Episodes 43
Avg. Duration 31m
Activity Dormant
Since Jan 2023
Latest Episode Sep 2025

Publishing Details

Schedule
Every 2 Weeks
Format
Episodic
Hosting
feed.podbean.com

About This Podcast

On The Ampersand, we interview guests who think of and as a verb—who imagine and create by colliding their interests. Hosted by Erika Randall, a dancer, professor, mother, filmmaker and writer, we will explore stories of people who lean into ANDing as a full sensory verb about experiencing and possibility. Join us and discover the alchemy of ANDing. Written and produced by Erika Randall and Tim Grassley. The Ampersand is a production of the University of Colorado Boulder’s College of Arts and Sciences.

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Recent Episodes

S4E10 To become a wild thing: Season Four finale with Joanna Lambert

Sep 07, 2025 39m

I read once that bravery required feeling tangible fear. A Shackleton-style blistering confidence that barrels into harsh landscapes is not, by definition, brave, because it refuses to acknowledge…

S4E9 Embracing (Family) Feud: Megan Stephenson

Aug 31, 2025 30m

A moment of honesty: This producer shies from conflict. Most often, when someone disagrees, I perceive it as intellectual arm-wrestling—the more clever person winning the day and their opponent…

S4E8 An optimist's guide to biological competition: Ed Chuong

Aug 10, 2025 30m

ANDers, today's episode is a doozy. Today, we sit with Ed Chuong, associate professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology and researcher at CU Boulder’s BioFrontiers Institute. Ed…

S4E7 The craft of a human moment: Nick Houy

Jul 27, 2025 27m Transcript

Okay ANDers, we need a moment to fawn. Today's guest, Nick Houy, is a Hollywood film editing badass with movie credits like Barbie, Little Women, Mid90s and Lady Bird. Full transparency, these are…

S4E6 Beginning with hello: Cleo Washington on student success

Jul 13, 2025 27m

Cleo Washington (DnceBFA'25) is a gifted dance performance artist who deftly performs pieces across styles—from ballet to house, Hip Hop to modern. Hers is a rare talent, but Cleo's journey to…

S4E5 Your chosen family: Sarah Looper

Jun 22, 2025 38m Transcript

Can we trust what we see on social? In the case of today's guest, the answer is adamantly the affirmative. Sarah Looper is a gifted sommelier and wine educator who has worked in the food and wine…

S4E6 Music for Leaving: Erika's debut novel

Jun 14, 2025 16m

Erika and Producer Tim discuss Erika's debut novel, Music for Leaving, its origin story, what makes the story grand and how Erika and Tim navigate feeling like imposters, even with a gorgeous book…

S4E4 Community through imagination: Marcia Douglas

Jun 08, 2025 33m Transcript

An encounter with the smallest material can spark nostalgia: the first bite of saltfish and home, the texture of satin and standing onstage, just the right weight of rain. While these unexpected…

S4E3 Finding fidelity: Monica LaBonte on the musician's road, teaching vocal lessons and parenting

May 25, 2025 32m Transcript

So many highlight their winding roads to self-discovery, but we still seem in a rush to get to our end fast. But could a wide curiosity of all of our becoming (i.e., reflecting on how you AND) help…

S4E2 The ANDertones: Dan Carlin on punk, narrative storytelling and exploring the past

May 11, 2025 40m

In an era marked by impatience and shortened attention spans — Hang on ... I forgot where I was going with that. — Anyway, today's guest is Dan Carlin, whose podcast, Hardcore History, is one of our…

S4 The Ampersand, Season Four Trailer

May 06, 2025 1m Trailer

ANDers, look at the horizon. Coming fast are an epic lineup of guests making up our fourth season of The Ampersand. Featuring Dan Carlin, Monica Labonte, Marcia Douglas, Sarah Looper, Cleo…

S3E10 OverANDing: Does ANDing encourage us to max out?

Dec 19, 2024 11m

What we love about ANDing is synthesizing our interests, personalities, cultures and experiences into a swirling, gorgeous human that is you. But does that variety implicitly encourage overdoing it?…

S3E9 When stories reflect the people we become: Jennifer Ho

Dec 02, 2024 39m

If storytelling is an art, today's guest is a maestro. Jennifer Ho is a professor of ethnic studies and director of the Center for Humanities and the Arts at the University of Colorado Boulder. On…

S3E8 Of Muppets, ground-truthing and jazz: An interview with Eric Small

Nov 18, 2024 33m Transcript

Beyond a wild ride of an interview, Eric Small gifted us a new favorite word that describes his hydrological research on water, energy and carbon budgets of the Earth's surface—ground-truthing. On…

S3E7 Building bookshelves of connections—Charles Eagan

Nov 04, 2024 29m

Empathy is trending again—we are reminded in venues as wide as SNL sketches and self-improvement podcasts that growing our capacities to step into another’s point of view and feel their perspective…

S3E6 Bringing change and finding community along the way: Eswari Duggarala

Oct 14, 2024 28m

Activists have expressed that the work of changing oppressive structures requires tirelessness and strength. When we consider how this looks lived out, striking photos and stories of campus protests,…

S3E5 When words become you: Julie Carr

Oct 01, 2024 31m Transcript

After reading a poem out loud, we hope you've had the experience of inexplicably welling with emotion. Be it joy, grief, adoration for beauty or those emotions harder to describe, we've found these…

S3 The Ampersand NYC: Coming Oct. 22 to Peoplehood in Chelsea

Sep 30, 2024 1m Trailer

The Ampersand is bringing ANDing to the Big Apple! Join Erika and Producer Tim for an evening of networking and nostalgia at the first roadtrip version of Arts & Sciences CU After Work. We're…

S3E4 Love what was. Live into what will be: Francois Baptiste

Sep 16, 2024 27m

Nostalgia can be tricky business. Love of the past can lead to a slowing stasis of the people we are/were or our refusal to let relationships evolve. But remembering places and experiences can fill…

S3E3 Dance down the street like you own it: Tin Tin Su

Sep 02, 2024 25m Transcript

Today's guest owns that dance. Tin Tin Su is an intellectual force, whose research on tiny fruit flies led to fresh discoveries and innovative approaches to radiation therapy for those living with…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does The Ampersand have?

The Ampersand has published 43 episodes since January 2023, covering topics in Documentary, Education.

Is The Ampersand still active?

The Ampersand is currently dormant with new episodes every 2 weeks. Average episode length is 31m.

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