In the Meanwhile

Marcus Harrison Green & Nora Kenworthy
  • 5.0 (14)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated Weekly

No hot takes. No empty platitudes. No easy hope. Just real talk about how we hold onto our humanity, build something better—and maybe even laugh along the way. Bring snacks. Bring questions. We're figuring this out together.

  1. 8h ago

    Ep 60: Making Mutual Aid Radical Again with Dean Spade

    What if we've been asking the wrong question all along? Instead of waiting for institutions that are failing us to finally come to the rescue, what if our real survival has always depended on each other? This week, Dean Spade returns to the podcast to join Nora and Marcus for a timely conversation about the newly updated edition of Mutual Aid. Together they unpack why mutual aid isn't charity but a practice of solidarity, resistance, and collective power with a long and radical history.  From authoritarianism and democratic backsliding to climate disruption and collapsing public institutions, Spade argues that the way through this moment isn't individual resilience or hoping for our institutions to save us, but communities learning to organize, care for one another, and build the relationships that make a different future possible. If you've been wondering what hope looks like in hard times, this conversation offers something more powerful: a roadmap for action. Mentioned in the episode:  ICE Murders | Detention Center Deaths | Mutual Aid | Love in a F*cked Up World [book] and [podcast] | Five Questions for Cultivating Solidarity | In Defense of Looting  | Tiny Gardens Everywhere | Death Panel Podcast | Love in a F****d up World: Resentment | An Unquiet Mind | 2025 Andrew Carnegie Fellow: Nora Kenworthy Follow and Support Dean's work: Dean Spade - Patreon Support the pod: Donate here to support In The Meanwhile Follow us: Instagram | BlueSky | Website Read Nora and Marcus's Books: Crowded Out: The True Costs of Crowdfunding Healthcare | Readying to Rise Music: No Tears for a Wolf · Ahamefule J. Oluo · Okanomodé. Used with permission. Logo by Nikki Barron. Transcripts are machine-generated and imperfect. Nora and Marcus's work on the podcast is separate from their professional roles and does not represent the views of their employers.  Links to bookshop.org are affiliate links.

  2. Jul 10

    Ep 59: Two Nations, One Grief with Nilu Jenks

    This week, Nora and Marcus sit down with Iranian American democracy advocate Nilu Jenks for a deeply personal conversation about war, diaspora grief, authoritarianism, and the deadly lie of "liberation" through violence. Drawing from her family's lived experience in Iran and her work for more representative democracy here in the U.S., Jenks brings clarity, grief, and fierce moral vision to a moment shaped by propaganda, profound uncertainty, and the human cost of minority rule. It's a moving, unflinching conversation about pain, memory, resistance, and what solidarity, accountability, and freedom demand, both abroad and at home. The interview in this episode first aired in March 2026. Mentioned in the episode:  The Skepchic Rebecca Watson on Graham Platner | FIEL Houston | Nilu Jenks | Ten steps towards fascism | Rumi | Seattle's 1st homicide-free month since 1970 | Bloomberg: The Fun Shortage is Real |  Support the pod: Donate here to support In The Meanwhile Follow us: Instagram | BlueSky | Website Read Nora and Marcus's Books: Crowded Out: The True Costs of Crowdfunding Healthcare | Readying to Rise Music: No Tears for a Wolf · Ahamefule J. Oluo · Okanomodé. Used with permission. Logo by Nikki Barron. Transcripts are machine-generated and imperfect. Nora and Marcus's work on the podcast is separate from their professional roles and does not represent the views of their employers.  Links to bookshop.org are affiliate links.

  3. Jul 3

    Ep 58: America, It's Time for Us to Grow Up with Eddie S. Glaude Jr.

    What does it mean to celebrate America at 250 if we've never been honest about the story we've been telling ourselves?   This week, Nora and Marcus sit down with Eddie Glaude Jr. for a conversation that's equal parts history lesson, therapy session, and reality check. Drawing from his new book, America, U.S.A.: How Race Shadows the Nation's Anniversaries, Glaude argues that America's biggest problem isn't that we don't know our history. It's that we're deeply invested in the fairy tale version of it. Together they explore why Glaude won't say he loves America, why he refuses to give up on it, what Frederick Douglass still demands of us 250 years after the nation's founding, and why growing up as a country means letting go of comforting myths. Along the way, they wrestle with grief, patriotism, memory, James Baldwin, Juneteenth, raising children in uncertain times, and the difference between loving a nation and loving its people. One of the most vulnerable conversations we've had on In the Meanwhile, it's less an interview than an invitation to confront the stories we've inherited and decide whether we're finally ready to write a more honest one. Mentioned in the episode:  SCOTUS: Birthright Citizenship * Campaign Finance * Trans Athletes in Schools | The Atlantic: Trump's 250th is a FIasco | Melania the cow | Civic Bravery at Georgia Pride | Civic Bravery episode | Fruity Farm Tennessee | White House considering issuing 250 pardons | DHS tracked down Pagelynn Gonlea | Prairieland Sentencing | America, U.S.A.: How Race Shadows the Nation's Anniversaries | Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own | Randall Robinson Quitting America | Hannah Arendt | James Baldwin | Joel Thompson | East Coker by T.S. Eliot | Buffet pausing giving to Gates |  Support the pod: Donate here to support In The Meanwhile Follow us: Instagram | BlueSky | Website Read Nora and Marcus's Books: Crowded Out: The True Costs of Crowdfunding Healthcare | Readying to Rise Music: No Tears for a Wolf · Ahamefule J. Oluo · Okanomodé. Used with permission. Logo by Nikki Barron. Transcripts are machine-generated and imperfect. Nora and Marcus's work on the podcast is separate from their professional roles and does not represent the views of their employers.  Links to bookshop.org are affiliate links.

  4. Jun 26

    Ep 57: Better a Radical than a Pushover with Pramila Jayapal

    This week Nora and Marcus speak with Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal about what Democrats keep getting wrong, why "moderation" so often means surrendering before the fight starts, and whether the left might finally be done asking permission to act like it has a spine. We talk Medicare for All, immigration, trans rights, the Epstein files, and the political class's ongoing refusal to understand that people would, in fact, like to afford housing and remain in possession of their civil rights. Jayapal makes the case for a Democratic Party that actually delivers, a politics rooted in moral clarity rather than consultant leftovers, and a version of hope that feels less Hallmark card, more organized resistance. Mentioned in the episode:  Leftward wave in Democratic primaries! | 21st Century Road to Housing vs. Save America Acts | NYT Siena poll about Dems & socialism | Seattle Pride | Seattle broke two public transit records last week | Seattle's waterfront park Support the pod: Donate here to support In The Meanwhile Follow us: Instagram | BlueSky | Website Read Nora and Marcus's Books: Crowded Out: The True Costs of Crowdfunding Healthcare | Readying to Rise Music: No Tears for a Wolf · Ahamefule J. Oluo · Okanomodé. Used with permission. Logo by Nikki Barron. Transcripts are machine-generated and imperfect. Nora and Marcus's work on the podcast is separate from their professional roles and does not represent the views of their employers.  Links to bookshop.org are affiliate links.

  5. Jun 19

    Ep 56: The Border Between Fear and Humanity with Father Ray Riding

    This week on In the Meanwhile,  while billionaires flirt with trillionaire status, ICE detention centers face hunger strikes, and America's political class continues its speedrun through late-stage empire, we sit down with someone doing something radically unfashionable: caring about people. Father Ray Riding is a 76-year-old Catholic missionary who has spent the last two years accompanying migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border. From leaving water in the desert to visiting detention centers and supporting families facing deportation, Father Ray bears witness to the human stories too often reduced to political talking points. In a conversation about cruelty, faith, solidarity, and hope, he shares what he has seen, why he believes love is stronger than hate, and what it means to stand with people in their darkest moments. It's a moving reminder that behind every immigration debate is a human being whose story deserves to be heard. Mentioned in the episode:  Obama Center Opening Ceremony | Reflecting Pool turning green | New World Screwworm | Delaney Hall Hunger Strike | MN Indictments | $96.7 B contribution to economy by undocumented immigrants | Knicks win! | Kansas marching band plays Algerian national anthem |  More about Father Ray: https://www.thebeliever.net/only-god-will-judge-us/  Support the pod: Donate here to support In The Meanwhile Follow us: Instagram | BlueSky | Website Read Nora and Marcus's Books: Crowded Out: The True Costs of Crowdfunding Healthcare | Readying to Rise Music: No Tears for a Wolf · Ahamefule J. Oluo · Okanomodé. Used with permission. Logo by Nikki Barron. Transcripts are machine-generated and imperfect. Nora and Marcus's work on the podcast is separate from their professional roles and does not represent the views of their employers.  Links to bookshop.org are affiliate links.

  6. Jun 12

    Ep 55: The Bill Chill vs. the Epstein Files with Tim Schwab (re-air)

    It's been another "37-day week" in America, and In The Meanwhile is doing what it does best: refusing to let the chaos set the agenda. On the heels of Bill Gates' Congressional appearance to be questioned about his role in the Epstein Files, we revisit a prescient conversation from March with Tim Schwab, investigative journalist and author of The Bill Gates Problem.  Schwab walks us through the Gates - Epstein connections, and how these implicate not just the two men, but the hyper powerful institutions that burnished their reputations. Schwab reveals the dangerous alchemy of extreme wealth alongside the "good billionaire" mythology. He breaks down why Gates' "I didn't know" era doesn't pass the smell test, how philanthropy can function as reputation-laundering and influence-buying, and why the so-called "Bill Chill" keeps Seattle institutions and media hesitant to speak plainly, even when the story is screaming. Mentioned in the episode:  As Congress probes Gates about Epstein, the Walls Close in | Is Bill Gates in the Epstein files? Probably |  The Epstein files should end Bill Gates's philanthropic career | Erasing Gates Seattle's Favorite Philanthropist Faces Campus Reality Check from UW Student | NYT Opinion: This Summer, Students From Hundreds of Colleges Will Heed One Urgent Call | Half of Americans want to Abolish ICE More from Tim Schwab: Tim Schwab on Substack | On X | on BlueSky | The Bill Gates Problem | on LinkedIn Support the pod: Donate here to support In The Meanwhile Follow us: Instagram | BlueSky | Website Read Nora and Marcus's Books: Crowded Out: The True Costs of Crowdfunding Healthcare | Readying to Rise Music: No Tears for a Wolf · Ahamefule J. Oluo · Okanomodé. Used with permission. Logo by Nikki Barron. Transcripts are machine-generated and imperfect. Nora and Marcus's work on the podcast is separate from their professional roles and does not represent the views of their employers.  Links to bookshop.org are affiliate links.

  7. Jun 5

    Ep 54: The Art of Calling in with Loretta J. Ross

    This week on In The Meanwhile, Marcus sits down with Loretta J. Ross — activist, MacArthur Fellow, Smith College professor, and one of the most clear-eyed movement builders of the last five decades — to talk about her new book, Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You'd Rather Cancel. The conversation couldn't be more timely. With Democrats tearing each other apart in the run-up to the midterms and the left running on indignant anger, Ross offers something rarer and more useful than a hot take. From deprogramming white supremacists to teaching convicted rapists feminist principles, she's spent her career finding ways to reach people in order to build coalitions that win. Together, she and Marcus dig into the seductive pull of call-out culture, why purity politics is losing us elections we should be winning, and what it actually looks like to hold people accountable — with compassion, with strategy, and without burning your coalition to the ground. Along the way, Ross gives us a pragmatic roadmap for winning, using the "truth, time, evidence and history" we already have on our side. It's a recipe for justice borne from a lifetime of hard-won wisdom, and it couldn't be more necessary for the moment we're in.  NOTE: this episode refers to sexual assault and rape. Please take care while listening. Mentioned in the episode:  Trump bday party | Blanche canceled crybaby fund | WaPost Irizarry | Pulte BB&B conspiracy theories | Bedbugs invade administration | Charles Douglas III episode | Loretta Ross | Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You'd Rather Cancel | 13th (2016) | Pancreatic cancer treatment breakthrough | The Sheltering Sky   Support the pod: Donate here to support In The Meanwhile Follow us: Instagram | BlueSky | Website   Read Nora and Marcus's Books: Crowded Out: The True Costs of Crowdfunding Healthcare | Readying to Rise Music: No Tears for a Wolf · Ahamefule J. Oluo · Okanomodé. Used with permission. Logo by Nikki Barron. Transcripts are machine-generated and imperfect. Nora and Marcus's work on the podcast is separate from their professional roles and does not represent the views of their employers.  Links to bookshop.org are affiliate links.

  8. May 29

    Ep 53: A Politics of Grace with Jaelynn Scott

    This week on In The Meanwhile, Marcus and Nora spiral from Mark Zuckerberg's $300 million "Launch Pad" yacht docking in Seattle, conveniently timed with 1,400 local layoffs, into a searching, deeply human conversation with housing advocate and legislative candidate Jaelynn Scott. Together, they unpack trans safety, housing justice, coalition-building, and what it means to practice 'grace in the streets' while communities face escalating political attacks. Along the way, Jaelynn offers a powerful vision of leadership rooted not in optics or ambition, but in care, urgency, and the belief that government should actually protect the people most vulnerable to harm. This episode offers all of us a view of what it looks like to actually govern like people's lives matter. Mentioned in the episode:  Zuckerberg's dumb yacht | Careless People | The Social Network (2010) | US justice department launches criminal investigation into Trump accuser E Jean Carroll | City of Seattle poised to declare a civil emergency for LGBTQIA+ refugees fleeing red states | No New Youth Jail | Estelita's Library | Fannie Lou Hamer | Juniper Blessing | Graystar | Republicans in South Carolina defy Trump to reject voting map changes | The Needling: Millionaires Tax Erases Only Advantage of Living in Sad, Barren Wasteland Support the pod: Donate here to support In The Meanwhile Follow us: Instagram | BlueSky | Website Read Nora and Marcus's Books: Crowded Out: The True Costs of Crowdfunding Healthcare | Readying to Rise Music: No Tears for a Wolf · Ahamefule J. Oluo · Okanomodé. Used with permission. Logo by Nikki Barron. Transcripts are machine-generated and imperfect. Nora and Marcus's work on the podcast is separate from their professional roles and does not represent the views of their employers.  Links to bookshop.org are affiliate links.

See All (63)

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

No hot takes. No empty platitudes. No easy hope. Just real talk about how we hold onto our humanity, build something better—and maybe even laugh along the way. Bring snacks. Bring questions. We're figuring this out together.

Information

  • Creator
    Marcus Harrison Green & Nora Kenworthy
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    63
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026
  • Show Website
    In the Meanwhile

You Might Also Like