After their initial conversations on “The State of Things” in 2006 and 2007, author Haven Kimmel and host Frank Stasio hit the road. Libraries invited the pair to talk about anything. It was less the topic that mattered than the atmosphere they created through their intense connection. Kimmel describes Stasio’s hosting as a “church of listening.”
Stasio credits Kimmel with orienting the show towards humanity and compassion. Their connection served as a touchstone for over a decade of Stasio’s daily interviews with politicians and artists alike. He welcomes Kimmel back to the show for his final edition of the program. Together, they consider what prevents us from truly listening to one another.
Haven Kimmel is a poet and author based in North Carolina. Raised in rural Indiana, she is known for her memoirs, “A Girl Named Zippy” and “She Got Up Off the Couch: And Other Heroic Acts from Mooreland, Indiana.” She is also the author of children’s books as well as a creative retelling of the Bible’s Book of Revelation. Kimmel currently serves as an instructor of creative nonfiction at The Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University.