About the Event
Featuring Jennifer Carson and Marya Shegog
Severance Radio is an on-air book club dissecting Ling Ma’s satirical, dystopian novel Severance. The novel is a moving family story that explores loneliness, corporate monotony, and survival in the midst of a global health crisis.
Severance Radio airs on KUNV 91.5FM Sundays at 7 pm PST. Stream it live anywhere in the world at kunv.org/listen/.
Ways to Listen
Las Vegas: 7 PM at KUNV 91.5 FM | Stream it live: kunv.org/listen/
Reno: Noon at KWNK 97.7FM | Stream it live: kwnkradio.org/listen
About The Episode
In this episode, Severance Radio host Heidi Kyser interviews two public health experts, Jennifer Carson and Marya Shegog, as they examine who is most vulnerable in a pandemic. As we listen to the audiobook, you can follow along on pages 42 – 62 of the Severance paperback.
DISCUSSED: Loneliness, homelessness, mental health, ableism, the dehumanization of the “fevered”, rituals, structural oppression in public health, working conditions, economy vs human lives
Jennifer Carson works to envision and develop opportunities for individual and collective growth to combat ageism and ableism, and improve the inclusion and well-being of elders, with a particular interest in persons living with dementia. Jennifer is Director of the Dementia Engagement, Education and Research (DEER) Program in the School of Community Health Sciences at the University of Nevada, Reno. Jennifer also partners with the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine’s Sanford Center for Aging on a U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program grant. Her role is to provide comprehensive education for care partners of persons living with dementia and to conduct statewide outreach for the Improving Care of Elders through Community and Academic Partnerships (ICECAP Nevada) initiative, which includes interprofessional geriatrics and dementia care training for primary care providers, health professions students, long-term care professionals and family care partners.
Marya Shegog joined The Lincy Institute in September 2012 as its Director of Health Programs. She has worked as a research scientist for several federal and corporate entities and as director of a unique after-school program for children and emerging adults in urban, low-income communities. An advocate for HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness in minority communities, she has increased capacity among community-based organizations throughout the U.S. to better meet local needs while respecting each organization’s mission and vision. In addition to UNLV, she has held faculty/teaching positions at Hampton University, the University of South Carolina, and Cincinnati State College. She is a frequent speaker and facilitator at conferences, forums, and classes where she helps cultivate cultural competency among health care professionals. Her teaching and research interests focus on effectively identifying and addressing health disparities in order to eradicate them, developing cultural competency in health care, and shaping healthy communities through policy, programming, planning, and evaluation.
Severance Radio: A Nevada Reads Book Club is jointly produced by Nevada Humanities and the Black Mountain Institute, and is part of Nevada Reads, a statewide program of Nevada Humanities. This program is made possible with the support of: Nevada Humanities, Black Mountain Institute, Nevada State library, Archives and Public Records, The Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Nevada Center for the Book. The Nevada Center for the Book is a program of Nevada Humanities and is the state affiliate of the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress.