As we prepare for our special Camp Stories episode in August, we wanted to take a look back at our very first episode that aired on May 18, 2022 featuring J.D. Jackson.
J.D. is an award-winning audiobook narrator with 400 credits to his name and counting. A 2020 inductee into AudioFile Magazine’s Golden Voices Hall of Fame, J.D. has plenty of experience behind a mic. For this inaugural episode of A Bend in the Road, join Roberta as she talks with J.D. about the teacher that changed his life, the process of interpreting books of all genres, and his magic remedy for keeping his voice in top form (hint: it involves a lot of licorice tea.) And who knows? Maybe that recipe will lead to your own bend in the road.

Ridgewood resident Danielle Cohen embraces not only the importance of eating high quality food, but also of culinary education. Danielle created SNACC, an after-school youth development program that provides weekly at-home cooking lessons led by professional chefs, helping students create healthy and eclectic dishes. Danielle knows top-grade food can impact quality of life and believes programs like SNACC can improve food security and youth outcomes. Things We Talked About in This Episode: SNACC Official website  SNACC Instagram  New York City Public Schools Mayor Eric Adams Episode Credits:  Our thanks to Danielle Cohen for joining us. You can learn more about the SNACC program by visiting https://www.snaccprogram.org/. A Bend in the Road is written, hosted, and executive produced by Roberta Panjwani and created by Roberta Panjwani and Diane Sims Our Assistant Producers and editors for this episode are Melissa Egan and Elias Rosner Our Technical Directors and Audio Engineers are Melissa Egan and Elias Rosner Original theme Music is written and performed by Diane Sims Our Digital Media producer is Melissa Egan Logo and Website created by Parker Gaidimas. Thanks for joining us and we’ll see you again at the next bend in the road.

The New York Times bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes, stopped by the Ridgewood Library for an author event to discuss her latest novel The Half Moon about a couple in a small town navigating the complexities of marriage, family, and longing. Host Roberta Panjwani–and audience members–asked Mary Beth about her creative process, writing during a pandemic, and the personal connections to the characters in this book.

From Trinidad and Tobago to the world stage, Sherma Andrews’ journey is nothing short of extraordinary. Starting at Boston’s Berklee School of Music, she’s played with some of the greats at venues like Lincoln Center and Madison Square Garden, leaving audiences spellbound. Roberta talks to Sherma about some of her greatest inspirations (Aretha, Whitney, Billie) and her lifelong mission of being a messenger of hope.

Fernando Fernandez has always had a passion for wine, so when his time in NYC’s financial industry was thrown into chaos by the Great Financial Crisis of 2008, he transformed that passion into an award-winning career out on the opposite coast. Join A Bend in the Road host Roberta Panjwani as she talks to Fernando about Puerto Rico, his favorite places to spend time, and creating a meaningful label.

Deborah Kampmeier’s move from the independent filmmaker on silver screen to prestige TV on The Gilded Age has a surprise first act appearance from Oprah and Ava DuVernay. Join Deborah as she sits down with Bend in the Road host Roberta Panjwani to talk about “The Ava Effect,” an accidental email that connected her to many of the best directors in the business, and some fascinating moments from Season 2 of The Gilded Age and Harlan Coben’s Shelter.