re:verb Podcast
@reverb-podcast.bsky.social
Rhetoric and cultural studies podcast project from Alex Helberg, Calvin Pollak, Sophie Wodzak, and Ben Williams. Podcasting about politics, culture, and language in action from an academic perspective.
www.reverbcast.com
www.reverbcast.com
In the fall of 2023, @bkwilliams21.bsky.social sat down with @llamasjr.bsky.social to discuss his book _Border Tunnels: A Media Theory of the US-Mexico Underground_ and the politics surrounding media depictions of border infrastructure and immigration
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
E84: Toward a Media Theory of the U.S.-Mexico Underground (w/ Dr. Juan Llamas-Rodriguez) — re:verb
On today’s show, Ben sits down with Dr. Juan Llamas-Rodriguez, Assistant Professor at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, to discuss his research at the intersect...
www.reverbcast.com
December 16, 2025 at 6:52 PM
In May of 2024, following police crackdowns on Palestinian solidarity protests at colleges across NYC, @oliviawood.bsky.social joined us to discuss the rhetorical strategies used by student organizers to advocate for disclosure and divestment on their campuses
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
E92: Academic Organizing and Palestinian Solidarity (w/ Olivia Wood) — re:verb
On today’s show, Alex is joined by Olivia Wood, a lecturer in the English Department at City College of New York (CCNY) to discuss the recent escalations of force by the NYPD and campus administrators...
www.reverbcast.com
December 16, 2025 at 6:52 PM
We've also been graced on multiple occasions by our friend @world-on-a-wire.bsky.social, first to discuss his corpus linguistic analyses of Trump's rhetoric during the early days of COVID-19...
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
E40: Presidential rhetoric, unmasked (w/ Dr. Cameron Mozafari) — re:verb
The president and his administration use rhetoric every day in speeches, press conferences, and written texts like executive orders and proclamations, but the material effects of this discourse can so...
www.reverbcast.com
December 16, 2025 at 6:52 PM
In another Halloween special in 2021, we sat down with the amazing @bernadettecalafell.bsky.social to discuss her work on the power and perils of *monstrosity* in academia, popular culture, and politics
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
E59: The Power and Perils of Monstrosity (w/ Dr. Bernadette Calafell) — re:verb
It’s spooky season, and you know what that means: time for another thrilling and chilling re:verb Halloween Special! This year, Alex and Calvin are honored to be joined on the mic by Dr. Bernadette ...
www.reverbcast.com
December 16, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Our friend and fellow CMU PhD alum @nathanpensky.bsky.social joined us in 2022 to discuss his incisive critical review of Steven Pinker's _Rationality_, and the general tendency of "disciplinary drift" in his work as a whole
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
E64: "Rationality" Bites - Steven Pinker's Disciplinary Drift (w/ Dr. Nathan Pensky) — re:verb
In his most recent book, Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters , Harvard University cognitive psychologist and noted Jeffrey Epstein associate Steven Pinker argues that “ration...
www.reverbcast.com
December 16, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Another power-guest on the show has been @krp.bsky.social, who joined us for TWO Halloween episodes (in 2019 and 2021) to discuss the rhetoric of horror cinema, past and present (2019 episode linked below, 2021 episode in the next post)
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/201...
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/201...
E29: The Rhetoric of Horror Cinema w/ Kendall Phillips — re:verb
Today we have the distinct privilege of discussing horror cinema, culture, and politics with Kendall Phillips, professor in the department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies at Syracuse Universit...
www.reverbcast.com
December 16, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Back in the Spring of 2023, @erinbrockcarlson.bsky.social joined the show to discuss her work on rural advocacy and environmental justice in the wake of the East Palestine, OH chemical spill
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
E79: Legitimizing Situated Knowledge in East Palestine, Ohio (w/ Sophie Wodzak & Dr. Erin Brock Carlson) — re:verb
On February 3, a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying vinyl chloride and other hazardous chemicals derailed in the town of East Palestine, Ohio. Fearing an explosion, emergency crews conducted a co...
www.reverbcast.com
December 16, 2025 at 6:52 PM
In 2023, @bradvivian.bsky.social joined us on the show to discuss his (ever-timely) book Campus Misinformation, and the history / present of moral panics and culture wars surrounding college and academia, as well as their implications for academic freedom
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
E78: Campus Misinformation and Academic Freedom (w/ Dr. Brad Vivian) — re:verb
Trigger warning: if you are offended by evidence-based arguments against moral panics surrounding higher education, listen with discretion! Light kidding aside, this episode addresses a very seriou...
www.reverbcast.com
December 16, 2025 at 6:52 PM
We were lucky to be joined on the show by @jamesjbrownjr.bsky.social for not one, but TWO amazing episodes in the past several years:
In his first appearance, we discuss Jim's paper on how *Epicrisis* is used as a rhetorical strategy on social media platforms
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
In his first appearance, we discuss Jim's paper on how *Epicrisis* is used as a rhetorical strategy on social media platforms
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
E35: Epicrisis for an epic crisis (w/ James J. Brown, Jr.) — re:verb
With COVID-19 necessarily reducing our face-to-face interaction, we are increasingly reliant on digital tools -- from conferencing software like Zoom to social networks like Twitter -- to mediate our ...
www.reverbcast.com
December 16, 2025 at 6:52 PM
In February 2022, we sat down with @rhetoricpj.bsky.social to discuss his book _I the People_, unpacking the fraught history of "populism" and tracing various strands of the conservative movement that prefigured the Trump presidency
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
E65: I The People: Conservative Populist Rhetorics (w/ Dr. Paul Elliott Johnson) — re:verb
Although “populism” is a term that has been rigorously discussed and theorized in political science and communication studies, the term has received special attention ever since the political rise and...
www.reverbcast.com
December 16, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Back in the summer of 2023, we were honored to be joined by @emilymbender.bsky.social to discuss the rhetoric of AI hype and her critical work contextualizing Large Language Models for the public.
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
E82: The Rhetoric of AI Hype (w/ Dr. Emily M. Bender) — re:verb
Are you a writing instructor or student who’s prepared to turn over all present and future communication practices to the magic of ChatGPT? Not so fast! On today’s show, we are joined by Dr. Emily M. ...
www.reverbcast.com
December 16, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Back in March of 2024, following the self-immolation of Aaron Bushnell, we spoke with @jamescsanchez.bsky.social to discuss his work on social movement rhetoric, his award-winning documentary Man on Fire, and the historical resonances of extreme forms of protest www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
E87: Self-Immolation as Rhetorical Protest (w/ Dr. James Chase Sanchez) — re:verb
Disclaimer: This episode covers sensitive issues related to suicide and self-harm. If this topic makes you uncomfortable, we recommend skipping this episode. If you or someone you know is in crisis, i...
www.reverbcast.com
December 16, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Check out our episode from aaaaallll the way back in November of 2022 (ah, memories!), where we sat down with @sscottgraham.bsky.social to discuss the implications of AI writing tools and academic integrity. 3 years later, the conversation still holds up!
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
E75: A.I. Writing and Academic Integrity — re:verb
“A.I. Is Making It Easier Than Ever for Students to Cheat,” proclaims Slate . The Chronicle of Higher Education asks, rhetorically: “Will Artificial Intelligence Kill College Writing?” And the New...
www.reverbcast.com
December 16, 2025 at 6:52 PM
... and again in 2024 to discuss his co-authored article on how distance and suffering are rhetorically registered in news reporting on US drone strikes in the Middle East.
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
E89: Distance and Suffering in News Reporting (w/ John Oddo, Cameron Mozafari, & Alex Kirsch) — re:verb
On today’s show, Calvin and Alex sit down with the co-authors of a hot-off-the-presses article in Discourse & Society about journalistic reporting on US drone strikes in the Middle East: Dr. Joh...
www.reverbcast.com
December 16, 2025 at 4:57 PM
... and again in 2024 to discuss his co-authored article on how distance and suffering are rhetorically registered in news reporting on US drone strikes in the Middle East.
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
