Bklyn Mixtape

Hear Me Out was an audio storytelling workshop series at BPL, co-produced by Virginia Marshall, UnionDocs, and lead instructor Stephanie Foo. Ginger’s Bar in Brooklyn is one of only fifteen lesbian bars left in the United States. After it closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, Taylor Cook, CUNY graduate student in critical disability studies, talked to the owner of Ginger's Bar, Sheila Frayne.

Hear Me Out was an audio storytelling workshop series at BPL, co-produced by Virginia Marshall, UnionDocs, and lead instructor Stephanie Foo. What is shelter when it's no longer temporary? Omar Etman tells the stories of people who spent years in New York City homeless shelters that were designed for temporary occupancy.

Hear Me Out was an audio storytelling workshop series at BPL, co-produced by Virginia Marshall, UnionDocs, and lead instructor Stephanie Foo. During her anxiety-ridden pandemic pregnancy and birth, Elisabeth Donnelly, journalist and writer, made a radio piece about her pregnancy.  

Hear Me Out was an audio storytelling workshop series at BPL, co-produced by Virginia Marshall, UnionDocs, and lead instructor Stephanie Foo. William ‘Billy’ Braithwaite was well known in Guyana and the diaspora for his work in the airline industry. When he migrated with his family to the USA in 1981 Mr. Braithwaite became a businessman and was reveled for his philanthropy and community involvement. This is not a story about his life, but the consequences of his death. His namesake, Billie Braithwaite Jones, lost her father recently to COVID-19. Unlike others who accept the death of their loved ones as a tragic effect of the pandemic, Billie believes her father was murdered by the US government.

Hear Me Out was an audio storytelling workshop series at BPL, co-produced by Virginia Marshall, UnionDocs, and lead instructor Stephanie Foo. There's more to Brooklyn than hipsters, craft beers and fixie bikes. Honeychild Coleman spoke with a few Brooklyn residents about why they love Kings County and life here During COVID-19. Kentucky native Honeychild Coleman is a composer/musician, activist, and resident DJ in New York City at Artists & Fleas and The Beauty Bar, and has lived in Brooklyn for over 25 years. Coleman's political punk band is The 1865.

Hear Me Out was an audio storytelling workshop series at BPL, co-produced by Virginia Marshall, UnionDocs, and lead instructor Stephanie Foo. Jasmyne Roberts's grandmother came to Brooklyn from Vietnam in 1979, with her husband and nine children. In order to keep her sons out of gang activity in Borough Park, she opened a restaurant and solicited the help of her children, keeping them out of trouble and supporting her family at the same time.

Hear Me Out was an audio storytelling workshop series at BPL, co-produced by Virginia Marshall, UnionDocs, and lead instructor Stephanie Foo. Yejin is an equity-informed career & leadership coach, and a racial justice consultant. For her story, she interviewed Frances, a Black Puerto-Rican farmworker in Brooklyn who began her life thinking she'd become a music journalist, but then had a winding journey that led her to land work.

Hear Me Out was an audio storytelling workshop series at BPL, co-produced by Virginia Marshall, UnionDocs, and lead instructor Stephanie Foo. Raul Rothblatt is a Brooklyn activist who became passionate about Downtown Brooklyn’s unique history in 2004 when he joined Joy Monroe and family in the fight to save 227 Abolitionist Place, a likely spot on the Underground Railroad. He lives in Prospect Heights with his wife and two children and he is on the staff of Council Member Robert Cornegy.

Hear Me Out was an audio storytelling workshop series at BPL, co-produced by Virginia Marshall, UnionDocs, and lead instructor Stephanie Foo. Shivram Viswanathan studies economics, political science and spiritual music from different cultures. He is currently in South Korea on a fellowship, but is usually a resident of Harlem. His story is about musicians in America that perform South Indian classical music, called Carnatic music, and how they navigate their different identities through this art.  

Hear Me Out was an audio storytelling workshop series at BPL, co-produced by Virginia Marshall, UnionDocs, and lead instructor Stephanie Foo. Mingy Dworcan is a Chassidic Jew living in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. She grew up in South Africa where she developed a love and appreciation of all ranges of people and cultures. "Universal Love: How a Rebbe in Brooklyn Influenced a Chassid in Africa" is a small peak into a world she is passionate about: navigating Chassidic life in a modern society.

Hear Me Out was an audio storytelling workshop series at BPL, co-produced by Virginia Marshall, UnionDocs, and lead instructor Stephanie Foo. Glynn Pogue is a writer and educator from Bed Stuy, Brooklyn. BedStuyBrat was her AOL Instant Messenger name back in the T-Mobile Sidekick days, and the moniker still applies, as much of Glynn’s works centers around her community of brown people and brownstones. "Bed Stuy Kids" introduces listeners to her community while meditating on class, belonging and authenticity. 

BPL's Matthew Irizarry interviews the band, "All My Friends Are Stars." Musicians Americk Lewis, Nicholas Sosin, Naiika Sings and Tony Mazz tell BKLYN Mixtape what it was like to record their first album at the library, share their musical philosophy as well as stories from their annual festival in Sweden.

BPL's Matthew Irizarry interviews Brooklyn-based photographer Lolita Lens (https://www.lolitalens.com/) about her work. Librarian Melissa Morrone shares an excerpt from Susan Sontag's "On Photography."

Macon Library is in the heart of Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant, a vibrant neighborhood that is home to a lot of writers. For a special edition of BKLYN Mixtape, we gathered aspiring and established writers to share their advice and encouragement about how to keep writing and how to get published. Featured writers include: children’s book author Rita Meade, Dr. Dora Gray, author of a book for middle-grade readers, and novelist Brian Platzer.

BKLYN Outpost Redux is an audio series developed to offer adult and young adult residents in Brooklyn family shelters the interest of expanding their digital knowledge through storytelling.   Shanette's story follows her experience as a POC parent of a child with special needs.

BKLYN Outpost Redux is an audio series developed to offer adult and young adult residents in Brooklyn family shelters the interest of expanding their digital knowledge through storytelling. Shanette's story follows her experience as a POC parent of a child with special needs. 

BKLYN Outpost Redux is an audio series developed to offer adult and young adult residents in Brooklyn family shelters the interest of expanding their digital knowledge through storytelling. Dani talks about women in Hip Hop and how it has changed over the years.

>BKLYN Outpost Redux is an audio series developed to offer adult and young adult residents in Brooklyn family shelters the interest of expanding their digital knowledge through storytelling. Tanika talks about the impact that poetry has had on her life and reads a poem of her own.

BKLYN Outpost Redux is an audio series developed to offer adult and young adult residents in Brooklyn family shelters the interest of expanding their digital knowledge through storytelling. Sonya talks about building a relationship with yourself to improve your life.

BKLYN Outpost Redux is an audio series developed to offer adult and young adult residents in Brooklyn family shelters the interest of expanding their digital knowledge through storytelling. Alexis's story follows her experience living with lupus.

BKLYN Outpost Redux is an audio series developed to offer adult and young adult residents in Brooklyn family shelters the interest of expanding their digital knowledge through storytelling. Lorena talks about her experiences with Santeria, and her perspective on it.

BKLYN Outpost Redux is an audio series developed to offer adult and young adult residents in Brooklyn family shelters the interest of expanding their digital knowledge through storytelling. Tamara shares a song and talks about things that make her happy.

BKLYN Outpost Redux is an audio series developed to offer adult and young adult residents in Brooklyn family shelters the interest of expanding their digital knowledge through storytelling. Joanne talks her life as a mother, and her hope to see the world.

Arlene Ducao is an educator and technologist in Brooklyn. Find her and her project at http://www.arlduc.org/ 

Who Tells Your Story is a program aimed at increasing BPL’s outreach efforts to older adults; fostering digital literacy and promoting personal ownership of stories they can create. Rona interviews her Midwood neighbor Joan about her life in Brooklyn.

Who Tells Your Story is a program aimed at increasing BPL’s outreach efforts to older adults; fostering digital literacy and promoting personal ownership of stories they can create.   Sylvia interviews Elliot about changes in the Kings Highway neighborhood, where he’s lived for 70 years.

Who Tells Your Story is a program aimed at increasing BPL’s outreach efforts to older adults; fostering digital literacy and promoting personal ownership of stories they can create. Mariu interviews Ursula about her experience of being retired after a long career in New York City.

Who Tells Your Story is a program aimed at increasing BPL’s outreach efforts to older adults; fostering digital literacy and promoting personal ownership of stories they can create.   Fredrick interviews his oldest sister about her first impressions arriving in the United States.  

Who Tells Your Story is a program aimed at increasing BPL’s outreach efforts to older adults; fostering digital literacy and promoting personal ownership of stories they can create.   Elliot interviews Sylvia about her life and career in Brooklyn.

Jaime Lee Lewis is a artist, poet, writer, and educator based in NYC, who uses the Info Commons recording studio to create the music and poetry that adds to his growing brand of artistic content.  Interviewed by Info Commons Librarian Phillip Bond

Sina Zekavat is an urbanist, architect, and city explorer that engaged in a conversation with Information Commons Librarian Melissa Morrone about architecture, gentrification, housing justice, and the changing urban space that is now Brooklyn New York.

As a local filmmaker, oral documentarian and storyteller, Jamie has been a very gracious Info Commons patron who offers her own expertise and advice to our podcast project. Jamie has a wide range of work in film and video, oral history recording, and podcasting, as well as partnerships with different local organizations, including Brooklyn Public Library. She has also featured the work of her storytelling project “Squirrels Stories” here at the info Commons. Stay tuned to hear snippets of three interviews from the upcoming oral history project on Gentrification called “Brooklyn Transitions Oral History Project” also created by librarian/interviewee Phillip Bond.

Meet your local artist collective, Cósmica, self described as "a feminist art collective that strives to unite and support womyn artists and professionals from alternative, under-represented, and diverse backgrounds". Barbara Calderón & April Ibarra Siqueiros share the many wonders of creating your art and helping others to foster creativity. Keep listening for featured music from Info Commons studio user Freddie Cosmo.

Meet native New Yorker and musician Robert Leach. Robert currently lives in Brooklyn and frequents the Central Library, so it was only natural for him as a musical composer to take advantage of the Information Commons recording studio. Robert was part of the first wave of artists to utilize the studio space and create musical compositions. Enjoy his music and conversation with Info Commons librarian Phillip Bond. Keep listening for our first Mixtape short: a children's story read by Windsor Terrace librarian Jane Palmer.

We interview Alex and Becky Chipkin who have been providing printmaking workshops at the Info Commons over the last few years. As twin artists and activists they share what printmaking means to them, how they came to the art form and what having a printing press on bicycle is all about.