"Religion provides spaces for people to come together and feel welcomed. If we're humanists and want to find a space where we can do that, I think the answer is cultural spaces." — Alex Williams

Alex Williams is a poet, teacher, playwright, jazz singer, and LGBT advocate. Performing as Tiger Jazz and hosting The Dial Up open mic in Watford, Alex creates cultural spaces where people can gather, celebrate creativity, and build community without requiring shared religious belief.

This episode is about building humanist spaces that welcome the whole person, not just the rational mind. About recognizing that people leaving religion need places to gather on a Sunday that don't require a ticket or a degree in philosophy. And about how creativity can bridge the gap between religious community and secular freedom.

🎙️ In this episode

• Why cultural spaces, not just debate forums, are essential for humanist community
• The Dial Up: creating the friendliest open mic in Watford through active inclusion
• How open mics celebrate LGBT History Month and Black History Month as humanist events
• AI's risks to human connection, creativity, and critical thinking
• The Watford Humanists Arts and Music Festival (WHAM)
• Why Black humanists face unique challenges leaving religion within tight-knit families
• How religious language and rituals stay with us even after we stop believing
• Rewriting the Lord's Prayer as a secular tribute to his earthly father
• Books, performance, and creative work as archival records of human imagination

🎙️ Alex Williams performs

• "What's a Humanist?"
• "The Scientific Mind"
• "The Happy Humanist"
• "My Father"

🔗 Connect with Alex Williams at: thedialup.blogspot.com

📚 Alex's Books

• Secular Verses — poetry exploring the world from a humanist perspective
• Black Iris — poetry collection from two years living in Jordan
• His Hidden Wings — LGBT coming-of-age novel for young adults
• Wendy the Whale — children's book about humans living in harmony with nature

All available via thedialup.blogspot.com or Amazon.

Thanks for listening to the Secular Sankofa Podcast, produced by the Association of Black Humanists (ABH). If you enjoy the show, please follow, rate, and review — it helps more people discover Black humanist voices.

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🎙️ Podcast produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.

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🎶 Music: Icy by Jeff Kaale