Passion and Practicality: A Liberal Arts Podcast

In which hosts Paul Witcover and Melissa Hart welcome MFA instructor Jo Stout, the author of more than twenty romance novels, including contemporary romance, fantasy romance, and erotic romance under the pen names Joelle Nichole and Rachell Nichole. Join us as we discuss Romance, erotica, pseudonyms, genre-blends . . . and more!  

In which hosts Paul Witcover and Melissa Hart welcome instructor Kelly Ann Jacobson, whose new novel, Robin and Her Misfits, is a Queer retelling of Robin Hood. Join us as we discuss the enduring power of fairy tales and folk tales in fiction!

Get out your parchment and quill, it’s Constitution Day! In this episode, Dr. Rob Denning will discuss the historical origins of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, how legal and popular conceptions of the Amendment have changed over the decades, and how the Amendment is relevant to our present political sphere.
Dr. Denning is the Associate Dean for Southern New Hampshire University’s online graduate and undergraduate history programs, the host of the Working Historians podcast series, and producer of the Passion and Practicality podcast series.
This episode was originally released on the Working Historians feed.

In this episode, originally broadcast on February 4, 2022, Associate Dean Rob Denning describes the skills that students learn while in pursuit of a history degree that will be valuable on the job market after graduation (even in fields that don't include the word "history"). He also describes some of the ways that students can prepare for the job market before graduation.

Each year, to honor the graduates of the SNHU Creative Writing programs, six recent graduates are selected by faculty and deans to read from their work. This year, Word for Word is proud to present Amanda Garland (MA), Nicole Hansen (MFA), Melissa Kampfer (MA), Aaron Seaman (MFA), Kaylan Reid Shipanga (MFA), and Sheron Zellous (MA).

In which MFA instructor Stephanie Wytovich joins Dean Paul Witcover to discuss poetry and the fantastic, and the importance of poetry in a fiction writer's creative life. Wytovich's horror-themed poetry has won her praise and award nominations—most recently for her book Writing Poetry in the Dark, a Stoker Award finalist for Superior Achievement in Non-fiction.

Jeffrey Scheuer is a freelance writer who specializes in information ecosystems. Today, Jeff talks to the Passion and Practicality crew about his new book, Inside the Liberal Arts: Critical Thinking and Citizenship. In the book, and in this conversation, Jeff explains how critical thinking is specifically related to the liberal arts, and how critical thinking and the liberal arts are essential to the survival of democracy.

Join hosts Jacob Powers and Paul Witcover as they explore alternate pathways to publication with indie-publishing experts Gavin Grant, Michael La Ronn, and Terry Maggert in this special Word for Word panel discussion.

In which writer and Online MFA instructor Gabino Iglesias, whose breakout 2022 novel The Devil Takes You Home was a finalist for the Edgar and Stoker awards for Best Novel, joins Paul Witcover and Melissa Hart to talk about how sudden success can impact a writer's career trajectory and inner compass.

JP Madrid, Sr. Director of Design Innovation with Online Optimism joins SNHU's Peter Bartell to speak about preparing for the graphic design field, the importance of soft skills in receiving feedback and tools that folks may find of use as they look to enter the field of graphic design.