A Generational Thing

Natalia Latham and Angela J Latham

A Zoomer and a Boomer walk into a bar. Z says to B, “Girrrl, let’s start a podcast.” B rolls her eyes and says to Z, “Sure why not? The world is short on podcasts.” God hollers from the men’s room: “Brainy, artsy, angsty repartee between strong women of two vastly different generations will save humanity!! … Probably!” Bartender slides down a hot mic.


Hosts Natalia Latham and Angela Latham take on the hard stuff, since that’s mostly all there is these days. Religion, culture, waves of feminism…maybe even some poetry. With 40 years and a couple of theatre degrees between them, these two preachers’ daughters, and exiles from a backwoods state of mind, are the family drama you actually
need.


Available wherever you get your podcasts.

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Society & CultureSociety & Culture
Religion & SpiritualityReligion & Spirituality
ArtsArts
ReligionReligion
Visual ArtsVisual Arts

Episodes

Trial and Error: The Courtroom Battle that Still Divides Us
Oct 6 2024
Trial and Error: The Courtroom Battle that Still Divides Us
Send us a textIn 1925, John Scopes, a high school biology teacher in rural Tennessee, was indicted for violating a new state law against teaching evolution. The record of his trial is a textbook all its own for today. A century later the very issues that played out in a small-town courthouse––from politics to religion and everything in between––still divide Americans.Join Natalia and Angela as they grapple with the engaging, sometimes frightening, and always illuminating experience of reading Keeping the Faith: God, Democracy, and the Trial that Riveted a Nation, by Brenda Wineapple. Resources:Brenda Wineapple Keeping the Faith: God, Democracy, and the Trial that Riveted a NationAssociated Press news “The Taliban publish vice laws that ban women's voices and bare faces in public” Vox.com How the Republican Party went from Lincoln to Trump Vox.com From white supremacy to Barack Obama: The history of the Democratic Party Alexandra Alter “From School Librarian to Activist: ‘The Hate Level and the Vitriol Is Unreal”Transition Music:Humans Win “Sunshine Strum”Volodymyr Piddubnyk “Minimal documentary background music” AGT and Nat and Ang on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/agenerationalthingpodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/natalia_latham/ https://www.instagram.com/angelajoylatham/Logo by Kara Joy Schrock: https://www.instagram.com/kjreliquaries/Technical consultant, Tim GodbyMusic (for regular episodes):"Curious Documentary" by Jon Presstone (intro and transitions)"I Feel Fire" by we20fifty (outro)
An Educated Public
Sep 22 2024
An Educated Public
Send us a text     The one thing most Americans agree on besides apple pie is that November 5, 2024 is a very big day in US history. What are the issues we should be reflecting on as we choose our national, state, and local leaders? Does it really all come down to the economy (stupid)? Or Project 2025? Or reproductive rights?      How about this one? Educational equity? Now there's an election issue you don't hear nearly enough about. And it's nothing short of a pillar of democracy!! So in the lead-up to the election, the gals are learning about learning, about thinking, about probing beyond the headlines and scary news talk that has way too much to do with ... pets?!      First up in the queue, die-hard nerds Nat and Ang are joined by some stiff nerd competition! Dr. Chloe Latham Sikes is an expert on educational policy and Deputy Director of Policy for IDRA, a non-profit organization committed to educational equity. She offers some mind-blowing, gob-smacking truths about what is happening to and in schools across the country and what that means to all of us who care about a healthy democracy.Additional music: "Golden Years," by Yagull Music"New Beginnings," by Humans WinAGT and Nat and Ang on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/agenerationalthingpodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/natalia_latham/ https://www.instagram.com/angelajoylatham/Logo by Kara Joy Schrock: https://www.instagram.com/kjreliquaries/Technical consultant, Tim GodbyMusic (for regular episodes):"Curious Documentary" by Jon Presstone (intro and transitions)"I Feel Fire" by we20fifty (outro)
Mother(hood) Musings
May 12 2024
Mother(hood) Musings
Send us a textMother’s Day is a perfect occasion for intergenerational processing! Nat and Ang take full advantage of this opportunity to explore a disconcerting array of topics: the evolutionary contributions of grandmothers, the panic over plunging fertility rates, the changing expectations of motherhood, how expensive kids are, etc. They even tackle (but fail to answer) the “to be or not to be (a mother)” question. Don’t worry about whiplash. A little artsy/litsy talk helps smooth out the ride.Resources:Kristen Hawkes, “Grandmothers and Human Evolution” "US Fertility Rate Dropped..."Peggy O’Donnell Heffington, "Why Women Not Having Kids Became a Panic""Yuni's Pros and Cons List of Having Children" Michelle Ye Hee Lee and Julie Yoon, "Career or Kids: It's a Tough Choice for These Women"Urban DictionaryJane Bell, "Mother Ate"Leunig, Prayers (God Be with the Mother...)Additional music:The Turquoise Moon, "Like a Butterfly" Raighes Factory, "Peaceful Light"Humans Win, "Tick-Tock Block - Light Mix" Justin Artis, "What's in My Heart"The Turquoise Moon, "Mother’s Day: Hangin’ with Mama" AGT and Nat and Ang on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/agenerationalthingpodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/natalia_latham/ https://www.instagram.com/angelajoylatham/Logo by Kara Joy Schrock: https://www.instagram.com/kjreliquaries/Technical consultant, Tim GodbyMusic (for regular episodes):"Curious Documentary" by Jon Presstone (intro and transitions)"I Feel Fire" by we20fifty (outro)
Really Dead Poets Society
Apr 28 2024
Really Dead Poets Society
Send us a textBe not afraid! It’s poetry month at the pod and Nat and Ang are here to cure your BARDOLOTRYPHOBIA. The gals serve up an irreverent crash course in love poetry, from Shakespeare’s sonnets to Solomon’s songs with (almost) nothing and no one in between. Find out which of our featured really famous, really dead poets is the literary heartthrob of the ages. Discover at last why Shakespeare and Solomon sound so much alike sometimes. Along the way, just try to keep track of all the hackneyed metaphors Nat and Ang use to explain things. We dare you. And be sure to stick around for the singalong. Zero credit offered and no homework. Just a romp. RESOURCESPoetic Forms Writer’s DigestSonnets of ShakespeareSong of Songs/Song of SolomonRev. Rob Christ on Song of Songs (TikTok)Zhang Longxi “The Letter or the Spirit”Canonization of Song of Songs (including the views of William Whiston and the Latter Day Saints) Sharon Olds Stag’s LeapOscar Wilde Ave Marie Gratia Plena Poets Mentioned in PassingTyler Knott GregsonRupi KaurTaylor Swift (who?)Mary OliverJust for Fun The Hair of the Head of ShakespeareNew Yorker Radio Hour Podcast: Judi Dench on Bond and ShakespeareTransitional Music and Sound Effects: Jon Presstone, “Fancy and Friendly” and “Renaissance Revelry”Storyblocks, Stadium Sound EffectsAGT and Nat and Ang on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/agenerationalthingpodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/natalia_latham/ https://www.instagram.com/angelajoylatham/Logo by Kara Joy Schrock: https://www.instagram.com/kjreliquaries/Technical consultant, Tim GodbyMusic (for regular episodes):"Curious Documentary" by Jon Presstone (intro and transitions)"I Feel Fire" by we20fifty (outro)
That Peaceful Easter Feeling with Bart Campolo
Mar 31 2024
That Peaceful Easter Feeling with Bart Campolo
Send us a textIf an episode drops on a major Christian holiday, trust the gals not to ignore the drama of it all. Just in time for Easter, they get help from a new friend of the pod, Bart Campolo, who is the son of a famous evangelist and who was a minister in the evangelical tradition himself for decades. That’s right, was. His later-in-life leap of non-faith led him all the way to secular humanism and a new kind of evangelical fervor––spreading the word about the sheer joy of living, heaven and hell be damned. Bart keeps the conversation hopping with takes on how to scientifically conjure worship vibes and how not to let the narratives of the bible be held hostage by the literalists. Exvangelical listeners will especially appreciate his strategies for kindly but true-to-you conversations with those you left behind in the pews. Normal listeners will be fascinated at this peek inside a movement that seems intent on Making America Godly Again.Resources:Bart Campolo, Humanize Me (podcast)Raphael, The School of Athens (painting)Greg Epstein, Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe  Tony Campolo and Bart Campolo, Why I Left, Why I Stayed: Conversations on Christianity Between an Evangelical Father and His Humanist Son Leaving My Father’s Faith (documentary)Quem Quaeritas (early dramatization of Easter story within Catholic Mass)Additional Music:Jon Presstone, Fancy and FriendlyRaighes Factory, Peaceful LightTurquoise Moon, Soulful Jazz PianoTransitionJon Presstone, Spirit in the SunriseAGT and Nat and Ang on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/agenerationalthingpodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/natalia_latham/ https://www.instagram.com/angelajoylatham/Logo by Kara Joy Schrock: https://www.instagram.com/kjreliquaries/Technical consultant, Tim GodbyMusic (for regular episodes):"Curious Documentary" by Jon Presstone (intro and transitions)"I Feel Fire" by we20fifty (outro)
The F Word
Mar 3 2024
The F Word
Send us a textNo, not that one. FEMINISM. Yes, that one. In this episode, we share responses to our sophisticated survey questions: What the heck is feminism? Are you one? How come? (Ok, maybe they were more sophisticated than that.) But the results are clear! Feminism is just as messy and wonderful and crucial and misunderstood as ever . . . you’ll have to tune in for the deets though. What the young'uns and their elders have to say about each other at the Intersection of Gender and Age is a must listen.PS: Apologies for the click bait-y title. The Zoomer won that round. But here’s the Boomer having the last word. Mwahahaha! (And yes, said Boomer looked up how to spell “evil laugh.”)Resources and Survey Responses:Feminist and Anti-Feminist Identification in the 21st Century  Listeners Have a Few Things to Say about Feminism (survey responses)Feminism is for EverybodyUNWomen, New Feminist Activism: Waves and Generations Sarah Pruitt, What are the Four Waves of Feminism? Muskaan Arshad, Girlboss, Gaslight, Gatekeep in a Capitalistic World Lisa Jervis The End of Feminism’s Third Wave Why Bitch Media Closed Shop According to Andi Zeisler GlobalWE (Women's Empowerment)Episode-specific music credits:“Storytime Music Box” by Humans Win“Together We March” and “Serene Guitar Ambience in Nature,” both by The Turquoise MoonAGT and Nat and Ang on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/agenerationalthingpodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/natalia_latham/ https://www.instagram.com/angelajoylatham/Logo by Kara Joy Schrock: https://www.instagram.com/kjreliquaries/Technical consultant, Tim GodbyMusic (for regular episodes):"Curious Documentary" by Jon Presstone (intro and transitions)"I Feel Fire" by we20fifty (outro)
Blinded by the White - Part 1
Feb 4 2024
Blinded by the White - Part 1
Send us a textThe gals decided to honor Black History Month. Playwrights came to mind as usual—Lorraine Hansberry, August Wilson, Suzan-Lori Parks. Great writers and thinkers: Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, Audre Lorde, James Baldwin. Visual artists like. . .Hold up. What can White/White passing gals really add to the Black History Month conversation? Not a lot, they figured. So, Nat and Ang decided to explore what makes a Black History Month necessary. Namely, a whole lot of Whiteness going on. A blinding kind of Whiteness. A racial identity all its own that most White people don’t even think of as “race.” As the gals grapple with the privilege Whiteness affords them in America, they get help along the way from some of the best––Robin DiAngelo, bell hooks, Peggy McIntosh, and so many others. One episode just isn’t enough. More to come in part 2!Resources:April Baker-Bell, Linguistic JusticeRobin DiAngelo: "White Fragility "(essay); White Fragility (book); "What's My Complicity" (interview)Peggy McIntosh, "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack"Ruth Frankenberg, White Women Race Mattersbell hooks, "Interlocking Systems of Domination" (video); "The Oppositional Gaze" (essay)National Museum of African American History and Culture, WhitenessSmithsonian Magazine, 158 Resources for Understanding Systemic Racism in America | History | Additional music: "Nocturne Alley" by Gerardo Garcia, Jr."Thinking Over the Idea" by Volodymyr Piddubnyk AGT and Nat and Ang on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/agenerationalthingpodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/natalia_latham/ https://www.instagram.com/angelajoylatham/Logo by Kara Joy Schrock: https://www.instagram.com/kjreliquaries/Technical consultant, Tim GodbyMusic (for regular episodes):"Curious Documentary" by Jon Presstone (intro and transitions)"I Feel Fire" by we20fifty (outro)
Merry Exvangelical Christmas!
Dec 24 2023
Merry Exvangelical Christmas!
Send us a textWhat’s Christmas without a dab of doubt, a smidge of heresy, maybe even a dash of Greek mythology? Not much of a Christmas at all, if you ask Angela and Natalia. These nice and occasionally naughty evangelical preachers’ daughters prove why book banning is so popular these days and how the road to perdition almost always starts in a theatre. They ponder the essential questions of Christmas—virginity, the role of eggnog in worship, polytheism, and what makes some evangelicals so pushy. For added bliss, Christmassy tunes pop up when you least expect them. Whatever you believe or don’t believe about Christmas, this episode will have you humming and smirking your way through even the most awkward mixed-faith holiday gatherings.******  Sources: “exvangelical” @brchastain_  on InstagramReady to Harvest on YouTube   What is an Evangelical? National Association of Evangelicals Statement(s) of Faith, National Association of Evangelicals Beliefs about the historical accuracy of Christmas, Pew Research Center Comparison of beliefs in climate change and the story of Jesus’ birth Time MagazineThe Bacchae of Euripides (play) Dionysus (god of wine, harvest, and revelry/ecstasy)The Wakefield Second Shepherd’s Play A Grateful Heart: Daily Blessings for the Evening Meal from Buddha to the Beatles  ******Music/Sound Credits: “Festive Party” Amber Waldron “Musical Bells Chime Christmas Joy to the World” sound effect “Marry Christmas” MoodMode “Silent Night Vintage Christmas Jazz” Volodymyr Piddubnyk “Jazzy Holiday” Amber Waldron AGT and Nat and Ang on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/agenerationalthingpodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/natalia_latham/ https://www.instagram.com/angelajoylatham/Logo by Kara Joy Schrock: https://www.instagram.com/kjreliquaries/Technical consultant, Tim GodbyMusic (for regular episodes):"Curious Documentary" by Jon Presstone (intro and transitions)"I Feel Fire" by we20fifty (outro)
Backwoods 'n Forwards
Dec 10 2023
Backwoods 'n Forwards
Send us a text     Natalia and Angela, two country gals with big city aspirations, talk about how places shape us. They celebrate and critique their own "backwoods" origins in an episode packed with riffs on rural life and art: country music, political signs,  woodsy adventures, red-neckery, church, tractors, even Andrew Wyeth!      The girls have questions, so many questions. Are we mostly just a big cluster of all the places we've been? Is living just shapeshifting––becoming who you are, where you are, then figuring out how to adapt everywhere else you go? Can we ever really feel at home again once we leave "home" behind?      Don't expect answers to these hard questions! Do expect to encounter wild, wonderful, and not-so-wonderful examples of country life plus some shoutouts to a few of the girls' favorite "backwoods 'n forwards" heroines.Episode notes: Carrie Chapman Catt/League of Women VotersKimberle Crenshaw/IntersectionalityJoyce Sutphen, "Girl on a Tractor"Despoina Tsoli, “Andrew Wyeth’s ‘Christina’s World’: A Closer Look”  Timothy Egan, Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America and the Woman Who Stopped Them (Madge Oberholtzer)Blaire Erskine (Instagram) Images: Photographs referenced on this episode are available to view on Instagram: @agenerationalthingpodcast and at A Generational Thing Podcast on FacebookAGT and Nat and Ang on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/agenerationalthingpodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/natalia_latham/ https://www.instagram.com/angelajoylatham/Logo by Kara Joy Schrock: https://www.instagram.com/kjreliquaries/Technical consultant, Tim GodbyMusic (for regular episodes):"Curious Documentary" by Jon Presstone (intro and transitions)"I Feel Fire" by we20fifty (outro)