Best Penn Memory Center Podcasts (2025)

1
"I Had My Old Girl Back" 39:56

13d ago39:56

39:56

In dementia care and research, it’s widely accepted that people living with advanced dementia often lose the ability to connect and communicate as they once did. However, one phenomenon has been the exception to the rule. “Paradoxical lucidity” is a term used to describe brief moments in which individuals with severe dementia suddenly regain clarit…

1
What Does Spring Smell Like? 10:54

1M ago10:54

10:54

What does spring smell like? What do you think is a beautiful sound? If those questions made you pause for a second and reflect, that’s exactly the point. These are examples of “beautiful questions,” open-ended prompts designed to push you beyond your everyday thinking and invite you to look at the world a little differently. Writer and artist Anne…

1
Dementia in 2025: An Expert Roundtable 36:05

3M ago36:05

36:05

Welcome to a special bonus episode of the Age of Aging! As we bring in the New Year, we're taking a moment to reflect on the key milestones in dementia research and clinical care from 2024 and share our excitement for what's ahead in 2025. Today’s episode features a conversation between three distinguished leaders in dementia research and clinical …

1
Season 2 Finale: Ideas We Should Steal 43:48

5M ago43:48

43:48

It’s the season 2 finale of the Age of Aging! To celebrate, we welcomed back guests from Seasons 1 and 2 and asked them to dream big to improve aging in America. In this episode, you’ll hear a wide range of ideas: from integrated child and eldercare to ballet training for young adults to walkable communities and many more. This episode is an opport…

1
Holiday Caregiving Tips 29:13

5M ago29:13

29:13

The holidays are a time for celebration, joy, and being with loved ones. Unfortunately, it can also be a time that brings stress and anxiety. Between travel, shopping, and managing family dynamics, this season can feel overwhelming. For caregivers and individuals with dementia, these challenges are often magnified. Travel and social gatherings can …

1
Building Trust 29:05

6M ago29:05

29:05

Providing equitable aging research and care faces a major barrier: minorities that are disproportionately impacted by dementia are greatly underrepresented. Data shows that Black and African American individuals are twice as a likely to develop dementia. Hispanic and Latino populations are one and a half times as likely. At the core of this issue i…

1
What's Your Voting Plan? 27:04

6M ago27:04

27:04

This November, millions of Americans will head to the polls for the 2024 presidential election. But while the right to vote is essential to our democracy, unfortunately, the process of voting can present unique challenges for individuals with disabilities like dementia, often requiring outside assistance. If you’re a caregiver, how much can you hel…

1
Arts on the Mind 27:53

7M ago27:53

27:53

An Alzheimer's doctor goes to the opera...This isn't the start of a bad joke; it's the result of a collaboration between the Penn Memory Center and leaders of Philadelphia's arts community. The first of its kind at PMC, the Arts on the Mind Festival explored the intersection of the mind and art over a two-month event span. Music, literature, visual…

1
In Sickness and in Health 22:12

7M ago22:12

22:12

Over the past two years, the world has seen major developments in Alzheimer’s disease treatment with the release of two new medications: Lecanamab, marketed as Leqembi, and Donanemab, marketed as Kisunla. These two treatments are the first of their kind to reduce the physical signs of Alzheimer’s disease in the brain and potentially slow down the p…

1
What's Next for the Age of Aging 9:48

7M ago9:48

9:48

The first four episodes mark the end of the first season of the Age of Aging. But don’t worry! The second season of the Age of Aging will resume two weeks from now. With a slightly different format, the stories of Season 2 will feature old and new voices from researchers, clinicians, and patients. In this episode, hosts Terrence and Jake reflect on…

1
Diagnosing Dementia 41:41

8M ago41:41

41:41

Diagnostic testing is at the heart of both the clinical care and research at the Penn Memory Center. Patients and research participants alike undergo various diagnostics such as PET scans, MRI scans, and cognitive tests. These tools help clinicians turn symptoms such as dementia into a diagnosis like Alzheimer’s disease. But what are these tests? A…

1
The Caregiving Episode 34:59

8M ago34:59

34:59

We often think of Alzheimer’s disease and other causes of dementia in terms of their impact on the individual living with the disease. Of course, this is with good reason: a person with an age-related neurological disease will experience difficulties in their day-to-day life incomprehensible to most others. However, for every patient, there is one …

1
Living Well with Purpose 42:49

9M ago42:49

42:49

We all hope that we can age with as much independence, purpose, and well-being as possible in our later years. Unfortunately, aging is never so straightforward and we will all face our own unique challenges and complexities as we get older. So, with all this uncertainty, how do we get the most out of this later stage of life? In our second episode …

1
Do I Want to Know? 45:54

9M ago45:54

45:54

Clinical advancements have made it easier than ever to learn your personal risk of developing age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Through genetic testing or biomarker measurement, you can learn if you’re more likely than your peers to develop dementia as you age. Do you want to know? In our first episode of the Age of Aging, we explore exactl…

1
Season 1 Teaser 3:37

10M ago3:37

3:37

A podcast about living well with an aging brain. Brought to you by the aging experts at the University of Pennsylvania. Supported by the Penn Memory Center, Penn FTD Center, Penn Institute on Aging, and Penn Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Episode 1 available Tuesday, 7/23By Penn Memory Center

1
Parts of parts: an interview with Larry Price 54:23

1y ago54:23

54:23

In Episode 78 of PennSound podcasts, poet Larry Price joins Al Filreis and William Fuller for an interview in the Wexler Studio at the Kelly Writers House to discuss his new book 1/0, as well as some of his earlier work. The three discuss various influences on Price's poetry, including his love of Shakespeare and his former work as a performance ar…

1
If we just had enough heart: an interview with Evie Shockley 54:40

1+ y ago54:40

54:40

In Episode 77 of PennSound podcasts, poet Evie Shockley sits down in the Wexler Studio at the Kelly Writers House for an interview about her work with Al Filreis, Tyrone Williams, Aldon Nielson, and William J. Harris. In this wide-ranging conversation, Shockley, Filreis, Williams, Nielson, and Harris discuss the scope and trajectory of Shockley's p…

1
A placeholder for memory: an interview with Sally Van Doren 44:59

1+ y ago44:59

44:59

In Episode 76 of PennSound podcasts, Sally Van Doren joins Al Filreis in the Wexler Studio at the Kelly Writers House for a discussion of her newest book, Sibilance (LSU Press, 2023). Van Doren reads aloud from her work, and the two discuss the practices of visual art and asemic writing that structure her life as an artist and inform her approach t…

1
Backwards and in circles: an interview with Willard Spiegelman 1:09:47

1+ y ago1:09:47

1:09:47

In Episode 75 of PennSound podcasts, Willard Spiegelman sits down with Al Filreis at the Kelly Writers House's Wexler Studio for a discussion on the underappreciated 20th century poet Amy Clampitt. The duo embark on a long exploration of Spiegelman's biography on Clampitt, Nothing Stays Put: The Life and Poetry of Amy Clampitt (Knopf, 2023). Spieig…

1
#5 My Life As A 30-Something Caregiver 21:56

2+ y ago21:56

21:56

Veronica is a young caregiver from Texas and the Founder of Dementia Care Warriors. Elizabeth is a young caregiver from New Jersey. Both of these young women share their candid experiences about what it's like to care for multiple family members living with Alzheimer's. Check out these links to learn more about young caregivers and the challenges t…

1
#4 Only You Can Help Prevent Financial Elder Abuse 22:13

2+ y ago22:13

22:13

Danny Hutcherson is a Financial Gerontologist and former US Marine. We sat down with Danny during our stop in Kentucky, to learn more about the growing issue of financial elder abuse and find out what we can do to be more proactive, when it comes to money matters and our aging family members. Check out the link below to learn more about the topics …

1
#6 The Gut Brain Connection and Lessons in Living Longer 23:27

2+ y ago23:27

23:27

Dr. Robert P. Friedland shares a bit about his research related to gut-brain connections, as well as the importance of storytelling in the scientific journey. Check out these links to learn more about Dr. Friedland and the topics discussed in this episode: Robert Friedland paper National African American Alzheimer Disease Health Literacy Program Na…

1
#7 The Future of Medicine Will Be Powered By Your Personal Story 24:12

2+ y ago24:12

24:12

Jason Moore, PhD. is now Chair of the Department of Computational Biomedicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA. At the time of this interview (2019), Jason was Director of the Penn Institute for Biomedical Informatics. We sat down with Jason to learn more about the important connection between personal story and patient data, and w…

1
#3 Diagnosed at Age 51: A Story of Servant Leadership 26:57

2+ y ago26:57

26:57

Jeff Borghoff was diagnosed with younger onset at the age of 51. During our stop in New Jersey, Jeff and his wife Kim shared their experiences with us and offer a candid look into the challenges they continue to face, as well as their advocacy work in the Alzheimer's community. Check out the links below to learn more about the topics discussed in t…

1
#1 How Your Story Helps Solve The Problem of Alzheimer’s 25:24

2+ y ago25:24

25:24

Dr. Jason Karlawish is Co-Director of the Penn Memory Center and author of "The Problem of Alzheimer's". We sat down with Jason during our stop in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to find out why our collective stories play such an integral role in scientists' understanding of Alzheimer's. Check out the links below to learn more about the topics discusse…

1
#2 Why Clinical Trials and The Scientific Journey Are So Personal 23:01

2+ y ago23:01

23:01

Anna Brocco, PharmD, MBA is Director of Operations & Clinical Research at Advanced Memory Research Institute of New Jersey. Jessica Langbaum, PhD is Director of the Alzheimer's Prevention Initiative, Banner Alzheimer's Institute, in Arizona. Both experts have dedicated their lives to furthering the science of Alzheimer's and dementia research. They…

1
Advance and retreat of energy: an interview with Gail Scott 1:02:43

3y ago1:02:43

1:02:43

In Episode 74 of PennSound podcasts, Christy Davids talks with Montréal writer Gail Scott about her recent release Permanent Revolution (Book*hug Press, 2021), a compilation of new and revised essays, including work that originally appeared in Scott's foundational feminist text, Spaces Like Stairs (Women's Press, 1996). The revolutionary character …

1
I will wear the mask: a conversation with Emily Abendroth and Jeff T. Johnson 1:18:31

3y ago1:18:31

1:18:31

In Episode 73 of PennSound podcasts, Jeff T. Johnson and Emily Abendroth exchange perspectives on how modular, nonlinear writing can open into enactive relationships that press readers and listeners alike beyond individual experience toward "critical empathy" and its relational tactics and strategies for living in common amidst social struggles tha…

1
I am the city: a conversation with Jill Magi and Davy Knittle 44:37

3y ago44:37

44:37

In Episode 72 of PennSound podcasts, Davy Knittle and Jill Magi spoke over Zoom about Magi's book Speech (Nightboat Books, 2019). Their discussion moved through many aspects of the relationship between the city and the woven object, such as the intersection of textiles and architecture; how weaving, like walking, teaches us to live in communities; …

1
Empathy under late capitalism: an interview with Danielle LaFrance 1:04:02

4+ y ago1:04:02

1:04:02

In Episode 71 of PennSound podcasts, Levi Bentley, Ted Rees, and Danielle LaFrance met in the Wexler Studio in November 2019 to discuss LaFrance's books Just Like I Like It and Friendly + Fire as a part of the Housework series. Their conversation touched on the gross and grotesque, "it" as ideology, abolishing the self and the "sovereign I," empath…

1
Taking up space: an interview with Sarah Rose Etter 24:17

4+ y ago24:17

24:17

In Episode 67 of PennSound podcasts, Sarah Rose Etter joined Jacket2 editor Julia Bloch in the Wexler Studio last September for a short reading from and discussion of her debut poetic novel, The Book of X, which appeared in 2019 from Two Dollar Radio. Etter and Bloch talked about the impact of open poetics and visual art upon Etter's prose style, t…

1
'Some quality of song': an interview with Al Young 1:14:03

5y ago1:14:03

1:14:03

In Episode 70 of PennSound podcasts, Al Young, Tyrone Williams, and William J. Harris joined Al Filreis in the Wexler Studio to discuss Young and his work. The conversation covered the relationship between Young's poetry and the Black Arts Movement, the role of music and jazz in his writing, and other figures with whom he was acquainted, such as po…

1
An openness to language: a conversation with Rodney Koeneke and Davy Knittle 38:02

5y ago38:02

38:02

In Episode 69 of PennSound podcasts, Davy Knittle hosted poet Rodney Koeneke in the Wexler Studio to discuss his book, Body and Glass (Wave Books, 2018). Their conversation touches on Koeneke's writing process and use of pronouns as a "distancing technique," the role of poetry — particularly experimental forms — in America today, and how joy might …

1
Not-me-ness: a conversation with Eileen Myles and Davy Knittle 46:13

5y ago46:13

46:13

In Episode 68 of PennSound podcasts, Davy Knittle and Eileen Myles had a conversation at Myles's home in the East Village in New York City in August, 2018, for this PennSound podcast. Their discussion began in the midst of an exchange about Myles's 1991 collection Not Me and changes in their neighborhood at the time. Conversation topics spanned "no…

1
Always with, never about: a conversation with Dani Zelko and Jennifer Ponce de Léon 1:08:39

5+ y ago1:08:39

1:08:39

In Episode 66 of PennSound podcasts, Argentine poet Dani Zelko was joined in the Wexler Studio at the Kelly Writers House by Jennifer Ponce de León to discuss North Border: forced migrations (Gato Negro, 2019), the latest installment of Zelko's Reunión project. Zelko and Ponce de León's conversation explores the Reunión writing procedure as a "reci…

1
Become something with other people: an interview with Wendy Trevino 1:13:40

5+ y ago1:13:40

1:13:40

In Episode 65 of PennSound podcasts, Wendy Trevino joined hosts Levi Bentley and Ted Rees for this PennSound podcast, the first in a series of intimate conversations in Housework's transition from reading series to recording series. Conversation topics included Barack Obama's appearance in Best Experimental Writing 2016, post-arrest listmaking, "un…

1
The poem is the memory: a conversation with William Corbett and Davy Knittle 44:47

6y ago44:47

44:47

In Episode 64 of PennSound podcasts, William Corbett visited the Kelly Writers House in October 2017 for a retrospective reading and conversation with Stan Mir in honor of the poet Michael Gizzi. During his visit, Corbett and Knittle had a conversation in the Wexler Studio about the work of New York School poet James Schuyler, whose Just the Thing:…

1
New writing through the Anthropocene: an interview with Allison Cobb and Brian Teare 56:39

6y ago56:39

56:39

In Episode 63 of PennSound podcasts, Allison Cobb and Brian Teare joined Julia Bloch, Knar Gavin, and Aylin Malcolm in the Wexler Studio at the Kelly Writers House on April 2, 2019, following their lunchtime discussion with scholars and poets from Penn's Poetry and Poetics and Anthropocene and Animal Studies reading groups. Our discussion ranged fr…

1
Loving the self in the world: a conversation with Jared Stanley and Brian Teare 53:59

6y ago53:59

53:59

In Episode 62 of PennSound podcasts, the Reno, Nevada–based poet Jared Stanley visited Philadelphia and the Kelly Writers House in April 2017 during a book tour for the release of EARS, which Sam Lohmann in The Volta has called "a manifesto of interdependence and susceptibility, a theory of the senses, and a deliberate sequence of jokes about lyric…

1
Woken up in the sun: a conversation with Samantha Giles and Jenn McCreary 43:59

6y ago43:59

43:59

In Episode 61 of PennSound podcasts, Samantha Giles visited the Kelly Writers House during her reading tour last December to talk with Jenn McCreary about her new collection, Total Recall, which was published by Krupskaya Press and which Daniel Borzutsky has described as a book that "powerfully and strangely melds autobiography, poetry, ethnography…

1
Dwell in an otherwise space: a conversation with Ted Rees and Ariel Resnikoff 1:12:34

6+ y ago1:12:34

1:12:34

In Episode 60 of PennSound podcasts, Ted Rees, who recently relocated from Northern California back to his hometown of Philadelphia, and Ariel Resnikoff, who recently relocated from Philadelphia back to his previous home in Northern California, met up at the Wexler Studio at the Kelly Writers House in October to read from and talk about Ted's new b…

1
A place that is living: a conversation with Sue Landers and Christy Davids 1:00:13

7y ago1:00:13

1:00:13

In Episode 59 of PennSound podcasts, Christy Davids returned to the Wexler Studio at Kelly Writers House earlier this year to chat with Sue Landers, whose 2016 book Franklinstein represents a documentary-poetic engagement with the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia. As she notes in this interview with Davids, Landers's work makes an argument a…

1
Through the door: a conversation with Rachel Levitsky and Davy Knittle 53:05

7+ y ago53:05

53:05

In Episode 58 of PennSound podcasts, Davy Knittle hosted poet Rachel Levitsky in the Wexler Studio to discuss her project during her residency at LMCC's Process Space on Governor's Island, "Mother of Separation." Their conversation centers on the role of space, scale, and queerness in Levitsky's work. Conversation topics spanned movement and desire…

1
Breaking down that I: a conversation with Trish Salah and Christy Davids 25:13

8y ago25:13

25:13

In Episode 57 of PennSound podcasts, Christy Davids and Trish Salah visited Kelly Writers House on February 10, 2017, for a reading and conversation. Davids and Salah talked about lyric form, origin stories, and the "problems of the self" before Salah read passages from Lyric Sexology, Vol. 1, and Wanting in Arabic. Shortly after this reading, Sala…

1
Soundtrack of your life: an interview with erica lewis 57:49

8+ y ago57:49

57:49

In Episode 56 of PennSound podcasts, Christy Davids visited Kelly Writers House on October 24, 2016, to talk with erica lewis, who was passing through Philadelphia to give a reading in Jason Mitchell's Frank O'Hara's Last Lover series in between stops in Pittsburgh and Brooklyn. While in the studio, lewis read some work and talked about her box set…

1
Adhered to them these extra meanings: Mike Hennessey picks five PennSound recordings 57:02

8+ y ago57:02

57:02

In Episode 54 of PennSound podcasts, Michael Hennessey, one of the founding participants of the PennSound archive, joins Al Filreis in the Wexler Studio to discuss Mike's top 5 PennSound picks.By Al Filreis

1
Forms of ritual: an interview with CAConrad 1:01:07

9y ago1:01:07

1:01:07

In Episode 55 of PennSound podcasts, CAConrad returned to the Kelly Writers House on January 27, 2016, to visit the Wexler Studio to speak with Julia Bloch and to read from ECODEVIANCE: (Soma)tics for the Future Wilderness, which appeared from Wave Books in 2014, as well as a number of new works generated from his ongoing performative and pedagogic…

1
To go forward: an interview with Brian Teare 1:04:19

9+ y ago1:04:19

1:04:19

In Episode 53 of PennSound podcasts, Brian Teare came back to the Kelly Writers House on October 30, 2015, to speak with Jaime Shearn Coan about his new collection of poetry, The Empty Form Goes All the Way to Heaven, published in 2015 by Ahsahta Press. Shearn Coan describes Teare's collection as one that imagines "how to language what is un-langua…

1
To open things up: an interview with Jerome Rothenberg 1:06:55

9+ y ago1:06:55

1:06:55

In Episode 52 of PennSound podcasts, on September 10, 2015, Jerome Rothenberg re-visited the Kelly Writers House to give an evening reading. A few hours earlier, Ariel Resnikoff and Al Filreis met Rothenberg in the Wexler Studio for an extended interview/conversation that ranged across many epochs, poetic modes, and topics. Among them: the new youn…

1
Trouble the pronoun: an interview with Brent Armendinger 54:28

9+ y ago54:28

54:28

In Episode 51 of PennSound podcasts, the Los Angeles-based poet Brent Armendinger visited Philadelphia and the Kelly Writers House in April 2015 during a book tour for the release of The Ghost in Us Was Multiplying, which Bhanu Kapil has described as a book that "traces the index of an intense need: the kind of contact that can't be assuaged by tou…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Penn Memory Center Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide