Passion and Practicality: A Liberal Arts Podcast
Passion and Practicality is a podcast series produced by Southern New Hampshire University‘s online Liberal Arts department, which includes academic programs and courses in Communication, Composition, Creative Writing, English, Fine Arts, Graphic Design, History, Literature, and Philosophy. In this podcast series, faculty, staff, and guests discuss the career paths open to graduates of those programs, the research and creative work of practitioners in the field, and other interesting stuff.
Episodes

Friday Sep 29, 2023
Wireside Chat: Kelly Ann Jacobson
Friday Sep 29, 2023
Friday Sep 29, 2023
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!

Wednesday Sep 20, 2023
Constitution Day 2023: The Fourteenth Amendment and Modern United States History
Wednesday Sep 20, 2023
Wednesday Sep 20, 2023
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.

Sunday Sep 17, 2023
Careers in History with Dr. Rob Denning
Sunday Sep 17, 2023
Sunday Sep 17, 2023
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.

Friday Sep 15, 2023
Word for Word Spotlight on Creative Writing Graduates (2023)
Friday Sep 15, 2023
Friday Sep 15, 2023
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).

Friday Sep 01, 2023
Wireside Chat: Stephanie Wytovich
Friday Sep 01, 2023
Friday Sep 01, 2023
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.

Friday Aug 18, 2023
Friday Aug 18, 2023
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.

Friday Aug 04, 2023
Word for Word Presents: Alternative Publishing Pathways Panel
Friday Aug 04, 2023
Friday Aug 04, 2023
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.

Friday Jul 21, 2023
Wireside Chat: Gabino Iglesias
Friday Jul 21, 2023
Friday Jul 21, 2023
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.

Friday Jul 07, 2023
Friday Jul 07, 2023
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.

Friday Jun 23, 2023
Wireside Chat: Jeremy Flagg
Friday Jun 23, 2023
Friday Jun 23, 2023
In which Online MFA instructor and Romance/Speculative writer Jeremy Flagg joins Associate Dean Paul Witcover for a robust discussion of the impact of ChatGPT and other AI programs on creative writing, art, and publishing.