St. Louis Speaks

Leah Merriman is a multi-media artist who may be the only encaustic painter in St. Louis — she paints with layers of wax. As she explains in the interview, it's a technique that dates back to antiquity (the word itself comes from the Greek enkaustikos; it was used in ancient Egypt for mummy portraits). Bauhaus artist Fritz Faiss revived encaustic painting in the 20th century, but it's still far from common. Leah often paints urban St. Louis landscapes: Art Hill, the Donut Drive-Thru on Chippewa, the riverfront, the bandstand in Tower Grove Park. In addition to encaustic, her body of work includes sculpture, prints, paintings and illustrations. She talks about apprenticing to sculptor Rudolph Torrini, staying in St. Louis, balancing art and motherhood, and how a trip to the Grand Canyon lead her to start doing encaustics. Leah's websitehttp://stlwaxworks.comLeah's Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/leahmerrimanart/Green Door Art Galleryhttps://www.greendoorartgallery.com/leah-merriman.html"Familiar Layers: Encaustic Scenes of St. Louis, Part 1," at Third Degree Glass Factory https://thirddegreeglassfactory.com/now-on-display-familiar-layers-encaustic-scenes-of-st-louis-part-1-by-leah-merriman/

Dr. Andrew Hurley, professor of history at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, has written extensively about the environmental history of the St. Louis region. In this episode, he talks about his love of cities; how technology can help historians reach new audiences; and how he's helping communities build their resilience in the face of the droughts, floods, and heat waves that are accompanying climate change. Faculty Pagehttps://www.umsl.edu/~umslhistory/Faculty/hurley.htmlAsk an Expert: Andrew Hurley examines history of climate and its impact on St. Louishttps://blogs.umsl.edu/news/2018/08/27/ask-expert-hurley/Common Fields: An Environmental History of St. Louishttps://www.worldcat.org/title/common-fields-an-environmental-history-of-st-louis/oclc/36024068Virtual City Projecthttp://vcities.ite-stl.orgMissouri Place Stories: Missouri EPSCoRhttps://placestories.missouriepscor.org

David Lobbig, Curator of Environmental Life at the Missouri History Museum and longtime board member at the Missouri Coalition for the Environment, talks all things Mississippi River — the Mississippian culture that once lived on its banks; how 19th-century riverboats not only impacted the river but contributed to climate change; flood plains; and "Mighty Mississippi," the exhibit he curated for MoHist that opened on November 23 and runs through April 2021. Cahokia Moundshttps://cahokiamounds.orgGrist: The Army Corps of Engineers and Mississippi River Management https://grist.org/series/the-corps-of-the-matter-on-the-army-corps-and-the-mississippi-river/“Mighty Mississippi” at the Missouri History Museumhttps://mohistory.org/exhibits/the-mighty-mississippi/Missouri Coalition for the Environment https://moenvironment.orgRadical Cartography: Mississippi Meander Maps http://www.radicalcartography.net/index.html?fiskScientific American: Mississippi River Flooding and Climate Change https://newrepublic.com/article/148352/can-rivers-people-too

Host Umar Lee talks by phone with "Mama Cat" a community activist and the official chef of the Ferguson movement. Mama Cat (Cathy Daniels) founded the group Pot Bangerz which has worked to feed, clothe and humanize those which society has chosen to make invisible, the unhoused. Potbangerz will be hosting their 3rd Annual Neighbors United Holiday Dinner on December 14th at Christ Church Cathedral (see their facebook group for more details).

Host Umar Lee talks with friend of the podcast, Richard Reilly. Richard talks about a range of topics with Umar including marijuana legalization, socially engaged art projects and photography--including his recent donation to the Missouri History Museum of thousands of his images taken during protest actions following the murder of Mike Brown in Ferguson Missouri.

Writer, producer, comedian (and Donnybrook tweeter-in-chief) Yale Hollander sat down at Atomic Cowboy to talk to Stef Russell on the opening night of the Flyover Comedy Festival. Topics touched on: lawyers; the logistics of doing standup on the Loop Trolley; bringing comedy to other unexpected places; comedian Twitter; the mind-bending depth and breadth of the St. Louis comedy scene; and the night he channeled Lenny Bruce.yalehollander.weebly.comhttps://twitter.com/yalehollanderhttp://stlouiscomedy.comhttps://twitter.com/stlcomedyscenehttps://www.facebook.com/STLComedy/https://www.flyovercomedyfest.com

Host Umar Lee chats with Marissa and Brian Southards about everything from life after Ferguson to their family art studio, blending portrait photography and traditional graphic/hand drawn artwork.

Umar Lee chats with Francis Horton of Carondelet about growing up in north county, joining the military and seeing the world! Beyond cliche, the conversation is rich in discussion of foreign policy, how the military prepares troops for interactions with people of other cultures (they don't!) and what Francis' podcast, A Hell of A Way to Die, is all about.

Stef Russell talks to Maryville University's Germaine Murray (Professor of English & Humanities) and Dana Levin (Distinguished Writer-in-Residence) as they walk us through "Whitman: Up Close," an exhibit at the May Gallery. The show, on view through October 18, is part of "Whitmania!", a semester-long celebration of all things Whitman on the occasion of his 200th birthday. Germaine and Dana talked about why Whitman considered himself more printer than poet, his love of technology, and his surprising ties to St. Louis. Note: because this is a field recording, there's some mic noise throughout, most noticeably at the halfway point; rather than pull that section (where mic noise overlaps voices), we left it intact, because we didn't want to lose the commentary about naked Walt Whitman (!) and the photographer Thomas Eakins. "Whitmania!" wraps up on November 3 with "Whitman Set to Song," a concert in the Maryville University Auditorium.Whitmania! https://www.maryville.edu/whitmania/https://stlouispoetrycenter.org/whitmania/The Morton J. May Galleryhttps://www.maryville.edu/about/news-and-events/morton-j-may-foundation-gallery/The Walt Whitman Archive https://whitmanarchive.org

Artist Dail Chambers and poet Treasure Shields Redmond talk about their new project, the Fannie Lou Hamer House. Located in Belleville, it's a container for a multitude of creative people and creative projects. They also talked about their respective art practices; the importance of family and intergenerational dialogue within art; nature; the Mississippi River; the many other projects they're engaged in; and of course, Fannie Lou Hamer herself. https://www.instagram.com/FannieLouHamerHousehttps://snccdigital.org/people/fannie-lou-hamer/https://instagram.com/blackskilletfundershttps://itshanapa.tumblr.comhttp://www.breadandrosesmo.orghttps://www.facebook.com/WUArcadeProjects/https://femininepronoun.comhttps://www.whoraisedyoupodcast.comhttps://anchor.fm/treasure-shields-redmond

In 1969, a St. Louis teen named Robert Rayford became the first person in America known to have died of HIV/AIDS. His story was the starting point for Impact HIV/AIDS, a longterm initiative launched last year by the Griot Museum of Black History. The project combines art, culture, history, public health events, lectures and more, with the goal of documenting and raising awareness of the ongoing impact of HIV/AIDS on St. Louis' African American community. Stef Russell spoke with museum founder and executive director Lois Conley and museum assistant Ian Darnell about past events, the exhibit opening later this fall, and the future of the project.https://www.thegriotmuseum.comhttps://www.facebook.com/TheGriotTellsOurStory/https://www.stlmag.com/history/architecture/the-historic-griot-museum-hosts-events/http://drainmag.com/aids-1969-hiv-history-and-race/?fbclid=IwAR0kmBuWHw6pvr8BlQGnom_eHtY13Q6pGgKWASEgKxd10GYS_lGMGbxt1yM#ftn16https://www.kff.org/hivaids/fact-sheet/black-americans-and-hivaids-the-basics/https://www.stlmag.com/The-Pre-Pandemic-Puzzle/

Host Umar Lee chats with documentary filmmaker, Alana Flowers about her upcoming film "The Kinloch Doc" which will be screened August 15th at the Grandel (Hosted by Arch City Defenders).

Charles Klotzer, longtime free-speech activist and holocaust survivor joins host Umar lee on the St. Louis Speaks Podcast (available thru Spreaker). At 93, Klotzer has a lot to reflect on, from his family's flight out of Nazi Germany and settlement in a Jewish ghetto in Shanghai, to his storied publishing career in St. Louis.

Stef Russell talks to Che Applewhaite, Catie Barr, Kale Catchings and Saul Glist, a team of four Harvard undergraduates who have traveled from Boston to spend 10 weeks in St. Louis under the auspices of The Commonwealth Project. A Harvard initiative founded by Tef Poe and Walter Johnson, it models a new way for universities to engage with social problems through service and collaboration with professors, students, cultural producers, activists, attorneys and others. Also on deck was Commonwealth Project co-coordinator Robin McDowell, Ph.D. candidate in African and African American Studies at Harvard. The group talks about the projects it undertook this summer with its St. Louis partners, including EHOC (Metro St. Louis Equal Housing Opportunity Council). The Commonwealth Projecthttps://warrencenter.fas.harvard.edu/commonwealth-projectMetro St. Louis Equal Housing Opportunity Councilhttps://ehocstl.org/Equity Legal Serviceshttps://www.equitylegalservices.org/RC Striders Track & Field Teamhttps://www.instagram.com/rcstridersstl/Organization for Black Strugglehttps://www.obs-stl.org/The Griot Museum of Black History and Culturehttps://www.thegriotmuseum.com/The Venable Park Coalition FB Pagehttps://www.facebook.com/groups/738798083251934/

A vision for a St Louis future

Stef Russell sat down with Belt Magazine founder Ann Trubek and St. Louis (Kirkwood) native, Ryan Lee Schuessler, editor of Belt's St. Louis Anthology for a great podcast. Stef leads listeners on a spoiler free exploration of some of the poems and short stories from the Anthology, Kinloch to Little Bosnia.

Umar Lee gives his thoughts on the Game of Thrones series finale, gives a little St Louis Muslim history, and talks about Deontay Wilder's sensational knockout.

Donate to the school in Yemen here and do your part to offset the negative effects of our American tax dollars and military. These children didn't ask for a war and are living through the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. https://www.gofundme.com/SaveSchoolinYemen To keep up to date with Yemeni advocacy in America follow the Yemeni Alliance Committee on Facebook. To donate items to refugees in St Louis follow House of Goods STL on Facebook

Umar Lee briefly discusses Steve Stenger and Game of Thrones before talking about Ramadan in St Louis

Guest host Stef Russell returns with a fascinating discussion with Harvard Professor Walter Johnson. The topic of the discussion is Johnson's new book (due to be released Spring 2020) which places St. Louis at the center of social upheaval and grassroots revolution in America from William Clark to Michael Brown.

Umar Lee discusses the New Zealand mosque shootings, Islamophobia, and a history of anti-Muslim sentiment in the West

Host Umar Lee talks with a panel of city residents who are hesitant to embrace the proposed BetterTogetherSTL merger of St. Louis County and St. Louis City. Panelists include Podcast regular and former city Comptroller, Virvus Jones, TEAMTIF co-founder Andrew Arkills, and ACS Data-Wonk, @stlrainbow. This is the first of several planned merger discussions for the St. Louis Speaks podcast.

Umar Lee discusses Brooklyn, American mosque culture, Muslim history and more with young Muslim scholar Asad Dandia.

Umar Lee spoke with Florissant Councilman and Attorney Robert Parsons about his candidacy for Mayor of Florissant, St. Louis' largest municipality by population. Topics include policing, governance and the proposed St. Louis City/County merger.

After looking at Pacquiao-Broner and the weekend in combat sports host Umar Lee gives his take on Covington Catholic, why all St Louisans should root for the Patriots, the MLK assasination and St Louis, and more.

Host Umar Lee discusses the Congresswoman Rashida Tleib cussing controversy, other incoming freshmen, and the St Louis City-County merger from Better Together St Louis.

Producer Mark Loehrer talks with St. Louis University archivist Drew Kupsky. Kupsky shares what the SLU archive has to offer researchers and the general public. This episode was previously published on the now defunct website.

Host Umar Lee interviews a number of 2018 year-end guests and gets predictions for 2019.

Host Umar Lee hits the pavement in the Ucity Loop to talk to folks about what they think of the loop trolley. Business owners, young folks, old folks, folks who don't want to talk--what do they think of Joe Edwards' latest prize. Loop trolley or loop folly?

Umar Lee discusses St Louis County prosecutors joining the St Louis Police Officers Association, True Detective,what keeps him going on and more

Umar Lee discusses the execution-style murder of his mother in the Meacham Park area of Kirkwood. The legacy of Karen Arnold, grief, and the pursuit of justice. Updated with the remarks spoken by Umar Lee at his mother's funeral service.

Umar Lee discusses St Louis, Trump, and more with author and Gaslit Nation Podcast cohost Sarah Kendzior. (Recorded 2 days before the murder of Umar's mother)

We're talking MLS and stadium and whether it'll be the silver bullet to save St. Louis.

Host Umar Lee talks about the recent passing of Ferguson protester, Palestinian activist and St. Louisan Bassem Masri. Umar returned to St. Louis this week for the funeral of Masri who passed on November 27th 2018

Umar Lee recalls meetings and times with Saudi dissidents in St Louis in the 1990's. Including leading critic of the Saudi monarchy now on death row.

Producer Mark Loehrer along with guest hosts Tony and Emily visited Fetzer Mills Jr in his home in the small TN town of Ripley to talk everything from civil rights to rural politics in the age of Trump.

Umar Lee discusses Closings the Workhouse, Income Inequality, and Minimum Standards

The St Louis Speaks Podcast has featured several St Louis elected officials. We are non-partisan abd encourage an open discussion. We are interviewing Sen. Nasheed to discuss her background and life in St Louis, finding Islam, her history as an activist and protester, the current state of affairs in Missouri politics, and the president of the Board of Alderman race.

Umar Lee discusses #CaneloGGG, #STL name change, Botham Jean, Julia Salazar in New York, liars, authenticity, and the recent protest of Deray McKesson during a presentation of his new book at Left Bank Books.

Umar Lee describes what has taken him away from St Louis at various stages of his life and trials and tribulations in New York City, DC, Florida, Texas, and more. Always seeing the world as a St Louisan.

Host Umar Lee sits down with City Museum director Rick Erwin for a conversation about everything Saint Louis.

Host Umar Lee sits down with staff historian at the Scott Joplin House, Brian Cather. Cather and Lee discuss a range of topics from life in Texas to adjusting to life in St. Louis as well as, of course, the legacy of Scott Joplin.

Umar Lee walked through the Cherokee neighborhood with Riverfront Times reporter Danny Wicentwoski and talked everything from Ferguson to coverage of the Eric Greitens scandals that rocked Missouri in spring of 2018.

Umar Lee sits down with a panel of guests for a lively discussion of race and space in St. Louis. This week's discussion centers on the eruption of protests at an area Gas Mart following a viral video showing two employees kicking and taunting a black woman. Guests include: President of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Abed Ayoub, local African-American Muslims Anthony Merrill and Marilyn Aleem and activist Rev. Darryl Gray and local Palestinian Wahaeb.

For this special episode of the podcast, host Umar Lee sat down with scholar Ezelle Sanford III, a William G. Bowen Fellow in History at Princeton who is working on his doctoral dissertation on Homer G. Phillips Hospital. Joining him for the discussion is friend of the podcast, former comptroller and alderman, Virvus Jones. Ezelle provides an excellent historical vignette for the famed hospital located in the Ville neighborhood, talking about why it was important not just for St. Louis but the broader field of black medicine during the era of segregation in America. Virvus lends an excellent window into the politics and personalities behind the controversial and at times tense debate over the closure of the hospital, drawing on his experience both as a politician and activist during the era. Together, Ezelle and VIrvus weave a fascinating story about one of the city's most well known landmarks on the north side.

Umar Lee hosts a round table discussion at Rise Coffeehouse in the Grove to talk Marijuana law reform and gun control. Guests include State Senator Maria Chappelle Nadal, Alderwoman Megan Green, State Representative Shamed Dogan and St. Louis City GOP official Robert Vroman.