright 2024 - Upstart Crow Podcast

Recorded & Produced by Jon D PodCom in association with AmberTree Media

This episode hosted by Jennifer Disano, features Paula J. Johnson.

Paula is a distinguished curator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, whose work has brought iconic stories of American culture to life. Most notably, Paula played a key role in preserving the legacy of culinary legend Julia Child. In 2001, she was part of the team that collected Julia Child’s home kitchen and later developed the celebrated exhibition Bon Appétit! Julia Child’s Kitchen at the Smithsonian, which captivated audiences from 2002 to 2012.

Paula shares behind-the-scenes stories about curating Julia’s kitchen—a treasure trove of culinary history—and how this exhibit became a landmark celebration of food’s role in American culture. We also explore her broader work, including co-curating FOOD: Transforming the American Table, 1950–2000, and her passion for connecting people to history through objects and storytelling.

Don’t miss this fascinating discussion about Julia Child’s enduring impact, the art of curation, and Paula’s remarkable career in preserving American history.

#JuliaChild #SmithsonianStories #AmericanFoodHistory

Pick up a copy of Paula's book on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Julia-Childs-Kitchen-Design-Stories/dp/141977008X

Visit Julia Child's Kitchen at The Smithsonian Institution's Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

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Visit our website to find out more about our Hosts, Guests, and ways you can support the show: https://upstartcrow.org

Thank you for listening to the Upstart Crow Podcast, a part of Watershed Lit Radio

Copyright - 2024 - Upstart Crow Podcast - All Rights Reserved

Edited & Produced by Jon D. Miller / AmberTree Media

In remarks delivered at the Institute for Immigration Research at George Mason University, former National Public Radio correspondent Ray Suarez presents observations drawn from work that led to his book, We Are Home: Becoming American in the 21 St Century—An Oral History.

As he notes, the history of America is one of immigration, where migrants often have fulfilled many of the country’s needs for both talent and labor. But, he says, the newest of those to immigrate are less well known and less well appreciated than were generations before them.

This veteran journalist crossed the country and listened to the stories of those migrants, hearing them in their own voices. He presents their stories alongside broad-scale facts, with focus and analysis, and a sharp eye for ironic detail.

He notes, for example, that 50 percent of the home health care workers in America today were born in another country. That means, he says, some people are being cared for—fed, given their medications, bathed—by people they would prefer not to live next door.

**During the program, you'll hear a partial recording of a "Question & Answer" session. While some of the questions are not fully audible, Mr. Suarez's thoughtful and insightful responses have been preserved, providing an even further in-depth perspective on his expertise.**

Get your copy of Mr. Suarez's book here: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/ray-suarez/we-are-home/9780316353878/?lens=little-brown

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Please visit the Upstart Crow podcast website to find out more about our Hosts, Guests, and ways you can support the show:

https://upstartcrow.org/

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Thank you for listening to Upstart Crow, a part of Watershed Lit Radio.

This episode was presented in association with the Institute for Immigration Research at George Mason University.

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Copyright 2024 - Upstart Crow Podcast - All Rights Reserved

Edited & Produced by Jon D. Miller/AmberTree Media

Master fiction writer Charles Baxter joins host William Miller to discuss his latest novel, Blood Test, in a conversation that spans a wide range of topics. They explore the nature of the main character, Brock Hobson, the story’s action, the underlying ideas, and the embedded themes and connections.

The discussion touches on everything from the initially proposed cover art—which could have misrepresented the novel—to the metafictional elements woven into the narrative and Baxter’s long-held thoughts on the power of computers, an idea he’s contemplated for over 20 years. He even addresses how the novel aligns with the guidance he outlined in his craft essays from Burning Down the House.

Get a copy of Blood Test: A Comedy or any of Charles Baxter's writings here on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B000AQ4H12

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Be sure to check out the Upstart Crow website to learn more about our guests, meet the hosts, and discover ways to support the show: https://upstartcrow.org/

Thank you for listening to Upstart Crow, a part of Watershed Lit Radio

Copyright 2024 - Upstart Crow Podcast

Edited & Produced by Jon D. Miller/AmberTree Media



In this episode of Upstart Crow, host Jennifer Disano sits down with Chelsea Henderson, author of Glacial: The Inside Story of Climate Politics. Henderson, an experienced advocate in climate policy, unveils the complexities of climate politics, sharing stories from her work with policymakers and communities impacted by environmental change.

They discuss the challenges of bipartisan cooperation on climate action, Henderson’s perspective as a conservative voice in the environmental space, and her insights on effective climate advocacy. Tune in to learn how climate policy shapes our future and what individuals can do to contribute.

Get a copy of Chelsea's book on Amazon here: Glacial: The Inside Story of Climate Politics

Visit the the republicEn website to learn more about them: https://republicen.org/

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Be sure to check out the Upstart Crow website to learn more about our guests, meet the hosts, and discover ways to support the show: https://upstartcrow.org/

Thank you for listening to Upstart Crow, a part of Watershed Lit Radio

Copyright 2024 - Upstart Crow Podcast

Edited & Produced by Jon D. Miller/AmberTree Media



Literary translator Katherine E. Young joins host William Miller to talk about her latest project, the first-time-in-English volume People and Trees by Azerbaijani writer Akram Aylisli.

Set in the Caucuses during and right after War War II, the three novellas capture the coming-of-age story of the narrator, a boy named Sadyk, but also the struggles of the village and its people, notably the women who were left behind when the men went off to war and who must deal with their return after both they and the men have been changed by what has happened. This translation captures the rich subtleties of the story, the characters, the situations they confront, their conflicts both internal and external, and it makes these far-away events real and important to understanding today’s world. The volume is available from Plamen Press.

The conversation also covers the life situation confronting Aylisli, now almost 87, still writing, and living in the Azerbaijani capital as a political detainee after another story, published in 2012, offended some of his countrymen and their leaders. Katherine E. Young also has translated that work, and she discusses it and the larger issue of Aylisli’s political plight, as well.

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Learn more and connect with Katherine E. Young here:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katherine.young.338/

X: @KEYoung_Poet

website: https://katherine-young-poet.com/

Bluesky: @katherineeyoung.bsky.social

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Be sure to visit the Upstart Crow podcast website: https://upstartcrow.org/

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/upstartcrowpodcast/

Thank you for listening to Upstart Crow, a part of Watershed Lit Radio

Copyright 2024 - Upstart Crow Podcast

Recorded & Produced by Jon D. Miller / AmberTree Media

In this episode, host William Miller talks to writer and teacher Nicholas Delbanco, who has published thirty-one books of fiction and nonfiction, including the one they discuss together, his memoir, Still Life at Eighty, begun on his 80th birthday, finished on his 81st. The book and this discussion look over his early embrace of art, his adventures in a family art business in London, the time while an undergrad at Harvard when he directed a play the opening night of which was threatened by the Cuban missile crisis. But then as Delbanco tells the story, had Hitler during World War II not turned and invaded Russia and instead pressed on toward England, he might not even have been born, given that his parents were living in London, afraid of what was coming toward them. This many years later, after his career at the University of Michigan, where he was the Robert Frost Distinguished University Professor in English and directed the Helen Zell Writers’ Program; at Bennington College, where he founded the low-residency creative writing program and, with writer John Gardner, founded the Bennington Summer Writing Workshops, Delbanco opens the way to share the life and the meaning he has made from it.

Visit Nicholas Delbanco's website to learn more about him and find his works: http://nicholasdelbanco.com/

Learn more about the Upstart Crow podcast, it's hosts, and how you can support the show here: https://upstartcrow.org/

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/upstartcrowpodcast/

Thank you for listening to the Upstart Crow podcast!

copyright - 2024 - Upstart Crow Podcast

Recorded, Edited, and Mixed by Jon D. Miller / AmberTree Media