In this episode of the Connecting Goodness podcast, Heidi talks with her Boston bestie, Victoria Burnham! Victoria shares her truly unique story that has taken her to Armenia, England, India, and across the Unites States. Victoria shares how God has guided her to move to these myriads of places and how the more she has done what God asks, the more …

Boanerges Alcántara (Yúnior) y Awilda Karina Pineda Acosta (Karina) son una familia muy especial de la provincia de Barahona en la República Dominicana. En este episodio comparten sus historias conociendo a Jesucristo. Hablan de su experiencia perdiendo un bebe y como su creencia en Jesucristo y su enseñanza de las familias eternas les ha fortaleci…

Join Jake Edwards, Jon Van Tassell, Katie Robison, and Heidi as they remember their experiences serving as missionaries in the Dominican Republic (DR) for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They talk about adjusting to life in the DR-including showering with cockroaches, learning Dominican slang, and constant blackouts! Jake talks abo…

In this episode, Rachel Chesney shares the incredibly personal story of her father leaving her family after 32 years of marriage and how she was able to see him as God does once she understood that Jesus Christ is our Advocate. Rachel talks about how her family embraced the idea that “the story is not over yet” and how God gives us grace and space …

Amber Olsen and Andrea Hardy talk with Heidi about growing up in San Diego, California together and how having friends that believed in Christ made all the difference during their childhood and teenage years. They remember watching the San Diego temple be built, attending seminary at 6:00 am every day, and how they supported each other growing up. …

Narcisa “Manuela” Ramirez Sanchez comparte un testimonio sincero y sencillo de Jesucristo y cómo tener fe en Él durante los desafíos. Narcisa vive en la provincia de San Juan en la República Dominicana. Trabaja como maestra, tiene tres hijos, y es miembro de La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Últimos Días. Narcisa habla de cómo Dios le h…

If you want to learn about how to minister like Jesus, listen to this episode! Emma and Morgan Mitchell are an Apartment Life Team at Shift Apartments in San Diego. They have worked in ministry together for 7 years. Emma and Morgan share memorable experiences from their work in ministry with youth and young adults. Morgan talks about ministering in…

In this episode, Citra shares her journey of growing up in Indonesia in a family with different belief systems. She shares how her mother provided a faithful example of navigating family relationships and remaining true to her faith in Christ. Citra also speaks about her experience with divorce. She shares the difficulties and hardships of that exp…

Heidi sits down to chat with her dad, Dirk Oliver! They dive into his story of choosing to follow Jesus Christ and how that decision changed his life and the lives of many others. Dirk talks about how to become dependent on Christ and how Christ helps us see that we are all part of God’s family. Heidi asks Dirk about his experiences as a bishop and…

Dan recorded LIVE from the Southwest Popular/American Culture Association Conference in Albuquerque, NM w/ USC colleagues Jen Sopchockchai Bankard & P.T. McNiff of the Long Take Review podcast. Shoutout to SWPACA, the tech guy who helped make this happen, and everyone that came out to support! Their presentation, “Between Two Scholastic Worlds: Tea…

In this episode, Heidi and Sheryn Shahwan-Solórzano have a conversation about their faith traditions. Sheryn is Muslim and Heidi is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Sheryn shares what she believes about God as a Muslim and how one of God’s names in Islam, is “The Most Merciful.” Heidi and Sheryn talk about shared beliefs…

During this episode Heidi talks with three mothers of children with special needs-her mom, Char Oliver, Chris McKendrick, and Karen Freeman. They share about how God prepared them to raise children with special needs. Char shares about praying for help when her daughter, Whitney, was born. Karen discusses the challenge of handing our problems over …

Certified health coach and group fitness instructor, Shaina Partlow, shares about how she has seen God move her to many places to be used in specific ways. Shaina talks about her journey to becoming a health coach, including all the work she put in along the way! Shaina also discusses her “why” for being a health coach and how God has given us our …

Today's episode is a little different than the others! Heidi shares a message about how she was prompted to get certified in skydiving and how learning about who God is helps us to trust and act on ANY prompting that we get from Him.By Heidi Oliver

In this inaugural episode of the Connecting Goodness podcast, Nicole Lyles shares her journey with the chronic illness of her daughter, Bri. Nicole tells about the life-altering moment when Bri received her diagnosis and what she has learned about trusting God and His plans for our lives. She highlights the importance of having faithful people in y…

In this episode with Zil Eiler, Zil talks with us about walking in the dark and following a spiritual prompting that led her to marry her husband, Steve. Zil discusses trusting in God and His image of us rather than the self-image we paint for ourselves. She shares how each of us are born for a purpose. Zil also tells us about being led to a career…

Welcome to the “Connecting Goodness” podcast! We are going to be connecting with people from all different backgrounds and hearing about how Jesus Christ has impacted their life story. We hope listeners will learn more about Jesus Christ and how He can impact every part of our lives.By Heidi Oliver

Content Warning: This episode has discussions about mental health issues, body dysmorphia, eating disorders, & suicidal ideation. Dan invites artist Dr. Ally Zlatar to talk about the imperative role artists & art play in the world to communicate empathy, create community, & as a tool for empowerment. This is such a deep episode with aContinue readi…

Dan invites Saint John’s University alum and the Founder & CEO of Your Instructional Designer Dr. Nicole Papaioannou Lugara. On this episode, Nicole reflects on her journey from PhD to CEO. She talks about creating and launching an instructional design company, what she believes the role of instructional design is in today’s world, some ofContinue …

Dan invites Nancy Stohlman back on Writing Remix to discuss recording the audiobook for her award-winning book Going Short: An Invitation to Flash Fiction, the growing genre of Flash Fiction, the importance of building a creative community to recover from burnout, doing promotion for her book during COVID-19 quarantine in 2022, and so much more.Con…

On this special episode of Writing Remix, Dan celebrates the 100th episode talking about some of the lessons he’s learned about himself as a writer, teacher, and podcaster. He reflects on the decision to pivot the focus of Writing Remix during the COVID-19 pandemic, how major news events impacted the podcast, how his understanding ofContinue readin…

Dan welcomes Leah Rubinsky, PhD candidate at the University of Washington and podcaster, to dive deeply into the grad student experience, confronting academic writing genres and styles, writing workshops and feedback, and the challenges of subverting the dissertation style to fit one’s research. Leah also talks about her research on “bad” mothering…

On this special episode, Dan speaks to participants at the 2023 SWPACA (Southwest Popular/American Culture Association Conference) in Albuquerque, NM. In just twenty-three and a half minutes you’ll hear about the Roswell event, making art on scratchboard, the interesting cultural history of the pink flamingo lawn ornament, decolonizing flavors, cof…

Dan welcomes Julia Reade from Nova High School in Seattle, WA to discuss the need for collaboration and communication between college professors and K-12 instructors, her experience teaching at Nova and applying an inquiry model of education, her amazing project “What Would the Mushrooms Say?” her experience as a doctoral student in Kentucky at Mur…

On this special episode, Dan talks with participants at the 2023 CCCC (Conference on College Composition and Communication) in Chicago, IL. Special thanks to everyone that took the time to talk, and thank you to the conference organizers. You’re going to hear about Awe Walks from Professor Jessica Shreyer, student podcast projects from Professor Mi…

Dan welcomes Dr. Lavar Pope from Arrupe College of Loyola University Chicago to discuss the communicative power of Hip Hop music, the multilayered lineage of Hip Hop music, the role of migration and diaspora, regional Hip Hop artists and their influences, and so much more. With longtime friend of the show Dr. Danielle Lee co-hosting,Continue readin…

Dan welcomes USC Writing Program instructor Professor Lilit Keshishyan to discuss the power of oral histories, her work with My Armenian Story at The Institute of Armenian Studies. She speaks about the impact of The Armenian Genocide & Diaspora, sheds light on what happened to Armenians during WWII, and so much more. This is such a deep episodeCont…

Dan welcomes Roseann Corey from Rosemont College to discuss how rhetoric can bring communities closer, navigating the competitive academic market, breaking the unwritten rules of academic writing with creativity, communicating across multiple generational gaps peacefully, multimodality, and so much more. Read and download the full transcript of thi…

Dan welcomes Riti Sharma on the podcast to discuss the many facets of the English language. Riti unpacks the complex linguistic landscape of India (where she lives & teaches), how examining the history of English exposes its complicated past, present, & future, essay writing as a genre, and the role orality plays in passing alongContinue reading "9…

Dan reflects on his journey from photography to English Professor using Gary Snyder’s essay “Etiquette of Freedom” to understand the empowering forces of wildness, wilderness, and being wild. He talks about his relationship with photography, how flash photography is like open class discussions, academia being a constant cycle of proving yourself, w…

CONTENT WARNING: Please be advised that this episode does contain conversations on abortion, sexual violence, assault and rape, mental health issues, racial violence, and torture. Listener discretion is advised Dan invites Stephanie Renée Payne, Danielle Lee, Leah Rubinsky, & Julia Reade to unpack & respond to the horrifying overturn of Roe v Wade,…

Dan invites Dr. Natalie Byfield, Dr. Raj Chetty, & Dr. LaToya Sawyer to talk about the creation of The Institute for Critical Race & Ethnic Studies (CRES) at Saint John’s University in Queens, NY. To best set the tone for this episode, here’s a quote from Dr. Natalie Byfield, the Founding Director of CRES: “IContinue reading "89. Building The Insti…

This is a celebratory episode to close out PRIDE Month 2022. Dr. Ashley King is an inspiration. Her work empowers students, invites them to thrive and cultivate not just meaningful projects, they cultivate meaningful experiences that show them what they can accomplish. I want to acknowledge all the awe-inspiring work that Dr. Ashley King isContinue…

Content warning for discussion of guns, genocide, violence, and mass shootings. Dan is joined by guest host Stephanie Renée Payne to talk to the author of Loaded: A Disarming History of the Second Amendment Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz about the constitutional history of the Second Amendment, the rise of white nationalism in the NRA, the role ofContinue re…

Dan invites Nat Garcia-Hammon (pronouns: they/them), a faculty member at Nova Southeastern University to discuss the challenges of teaching in Florida, practicing & embodying vulnerability in the classroom and beyond, the relationship between learning/knowledge creation and full-embodiment, Nat’s journey from Law School to Rhetorician, their Freire…

Dan invites fellow Saint John’s University alum, Dr. Cristina Migliaccio, from CUNY Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, NY to discuss culturally & linguistically inclusive digital pedagogy, the professional depth & dedication of the Medgar Evers College Adjunct Faculty, loving the craft of teaching, their graduate school experiences, the coded messag…

Dan invites fellow Saint John’s University alum Dr. Regina Duthely from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA to talk about the possibilities of digital teaching & digital rhetorics away from current Zoom-emergency pedagogy, the digital space being a place to fully embody the self, the burden of extra labor/service that scholars of color,Cont…

To celebrate National Poetry Month, Dan invites Elz on to discuss the release of their debut book did I tell You What Happened? a fragmented memoir, living & writing in Oxford, MS, the role writing plays to communicate and navigate Bipolar Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder, why we still have the need for genres, andContinue reading "83. Writin…

In the final special episode celebrating American author Jack Kerouac’s centennial birthday, Dan invites Advanced PhD scholar of American Literature Saloni Srivastava & Poet David O’Connor to talk about the all-consuming meditative power of driving on the road, living at The Kerouac house in Orlando, FL, the spiritual depth of Kerouac’s writing, se…

In the second of three special episodes celebrating Kerouac’s 100th birthday, Dan invited S.A. Griffin & Richard Modiano to talk about Kerouac’s contribution to American poetry, his haiku mastery, spiritual questing, the challenge of adapting Kerouac’s novels on film, and so much more. Listen to the first Kerouac episode: 80. Celebrating Jack Kerou…

In honor of Jack Kerouac’s 100th birthday, Dan invited writers and fellow Naropa alumni Tim Hernandez & Nate Jordan to talk about how Kerouac influenced their writing & personal journeys. They discuss Tim’s 2013 novel about Bea Franco (Terry/”The Mexican Girl” from On the Road) Mañana Means Heaven, understanding the influence of the published JoanC…

For February’s full moon, we’re so excited to welcome back Gabriela Houston to discuss her delightful new book, The Wind Child. As always, our discussion contains spoilers! If you haven’t already, be sure to listen to our first episode with Gabriela about her debut novel, The Second Bell. This episode was recorded via Zoom, so there may be occasion…

In Episode 79, Dan Dissinger is joined by guest host Danielle Lee to talk to Saint John's University alum Tara Bradway about life after the PhD, the complex issues facing contingent faculty, the challenges of being the artistic director of the Adirondack Shakespeare Company during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the role of isolation and mental health.…

In Episode 78, we talk to Brandon Martin about writing movie trailers, creating a comic strip, and finding inspiration in life experiences and other artistic pursuits.By Katie Robison

Happy full moon! We’re kicking off our sixth season with a discussion of The Wheel of Time (2021 Amazon series), based on the popular fantasy books by Robert Jordan–ft. adorable commentary from Jenny’s new puppy! CW: general mention of rape. Our theme song is “Moon and Spruce” by Sarah Little Drum. Links “The Wheel of Time isn’t the new Game of Thr…

In Episode 77, we talk with writer & Tulane professor Merissa Nathan Gerson about her book Forget Prayers, Bring Cake: A Single Woman’s Guide to Grieving, the many ways people experience grief in their daily lives, and the interconnected impact grief has on the mind, body, & spirit. Also, Dan & Merissa do some reminiscingContinue reading "77. Proce…

Happy Cold Moon (the longest full moon of the year)/ midwinter/ Yule/ all the things! Sending you best wishes for the holiday season and 2022. Our theme song is “Moon and Spruce” by Sarah Little Drum. Per usual, in our season finale, we award our annual Witchies for the following categories: WHICH WITCH… Inspired you to learn something new or to im…

In Episode 76, we talk to Dr. Cara Marta Messina about the academic job market, open-access research and critical fan studies, the parallels between fanfiction and fantasy football, and teaching writing for podcasting.By Katie Robison

In Episode 75, Dan & Katie answer questions from the audience about the Metaverse, the cost of higher education, teacher training and experiences, identity, and much more. If you have questions for us to talk about and answer on another Office Hours episode, you can email them to writingremixpodcast@gmail.com. People and Texts Mentioned in theConti…

In Episode 74, Dan interviews Katie about her science fiction and fantasy novels, her background in medieval literature, her journey getting into podcasting, and her new role as a book writing coach.By Katie Robison