Interviews with artists making unique contributions to human culture. 


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About the podcast

Nothing is more human than the act of creation. Whether a book or visual art or music or dance, a new community or a social movement, the urge to create something that didn’t exist before is one of our defining features. Join host Anthony Pinn for this compelling series of interviews with authors, sculptors, rappers, community organizers, and others making unique contributions to human culture in Pinn Drop.

Pinn Drop
host Anthony Pinn

Episodes

Seeing the secular | Phil Zuckerman

Anthony Pinn talks with author and sociologist PHIL ZUCKERMAN about the winding path that led him to secular studies and his serious concerns about the future of higher education.

Grieving while disbelieving | Candace Gorham

“When you are grieving, you are just at the bottom of the barrel, you have minimal energy, you have minimal life in you. Grief is such an ugly, scary, lonely thing. Don’t use your precious little resources in that moment to battle with somebody because they say ‘God bless you,’ or even “Can I pray…

Pushing back on bias with a Black A.I. | Philip Butler

Dr. Anthony Pinn sits down with Dr. Philip Butler, Assistant Professor of Theology and Black Posthuman Artificial Intelligence Systems at Iliff School of Theology, to discuss the ways artificial intelligence is understood and misunderstood, how our own human intelligence can make the best current and future use of this tool, and how a Black A.I.…

The subconscious gardener | Angelbert Metoyer

Anthony Pinn sits down with visual artist ANGELBERT METOYER to talk about acts of creation and destruction, Afrofuturism, and gardening the subconscious in deep time.

The raw truth of hip hop | Harry Allen

Anthony Pinn is joined by legendary hip hop activist and journalist HARRY ALLEN for a wide-ranging discussion of hip hop music and culture—past, present, and future.

A serious sense of play | Jamal Cyrus

Anthony Pinn talks with critically-acclaimed artist JAMAL CYRUS about his process, his values, and the place and purpose of art in our culture.

Why is your Jesus white? | Jeremiah Camara

Filmmaker JEREMIAH CAMARA: [Christians] have to realize that nobody made them special. Once we have that conversation, we can start to mend other fences. There’s no God that smiled upon you. Here in Cincinnati, I was at a restaurant. In this restaurant, there was this huge mural with a white Moses and white biblical characters.…

When to walk, when to fight | Nadya Dutchin

In this week’s episode of Pinn Drop, Anthony Pinn talks to Nadya Dutchin, executive director of the American Humanist Association, about a movement in need of new direction, the rise of young leaders, and the one priority of the moment that rises above all others. On pressing the humanist movement’s old guard to embrace change…

‘We’re still here, against all odds’ | Valerie Cassel Oliver

Host Anthony Pinn sat down with Valerie Cassel Oliver, curator of modern and contemporary art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. ANTHONY PINN: It seems to me that part of your work as a curator is forcing the recognition and the visibility of those who have been marginalized and rendered invisible. VALERIE CASSEL OLIVER:…

The untold history of Black freethought | Dr. Christopher Cameron

Ten years ago, a casual discovery while completing research for a book project led UNC historian Christopher Cameron to plunge into the nearly untold history of Black unbelief in the United States. He discusses both the history and the rich unfolding reality of Black freethought with host Anthony Pinn. Episode excerpt ANTHONY PINN: If you…

Small creatures and deep connections | Sasha Sagan

Anthony Pinn kicks off his new podcast with Sasha Sagan, author of For Small Creatures Such as We: Rituals for Finding Meaning in Our Unlikely World. Daughter of astronomer/educator Carl Sagan and writer/producer Ann Druyan, Sasha was raised with a sense of awe and wonder about the majesty of the universe, learning to see science…

Introducing PINN DROP with Anthony Pinn

Nothing is more human than the act of creation. Whether a book or visual art, music or dance, a new community or a social movement, the urge to create something that didn’t exist before is one of our defining features. Join humanist icon Anthony Pinn for the Pinn Drop podcast, a series of conversations with…