Fri, 15 May 2026 00:49:51 -0400 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2503651 en-us © 2026 What I Really Want to Talk About yes 71fd6c5a-8620-5442-bba8-7d0bc29d9083 Tim Monroe episodic false Did you know that Kareem Abdul Jabbar loves comic books and that Tom Hanks collects vintage typewriters. I Once talked to the Governor of one of our 50 states who waxed poetic about shoeing horses. Every single one of us has a passion, and a story to tell--something that lights us up. On this show, I sit down with fascinating people and we talk about the things that really matter to them and to all of us. It might be surprising, it might be funny , it might be deep…It’s What I Really Want to Talk About.

]]> Buzzsprout (https://www.buzzsprout.com) Tim Monroe https://storage.buzzsprout.com/yub9dyvwvw1qm4tooqrz6zv6eyy8?.jpg Kent Gilbert Really Wants to Talk About Sumo Wrestling Reverend Kent Gilbert is an ordained pastor in the United Church of Christ and since 1997 has served as pastor and teacher to Union Church in Berea, Kentucky. Kent has never been much of a sports fan, but having traveled to Japan multiple times, he has developed a passion for Sumo Wrestling. We discuss the rules, the strategy and the cultural significance of this fascinating and ancient sport that has been continuously practiced for more than 1,500 years. We discover that there is a lot more to it than just two very large men crashing into each other. 

]]> Reverend Kent Gilbert is an ordained pastor in the United Church of Christ and since 1997 has served as pastor and teacher to Union Church in Berea, Kentucky. Kent has never been much of a sports fan, but having traveled to Japan multiple times, he has developed a passion for Sumo Wrestling. We discuss the rules, the strategy and the cultural significance of this fascinating and ancient sport that has been continuously practiced for more than 1,500 years. We discover that there is a lot more to it than just two very large men crashing into each other. 

]]> Tim Monroe Buzzsprout-17345368 Mon, 16 Jun 2025 11:00:00 -0400 2643 1 9 full false John Siuntres Really Wants to Talk About Star Trek For 60 years now the starship Enterprise and all of its enduring characters have been wandering the galaxy in search of new life and new civilizations. John Siuntres has been on that trek since the very beginning. We talk about the enduring popularity of the Star Trek franchise and  why John has been hooked ever since Neal Armstrong and his crew landed on the moon. John is a podcast pioneer who is the host of Word Balloon, a long running pop culture podcast where he has done more than 1000 interviews with top creators in comics, TV and film. John had a podcast before anyone knew what a podcast was. We discuss the tv shows, the movies and why Star Trek and sci-fi in general remains relevant. 

]]> For 60 years now the starship Enterprise and all of its enduring characters have been wandering the galaxy in search of new life and new civilizations. John Siuntres has been on that trek since the very beginning. We talk about the enduring popularity of the Star Trek franchise and  why John has been hooked ever since Neal Armstrong and his crew landed on the moon. John is a podcast pioneer who is the host of Word Balloon, a long running pop culture podcast where he has done more than 1000 interviews with top creators in comics, TV and film. John had a podcast before anyone knew what a podcast was. We discuss the tv shows, the movies and why Star Trek and sci-fi in general remains relevant. 

]]> Tim Monroe Buzzsprout-17280752 Wed, 04 Jun 2025 10:00:00 -0400 3048 1 7 full false Denise Vargas Really Wants to Talk About Poetry and Living in a State of Wonder Denise Vargas is the Executive Director of El Hogar in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. The organization’s mission is to provide children from vulnerable conditions with the opportunity to become future leaders. She was born and raised in Tegucigalpa and has a BA from Dartmouth and an MBA. We talk about the state of wonder that poetry provides her, and how poetry is her way to express things that are hard to say in any another way and a way, as she says "to make the fleeting permanent." She describes her poetic process and reads from her own beautiful work. We discover the deep connection between her poetry and the work she does in Honduras to help children move out of the shadows and shine their own light.

]]> Denise Vargas is the Executive Director of El Hogar in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. The organization’s mission is to provide children from vulnerable conditions with the opportunity to become future leaders. She was born and raised in Tegucigalpa and has a BA from Dartmouth and an MBA. We talk about the state of wonder that poetry provides her, and how poetry is her way to express things that are hard to say in any another way and a way, as she says "to make the fleeting permanent." She describes her poetic process and reads from her own beautiful work. We discover the deep connection between her poetry and the work she does in Honduras to help children move out of the shadows and shine their own light.

]]> Tim Monroe Buzzsprout-17266713 Mon, 02 Jun 2025 10:00:00 -0400 2770 1 6 full false Chad Berry Really Wants to Talk About “Place” and How We Carry With Us the Places We are From. Chad Berry is a husband, a dad and a grandfather. He is the Vice President for Alumni, Communications and Philanthropy at Berea College and holds the Goode Professorship in Appalachian Studies as a Professor of History. We discuss place, placelessness and displacement in America, and the ways the places from which we come give us identity and can also sometime feel burdensome. We focus particular attention on the Appalachian region and how that place carries so much beauty, complexity and significance, and we worry about the loss of unique places in America. 

]]> Chad Berry is a husband, a dad and a grandfather. He is the Vice President for Alumni, Communications and Philanthropy at Berea College and holds the Goode Professorship in Appalachian Studies as a Professor of History. We discuss place, placelessness and displacement in America, and the ways the places from which we come give us identity and can also sometime feel burdensome. We focus particular attention on the Appalachian region and how that place carries so much beauty, complexity and significance, and we worry about the loss of unique places in America. 

]]> Tim Monroe Buzzsprout-17248971 Thu, 29 May 2025 14:00:00 -0400 2686 1 5 full false Amy Burkhardt Really Wants to Talk About Prince Amy Burkhardt is a successful higher ed fundraiser and the host of her own radio show focused on women artists. Since the age of five when her father brought home a mysterious red cloak that just might have belonged to Prince, she has been smitten. We talk about his boundary crossing music, his lyrics that made it ok to be different, and his status as a cultural icon. Amy also does a deep dive into Purple Rain--the song, the album, the movie, and the new musical which premieres in October in Minneapolis. Of course, Amy already has tickets. 

]]> Amy Burkhardt is a successful higher ed fundraiser and the host of her own radio show focused on women artists. Since the age of five when her father brought home a mysterious red cloak that just might have belonged to Prince, she has been smitten. We talk about his boundary crossing music, his lyrics that made it ok to be different, and his status as a cultural icon. Amy also does a deep dive into Purple Rain--the song, the album, the movie, and the new musical which premieres in October in Minneapolis. Of course, Amy already has tickets. 

]]> Tim Monroe Buzzsprout-17240386 Wed, 28 May 2025 10:00:00 -0400 2346 1 4 full false Dave Marran Really Wants to Talk About the History of Baseball on the White Sox Scoreboard

Dave Marran is a sportswriter and has been a member of the Chicago White Sox scoreboard operations team for decades. We talk about the pursuit of the perfect scoreboard stat, and the evolution of the fan experience at ballparks and stadiums. We also discover Dave is telling the history of the White Sox--and of baseball itself--one fascinating factoid at a time. 

]]>

Dave Marran is a sportswriter and has been a member of the Chicago White Sox scoreboard operations team for decades. We talk about the pursuit of the perfect scoreboard stat, and the evolution of the fan experience at ballparks and stadiums. We also discover Dave is telling the history of the White Sox--and of baseball itself--one fascinating factoid at a time. 

]]> Tim Monroe Buzzsprout-17236233 Tue, 27 May 2025 16:00:00 -0400 2441 1 3 full false Aaron Beale Really Wants to Talk About Watches Aaron Beale, is a husband,  a dad, a craftsman of fine furniture and the Vice President of Student Craft at Berea College, but what he really wants to talk about is watches.  We discuss  his love for beautiful and functional timepieces and the origins of this passion. We delve into deeper questions about the intersection of form, function and aesthetics, and even muse about the role of time keeping itself in this digital age where seemingly everything—except for maybe a mechanical timepiece—is disposable. We also touch on the notion of the watch as a marker of status and the keeper not just of time, but of a legacy. And, oh by the way, does anyone really know how all those gears and springs work anyway? 

]]> Aaron Beale, is a husband,  a dad, a craftsman of fine furniture and the Vice President of Student Craft at Berea College, but what he really wants to talk about is watches.  We discuss  his love for beautiful and functional timepieces and the origins of this passion. We delve into deeper questions about the intersection of form, function and aesthetics, and even muse about the role of time keeping itself in this digital age where seemingly everything—except for maybe a mechanical timepiece—is disposable. We also touch on the notion of the watch as a marker of status and the keeper not just of time, but of a legacy. And, oh by the way, does anyone really know how all those gears and springs work anyway? 

]]> Tim Monroe Buzzsprout-17190541 Mon, 19 May 2025 14:00:00 -0400 2568 1 2 full false Jacob Dickerson Really Wants to Talk About MonsterVision Dr. Jacob Dickerson is a husband , a dad and the Chair of the Communication Department at Berea College. He has a Ph.D in Communication, Rhetoric and Digital Media. His current research examines the idea of “memory ecology” which is made up of the collection of many remembrances of a particular event. But what he really wants to talk about is MonsterVision, the late night movie marathon series—hosted by Joe Bob Briggs—that ran on TNT throughout the 90’s. We discuss the enduring popularity of horror/slasher films, the concept of “camp,”  and Jacob does a deep dive  into the uncannily terrifying Blair Witch Project. We also examine his near-obsessive mission to re-watch and rate every single movie that aired on MonsterVision during its nine-year run.  And oh by the way there’s a shoutout to Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.

]]> Dr. Jacob Dickerson is a husband , a dad and the Chair of the Communication Department at Berea College. He has a Ph.D in Communication, Rhetoric and Digital Media. His current research examines the idea of “memory ecology” which is made up of the collection of many remembrances of a particular event. But what he really wants to talk about is MonsterVision, the late night movie marathon series—hosted by Joe Bob Briggs—that ran on TNT throughout the 90’s. We discuss the enduring popularity of horror/slasher films, the concept of “camp,”  and Jacob does a deep dive  into the uncannily terrifying Blair Witch Project. We also examine his near-obsessive mission to re-watch and rate every single movie that aired on MonsterVision during its nine-year run.  And oh by the way there’s a shoutout to Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.

]]> Tim Buzzsprout-17190493 Mon, 19 May 2025 14:00:00 -0400 1404 1 1 full false