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Blogs & Podcasts

Find early literacy tips and children's books on the Children's Blog. Discover your next great read on the Books Movies Music Blog. Dig into Nashville history with the Community History Blog. Listen to stories, history, and culture on NPL Podcasts. Please see this Note for Readers.

anti diet christy harrison
Over half of Americans have dieted at some point in their lives. Upwards of 90% of those who have intentionally lost weight have gained it back within five years. Plus, over half of those who embark on weight-loss efforts, end up gaining more weight than they lost. Why are we so obsessed with dieting when it is clearly ineffective?  The problem is diet culture (aka the wellness diet): a system of beliefs that equates thinness to health and moral virtue. It promotes weight loss as a means of attaining higher status, and demonizes certain ways of eating while elevating others. Ultimately, it's sexist, racist, and classist, yet it's so enmeshed in our moral fabric that it's hard to recognize and extricate. Today, it masquerades as health, wellness, fitness, and inspirational Instagrams, but it's still all-consuming and harmful.
Podcast
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Welcome to The Arabian Nights Entertainments! This is the fourteenth of 16 parts that make up Andrew Lang’s The Arabian Nights Entertainments. In this series, you’ll hear some familiar stories, some new stories, and even stories within stories. Today’s story is The Enchanted Horse. A king is determined to possess a mechanical horse that can easily travel vast distances when his headstrong son leaps on without learning how to return home. After meeting (and falling in love with) a princess, the prince learns how to return home, and brings her home with him. When she is abducted and feigns mental illness, will the two young lovebirds ever find happiness?

Podcast
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Certainty ain't certain. Reasoning fluctuates. Thresholds contract. Questions emerge. Doubt abounds. Truth is, some things require re-examination, fresh eyes and shifting perspectives. If we're still thinking and speaking and believing old-school beliefs, perhaps it's time for a shift. How willing are you to see something differently?

Podcast
family folk tales logo

Welcome to The Arabian Nights Entertainments! This is the thirteenth of 16 parts that make up Andrew Lang’s The Arabian Nights Entertainments. In this series, you’ll hear some familiar stories, some new stories, and even stories within stories. Our story today is The Story of Ali Cogia, Merchant of Bagdad. A man is declared innocent of theft. Will the Caliph overturn a judgement after watching children play?

Body positivity is an important issue to address for young people. Self-esteem can have effects on confidence and academic achievement, as well as social-emotional skills. Establishing a healthy inner dialogue can shift every aspect of the human experience! Learn about a couple of captivating children's books about body image that can speak to kids and adults alike!