Talking Sense Events

Mariah Levison and Rob Fersh help people find consensus on how to solve divisive issues, ranging from prison reform to what art should hang in the Minnesota Capitol. Learn how they do it in this MPR News Talking Sense conversation hosted by MPR News correspondent Catharine Richert.
At an MPR News Talking Sense event in Duluth on Thursday, Nov. 14th, 2024, Braver Angels co-founder Bill Doherty discusses how we can manage our emotions and relate to others in victory or defeat following the presidential election.
Polarization is fueled by how we talk about those on the other side of an issue. Too often, we ridicule, dismiss, or stereotype our fellow citizens. MPR News and Braver Angels hosted a free in-person workshop in Fergus Falls, Minn., at Fergus Brewing on Oct. 3. The goal was to make participants more aware of their own “inner polarizer” and how they can be critical without demonizing, dismissing or stereotyping large swaths of the population.
Has political polarization challenged relationships in your life? A Minnesota couple in a politically mixed marriage talks with two therapists and MPR News correspondent Catharine Richert about how to stay connected with family and friends, even when you disagree about politics.
As passions flare over the topic of immigration in national debates, residents of Worthington engaged in a much more nuanced conversation on the topic, sharing stories of how their families settled in the town in search of common ground.
MPR News, the nonpartisan organization Braver Angels and University of Minnesota-Rochester hosted an in-person conversation on April 24 for Talking Sense — our election-year reporting project that aims to help Minnesotans have hard political conversations, better.