Almost There with Dwayne Betts

The Most Human Space of All

In the season two finale, Dwayne speaks with the writer Amy Low about living with the terrible diagnosis of stage four colon cancer, which she chronicled in her memoir, The Brave In-Between: Notes from the Last Room. Amy, who worked at Emerson Collective for nearly a decade, shares what she learned occupying the very “last room” of life: deep gratitude, the power of forgiveness, and how to live each moment with purpose. This season of Almost There is dedicated to the memory of Amy Low.  Mentioned in this episode: The Brave In-Between: Notes from the Last Room by Amy Low Almost There is produced by Eric Nuzum and Jesse Baker of Magnificent Noise for Emerson Collective. Our production staff includes Lina Misitzis, Patrick D’Arcy, Kevin Dupzyk, Alex Simon, and our sound designers Paul Schneider and Kristin Mueller.  Email us at almostthere@emersoncollective.com. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A Place of Gratitude

Karen Washington never imagined herself as a farmer. But after decades in New York City, she found her calling establishing community gardens that brought fresh food – and life-affirming beauty – to her neighborhood in the Bronx. Today, she lives on a farm in upstate New York where she grows fresh, healthy produce that she believes belongs on everybody’s plates.  For more on our guest, Karen Washington: https://www.karenthefarmer.com/about  Almost There is produced by Eric Nuzum and Jesse Baker of Magnificent Noise for Emerson Collective. Our production staff includes Lina Misitzis, Patrick D’Arcy, Kevin Dupzyk, Alex Simon, and our sound designers Paul Schneider and Kristin Mueller.  Email us at almostthere@emersoncollective.com.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The First Place I Felt Safe

As a kid growing up below the poverty line on the west side of Salt Lake City, Calvin Crosby found immense pleasure and freedom in books. Years later, after a journey that took him to San Francisco and into a leadership role at the California Independent Booksellers Alliance, he bought the bookstore that first changed his life – The King’s English – and moved back home to Utah to run it. For more on our guest, Calvin Crosby, and The King’s English: https://www.kingsenglish.com/ Books mentioned in this episode:  Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary  Three Junes by Julia Glass  Almost There is produced by Eric Nuzum and Jesse Baker of Magnificent Noise for Emerson Collective. Our production staff includes Lina Misitzis, Patrick D’Arcy, Kevin Dupzyk, Alex Simon, and our sound designers Paul Schneider and Kristin Mueller.  Email us at almostthere@emersoncollective.com.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dance Is Story

If you think dance is just movement set to music, you’re missing something big. Award-winning director and choreographer Camille A. Brown argues that dance is the act of using physical gesture to manifest story—stories about ourselves, the lives we’ve lived, and where we’re from. Camille, whose work celebrates Black culture, helps Dwayne see the ways he’s moved through prison and his work with Freedom Reads as a liberatory dance for his community.  For more on our guest, Camille A Brown: https://www.camilleabrown.org/  Almost There is produced by Eric Nuzum and Jesse Baker of Magnificent Noise for Emerson Collective. Our production staff includes Lina Misitzis, Patrick D’Arcy, Kevin Dupzyk, Alex Simon, and our sound designers Paul Schneider and Kristin Mueller.  Email us at almostthere@emersoncollective.com.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mariachi Became Home

Born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, Abel Acuña has been a mariachi musician for three decades. Now, he teaches mariachi at Edinburg North High School, the very same school he himself attended. He tells Dwayne how he uses the power of music to foster confidence and pride in his students—and explains why competitive mariachi is a perfect way for young people to find their place in the world. Don’t miss Abel and his students in the Sundance documentary hit, Going Varsity in Mariachi, now on Netflix.  Mentioned in this episode:  The documentary film, Going Varsity in Mariachi, streaming on Netflix.  Almost There is produced by Eric Nuzum and Jesse Baker of Magnificent Noise for Emerson Collective. Our production staff includes Lina Misitzis, Patrick D’Arcy, Kevin Dupzyk, Alex Simon, and our sound designers Paul Schneider and Kristin Mueller.  Email us at almostthere@emersoncollective.com.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices