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Past Forward

pastforward.org
Japanese American Incarceration
Wildfires
Lawrence Ferlinghetti
First Amendment
Tule Lake
Protests
Watch Duty
Japanese American National Museum
Soil Health
Climate Change
City Lights Bookstore
San Francisco
Los Angeles
Loyalty Questionnaire
Amnesty International
Hold Our Ground
La Venezuela De Mi Corazon
Constructivism
Plumas County, United States
Literature

Civics and culture, from the past, forward. Past Forward is a national nonprofit dedicated to educational accessibility through broadcasting, publishing, and awarding creative work in service of civics and culture.

PublishesMonthlyEpisodes562Founded9 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
EducationSociety & Culture

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Artwork for Past Forward

Latest Episodes

A.C. Thompson is a senior reporter with ProPublica and producer and correspondent for the PBS documentary series FRONTLINE. His work has helped lead to the exoneration of two innocent San Francisco men sentenced to life in prison, the prosecution of ... more

Benjamin Henwood, PhD, LCSW is the Albert G. and Frances Lomas Feldman Professor of Social Policy and Health at the University of Southern California (USC). He directs the Center for Homelessness, Housing and Health Equity Research at the USC Suzanne... more

Dr. Gioia Woods earned her Ph.D. in English with an emphasis in American and Environmental Literature from the University of Nevada, Reno in 1999. She is a Professor of Humanities in the Department of Comparative Cultural Studies where she teaches cl... more

Dr. Gioia Woods earned her Ph.D. in English with an emphasis in American and Environmental Literature from the University of Nevada, Reno in 1999. She is a Professor of Humanities in the Department of Comparative Cultural Studies where she teaches cl... more

This is an introduction to Season Five of Chapters. In this episode we document the year 2025, with context from our past, and we learn moving forward. Our goal with this new series is to explore the word incarceration as it relates to the experience... more

When we started this project in August of 2024 we were focused on the fact that 18 out of the 20 most destructive fires in California’s history have happened in the last 25 years, and 15 of them in the last 10 years. Everything changed when we starte... more

Martin Puchner is the Byron and Anita Wien Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Harvard University, where he also serves as the founding director of the Mellon School of Theater and Performance Research. Puchner completed his BA at the ... more

Heidi Beirich is the Co-Founder, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism.  Beirich is also an Advisory Board Member of the Network for Hate Studies based out of the University of Ontario In... more

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Recent Guests

Gioia Woods
Author and scholar discussing Ferlinghetti, City Lights, and the Beat-era publishing world
University of Nevada Press / City Lights Bookstore
Episode: Dr. Gioia Woods
Donald Tamaki
Lead counsel involved in Korematsu litigation and Coram Nobis work
Kuremaki Tamaki & Associates (law firm)
Episode: Chapters: Season Five Introduction
Peggy Nagae
Lead counsel for Min Yasui's Coram Nobis case
Law firm/Abbreviated for episode
Episode: Chapters: Season Five Introduction
Dale Minami
Lead counsel for Fred Korematsu's Coram Nobis case
Dale Minami Law
Episode: Chapters: Season Five Introduction
Ann Burroughs
President and CEO of the Japanese American National Museum
Japanese American National Museum
Episode: Chapters: Season Five Introduction
Kathryn Bannai
Lead counsel for Gordon Hirabayashi's Coram Nobis case
Law firm/Coram Nobis project
Episode: Chapters: Season Five Introduction
Teresa Watanabe
Journalist (Los Angeles Times) referenced for historical coverage
Los Angeles Times
Episode: Chapters: Season Five Introduction
Kirn Kim
Former incarcerated individual with prison experience
Chapters program participant
Episode: Chapters: Season Five Introduction
Soji Kashiwagi
Family member connected to Tule Lake resistance
Kashiwagi family
Episode: Chapters: Season Five Introduction

Host

Jon-Barrett Ingels
Host of the Chapter's podcast series; guides interviews and discussion with a focus on civics, culture, and memory.

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Jaime L. Jacobsen
Q: Let's start by talking about how you found yourself in this world of documentary filmmaking. What drew you to this path?
I wanted to tell stories that combine art, science, and real people. I grew up loving both art and science, and I was encouraged by mentors, especially my family, to pursue storytelling that could engage the public on pressing issues like soil health and climate change.
Martin Puchner
Q: What role do accidents, like the burning of Pompeii or the preservation of Gilgamesh, play in shaping which texts survive to inform our climate understanding?
Accidents and material conditions determine which works endure; these serendipitous preservations create a palimpsest of human-planet interactions that thinkers can study to understand long-term patterns in culture and environmental change.
Martin Puchner
Q: If all that was left of humanity was literature, would there still be a clear understanding of human nature and our relationship to the planet?
Yes, because literature preserves lived experiences and relationships to place, resources, and technology, allowing future readers to infer how people navigated ecological pressures even when scientific records are absent.
Martin Puchner
Q: So, Martin, let's start with the inspiration and the journey of writing literature for a changing planet. How did ecology find its way into the path of a philosopher and literary critic?
Ecology arrived through recognizing that literature is not just about humans in isolation but about our entanglement with the environment; by reading world literature across ages and contexts, you see how societies imagine and respond to ecological realities, revealing long histories of environmental thought that predate formal climate science.
Tamiko Nimura
Q: When did the word incarceration become the preferred term for describing the Japanese American experience, and why does that distinction matter to you?
Nimura discusses adopting incarceration around 2010 after engaging with Tule Lake Committee and historians, noting that the term links camp experiences to broader forms of incarceration and supports a more accurate, justice-oriented narrative.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About Past Forward

What is Past Forward about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show centers on civics, history, and culture, weaving archival insight, legal history, journalism, and personal narratives to explore how past injustices, rights, and memory shape present-day conversations. Episodes frequently feature historians, lawyers, journalists, activists, and artists who unpack civil liberties, incarceration, landmark court cases, and the social consequences of policy decisions, often linking memory and democracy to current events. A standout throughline is the commitment to accessible education—through interviews, readings, and documentary storytelling—that foregrounds memory, resilience, and accountability. Listeners can expect rigorous context, diverse perspectives, and a thoughtful intersection of culture, l... more

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These podcasts share a similar audience with Past Forward:

1. The Shakespeare and Company Interview
2. The LRB Podcast
3. The New Yorker Radio Hour
4. The Interview
5. The Bulwark Daily

How many episodes of Past Forward are there?

Past Forward launched 9 years ago and published 562 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Past Forward?

Recent guests on Past Forward include:

1. Gioia Woods
2. Donald Tamaki
3. Peggy Nagae
4. Dale Minami
5. Ann Burroughs
6. Kathryn Bannai
7. Teresa Watanabe
8. Kirn Kim

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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