Tapestrywith Mary Hynes

For decades, a pervasive myth that black men fought for the South in the American Civil War has plagued historians and distorted collective memory of that event. Historian Kevin Levin says that false narrative fuels the racial divide today.

Nygel Turner was expecting a history lesson when he toured a Louisiana plantation with his dad. His experience illustrates the harm that can come when parts of the story are distorted or erased.

This episode is a holiday favourite from the Tapestry vaults: a playful, thoughtful exploration of the ways different spiritual traditions think about light at the darkest time of the year.

Writer, consultant, and activist Margaret Wheatley believes civilization is on the brink of collapse. She is training ‘warriors for the human spirit’ all over the world to combat despair.

From plantation tours to the myth of the black Confederate soldier, the history of slavery and the American Civil War has often been whitewashed. In this special episode, Tapestry investigates how distorted versions of the past can do so much harm in the present.

Want to help build better world? Margaret Wheatley is training 'Warriors for the Human Spirit. Want to see the world in a new light? Riz Virk argues we are all living in a computer simulation.

Victor Wooten is considered one of the best bass players alive. His soulful conversation with Tapestry host Mary Hynes, punctuated by some exceptional bass-playing, is one our bass-playing host has never forgotten.

Serious academics have been speculating whether reality is a sophisticated, computer-generated simulation. Writer Rizwan Virk says religions around the world have long held the key to understanding how that might work.

At first glance, the life of a seventh-century teenaged Irish princess doesn’t bear much resemblance to our 21st century reality. But when writer Anne Thériault discovered St. Dymphna, she found a connection she didn’t expect… and it changed her life.

Priya Basil says when we welcome people into our homes and our countries, we strengthen the larger community and everyone benefits. Her new book, Be My Guest: Reflections on Food, Community and the Meaning of Generosity, is a meditation on what it means to both give and receive hospitality.

Writer Priya Basil reflects on the meaning of hospitality and generosity in our homes and our countries. And writer Anne Thériault tells the story of the 7th-century Irish saint that helped her overcome her fear of flying.

Meik Wiking, CEO of The Happiness Research in Copenhagen, wants us to become architects of our memories. He believes cultivating happy moments is empowering and crucial to our sense of identity. His latest book, The Art of Making Memories, offers practical ideas on how to create and cement your own joyous life experiences.

Feel like you’re constantly trying to declutter? Expert organizer Tracy McCubbin says there’s a deeply emotional component to our attachment to our belongings. In her new book Making Space, Clutter Free, McCubbin identifies seven ‘Clutter Blocks’ that keep people from letting go of their excess stuff.

Meik Wiking, CEO of The Happiness Research in Copenhagen, says cultivating happy memories is crucial to our sense of identity. Expert organizer Tracy McCubbin says there are some deeply emotional reasons we can't let go of our old belongings.

For decades, the relationship between police, people in the sex trade, and the media has been fraught with mistrust and mutual suspicion. Over the last 13 months, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, an organization called Thrive, and CBC NL have been working together to forge trust. What they’ve accomplished is extraordinary.

Police, media and people in the sex trade don't often trust each other. In N.L., that's changing.

Ronald Purser, a Buddhist teacher and a professor of management, advises us to approach mindfulness techniques with a critical eye. He says mindfulness practices have been co-opted by capitalist interests, freeing corporations and governments from responsibility for the larger issues at play in our stressful society.

Tapestry listener Nikki Reklitis thinks small talk gets a bad rap. She says casual conversations with neighbours and strangers, have gotten her through some very rough times.

Buddhist teacher and professor of management Ronald Purser makes the case that mindfulness is the new capitalist spirituality. And a Tapestry listener argues that small talk is anything but frivolous.

When Bruce Sweet retired as a United Church minister, he was on the lookout for a new way to connect with people in a spiritual sense. His new congregation includes trees as well as people, thanks to a Japanese practice called forest bathing.