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The Laura Flanders Show — Society & Culture
The Laura Flanders Show

Award winning host, author and journalist Laura Flanders interviews forward-thinking people from the world of politics, business, culture and social movements. The show explores actionable models for creating a better world by reporting on the people and movements driving systemic change. We spotlight the solutions of tomorrow, today. The show airs on PBS stations in over 80% of the US market, and airs on 40+ community radio stations, and is available on YouTube and as a podcast. Online subscribers receive lots of video and audio web exclusives. Recent specials include “Indigenous People’s Power”, “James Baldwin: Lessons for the US”, “Building Public Trust for Public Health”, “Countering the Coup From the Grassroots Up”. Recent special guests include Representative Karen Bass, environmental activist Jane Fonda, economist Robert Reich, author/activist Naomi Klein, agrarian reformer Shirley Sherrod, novelist Arundhati Roy, economist Michael Hudson and ’Next System” theorist Gar Alperovitz.

Latest Episodes:

Poetry and Trans Politics: Darkmatter Feb 16, 2016

Show notes

Trans South Asian art duo Darkmatter is comprised of Alok Vaid-Menon and Janani Balasubramanian. They are deeply engaged in the connection of art and social justice, and have been performing to sold-out crowds in New York and internationally.

Swoon: From the Streets to the Galleries Feb 09, 2016

Show notes

Caledonia Curry, also known as Swoon, is one of the most recognized street artists in the world. She has brought her art from the streets to galleries and museums. Among her recent projects include creating musical houses in New Orleans, a ceramic tile factory in Pennsylvania, a floating city on rafts in the Mississippi River, and rebuilding a community in Haiti post-earthquake.

Tony Kushner: Hollywood and Socialism Feb 03, 2016

Show notes

Can a socialist choose Hillary over Bernie? Playwright and screenwriter Tony Kushner discusses Socialism, Zionism, Hollywood, and the 2016 elections. Tony Kushner has been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, an Emmy Award, two Tony Awards, two Academy Award nominations, and President Obama presented him with the National Medal of Arts in 2013. Last fall he was entered into the National Theater Hall of Fame - and no wonder; among his plays are Angels In America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes; and The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures. His many screenplays include Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln and Munich. He has also written or edited several books, including Wrestling with Zion: Progressive Jewish-American Responses to the Palestinian/Israeli Conflict. Later in the program, Laura visits with a Roma Gallery in Hungary that embraces Hip Hop and bell hooks. All that and a few words from Laura on recent political upheavals in Hungary.

Viggo Mortensen: Empires and Justice in the Middle East Jan 26, 2016

Show notes

This week Laura and Viggo Mortensen discuss heroes, outlaws, empires and justice in the Middle East. Academy Award-nominated actor Viggo Mortensen has appeared in scores of movies, including The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, one of the highest grossing film series of all time. What you may not know is he's also a poet, photographer, musician and painter. He speaks four languages, and he is the founder and publisher of an independent publishing house, Perceval Press. The twelfth anniversary edition of Perceval's collection of essays in response to the Iraq occupation: Twilight of Empire -- was released this winter with essays by Mike Davis, Amy Goodman, Jodie Evans and Dennis Kucinich among others - and a forward by Howard Zinn. This episode also features a few words from Laura on Hillary Clinton - her warmth and her wars.

Zillah Eisenstein and Damayan: Race, Gender and Socialism Jan 19, 2016

Show notes

Laura, discusses race, gender, feminism, and socialism with author Zillah Eisenstein. And an exclusive report from the Damayan Cleaning Cooperative, the first Filipina migrant worker-owned cooperative in the US. And a few words from Laura on the path forward for a new economy.

Molly Crabapple: Drawing Blood Jan 12, 2016

Show notes

From sex workers in the US to prisoners in Guantanamo, artist and journalist Molly Crabapple has been there. Her bold and powerful work has also taken her to Abu Dhabi's migrant labor camps, and with rebels in Syria. Her new memoir, Drawing Blood, was just released in December. She is a contributing editor for VICE and has written for publications including The New York Times, Paris Review, and Vanity Fair. Her work is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. This episode also features a commentary from Laura on the dark magic of the art market.

Antony Loewenstein and M. Jacqui Alexander: Disaster Capitalism and Spiritual Feminism Jan 05, 2016

Show notes

Six years ago this month, Haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake. Billions of dollars in aid were pledged but little made it to the people in need. Why did that happen? Today on The Laura Flanders Show, Antony Loewenstein talks about Disaster Capitalism and the great Caribbean feminist Jacqui Alexander gives us a rare interview. All that and a few words from Laura on laissez faire capitalism - that isn't.

Naomi Murakawa & #BlackLivesMatter: Liberals, Guns and the Roots of the U.S. Prison Explosion Dec 15, 2015

Show notes

Today on The Laura Flanders Show: Naomi Murakawa indicts liberals for growing the system of mass incarceration, and we take a look back at our coverage of the Black Lives Matter movement. All that and a few words from me on mandatory minimums in 1790 and since.

Race, Gender, and Work: Lola Smallwood-Cuevas with Domestic Workers United: Dec 08, 2015

Show notes

The Laura Flanders Show in in Los Angeles talking about women and work. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas shares about her work with the Black Workers Center, and we visit with domestic workers who marched to Washington to meet with the pope. All that and a few words from me on the surprisingly low-cost emergency that can throw almost half of all Americans into a crisis.

Connecting the Grassroots and the Global: Eric Mann and Pedro Páez Dec 02, 2015

Show notes

Eric Mann from The Los Angeles Bus Riders Union talks about why working people from LA are attending the climate talks in Paris. And Ecuador's former Finance Minister Pedro Páez on when they renegotiated loans, cut debt payments and reinvested in the local economy. Plus a commentary from Laura on lessons learned from a 19th century African statue.

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