Oly Talks

What does family mean to you? The pandemic has highlighted the importance of family for so many of us. In this episode we talk to Katya Miltimore, who has family in Russia and in Ukraine. While the war in Ukraine has faded from the news, it is heavily impacting Katya's family. Here she tells us about her memories of Ukraine, it's beauty, and we remind ourselves of what a privilege it can be to be able to hug your loved ones. 

Spring has sprung! This episode is all about the positivity of community, family, and the force being with us. Plus, we've started including your voices, sharing your good news. 

After a pandemic hiatus, OlyTalks has returned to focus on the good things that are happening in our world, especially in Olympia and the south sound. Hope is something we really need right now. Join the conversation and share. Oly Fire Fund Relief Auction: https://www.facebook.com/events/4658464224279335

In our last two episodes we talk to two local experts about housing, and the increasing numbers of local residents who don’t have it.  Part 2 brings us back to Meg Martin, who was our first ever guest. Much has happened in Interfaith Works program that Meg runs, and she catches us up on this year’s worth of steps forward.

In our last two episodes we talk to two local experts about housing, and the increasing numbers of local residents who don't have it. Part one of our conversation is with Cary Retlin, Olympia's housing expert. Cary talks to us about how much housing is actually available, and about projects on the horizon to ease burden lack of housing in our community.

The capital building is open, seven days a week, and staffed with knowledgeable folks ready to show you around. You can take a tour, drop by your legislator’s office, and see learn an amazing amount - for free. We recorded this episode in the basement of the building and Jim (resident government nerd) has never been happier!

Where do we find the stories we really need to know about? What's isn't being covered? What's the state of journalism and how does that impact our civic society? In this episode we talk to local writing legend John Dodge (formerly of The Olympian) about his life in journalism and his successful book, A Deadly Wind; the 1962 Columbus Day Storm. In this conversation we get a lot of questions answered, and think of many, many more. 

How are our community’s foster kids taken care of? Who is involved in juvenile justice, and how are we ensuring that the kids involved get what they need? What happens when we don’t invest in kids? Community Youth Services is a one stop shop for youth in our area, and we talked with their director, Derek Harris about what they do, what kids need, and how you can help. 

In this episode we talk to Jill Barnes, Executive Director of the Washington Center for the Performing Arts about taking risks, bridging cultures, and how much our area loves the arts. Also: she wants to hear from you. Be a part of the conversation.

Our senior population is expected to be 25% of the population in the next few years, but the financial support for them is stagnant. Find out what the creative folks at Senior Services of the South Sound are doing to help. Along the way you might find some of the best tickets in town.

After a tough year, Harlequin productions is focused on the welfare of their employees and the plays on their stage (s). Get the inside scoop on their upcoming season and hear about their philosophy about the role of the theater in the community. Plus they invite us to a party!

Check out our interview with local restauranteur Adam Adrian. why did Ramblin Jack’s close? Spoiler alert: it wasn’t what many assumed. Listen for that, to find out where to get your Mac and cheese fix, and what new projects he has in store. Local foodies won’t want to miss out. 

Four years in, StoryOly, a monthly story-telling event at Rhythm and Rye in Olympia, is a big success. Co-founders Amy Shepherd and Elizabeth Lord lead the monthly competition where Olympians from all walks of life get on stage and tell true stories in front of an audience. StoryOly is in it's fourth season, they've had three grand slam challenges, and in the process have brought it's attendees, storytellers, and judges closer together. Check out this episode about creating community one story at a time.

Programming for people with intellectual disabilities is in short supply, and free programming is even harder to find. Two staffers from the local organization Kokua are changing that with LEAD, an education program that pairs local college students with folks with disabilities who have learning objectives, and Hummingbird Studios, a downtown Olympia art studio that is about to be open free of charge five days a week for art workshops and more. This episode is an interview with Randi Miller, who manages both programs and can melt your heart with stories of what happens when you include those who've never been included. 

What does graduate school have to do with citizenry? As it turns out, quite a bit. We invited Doreen Swetkis and Cheryl Simrell King on the podcast to discuss the impact that the Evergreen State College's Master's in Public Administration program have had on the south sound community, Those who work in non-profits or government have all run across MPA graduates, and they are some of the most civically engaged folks there are. Listen to find out more.

The City of Olympia counts on the recommendations of citizen advisory committees on topics ranging from zoning to utilities to public art. They are currently recruiting for new members for all of these commissions, so we thought we'd talk to someone with experience. In this episode we chat with Brian Mark, former Planning Commission Chair, about what this type of citizen engagement means for the community, your resume, and your relationships. To find information on all of the commissions, go to the city's website to read more. 

Immigration, refugees, people who are undocumented. They are on the national news regularly, but what impact does this issue have on our community? To discuss this topic we invited Kathy Baros Friedt of Strengthening Sanctuary to discuss what the group is doing to support undocumented folks in our area. In the meantime we are reminded that we should all, always, know our rights.

Check out this mini episode to get to know our host Jim Cooper. Jim Cooper is a city councilmember, nonprofit executive and community organizer. He lives in southeast Olympia with his wife, daughter, and dog Rusty and loves to spend summer weekends camping in his travel trailer. 

For a midterm election, this year was big. In Thurston County we voted in huge numbers right along with the rest of the nation, and to talk about it we invited Dani Madrone and Emmett O'Connell from The Olympia Standard podcast to help us make heads or tails of the importance. Here’s to democracy! 

Rosalinda Noriega is a long time award winning advocate for youth who is currently the Executive Director of Pizza Klatch, a program for LGBTQ youth in our local schools. Pizza Klatch has become very popular among our youth, who in some circumstances have been asking for it to come to their schools. We really enjoyed this conversation about the needs of LGBTQ youth, how supporting them helps all of us, and what allies can do to help.

For some of us, voting season is like the best of the holidays. Elections are full of possibility. They are full of promise. They are full of hope. While we are in a dark time nationally right now, in this mini-episode Oly Talks addresses why voting is crucial, what is great about it, and where you can get the information you need to be an informed voter.    In Washington you can register in person until the end of the day on October 29 (at your county courthouse), and your ballot needs to be in by November 6. Voting is how we show who we are as a nation. This is our chance to speak up. Celebrate that with us!   Here are the resources we covered in the show, in case you still need helping deciding how to vote: TheOlympiaStandard.com Votesaveamerica.com Thurstonvotes.org Theolympian.com janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Check out this mini episode to get to know our host Emma Margraf. Emma Margraf is a writer, communications strategist, and former foster parent and advocate for children. She lives in northeast Olympia with her cat Yara and hopes to get back out paddle boarding soon.

In some ways, Olympia is a company town, where our largest employer is the State of Washington. Thousands of us are engaged in state service, and so we invited a long time and recently retired state leader named Wally McClure to chat about what the presence of so many state employees does for our community and our general sense of what service means. 

In our fourth episode we chat with Rabbi Seth Goldstein about polarization in our communities and our nation, how we can come together with those we are different from, and how we develop ally-ship within ourselves. Rabbi Seth and his family just returned from a 25 day social justice road trip which gave him some new insights in this topic, which he has thought quite a bit about over his fifteen years as a religious leader in our area. Tune in and and reach out! It's about relationships people. Let us know what you think.

Oly Talks is a Conversation Emma and Jim talk about the creation of Oly Talks and why it is important.  Have you heard our first three Episodes?   Check them out: #1 Everyone Wants Homelessness to End - with Meg Martin #2 The Kids Are Alright- with Joe Ingoglia #3 How Community College Education Pays- with Kelly Green In just a few weeks we will publish Episode 4 with special guest Rabbi Seth Goldstein.  let us know what you think!    

In our third episode we're talking about education, specifically about South Puget Sound Community College, where our guest Kelly Green works to promote the variety of programs SPSCC offers. It's an extension of our last episode, "the Kids are Alright", but now we get into the subject of how our community is impacted by the availability and accessibility of credential programs, running start, and early interventions for non-traditional students.    Listen in and let us know what you think!

In our second episode, we talk to Joe Ingoglia, former CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of Thurston County, about the fear that comes with raising kids, the challenges we face as a community in raising kids, and the benefits that come from investing in kids and young adults. Join the conversation. If you have something to say about this or future episodes, let us know! Civics matters.

In the first episode, Meg Martin joins Emma and Jim at the dining room table for a conversation about homelessness in Olympia. Meg is Program Director at Interfaith Works (IW), responsible for the Emergency Overnight Shelter run by IW. We talk to Meg about the increase in homelessness, why she does the work she does, and how it impacts the local conversation.