Fresno's Best Jordan Mattox

Today, we have Dr. Lorin Lachs on the show. Dr. Lachs is a professor of psychology and the chair of the psychology department at Fresno State. He has a number of research interests including Multimodal speech perception, Perception of Spoken Language, Psycholinguistics, Perception of Virtual Reality, and Video Gaming Behavior, having published a number of academic articles in these fields. We have a wide ranging conversation that includes many of these topics, their practical, and a host of other topics including free will and determinism, neuralink, online language tools, the replication crisis and much more. Please enjoy our conversation.
Books:
The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language Steven Pinker
Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid Douglas R Hofstadter
The Expanse Boxed Set: Leviathan Wakes, Caliban's War and Abaddon's Gate James S. A. Corey

Today, we have Leonard L. Longmire on the show. Leonard is a professional DJ and general creator of vibes for the city of Fresno. This is an episode we gush about the music we love, explore DJs craft sets, discuss the importance of music venues, and much more.
Books:
The Isis Papers: The Keys to the Colors Frances Cress Welsing
Miles: The Autobiography Miles Davis
 

Today, we have Jon Forrest Dohlin on the show. Jon has been the Chief Executive Officer and Zoo Director of Fresno Chaffee Zoo since February 2021. Born and raised in California, Dohlin received a BA in Biology from Humboldt State University in Arcata, CA, and a Masters of Architecture from Parsons School of Design in New York. He worked for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) at the Bronx Zoo as an Exhibit Designer and in Construction Management before becoming the Director of the WCS New York Aquarium in 2008. This was such a fun conversation about one of Fresno's greatest attractions, and Jon seems like the perfect person to be at its helm. Please enjoy!
Books
A Different Nature: The Paradoxical World of Zoos and Their Uncertain Future David Hancocks
Alexander: The Ambiguity of Greatness Guy Maclean Rogers 
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store: A Novel James McBride

Today, we have Mas Masumoto on the podcast. A farmer, writer, and a repository of memories of the valley, Mas is a central voice in the region. I am so excited to have him on the show to talk about farming, memory, writing, agrarian ideas, glyphosate, real estate development, tell intimate family stories, mental illness, pickled peaches, and much more. Please enjoy my conversation with Mas Masumoto.
Masumoto Family Farm Website
Books:
Wendell Berry 
Michael Pollan
Book of Delights: Essays Ross Gay
The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck

In this episode, Joseph Rios makes a return to the podcast to discuss the upcoming book festival on May 4th from 9am-4:30pm at the Fig Garden Swim & Racquet Club. Mark your calendars! 

Today, we have Grace Berg and Andrew Feil of the Every Neighborhood Partnership (ENP) on the show. Partnering with churches, the ENP seeks to provide a number of critical resources to neighborhoods across Fresno, including school support, health and fitness, training, and much more. Grace and Andrew both bring a wealth of experience to their work and have just launched a new podcast called What's Good in the Neighborhood. Please enjoy our conversation!
ENP Website
Books:
Andrew: 
American Dirt Jeanine Cummins 
The Power of Saying No: The New Science of How to Say No that Puts You in Charge of Your Life Vanessa Patrick
Grace: 
She Deserves Better: Raising Girls to Resist Toxic Teachings on Sex, Self, and Speaking Up Sheila Wray Gregoire, Rebecca Gregoire Lindenbach, and Joanna Sawatsky 
Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation Kristin Kobes Du Mez