Channelling Your Superpower In Uncertain Times

WUNC News | By Frank Stasio,

Published December 20, 2018 at 12:11 PM EST

Host Frank Stasio talks with John Pavlovitz his new book 'Hope and Other Superpowers: A Life-Affirming, Love-Defending, Butt-Kicking, World-Saving Manifesto.'

John Pavlovitz is a North Carolina pastor who has experienced more than a handful of personal crises: he lost his job and his father within a short time span, and during the aftermath of the 2016 election, the now-progressive pastor lost his sense of optimism. In his new book, "Hope and Other Superpowers: A Life-Affirming, Love-Defending, Butt-Kicking, World-Saving Manifesto” (Simon & Schuster 2018), Pavlovitz calls for readers to dig deep and find their inner superhero and to use the power of gratitude, hope and action to change the world for the better.

Host Frank Stasio speaks with Pavlovitz about how his book invokes countless comic book and on-screen superheros and weaves together personal narratives from his own life.

Frank Stasio

Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.

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Laura Pellicer

Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.

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