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51% #1594: UFO Culture; VA Couples Retreats; Mentoring Women Song Producers

On this week’s 51%, a science writer talks about UFO culture and science writing in general, the VA is teaching intimacy skills to try to save marriages, and a singer/songwriter encourages women to produce their own work.

Sarah Scoles is a freelance science writer. She is a contributing writer at WIRED Science, and a contributing editor at Popular Science. The 34-year-old published her first book in 2017 — “Making Contact: Jill Tarter and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.” She revisits the world of ufology in her new book “They Are Already Here: UFO Culture and Why We See Saucers.” She dives into such topics as the conspiracy-filled dark web to the hallways of the Pentagon in a search for answers. Scoles told 51%’s Elizabeth Hill that a 2017 New York Times article called “Glowing Auras and ‘Black Money’: The Pentagon’s Mysterious U.F.O. Program” sparked her interest and was a pivotal moment for ufology.

Military veterans are more than 60 percent more likely to separate or divorce than non-veterans. So the Department of Veterans Affairs is holding "couples retreats" to help former service members communicate with their spouses and work through tough times. Carson Frame reports from San Antonio for the American Homefront Project.

This story was produced by the American Homefront Project, a public media collaboration that reports on American military life and veterans. Funding comes from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Vicky Emerson is a Minneapolis based singer/songwriter/producer of Americana music. She co-founded Front Porch Music Group and mentors women with producing their own albums. Her most recent album is Steady Heart. KFAI’s Dixie Treichel produced this audio portrait. 

That’s our show for this week. Thanks to Tina Renick for production assistance. Our executive producer is Dr. Alan Chartock. Our theme music is Glow in the Dark by Kevin Bartlett. This show is a national production of Northeast Public Radio. If you’d like to hear this show again, sign up for our podcast, or visit the 51% archives on our web site at wamc.org. And follow us on Twitter @51PercentRadio

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