On April 25, 2026, Austin Community College hosted its annual Student Research Symposium event, showcasing outstanding original academic work by ACC students across all disciplines. Eleven ACC students were also honored at the annual Curiositas Academic Journal release ceremony, recognizing a carefully selected collection of noteworthy student submissions in the Liberal Arts.

For this episode I was joined by Brinda Roy and Alex Watkins, who respectively serve as faculty leaders for the Symposium and Curiositas programs. We were also honored to speak with Zoila Walston and Ashley Miramontes, two students who have been published in Curiositas.

• (00:00:00) - Austin Community Conversations
• (00:02:14) - The Conversation: Undergraduate Research
• (00:05:14) - The Future of the Liberal Arts
• (00:06:42) - Red Bench Interfaith Event Paper
• (00:10:52) - Ashley On Her Paper
• (00:13:40) - Ashley's Story of Scholarly Research
• (00:16:02) - The Ghost of Dorothy Barton
• (00:18:07) - Symphposium and the Liberal Arts
• (00:20:00) - The Center for the Liberal Arts
• (00:23:11) - The ACC Women's Symposium
• (00:29:44) - The Power of Academic Colloquia
• (00:32:33) - The Student Symposium and Curiosities Journal
• (00:37:42) - Ashley on her future
• (00:40:17) - Red Bench: The Literary Experience
• (00:46:32) - Share Your Paper With Family
• (00:52:37) - The Sensory Artists' Symposium
• (00:54:23) - CURIOSITY JOURNAL

Madeline Vosch teaches courses in Creative Writing, Humanities and Religious Studies disciplines at ACC. We discuss her book ‘Undead: A Memoir of My Suicide’, soon to be published by Beacon Press. The book integrates her interdisciplinary scholarly background and creative voice into a powerful invitation to explore the intersection of profound vulnerability and profound compassion.

Please note that this episode contains discussions of self-harm and suicide.

• (00:00:00) - Community Conversations
• (00:02:21) - How Teaching at acc involves three separate disciplines
• (00:04:48) - What's a Good Reason to Read Memoir?
• (00:10:48) - The Memoir of My Suicide
• (00:12:54) - memoir of my attempt to suicide
• (00:15:01) - Ray You White: A Memoir
• (00:18:03) - The Book of Writing
• (00:20:11) - Several Things That Can't Be Said in This Book
• (00:22:34) - The Story of Jairus Daughter
• (00:25:59) - A History of Madness: An Archaeology of That Silence
• (00:27:50) - This Book Fails in Its Argument
• (00:30:48) - Understanding the Reasons People Commit Suicide
• (00:34:03) - "Suicide: A Moral Failure?"
• (00:38:37) - In the Elevator With Suicidal People
• (00:46:08) - Austin Community College's Fight Against Suicide
• (00:50:41) - Talking To a Suicide Survivor

Bryan Port serves as the Director for the Center for Government and Civic Service at Austin Community College.

Bryan and his team bring civic engagement to life in new and innovative ways, and I invite you to learn about what they offer both to ACC’s students and the broader Austin community.

• (00:00:00) - Austin Community Conversations
• (00:01:10) - The Purpose of Public Education
• (00:03:04) - Brian Flannery on his Journey
• (00:04:17) - Professor Port on the Center
• (00:06:05) - The Center for Civic Engagement at Austin Community College
• (00:09:43) - The Civic Leadership Simulation
• (00:14:10) - The United Nations Climate Change Simulation
• (00:17:25) - Culture of Leadership Simulation
• (00:22:47) - The River Hacks Event
• (00:25:17) - The Center for Law and Community
• (00:33:13) - Questions for the Historians
• (00:36:33) - Community Partnerships at the Austin Center
• (00:39:32) - The Journalist Summit
• (00:41:22) - The Center for Clinical and Academic Research