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Professor Yasemin İpek’s new book, Crisiswork, presents a story of Lebanon through the lens of activist lifeworlds, showing how, amid crisis, both political structures and everyday life become a terrain of generative possibility.

When Liang Luo steps into a classroom—or works on a film, for that matter—she brings with her a rare blend of scholarship, creativity, and cultural sensitivity. This fall, Luo begins her role as chair of George Mason University’s Department of Modern and Classical Languages, a position that recognizes her academic leadership as well as her global perspective. 

Today’s guests are Leeya Mehta and Bill Miller, both of whom I admire as friends, artists, teachers, and occasional collaborators. Bill directed the creative writing program at George Mason University for more than two dozen years, and helped establish the Alan Cheuse Center. Leeya is the current Director of the Center, and is also a prize-winning poet, fiction writer and essayist. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Cheuse Center, and we talk about how this beloved institution went from idea to thriving cultural force.

"The more I listened to stories, the more I learned, I realized how powerful storytelling can be for understanding, empathy, and change."