Neighbors

BONUS EPISODE

One atheist's journey to get the vanity license plate IM GOD.

Through a conversation we shed some light and hope on the political divide in the country and equip you with some tools for peacemaking.

Need a good cry to honor the big things in your life that did or didn’t happen in 2020?

Cynthia used to be a nurse, now she's a woman of the land.

Having heard stories about the country he only lived in for the first year of his life, producer Jakob Lewis goes back to Frankfurt to connect with the life his parent's once had.

One woman searches for a serial panhandler and the answer to what to do when someone asks you for money.

Host Jakob Lewis, a Nashville citizen, goes to Magdeburg Germany to see where the rubber meets the road for Sister Cities' idealistic vision to “promote peace one individual, one community at a time.”

How do you move on when you move back to your childhood home?

Meet Joann Jones. She's 79 years old, and she loves to dance

Not a lot of teens are excited about being the “different” kid that stands out in high school. As a Muslim teen from Iraq, Fatimah is learning to navigate the high school experience in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

At Sunday Night Soul you'll see something rare in Nashville—a racially diverse crowd.

A list of resources to learn from this moment so it's not just a moment.

Today we're entering into the intriguing and competitive world of pigeon racing.

A living saint asks an ominous question during the 2017 total solar eclipse in Tennessee—"how long is the dark?"

When Robert was young, no one seemed to care that he didn’t know how to read. As he got older, lack of literacy affected his life in devastating ways no one could have predicted. Now at Age 55, he’s learning a new skill and awakening the poet within.

"The Stuttering Paradox" is the story of a Nashville musician who saw stuttering as his greatest flaw until a stuttering program turned that on its head.

Jakob takes some performance art and turns it into radio in hopes you'll pay attention.

Listeners from around the world call in and share how they're staying sane and connected.

Call 615-601-1411 and tell us how you are staying connected with your neighbors during the Covid-19 pandemic.

A year later Neighbors is returning with a few changes.

Will four Middle School heroes rescue a town in crisis from the vicious tigralligator?!?

What happens when you want to learn more about your cultural heritage and find out that your grandma was a spy?

When a beloved farmer goes down on marijuana distribution charges, his community rallies to conserve his scenic farmland — and 12 years later, he’s home on the land again.

Jakob's on the road and wants to let you know why.

A stand-up comedian's inauguration-day tweet led to death threats. Fearing for his life he uprooted from New York to settle in Tennessee, but that’s only a fraction of Stephen’s story.

Fighting wildfires is dangerous work. But to a 20 year old Jakob Lewis the work was all fun and games—at first.

An immigrant restaurateur, Elizabeth Martinez, struggles to make it in America, when the person she came to the U.S. with betrays her.

Jakob breaks from his usual format to sit down with his editor Mack Linebaugh and answer your questions.

When Joel Rice, a naturally bookish kid was younger he wanted nothing more than to be a pro skater like his heroes, Christian Hosoi and Tony Hawk. Later in life he became a prominent skateboarding journalist and got the chance to ghost-write Christian’s memoir. It proved to be an unpleasant gig which Joel got fired from, in this episode Joel and Christian talk on the phone together.

When Joel Rice, a naturally bookish kid was younger he wanted nothing more than to be a pro skater like his heroes, Christian Hosoi and Tony Hawk. That dream died the day he hit the “dog trap,” a hazard at a popular skating spot in San Francisco. Falling on his face in front of everyone that afternoon was a major trauma that haunted Joel as he became a prominent skateboarding journalist.

Jakob gets a rare chance to hear what his guests think of how they're portrayed as Miso and Dejan, the subjects of “Miso’s Brother”, have a drink and reflect on hearing their story. Also we pull some tape off the cutting room, and a sad farewell to our favorite production assistant, Caleb Shiver.

Marlo Mack has a young transgender daughter. She met another woman named Debi Jackson who has a very similar parenting story to her own, the only difference is where they live. Marlo lives in a liberal community where she and her transgender daughter are supported. Debi grew up a Southern Baptist conservative in a Red State. This transition has cost her a lot more, than Marlo and her daughter.

Jakob issues himself a challenge to redo the first story he ever made about Father Thomas, a priest. Thomas visits people on their deathbed because that’s part of his job—but one day he’s called in to see his own father during his last days in hospice.

When a Bosnian refugee visits the grave of his infant brother he is comforted by his best friend—the brother he ended up with instead.

Sam Tucker is passionate about baking and doesn’t like to ever compromise on ingredients, but there’s one thing that’s standing in the way of his vocation—his son.

When Katie Cooley found out her brother needed a kidney transplant, she volunteered without hesitation—despite not being super close to him. Hear just how her gesture affected their relationship.

In the final chapter of the Neighbors mini-series “Matt Got Shot,” we visit the woman whose security camera captured the footage of Matt’s terrifying assault and learn of the surprising thing she did with it.

In Part 2 of the Neighbors mini-series “Matt Got Shot,” we explore the reality of the trauma of getting shot: first to Matt’s body, then his identity and finally to his mind.

It was inauguration day 2017 when Nashville singer-songwriter Matt Lovell was ambushed while sitting in his car — and then shot in the chest.

Katherine Tisha Wilson is not your typical fitness instructor...

Neighbors is back with the deepest dive into people's lives yet.

As Myanmar aka Burma is going through a humanitarian crisis Neighbors brings an update to the story of a man who fled the region to come to America with his family.

producer Jakob Lewis walks up to a guy playing a sousaphone in a tunnel and did not expect what he found.

Whit Hill digs up items she finds with a metal detector — Civil War bullets, forgotten toys, old coins. Her treasures, and the songs she writes about them, remind her that there’s always the possibility of wonder in the ground beneath her feet.

Robert Person Sr. — Percy, as he’s known — has been shining shoes for 70 years. He started around age 10 and now, at 80, continues to work at Percy’s Shoe Shine Service in Nashville. He’s worn out, stressed out, but this veteran shoe shiner just can’t stop.

Prepare to be embedded into a gaggle of neighborhood kids, playing at the peak of summer. Producer Erica Heilman from the always-delightful podcast Rumblestrip brings us the story of children holding on to the last gasps of youth.

Wayne cherishes his independence. And having had ALS for 33 years, he has to fight for it everyday. But his disease is only one of the seemingly insurmountable challenges he’s faced.

When Denice Hicks has to step unexpectedly into the role of King Lear, in some ways, she’s doing what she’s always done: living life like it’s her last day. What happens when you do that everyday over the course of a life?

Two friends started examining their hometown through the lens of race and ended up throwing a party.

Dave has no meteorology degree, but posts dense and poetic weather reports on Facebook where he’s grown quite a following.

Bethany embalmed bodies for a living, but she couldn’t help but empathize with every corpse she worked on, seeing her job as one final gift—one that was taking its toll. It turns out, some professions require a certain detachment. Edited by Emily...

Hannah has a rare genetic disorder that causes her to stop breathing when she goes to sleep. She wears a ventilator at night. How does having to constantly monitor a basic human function change how Hannah and her family approach life?    ...

In 2011, Rinker Buck crossed the Oregon Trail — yes, that Oregon Trail — in a covered wagon pulled by a team of mules. He traveled with his brother Nick and a Jack Russell Terrier named Olive Oyl. The journey forced Rinker to confront his greatest...

Hey Everyone, a new season of Neighbors starts Tuesday April 4th. Tell your friends, tell your family, the party starts Tuesday.    www.podcasts.wpln.org 

The season 3 finale is a little different. It is a personal story of Jakob’s told by taking a musical journey all around Nashville. Together, you will experience an Irish session, an Indian jam in a Mexican restaurant, a Jewish musical Shabbat, Beer...

In 1969, Leroy and Gloria Griffith got married in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It would have been an ordinary event, except that they are believed to be the first interracial couple to legally wed in the county. We hear the story of why they opened up...

Two men walk over a mile once a week just to give each other a high five. It's a seemingly meaningless act, but one that can take on a powerful meaning over time. We examine why they do this and check back in with one of them a year later. Editors:...

Like part one, this is a story of a barber who followed an unlikely path to the grooming profession. Stephen Mason's journey took him from 20 years on the road, playing guitar in a Grammy-winning Christian rock band, to a one-chair, one-man barbershop...

Part One: Ronnie

On a rainy night in 1949, a young woman arrived by train in Franklin, Tennessee, and walked off into the night. The next morning, her body was found near an incinerator by the high school. Her throat had been cut. The murder has become a fixture of...

We want to do right by the people we care about. But sometimes, honoring someone's wishes can put us at odds with social norms, our own values, or even the law. In this episode of Neighbors, three stories where the desire to honor wishes pushes us...

Most people might think it’s not worth the trouble to intervene in someone else's life. But in this episode of Neighbors, we get to know a woman who sees that obstacle—and will do everything she can to jump over it. Photo provided by Beth Mathews...

Michael Kearney is a genius — he holds the Guinness World Record for being the youngest person to graduate from college, at age 10. Now he's 32, and he's not curing cancer or solving world hunger. He's running an improv comedy company in Nashville....

We meet Gin Thawng. The 66-year old is a refugee from Burma living in a Nashville apartment with his ailing wife, a baby grandson, his daughter-in-law and son. A graduate of an innovative ESL program-on-wheels, Thawng shows us something about the...

What keeps you up at night? For some, it's the shape-shifting song of a mockingbird outside the bedroom window. It turns out, not everyone is amazed by this bird's musical feats. What is a wonder of nature to some, to others is the sound of torture....

It's an odd scene: A man, playing a sousaphone, stands inside a tunnel on a busy Nashville road during rush hour. Is he crazy, divinely inspired or something else entirely? In this episode of Neighbors, we go inside the world of "tuba man" Joe Hunter...

Sam Tucker is a gifted baker, but the one thing that is his greatest passion just might put his family in danger. With the premiere of Season 3, I am thrilled to announce Neighbors' partnership with Nashville Public Radio.    Some music...

A story of how one clown turns his sorrow into connection. Some music by Podington Bear Editors: Tally Abecassis and Rob McGinley Meyers Production Help: Bailey Robbins Sponsors: Yazoo Brewing Company www.yazoobrew.com Baja Burrito Neighbors is a part...

Why do two grown men walk a mile and a half every week, rain or shine, to give each other a high five? Editors: Bailey Robbins, Rob McGinley Meyers, Tally AbecassisMusic: Podington Bear and Dan Burns AKA Dop ShrahSponsors: Yazoo Brewing Company and...

Today we feature a story from the podcast Anxious Machine called "These Things Is Miracles." What happens when a woman refuses to admit she can't hear, and what happens when she finally does? Music in this episode: Seaside by...

"I guess they can't go to no church or whatever and ask to lick their preacher's armpits...so they come around the mission." Two stories of people going to church for two very different reasons. Do you have a going to church story? Tell it to us at...

It’s an unwritten rule in Nashville. If you see a famous musician who lives in town, you let them be. Your heart might skip a beat when you see Robert Plant, Jack White, Emmylou Harris or whoever it is for you, but you let them be. “Music City”...

Three musicians on the street

Exploring two words through the form of breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The voices of Cowboy and Debbie

Jakob Lewis revisits a story he reported one year ago about the death of a son. He speaks to the mother of the son, to find out where she is today.

This story is the first in a new series called "Sans Houses." After more than 40 years on the street, David has a place to call home. Neighbors photographer and producer Tasha A F Lemley captures David beautifully in both picture and sound.

Todd Michael Rogers got married young, and it was bad. It was the kind of bad that Todd describes as "Lifetime movie bad." He became unhappy and isolated. It was in that space where he started pouring his energy into creating a one player card game called

I go over to a neighbors house for a traditional Chinese tea ceremony and learn about ritual and hospitality.

Stories of helping despite the response of who you're helping

A meditative edition of Neighbors inviting you to follow Nashville Native Barclay at the pace of wonder.

One Man's attempt to run 100 miles and a special release of Service Unicorn's "Water Color War Paint"

A live storytelling night in my backyard with a whole host of friends.

Find out what's happening next for Neighbors and what happens when you choose your own home over the funeral home.

Thomas McKenzie's story told live in Jakob's backyard

If you live in Nashville you've probably heard a lot of flood stories from the May 2010 flood. This one stood out to me as a true example of neighbors being neighbors. Jeff Jones the owner of the local Dairy King shares his story about surviving the...