Podcast appearances and mentions of nikki silva

In 2004, we opened up a phone line on NPR asking people to tell us about their Hidden Kitchens— secret, underground, below the radar cooking, and how people come together through food. One caller told us about immigrants and homeless people, who didn't have official kitchens, using the George Foreman Grill to make meals and a home. Did George Foreman know about this? We called him up to find out.George Foreman the legendary two-time World Heavy Weight Champion and Olympic gold medalist talked with us about growing up hungry and violent, about his time in the Job Corps, about his career and comeback, about becoming a preacher, and his work with kids. “Feed them,” he says. “Hunger makes you angry.”In honor of George Foreman who left this earth March 21, 2025, The Kitchen Sisters Present an Unexpected Kitchen: The George Foreman Grill and Beyond."No one should be given up on. You never lose your citizenship as a human being just because you've been in trouble." - George ForemanThe Kitchen Sisters Present is produced by The Kitchen Sisters (Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva) with Nathan Dalton and Brandi Howell. Thanks to Laura Folger, Kate Volkman and Melissa Robbins for production help on this story. And thanks to our Hidden Kitchens series co-producer, Jay Allison. Special thanks to the National Endowment for the Arts. The Kitchen Sisters Present is part of the Radiotopia network from PRX.    

Tom Luddy was a quiet titan of cinema. He presided over the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley for some 10 years, co-founded and directed The Telluride Film Festival for nearly 50 years, produced some 14 movies, match-made dozens of international love affairs, and foraged for the most beautiful, political, important, risky films and made sure there was a place for them to be seen in the world. And that the people making this powerful work were known and knew each other. Tom Luddy with his photographic memory, his infinite rolodex, his encyclopedic knowledge of global cinema and his catalytic ability to connect people, caused the most unusual of collaborations to come to be. Tom championed the French New Wave, the Czech New Wave, Brazilian cinema novo, dissident Soviet cinema, directors Francis Coppola, Jean-Luc Godard, Werner Herzog, Agnes Varda, Les Blank, Paul Schrader, Agnieszka Holland, Barry Jenkins, Laurie Anderson and countless others.Tom passed away on February 13, 2023. There's a giant hole in the screen without him here. But his DNA is in the hundreds of filmmakers, musicians, writers and activists he nurtured and inspired.The Tom Luddy Connection: The Man, The Movies, The Rolodex was produced by Evan Jacoby and The Kitchen Sisters (Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva) in collaboration with Brandi Howell and Nathan Dalton. Mixed by Jim McKee.

Lured in by a blackboard sign on the street in Davia's neighborhood announcing “Spotlight on Black Entrepreneurs,” we enter the creative and growing world of Black-Owned Pet Businesses. Lick You Silly dog treats, Trill Paws enamel ID Tags, The Dog Father of Harlem's Doggie Day Spa, gorgeous rainbow beaded Dog Collars from The Kenya Collection, Sir Dogwood luxurious modern dog-wear.Chaz Olajide of Sir Dogwood wasn't finding communities of pet owners or pet businesses owned by people of color. “I did a deep dive into the statistics —I just wanted to see if maybe I was an outlier, like maybe the reason why I'm not seeing more diversity in these companies is because maybe the demand isn't out there. Actually, you know, that's not really the case.”“The dog training world—it's a white dominated space. It's kind of male dominated, too,” says Taylor Barconey of Smart Bitch Dog Training in New Orleans. “On our profile on Instagram we have Black Lives Matter, it's been there for a year now. Before 2020, we would have not felt comfortable putting that up at risk of losing our business because people would have blacklisted us. But now, we feel like we can finally breathe and be open about things that really matter to us—speaking out against racism and not feeling shy about it.”Brian Taylor, owner of Harlem's Doggy Day Care lost both his uncle and long time mentor to Covid. During the pandemic his business slumped by 80%. So with some help from his pet parents and supporters he decided to hit the road with “The Pup Relief Tour offering grooming services to anyone going through rough times and in need. “All together we had about 63 African American dog groomers that went on tour with us across the country and we groomed over 829 dogs.”Dr. Kwane Stewart, is an African American veterinarian who walks skid row in downtown LA tending the unhoused dogs of unhoused people. He was named CNN's Hero of the Year in 2023.House Dogge in LA — artisanal dog tees, hoodies, toys — is committed to helping unwanted, neglected and abused dogs.This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Black-owned pet business entrepreneurs. There are tons more across America and you can support their businesses and services.  Fresh Paws Grooming in Brooklyn. The animal advocates at Iconic Paws, a customized pet portrait gallery with flare. Pardo Paws in Georgia, an all natural company with a lotion bar in the shape of a dog paw for dogs with dry noses and paws made of cocoa butter, olive oil, coconut oil, beeswax, calendula. Precious Paws Dog Grooming in Bloomfield, New Jersey.Little L's Pet Bakery and Boutique in Brooklyn. Scotch and Tea — stylish and durable dog accessories. Bark and Tumble, a luxury and contemporary brand of hand made dog garments in Britain. Pets in Mind a Holistic Pet Supply Store in Coconut Creek, Florida. Beaux & Paws in Newark, Pet Plate — an online black owned pet food delivery service. Duke the Groomer in Chicago, Ava's Pet Palace started by Ava Dorsey, age 13.Most all of these businesses are giving back in some way to their communities working with at-risk youth, taking them in with mentorships and internships that hopefully lead to jobs, and donating generously to shelters and rescues and neighborhood food banks.Produced by The Kitchen Sisters (Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva) with Nathan Dalton and Brandi Howell. This story was produced and originally aired in 2021.

Next up in our summer playlist, we bring you an episode of The Kitchen Sisters Present, a podcast featuring sound-rich stories ‘from the b-side of history.' This one is a musical treat! The Kitchen Sisters delve into the story of the founding of the Hiphop Archive and Research Institute at Harvard by Dr. Marcyliena Morgan, Professor of African and African American Studies and Professor Henry Louis Gates to “facilitate and encourage the pursuit of knowledge, art, culture, scholarship and responsible leadership through Hiphop.” You'll hear from Professor Morgan, Professor Gates, Nas, Nas Fellow Patrick Douthit aka 9th Wonder, The Hiphop Fellows working at the Archive, an array of Harvard archivists, and students studying at the Archive as well as the records, music and voices being preserved there.Then they take a look at the Cornell University Hip Hop Collection, founded in 2007, through a sampling of stories from Assistant Curator Jeff Ortiz, Johan Kugelberg author of “Born in the Bronx,” and hip hop pioneers Grandmaster Caz, Pebblee Poo, Roxanne Shante and more.This episode is part of The Kitchen Sisters' series THE KEEPERS—stories of activist archivists, rogue librarians, curators, collectors and historians—keepers of the culture and the cultures and collections they keep.We end this guest-feature with a short interview with the Smithsonian's Dwandalyn R. Reece, Curator of Music and Performing Arts at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. She and Lizzie talk about the process behind the creation of The Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap. Special Thanks: At The Hiphop Archive at Harvard: Dr. Marcyliena Morgan, Executive Director and Professor of African and African American Studies + Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research + 9th Wonder (Patrick Douthit) + Harold Shawn + Harry Allen + Professor Tommie Shelby + Michael Davis + Brionna Atkins + Justin Porter + Robert Rush. At the Loeb Music Library: Josh Cantor + Sarah Adams. At the Hip Hop Collection, Cornell University Library: Ben Ortiz. At NPR: Rodney Carmichael. At large: Jeff Chang + Pedro Coen + NasThe Keepers is produced by The Kitchen Sisters, Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva, with Nathan Dalton and Brandi Howell.The Keepers Sonic Signature music is by Moondog.For more of The Kitchen Sisters Present, visit kitchensisters.org.

San Francisco officially declared July 15th Linda Ronstadt Day.  In her honor, The Kitchen Sisters Present this story about her book "Linda Ronstadt: Feels Like Home, about her family, and the food, culture and music of the borderland of Arizona and Mexico where she is rooted.  Feels Like Home: A Song for the Sonoran Borderlands  is an historical, musical, edible memoir that spans the story of five generations of Linda's Mexican American German family, from the Sonoran desert in Mexico to the Ronstadt family hardware store in Tucson to the road that led Linda to LA and musical stardom. Intimate and epic, "this is little Linda, Mexican Linda, cowgirl Linda, desert Linda."The book, written in collaboration with New York Times writer Lawrence Downes, is a road trip through the Sonoran Borderlands, from Tucson to Banámichi, Mexico — the path Linda's immigrant grandfather took at a time when the border was not a place of peril but of possibility.We went to see Linda at home to ask her about the journey.This story was produced by The Kitchen Sisters (Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva) and Evan Jacoby in collaboration with Brandi Howell and Nathan Dalton. Mixed by Jim McKeeThanks to Lawrence Downes, John Boylan, Bill Steen, Janet Stark and The PRX Podcast Garage. And to the team at Heyday Books: Steve Wasserman, Kalie Caetano & Megan Beatie and to Putamayo Music who just released Feels Like Home: Songs From The Sonoran Borderlands, Linda Ronstadt's Musical Odyssey.Special thanks to Linda Ronstadt for opening her home and her vault to this story. 

Little known stories of pioneering architects — Julia Morgan, the first accredited female architect in California, who designed Hearst Castle and was nearly written out of the history books. Natalie de Blois, who helped imagine the first glass skyscrapers on Park Avenue by day and raised four children by night. Amaza Lee Meredith, a Black queer modernist architect from the 1930s South who helped establish Sag Harbor as a haven for Black intellectuals, artists and beachcombers. A new special from The Kitchen Sisters, the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation and PRX, hosted by Academy Award-winning actress Frances McDormand. Story production by Brandi Howell for the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation's podcast, New Angle: Voice, in association with The Kitchen Sisters (Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva), mixed by Jim McKee.

A look at the President's kitchen and some of the first cooks to feed the Founding Fathers—Hercules and James Hemings—the enslaved chefs of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Hercules, described as a “dandy,” had eight assistants—stewards, butlers, undercooks, waiters. He cooked in a huge fireplace—hearth cooking. He walked through the streets of Philadelphia in a velvet waistcoat, with a gold-handled cane. When Washington was getting ready to leave Philadelphia to return to Mt. Vernon, Hercules escaped. Washington sent out search parties and offered rewards. Hercules was never found. In 1784, Thomas Jefferson was appointed minister to France. He took with him his body servant, 19-year-old James Hemings (the brother of Sally Hemings), to master the French style of cooking. Hemings apprenticed with well-known French caterers and pastry chefs and assumed the role of chef de cuisine in Jefferson's kitchen on the Champs-Elysees, earning $48 a year. In 1793, Hemings petitioned Jefferson for his freedom. Jefferson consented upon one condition—he must train someone to take his place. After teaching his brother, Peter Hemings, the cooking techniques he had learned in France and at home, James Hemings became a free man. These stories begin a long connection of presidents and their African American cooks, including the story of Zephyr Wright, President Lyndon Johnson's cook who worked for the family for 27 years. Johnson spoke to Zephyr Wright about the Civil Rights Movement and the March on Washington. She attended the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Johnson gave her a pen he used to sign the document. Featuring interviews with: Jessica Harris, Culinary Historian and author of The Welcome Table: African American Heritage Cooking; Historian Willliam Seale, author of The President's House; Chef Joe Randall, founder of African American Chef's Hall of Fame; William Woys Weaver, food historian and author; Sharron Conrad, African American food historian. Special thanks to the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum and Michael L. Gillette for use of Zephyr Wright's oral history. The Kitchen Sisters Present is produced by The Kitchen Sisters (Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva) and Nathan Dalton and Brandi Howell. Part of Radiotopia from PRX, a curated network of podcasts created and owned by independent producers.

In this episode, we borrow a cup of sound from the podcast, What You're Eating, a production of FoodPrint.org, hosted by Jerusha Klemperer. In the episode, “Coffee: From Seed to Cup,” Jerusha interviewed coffee entrepreneur Bartholomew Jones, who co-founded CxffeeBlack, a "multimedia coffee educational company," with his wife Renata Henderson in Memphis, Tennessee in 2018. Bartholomew is an educator, an MC, a “coffee nerd,” and an amazing storyteller. Today, The Kitchen Sisters Present… Make Coffee Black Again, a co-production with What You're Eating. You can hear the entire episode, “Coffee: From Seed to Cup” at foodprint.org/what-youre-eating or by searching for What You're Eating on your podcast app of choice. The Kitchen Sisters Present is produced by The Kitchen Sisters, Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson, with Brandi Howell and Nathan Dalton. We're part of Radiotopia from PRX, a curated network of some of the best podcasts out there. Thanks for listening.

Since the start of the pandemic, more than 90 colleges have merged or closed permanently. One of these schools, Lincoln College, closed its doors with only about one month's notice in May of 2022 — after 157 years. Due to the pandemic and a ransomware attack, administrators say the school was unable to retain, recruit, or fundraise. Since then, students have been left scrambling and many have dropped out. Alan Jinich and Max Strickberger, recent graduates of the University of Pennsylvania and producers of the Generation Pandemic Project about the impact of Covid on young people around the country, set out to follow this story last year. Lincoln College was a small private college in central Illinois — the only school named after Abraham Lincoln in his lifetime. But instead of attracting local students, the school drew many from three hours north: Chicago's south and west sides. More than 40% were first generation college students and, even though the town is 95% white, the university was a Predominantly Black Institution. Students, alumni, and faculty described the community as deeply closeknit and, for many, a “second chance.” For some, it was also a refuge from gun violence. After the sudden closure announcement, dozens of students confronted President David Gerlach expressing grief, frustration, and concern over what might happen to those who didn't have a safe home to return to. It was the start of a fundraising predicament that drove a wedge between students' grassroots efforts and administrators. How much money is enough to stay open? What's at stake for Lincoln's brittle economy? We follow voices from across the community — professors, administrators, locals, students dispersed across the Midwest, and a member of Lincoln's last graduating class. More than a year after closing, many continue to reel. The campus is still up for sale, but a new vision for Lincoln may soon be on the horizon. Produced by Alan Jinich and Max Strickberger with soundtracks by Reed Rosenbluth and support from the Sachs Program for Arts Innovation. A special thank you to Pati and Danny Jinich for their endless support (and SUV), Deborah and Adam Strickberger for their lifelong role modeling, and for all those who helped along the way: Ron Keller, Tim Rivera, Ms. Linda, Aundrae Williams, Jaylah Bolden, Spencer Davis, David Gerlach, Scott Raper, Seth Goodman, Aaron Butler, David Upchurch, Julia Figueroa, Klaudia Blaszcyk, Dougie Barron, and the Rose family. Thanks also to Nikki Silva and The Kitchen Sisters (and The Kitchen Sisters thank these young producers!) You can follow more of Alan and Max's work at www.generationpandemicproject.com or on instagram @generationpandemic_ The Kitchen Sisters Present is produced by The Kitchen Sisters (Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva) with Brandi Howell and Nathan Dalton. We're part of Radiotopia from PRX, a curated network of some of the best podcasts out there. Visit kitchensisters.org for more stories and info about upcoming events — like our annual Bowling with Grace Party and fundraiser at Mission Bowling Club, San Francisco, October 28, 2023, with celebrity guest bowlers Boz Scaggs, Alice Waters, Samin Nostrat, Roman Mars, Roman Coppola, Wendy MacNaughton, Song Exploder's Hrishikesh Hirway, KQED's Alexis Madrigal, Ear Hustle's Nigel Poor & Earlonne Woods, Rebecca Solnit… and so many more.

When Lena Richard cooked her first chicken on television, she beat Julia Child to the screen by over a decade. At a time when most African American women cooks worked behind swinging kitchen doors, Richard claimed her place as a culinary authority, broadcasting in the living rooms of New Orleans's elite white families. She was an entrepreneur, educator, author, and an icon—and her legacy lives on in her recipes. Produced by Sidedoor: A Podcast from the Smithsonian. Special thanks to producer Lizzie Peabody and the Smithsonian for sharing this story with The Kitchen Sisters Present. The Kitchen Sisters Present is produced by The Kitchen Sisters (Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva) with Brandi Howell and Nathan Dalton. We are part of Radiotopia from PRX, a curated network of podcasts created by independent producers—some of the best storytelling out there.

Behind the scenes at the International Congress of Youth Voices when 131 youth activists,13 to 26 years old, from 37 countries — students, writers, poets, marchers, community leaders all gathered together in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2019, to share and amplify their ideas and energy — to brainstorm possibilities for how to achieve a better world. The International Congress of Youth Voices, founded by author Dave Eggers (co-founder of 826 National) and nonprofit leader Amanda Uhle, gathers the world's most inspiring teen writers and activists. They come from all over the world, including Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, the United States, Colombia, Guatemala, Cuba, Australia, Denmark, Nepal, Russia, England, Thailand, South Africa, Ireland, Canada, Uganda, Pakistan, Burundi, France, India, and Puerto Rico. Student delegates are chosen based on their commitment to leadership and social justice and their passion and eloquence as writers. The event is designed to provide a path to leadership for all delegates and represents a continuum from students who have exhibited potential in local writing and tutoring programs to writers and activists who have already made notable achievements at a very young age. Produced by The Kitchen Sisters (Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva) in collaboration with Nathan Dalton, Brandi Howell, Rachel Templeton & Teddy Alexander. Mixed by Jim McKee. Story Intern: Jonathan Hsieh. Special thanks to Dave Eggers & Amanda Uhle and to all the delegates from around the country and around the world who came to Puerto Rico and shared their stories with us. The Kitchen Sisters Present is part of the Radiotopia podcast network from PRX. Funding for work of The Kitchen Sisters comes from The National Endowment for the Humanities, The National Endowment for the Arts, The Robert Sillins Family Foundation, The TRA Fund supporting our Intern Program, and Listener Contributions to The Kitchen Sisters Productions.

In 1983 Prince hired LA sound technician Susan Rogers, one of the few women in the industry, to move to Minneapolis and help upgrade his home recording studio as he began work on the album and the movie Purple Rain. Susan, a trained technician with no sound engineering experience became the engineer of Purple Rain, Parade, Sign o' the Times, and all that Prince recorded for the next four years. For those four years, and almost every year after, Prince recorded at least a song a day and they worked together for 24 hours, 36 hours, 96 hours at a stretch, layering and perfecting his music and his hot funky sound. In celebration of Prince's birthday The Kitchen Sisters reprise “Prince & The Technician.” An award winning professor of cognitive neuroscience and a legendary record producer, Susan Rogers has recently written a book, “This is What It Sounds Like," one of Behavioral Scientist's Notable Books of 2022. It's a journey into the science and soul of music that reveals the secrets of why your favorite songs move you. The Kitchen Sisters Present is produced by The Kitchen Sisters (Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva) with Nathan Dalton and Brandi Howell. Part of Radiotopia from PRX, a curated network of independent producers — some of the best podcasts out there. Find out more at kitchensisters.org.

This Week, Inspired By Lilith Black's Story, We Receive an Anonymous Viewer Letter From A Community Member Sharing Their Experience of mental abuse At Zoie's.Nikki Silva Guest Stars and shares their Experience At A Local Venue; bravely sharing her story. Disclaimer:This Is An Opinion Based Show; Not A News Outlet.The Views and Opinions of the Guest on Common Courtesy TV, Solely Reflect their Opinion/Experience and Not of Common Courtesy TV or any of its affiliates or Hosts.#lgbtq #society #cultureA Conversation On Modern Society From An LGBTQ+ Perspective!

For some eight years now thirty-four Black women have gathered monthly around a big dining room table in the orange house on Orange Street in Oakland, CA—meeting, cooking, dancing, strategizing—grappling with the issues of eviction, erasure, gentrification, inadequate health care, and the sex trafficking of Black women and girls that are overwhelming their community. Spearheaded by dancer/choreographer Amara Tabor Smith and theater director Ellen Sebastian Chang, this House/Full of Black Women—artists, scholars, healers, nurses, midwives, an ice cream maker, a donut maker, an architect, a theater director, a choreographer, sex trafficking abolitionists and survivors—have come together to creatively address and bring their mission and visions to the streets. Over the years they have created performances, rituals, pop-up processions in the storefronts, galleries, warehouses, museums and streets of Oakland. This hour-long special features sound-rich “episodes” of performances and rituals, interviews with sex trafficking abolitionists, personal stories of growing up in the Bay Area, music, Black women dreaming, resisting, insisting. Produced by Ellen Sebastian Change, Sital Muktari and The Kitchen Sisters, narrated by Sital Muktari, mixed by Jim McKee, in collaboration with an evolving House/Full of Black Women collective, Nathan Dalton and Brandi Howell. Funding for this House/Full of Black Women Special comes from The Creative Work Fund, The National Endowment for the Arts, The Kaleta Doolin Foundation, The Texas Women's Foundation, Susan Sillins, listener contributions to The Kitchen Sisters Productions, and PRX. Original funding for House/Full of BlackWomen was provided by Creative Capital, Creative Work Fund, The Kenneth Rainin Foundation, MAP Fund, and the Hewlett 50. House/Full of Black Women is part of The Keepers series produced by The Kitchen Sisters, Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva, in collaboration with Brandi Howell and Nathan Dalton and mixed by Jim McKee. Archival sounds, recordings and compositions by Alexa Burrell. Visuals created by photographer Robbie Sweeney and designer Kevin Clarke. Ricardo Iamuuri Robinson created some of the soundscape. For names of all the many House/Full members who have had a hand in this project visit deepwatersdance.com.

In the early 1980s, Black students and the African American community at American University had been demonstrating for more access and inclusion in the university's community services. One of the demands was for four hours of time every Saturday on Radio station WAMU, the campus station. This demand was met and suddenly Black students and the community were pouring into the station on Saturdays to make radio, to learn the craft, to be heard. Judi Moore Smith heard the call and soon was producing 10 minutes every week during that four-hour Saturday slot. Someone heard one of Judi's pieces and urged her to apply for funding. She was already going to Union Temple Baptist Church in Anacostia near Washington DC, mesmerized by the preaching of Rev. Willie Wilson. She began to cross the country interviewing preachers and ministers, capturing their speaking styles, their preaching styles, listening, watching, realizing these were not only religious men delivering weekly sermons—these were performing artists. Judi lit the path with this piece and the creation of a deep archive of Black history and creative expression. It is one of the projects that has inspired us over the years—the spirit, the stylizing, the swagger, the soul, the poetry—and the music. Judi asked one of the preachers, Reverend Robert Pruitt, to do the narration for the piece and gathered a kind of congregation in the studio with him to enact call and response. Davia reached out to Judi this year to see if she had a copy of the piece. It was created in the days way before the internet and the archiving of everything. Luckily we found a cassette of it at the Pacifica Archives. Special Thanks to Judi Moore Latta for all her pioneering radio documentary work especially about Black culture, history and expression and her decades of teaching and working with hundreds of young people across the years. And thanks to Pacifica Archive. The Kitchen Sisters Present is produced by The Kitchen Sisters, Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva, with Brandi Howell and Nathan Dalton. The Kitchen Sisters receive support from the National Endowment for the Arts, and from generous contributors to The Kitchen Sisters nonprofit Productions. We're part of PRX's Radiotopia – a network of independently created and owned podcasts – some of the best stories out there.

Over 7000 hours of interviews, oral histories, songs, field recordings, along with photographs, notebooks, journals, and research material created by The Kitchen Sisters has recently been acquired by The Library of Congress where it will be preserved and made accessible to researchers, students, other producers and the general public into the future. Alexis Madrigal of KQED's Forum talks with Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva about the collection and their 40 year history of producing audio stories together. Stories featured and discussed include The Packhorse Librarians of Eastern Kentucky; The Birth of Rice A Roni; The Mohawk Iron Workers at the Twin Towers; and The Homobile—a Story of Transportation, Civil Rights and Glitter. The Kitchen Sisters have been working together since 1979 creating audio stories for NPR, public broadcast and their Kitchen Sisters' Present podcast. They are the producers, with Jay Allison, of the Peabody Award winning series Lost & Found Sound and The Sonic Memorial Project, the DuPont Columbia Award winning series Hidden Kitchens, the NPR series Hidden World of Girls, and The Keepers, Stories of Activist Archivists, Rogue Librarians, Historians, Curators, Collectors — keepers of the culture and the free flow of information. The Kitchen Sisters Productions is supported by National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, California Humanities, Creative Work Fund, Robert Sillins Family Foundation, TRA Fund, Kaleta A. Doolin Foundation, Franklin Legacy Foundation, Susie Tompkins Buell Fund, and Listener Contributions to The Kitchen Sisters Productions.   The Kitchen Sisters Present is part of PRX's Radiotopia podcast network.

Edmond Richardson is an audio producer for Uncuffed, a KALW podcast produced by people in prison. Recently, Edmond and his love, Avelina, got married inside San Quentin and Uncuffed produced this story. The Kitchen Sisters are great admirers of KALW's Uncuffed podcast and are proud to share this story. KALW, San Francisco, has led rehabilitative classes in audio production inside San Quentin State Prison since 2012, and Solano Prison since 2018. Their mission is to provide media training to people in the carceral system. Radio producers from KALW visit the prisons to teach classes in audio production, and to help edit the stories. Audio engineers at KALW do some final polishing before it goes out to the world. Special thanks to the Uncuffed crew at San Quentin Prison: Tommy Shakur Ross, Edmond Richardson, Thanh Tran, and me, Greg Eskridge. Thanks to the team at KALW Public Radio: Ninna Gaensler-Debs, Angela Johnston, Sonia Paul, James Rowlands, Andrew Stelzer, Ben Trefny, Eli Wirtschafter, and sound designer, Eric Maserati "E" Abercrombie. Theme music by David Jassy, the Swedish phenom. And thanks to the staff at San Quentin Prison who make this possible: Mr. Skylar Brown, Ms. Madeline Tenney, and Lieutenant Sam Robinson, who approved this episode. We fact checked everything to the best of our ability. And a special thanks to Avelina and Carla for being a part of this episode. And Edmond and Avelina, Uncuffed wishes you all the happiness in your marriage. Thanks for listening. Uncuffed gets support from the California Arts Council and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The Kitchen Sisters Present is produced by The Kitchen Sisters (Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva) with Nathan Dalton and Brandi Howell. We are part of the Radiotopia podcast network from PRX. Special thanks to the National Endowment for the Arts and contributors to the non profit Kitchen Sisters Productions.

Feeling Spooky? As We Welcome Our Latest Panelist, Actress and Activist, Aleesha Ye; Nikki Silva, Show Director @ Zoie's Downtown St Pete Drops By Before The Grand Opening Gives Us The Exclusive Details About Halloween Bash 2022 and Upcoming Community Events They Are Involved Like Halloween On Central!Is There A Divide In The Bay Area LGBTQ+ Community? Does This Divide Also Permeate To Surrounding Areas In Florida?

The legendary Linda Ronstadt has a new book out. Feels Like Home: A Song for the Sonoran Borderlands — a historical, musical, edible memoir that spans the story of five generations of Linda's Mexican American German family, from the Sonoran desert in Mexico to the Ronstadt family hardware store in Tucson to the road that led Linda to LA and musical stardom. Intimate and epic, "this is little Linda, Mexican Linda, cowgirl Linda, desert Linda." The book, written in collaboration with New York Times writer Lawrence Downes, is a road trip through the Sonoran Borderlands, from Tucson to Banámichi, Mexico — the path Linda's immigrant grandfather took at a time when the border was not a place of peril but of possibility. We went to see Linda at home to ask her about the journey. This story was produced by The Kitchen Sisters (Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva) and Evan Jacoby in collaboration with Brandi Howell and Nathan Dalton. Mixed by Jim McKee Thanks to Lawrence Downes, John Boylan, Bill Steen, Janet Stark and The PRX Podcast Garage. And to the team at Heyday Books: Steve Wasserman, Kalie Caetano & Megan Beatie and to Putamayo Music who just released Feels Like Home: Songs From The Sonoran Borderlands, Linda Ronstadt's Musical Odyssey. Special thanks to Linda Ronstadt for opening her home and her vault to this story.

The story of The Real Ambassadors, a jazz musical created by Dave Brubeck and Iola Brubeck for Louis Armstrong in the 1950/60s. The original show, featured Louis Armstrong, Carmen McCrae, Dave Brubeck and Lambert Hendricks and Bavan, and was performed live only once, at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1962. This year's Monterey Jazz Festival, September 23-25, 2022, is the 60th Anniversary of the performance. The musical is based on the Jazz Ambassadors Program established by President Eisenhower and the US State Department during the Cold War as an effort to win hearts and minds around the world. Jazz musicians were sent out to represent the freedom and creativity of America through their art form. The irony is that Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie and most of the other Jazz Ambassadors were Black—they were treated like royalty around the world, but could not stay in hotels or play in integrated bands in their own country. The Brubeck's musical was a chance for Louis Armstrong to speak out about his deep feelings about racism and segregation in this country — feelings he rarely expressed publicly. The story features original music, rare archival recorded letters back and forth between the Brubecks and Louis Armstrong about the project, rehearsal recordings and interviews with Dave and Iola Brubeck. Other voices include: the Brubeck's sons, Chris and Dan Brubeck; Keith Hatschek, author of newly released book, "The Real Ambassadors;” Ricky Riccardi, Director of Research Collections for the Louis Armstrong House Museum; and singer/actress Yolande Bavan, the last surviving performer involved in the project.  The Real Ambassadors is a poignant tale of cultural exchange, anti-racism, jazz history, and it's a love story—between life-long husband and wife partners, Iola and Dave Brubeck and their vision for a better world. The Peabody Award winning Kitchen Sisters, Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva, have created hundreds of stories for NPR, public media and their Webby Award-winning podcast “The Kitchen Sisters Present.” Brandi Howell is a member of The Kitchen Sisters team and the producer of The Echo Chamber, a podcast about music and its social impact. The Real Ambassadors was produced by The Kitchen Sisters (Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson) and Brandi Howell in collaboration with Jackson Spenner. Mixed by Jim McKee. Thanks to Keith Hatschek, Chris, Brubeck, Dan Brubeck,  Ricky Riccardi, Yolande Bavan;  Lisa Cohen; and Wynton Marsalis.   Special thanks to: The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation and the Louis Armstrong House Museum; Michael Bellacosa and the Brubeck Collection, Wilton Library, Wilton, Connecticut; The Complete Louis Armstrong Columbia & RCA Victor Studio Sessions 1946-66 Mosaic Records 270; The Milken Family Foundation Archive Oral History Project; and The Library of Congress. 

The Egg Wars—a hidden Gold Rush kitchen—when food was scarce and men died for eggs. We travel out to the forbidding Farallon Islands, 27 miles outside San Francisco's Golden Gate, home to the largest seabird colony in the United States. Over 250,000 birds on 14 acres. But it wasn't always so. One hundred seventy years ago it was the site of the “Egg Wars.” During the 1850s, egg hunters gathered over 3 million eggs, violently competing with each other, and nearly stripping the island bare. In 1969 the Point Reyes Bird observatory began working to protect the Farallones. The islands had been through a lot. The devastating fur trade of the 1800s. The Egg Wars. During WWII the Islands were used as a secret navy installation with over 70 people living on the island. From 1946-1970 nearly 50,000 drums of radioactive waste were dumped in the Farallon waters. Fisherman often shot high powered rifles at sea lions and helicopters were causing whales and other animals to panic. Today the Farallones are off limits to all but researchers, some who live out on the desolate island for months in the old lighthouse there. Surrounded by thousands of birds, they wear hard hats to keep the gulls from dive bombing their heads. The Islands are a sanctuary—The Farallon National Wildlife Refuge, managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The Kitchen Sisters were given permission to travel out to the islands on one of the supply runs that goes out to the islands 2 times a month. The Farrallon National Wildlife Refuge is managed by US Fish and Wildlife Service Our story features: Gary Kamiya, journalist and author; Mary Jane Schram, Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary; Peter Pyle, Farallon Biologist; Ava Crosante, Illustrator; Peter White, Author of Farallon Islands—Sentinels of the Golden Gate; Skipper Roger Cunningham; Pete Warzybok, Scientist Farallon Islands; Russ Bradly, Farallon Program Leader for Point Blue Conservation Science. Special thanks to: Melissa Pitkin, Point Blue Conservation; Doug Cordell and the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex; Edward Jenkins; Julia Gulka; Sean Gee; Keith Hansen, Eve Williams, Gerry McChesnwey; and the Farallon Marine Sanctuary. The Kitchen Sisters Present is produced by The Kitchen Sisters, Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson, with Nathan Dalton and Brandi Howell. We are part of PRX's Radiotopia Network.

Coal + Ice, a powerful global exhibition of photographs, videos, and immersive imagery that focuses on the climate crisis and provokes action is now on display in Washington DC through April 22, 2022. Coal + Ice began in Beijing in 2011 with the unprecedented showing of images of Chinese coal miners taken by Chinese photographers. It has now now expanded to the work of 50 photographers from around the world, capturing images of the climate catastrophe as it unfolds around the globe. Photographers and video artists include:  Jimmy Chin, David Breashears, Song Chao, Camille Seaman, Gideon Mendel, Meredith Kohut, Jamey Stillings, Matt Black, Barbara Kopple, Dana Lixenberg and historical work from Robert Capa, Lewis Hine, Gordon Parks, Eugene Smith, Bruce Davidson and others. Coal + Ice also features installations, panels, music, conversations, cash awards to young artists weaving climate into their work and more. For over a decade the exhibit has traveled the world evolving and expanding as the climate crisis unfolds. First Beijing, then Delhi, then Paris, Shanghai, San Francisco and now in Washington DC at the Kennedy Center through April 22, 2022. Before the Pandemic, when Coal + Ice came to a massive exhibition hall on a pier in San Francisco, we traveled through the exhibit with our microphone. Special thanks to Susan Meiseles, Orville Schell, Geng Yunsheng, …. Michael Tilson Thomas,  Joshua Robison, Gideon Mendel and Jeroen de Vries. Coal + Ice was produced by The Kitchen Sisters (Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva) and Evan Jacoby with help from Brandi Howell and Nathan Dalton. Mixed by Jim McKee at Earwax Productions.

The Kitchen Sisters, the audio project of Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva, has been collecting stories from “the B-side of history” since 1979. These stories dive into worlds hidden from the headlines, immersing listeners into the music, sounds and atmospheres of American culture, populated by famous and underrecognized figures alike. The Library of Congress announced in January that it will acquire the archive of the Kitchen Sisters, comprising photos, journals and more than 7,000 hours of audio. We'll play some of the audio from the Kitchen Sisters' most iconic episodes, set in the Bay Area and beyond, and we want to hear from you: What's one story from your family that shouldn't be lost to history?

The Wooster Group, perched on a street corner in Soho in downtown New York, has been at the forefront of experimental theater for some 40 years. Their startling performances unravel and transform classic texts by Brecht, Shakespeare, Chekhov, Eugene O'Neill, along with their own shocking original works. Six Obies, nine Bessies, accolades from around the world as they tour their works through Europe and Asia. Singular, rigorous, flamboyant. Theater. One of the more ephemeral of art forms. How to preserve the work, chronicle it, archive it for the ages? Yes, there are scripts, props, sets, costumes — a pair of muddy shoes from a 1981 production of Route 1 & 9. But what about experimental theater? Devoted to process, improvisation, the dense layering of ideas and texts and sound and image? How do you catalog something in a constant state of flux? Enter Clay Hapaz who started as an intern at The Wooster Group in 1992 and in 2002 became their official archivist. Voices you'll hear include Clay Hapaz, Kate Valk, Frances McDormand, Hilton Als, Peter Sellars, Spalding Gray and Elizabeth LeCompte. Produced by The Kitchen Sisters (Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva) and Evan Jacoby in collaboration with Brandi Howell and Nathan Dalton. Mixed by Jim McKee.   Special Thanks: Clay Hapaz, Kate Valk, Frances McDormand, Juliet Lashinsky-Revene, Hilton Als, Peter Sellars, The Wooster Group Drama Club and Elizabeth LeCompte. Music: Matt Dougherty (his company) and The Wooster Group's archive. Thanks also to Lumi Tan, Lewanne Jones and Claire Maske. Support for the Stories comes from The National Endowment for the Arts & Listener Contributions to The Kitchen Sisters Productions (Many thanks) The Kitchen Sisters Present is part of the Radiotopia Podcast Network on PRX. Thanks for listening

On today's episode: Home recordings, people recording their friends, neighbors, and strangers — for a look at how we live, and who we are, by listening closely. Featuring a 5-year-old Sofia Coppola, and Patti Smith before she recorded her first album. Lost & Found Sound is the work of Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson, also known as The Kitchen Sisters. No one makes radio like the Kitchen Sisters. As Tom Waits put it, “Lost & Found Sound is beyond description.” You can find more of the Kitchen Sisters' recordings at http://www.kitchensisters.org/. For a transcript of this episode, send an email to transcripts@thisiscriminal.com with the episode name and number. Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Check out our online shop. This is Love is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. If you haven’t already, please follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts! https://apple.co/2BmMZr5 We also make Criminal and Phoebe Reads a Mystery. Sponsors: Daily Harvest Go to dailyharvest.com and enter code thisislove to get twenty-five dollars off your first box! that’s daily harvest dot com code thisislove. eCreamery Visit www.ecreamery.com to see all the great packages available. Indeed Get started right now with a free $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post at indeed.com/thisislove. Offer valid through june 30th. Progressive Get your quote online at Progressive.com and see how much you could be saving StoryWorth Get started right away with no shipping required by going to StoryWorth.com/thisislove. You’ll get $10 off your first purchase!

During the Gold Rush, people flocked to the San Francisco Bay Area to make their fortunes. A few entrepreneurial folks realized seabird eggs could provide protein to the hungry miners. Matthew Tuckner heard there was even a war fought over eggs on the Farallon Islands and wanted to know more. Additional Reading: The Gold Rush Delicacy That Started A War: Eggs The Kitchen Sisters Present podcast When California Went to War Over Eggs (Smithsonian Magazine) Originally reported by Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson for The Kitchen Sisters Present. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Suzie Racho and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Don Clyde.

The impact of Shonen Knife, the 1980s all-girl punk band from Osaka—a story of cultural exchange through the cassette tape. Shonen Knife, the three-woman band from Japan, formed in 1981—a time just before the internet drastically changed the way we consume and discover music. A time when a cassette tape, alongside fanzines and college radio created an environment that made possible the seemingly improbable circumstance of an all girl-band from Osaka opening for Nirvana, one of the biggest musical acts of the 90s. “Shonen means boy in Japanese and it’s a very old brand name of a pencil knife,” says Naoko Yamano. “And the word ‘shonen’ has very cute feeling and the knife has a little dangerous feeling, so when cute and dangerous combined together, it’s just like our band.  So I put that name.” Featuring interviews with Shonen Knife—Naoko Yamano, Atsuko Yamano, Risa Kawano; Karen Schoemer, former music critic of the New York Times; and Brooke McCorkle Okazaki, Assistant Professor of Music at Carleton College and author of Shonen Knife’s Happy Hour: Food, Gender, Rock and Roll. The Osaka Ramones was produced by Brandi Howell. The Kitchen Sisters Present is produced by The Kitchen Sisters, Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva, with Nathan Dalton and Brandi Howell. We’re part of PRX’s Radiotopia a curated network of independent producers creating some of the finest podcasts around.

Adamu Chan and Edmond Richardson met while they were incarcerated at San Quentin about two years ago, and have been best friends ever since. Adamu was released last fall, and they’ve kept in touch by writing letters to each other. We’ll hear part of an episode Adamu helped produce for the KALW Public Media podcast, “Uncuffed.” Then, we mark the loss of literary giant Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who died on February 22nd at the age of 101. Poet, activist, and publisher of many Beat poets of the 1950s and 60s, Ferlinghetti was considered by many to be the soul of San Francisco’s counterculture movement. The Kitchen Sisters, Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson, bring us an audio documentary they produced in honor of Ferlinghetti’s 99th birthday.

The collection of interviews that Nikki Silva did back in 1989—several of which feature in episodes 1 and 2—includes an interview with landscape architect Roy Rydell who was one of the designers of the Pacific Garden Mall. This bonus clip features that interview. The clip is introduced by Nikki Silva, and originally aired on KSQD on The Kitchen Sisters show as a coda to episode 1 of this podcast, Pacific Garden Mall.

Charlie Eadie, who headed the emergency response in Santa Cruz, and Nikki Silva, who spent the few weeks after the quake recording interviews with Santa Cruz locals, take us through the early days after the earthquake. We explore the damage that the downtown suffered, and how a team of city employees and volunteers worked to move the downtown through the crisis to a temporary new normal.

Picture this: 131 young people, 13 to 26 years old, from 37 countries—youth activists from around the globe— students, writers, poets, marchers, community leaders all gathered together in San Juan, Puerto Rico in August 2019, the week after the scandal-ridden government of Governor Ricardo Rosselló fell. A government brought down in large measure because of the resolve and activism of young people across the Hurricane Maria-battered island. This wasn’t part of the plan for the second meeting of the International Congress of Youth Voices. It was pure coincidence. But here they all are, coming from across the planet—jet lagged and lit from within—to learn from one another and an array of artists, writers and activists, to create a network, to tell their stories, to listen and to understand the forces that led this island to erupt. Politics of the world affect young people as much as anyone else, and they have little to no voice as major decisions are made. The International Congress of Youth Voices was founded as a means to amplify their ideas and energy and to unite young people for a weekend of collaboration. The International Congress of Youth Voices, founded by author Dave Eggers (co-founder of 826 National) and nonprofit leader Amanda Uhle, gathers the world's most inspiring teen writers and activists. They come from all over the world, including: Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, the United States, Colombia, Guatemala, Cuba, Australia, Denmark, Nepal, Russia, England, Thailand, South Africa, Ireland, Canada, Uganda, Pakistan, Burundi, France, India, and Puerto Rico. Student delegates are chosen based on their commitment to leadership and social justice and their passion and eloquence as writers. The event is designed to provide a path to leadership for all delegates and represents a continuum from students who have exhibited potential in local writing and tutoring programs to writers and activists who have already made notable achievements at a very young age. Youth on Fire: The International Congress of Youth Voices was produced by The Kitchen Sisters (Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva) in collaboration with Nathan Dalton, Brandi Howell, Rachel Templeton & Teddy Alexander. Mixed by Jim McKee. Story Intern: Jonathan Hsieh. Special thanks to Dave Eggers & Amanda Uhle and to all the delegates from around the country and around the world who came to Puerto Rico and shared their stories with us. Check out more on our new social media series #YouthOnFire. This story begins our new series Youth on Fire, stories of young activists and visionaries from around the world. We would love to hear from you if you are or if you know one. Podcasts, social media, poetry, playlists, manifestos… let us know what you’re doing. You can reach us @kitchensisters on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and at kitchensisters.org. The Kitchen Sisters Present is part of the Radiotopia podcast network from PRX. Thanks to Sakara for sponsoring this episode. Funding for work of The Kitchen Sisters comes from The National Endowment for the Humanities, The Robert Sillins Family Foundation, The TRA Fund supporting our Intern Program, and Listener Contributions to The Kitchen Sisters Productions.

To tell a truly engaging story, you have to dig deep beneath the surface. When it comes to radio storytelling, Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva, also known as the Kitchen Sisters, are masters. Through projects like Lost and Found Sound and Hidden World of Girls, the independent producers tell stories for NPR and online “from the flip side of history.” On this week’s show, we take a journey in sound with these two radio luminaries, discuss their amazing trajectory on NPR, and learn how they came to uncover Hidden Kitchens, their duPont-Columbia and James Beard Award-winning radio series. As we hear the Kitchen Sisters’ stories, we also delve into a sampling of their soundscape, from their early days at KUSP, Santa Cruz’s community radio station, to some of their favorite Hidden Kitchen visions. With their help, we’ll even hear from heavyweight champion George Foreman about his famous grill — a tool used in many marginalized communities. Then, we speak with an emerging kitchen sister in her own right, historic gastronomist Sarah Lohman. Her new book Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine offers an in-depth look at influential ingredients Americans use every day. Hunting through historical documents, Sarah uncovered the unique individuals behind each flavor, and shares tales of how these unsung heroes forever changed the American culinary landscape. And finally, we’ll meet one of New Orleans’ most distinctive TV commercial personalities, Al Scramuzza of Seafood City. Al’s comical and campy TV ads dominated the airwaves for decades. But even before he was a household name, Al was combining his acumen for business and marketing to turn a profit and to help catalyze the crawfish craze in the second half of the twentieth century. We’re meeting fascinating characters and those who tell their stories on this week’s Louisiana Eats! For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

There was a time when you couldn't go too long watching television without seeing a commercial for Rice-A-Roni. Many featured images of San Francisco, and ended with a catchy jingle — "Rice-A-Roni. The San Francisco Treat!" Bay Curious listener Kent Barnes has wondered if that advertising slogan is true. Was Rice-A-Roni actually created here in the Bay Area? Additional Resources Hear the full story on The Kitchen Sisters website Mrs. Captanian's Rice Pilaf Recipe on BayCurious.org Vote for which question you'd like to see us answer in our May voting round Original story produced by Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson of The Kitchen Sisters. Adapted for Bay Curious by Asal Ehsanipour. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Asal Ehsanipour, Rob Speight. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Bianca Hernandez, Ethan Lindsey, Michelle Wiley and Vinnee Tong.

Lou Reed—music icon, poet, photographer, Tai Chi master, vital force in the cultural life and underworld of New York City. Lou died in 2013 and left not a word of instruction about what he wanted done with his archive of recordings, instruments, gear, his Tai Chi swords, jackets—from his days with The Velvet Underground, through his solo career and last recordings. He left everything to his wife, artist and musician Laurie Anderson. Over the next six years Laurie and a team of Lou’s “keepers” created a vision. In March 2019, on the occasion of his birthday, The Lou Reed Archive opened to the public at the New York Library for the Performing Arts with parties, friends, family, fanfare and a drone concert at the largest cathedral in the world. During that week and beyond we spoke to many of Lou’s archivists, family, and friends — Laurie Anderson, Curator Don Fleming, Jason Stern and Jim Cass who worked with Lou, drone wizard Stewart Hurwood, Producers Tony Visconti and Hal Willner, Carrie Welch from the New York Public Library, Curator Jonathan Hiam and a devoted crew of librarians and archivists at the New York Library for the Performing Arts, and Lisa Shubert at Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. Many thanks to all. The Keepers, stories of activist archivists, rogue librarians, curators, historians and collectors, is produced by The Kitchen Sisters (Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva) in collaboration with Nathan Dalton & Brandi Howell and mixed by Jim McKee. Special thanks to story interns Sydney Stewart and Josh Gross. The Kitchen Sisters Present is part of the Radiotopia Podcast Network from PRX. Support for The Kitchen Sisters comes from Radiotopia, the National Endowment for the Arts, The Grammy Museum Foundation, The Marin Community Foundation/ Susie Tompkins Buell Fund, Cowgirl Creamery, The Kaleta Doolin Foundation, The Robert Sillins Family Foundation, The Robert Lee Hudson Foundation, the TRA Fund and listener contributions to The Kitchen Sisters Productions. “These are really terribly rough times and we really should try to be nice to each other as possible.”  Lou Reed.

As part of The Keepers, The Kitchen Sisters series about activist archivists, rogue librarians and keepers of the truth and the free flow of information, we query Lawrence Weschler, archivist of "the odd, the marvelous, the passionate and slightly askew.” Lawrence Weschler leads us into the world of pronged ants, horned humans, mice on toast and other marvels of the mind of David Wilson and his “cabinet of wonder,” the Museum of Jurassic Technology. We take a deep dive into the discovery of a cache of thousands of reels of nitrate film stock buried under the permafrost in Dawson City, the heart of the gold rush in the Klondike, and the making of Bill Morrison’s film Frozen Time. Weschler weaves stories of memory palaces, archives of misery, the early history of museums, obsessed collectors and more. Lawrence Weschler was a staff writer for the New Yorker for 20 years. He is a contributing editor to McSweeney’s, The Threepenny Review and The Virginia Quarterly Review. He is the author of numerous books including Mr. Wilson’s Cabinet of Wonder: Pronged ants, Horned humans, Mice on Toast and other Marvels of Jurassic Technology. Seeing is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees: A Life of Contemporary Artist Robert Irwin. True to Life: Twenty Five Years of Conversation with David Hockney. Waves Passing in the Night: Water Murch in the Land of Astrophysicists. And his most recent book, How Are You, Dr. Sacks?: a Biographical Memoir of Oliver Sacks. The Kitchen Sisters Present is produced by The Kitchen Sisters, Nikki Silva & Davia Nelson, with Nathan Dalton and Brandi Howell. Special thanks to our Kitchen Sisters’ production intern Grant MacHamer, for his work on this story. The Kitchen Sisters Present is part of PRX’s Radiotopia, a curated network of some of the best podcasts around. Visit kitchensisters.org for more.

In this bonus episode, we meet Davia Nelson (left), one half of The Kitchen Sisters along with Nikki Silva. Their podcast, The Keepers, spotlights activist archivists, rogue librarians, curators, collectors, historians and other keepers of culture. Because of their work, The Kitchen Sisters received SAA’s 2019 J. Franklin Jameson Archival Advocacy Award. Learn how The … Continue reading Season 2, Episode 4: Davia Nelson

During the depths of the Depression in the late 1930s, 300 craftspeople came together for two years to build an enormous scale model of the City of San Francisco. This Works Progress Administration (WPA) project was conceived as a way of putting artists to work while also creating a planning tool for the city to imagine its future. The massive work was meant to remain on public view for all to see, but World War II broke out and the 6,000 piece, hand-carved and painted wooden model was put into storage for almost 80 years. Model City This episode was produced by The Kitchen Sisters, Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson with Nathan Dalton and Brandi Howell. Mixed by Jim McKee Subscribe to Kitchen Sisters Present

During the depths of the Depression in the late 1930s, 300 craftspeople came together for two years to build an enormous scale model of the City of San Francisco. This Works Progress Administration (WPA) project was conceived as a way of putting artists to work while also creating a planning tool for the city to imagine its future. The massive work was meant to remain on public view for all to see, but World War II broke out and the 6,000 piece, hand-carved and painted wooden model was put into storage for almost 80 years. Model City This episode was produced by The Kitchen Sisters, Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson with Nathan Dalton and Brandi Howell. Mixed by Jim McKee Subscribe to Kitchen Sisters Present

It may come as no surprise but Bob Dylan is a Keeper. Bob and his team have been archiving his music, notebooks, paintings and journey for some five decades. Thousands of artifacts comprise this collection of American treasure. Bob kept just about everything — a massive private archive of a notoriously private person housed in storage facilities in New York, Minneapolis, Malibu and Jersey. So it made headlines when word got out that this secret archive had been sold and was headed to its new permanent, public home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A curveball nobody saw coming. Some archives are for scholars — devotees of a writer, scientist or historical figure. Some archives are tourist attractions. Few are part of a vision for the civic rejuvenation of a once thriving American city. Today, The Kitchen Sisters Present… The Bob Dylan Archive: A Curveball Comes To Tulsa, produced by The Kitchen Sisters — Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva, in collaboration with Olivia Ware and Samuel Shelton Robinson.

To tell a truly engaging story, you have to dig deep beneath the surface. When it comes to radio storytelling, Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva, also known as the Kitchen Sisters, are masters. Through projects like Lost and Found Sound and Hidden World of Girls, the independent producers tell stories for NPR and online "from the flip side of history." On this week s show, we take a journey in sound with these two radio luminaries, discuss their amazing trajectory on NPR, and learn how they came to uncover Hidden Kitchens, their duPont Columbia and James Beard Award winning radio series. As we hear the Kitchen Sisters stories, we also delve into a sampling of their soundscape, from their early days at KUSP, Santa Cruz s community radio station, to some of their favorite Hidden Kitchen visions. With their help, we ll even hear from heavyweight champion George Foreman about his famous grill a tool used in many marginalized communities. Then, we speak with an emerging kitchen sister in her own right, historic gastronomist Sarah Lohman. Her new book Eight Flavors The Untold Story of American Cuisine offers an in depth look at influentialingredients Americans use every day. Hunting through historical documents, Sarah uncovered the unique individuals behind each flavor, and shares tales of how these unsung heroes forever changed the American culinary landscape. And finally, we ll meet one of New Orleans most distinctive TV commercial personalities, Al Scramuzza of Seafood City. Al s comical and campy TV ads dominated the airwaves for decades. But even before he was a household name, Al was combining his acumen for business and marketing to turn a profit and to help catalyze the crawfish craze in the second half of the twentieth century. We re meeting fascinating characters and those who tell their stories on this week s Louisiana Eats For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

To tell a truly engaging story, you have to dig deep beneath the surface. When it comes to radio storytelling, Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva, also known as the Kitchen Sisters, are masters. Through projects like Lost and Found Sound and Hidden World of Girls, the independent producers tell stories for NPR and online "from the flip side of history." On this week's show, we take a journey in sound with these two radio luminaries, discuss their amazing trajectory on NPR, and learn how they came to uncover Hidden Kitchens, their duPont-Columbia and James Beard Award-winning radio series.

To tell a truly engaging story, you have to dig deep beneath the surface. When it comes to radio storytelling, Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva, also known as the Kitchen Sisters, are masters. Through projects like Lost and Found Sound and Hidden World of Girls, the independent producers tell stories for NPR and online "from the flip side of history." On this week's show, we take a journey in sound with these two radio luminaries, discuss their amazing trajectory on NPR, and learn how they came to uncover Hidden Kitchens, their duPont-Columbia and James Beard Award-winning radio series.

Nikki Silva is one half of the radio production team “The Kitchen Sisters”. Since 1979, she has been creating programming that shares hidden stories and histories from a diverse range of subjects and places. She talks to Chef Clarke about communal living, George Foreman Grills feeding immigrants and the homeless, how her Heritage cake is everyone’s favorite dessert, and much more.  

The audio producing duo The Kitchen Sisters started working together on a live local radio show in California back in the late 1970s. Since then Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson have made about 500 audio documentaries together, covering topics from space food to Spanish shepherds, from kimchi to the recording of Prince's album 'Purple Rain'. And over the decades they've refined a distinctive style; it's audio rich, full of found sounds, voicemail messages, and music, it's mainly recorded in the field, not in the studio, and there's not that much of them in their stories. We play a selection of The Kitchen Sisters' work, including Operation Hummus which tells the story of the cultural and political battle over the origins of a simple chickpea dish. Also Chicken Pills, which highlights some potentially dangerous beauty practices in Jamaica, and how some people will stop at nothing in their quest for a perfect body. And we speak to The Kitchen Sisters' Davia Nelson about how they find their stories, the emergence of their signature storytelling style, and how podcasting is changing the way they connect with a new generation of listeners.

This episode of Library Bytegeist is all about collectors and keepers. The people who go through life gathering and capturing and saving things. First up, we have a short story by Sarah Esocoff about Collector’s Night in NYC (minute 2:38 - 9:56). Then, we have an interview Nikki Silva, one half of a radio duo known as the Kitchen Sisters (minute 10:40 - 38:18). The Kitchen Sisters have produced hundreds of stories for NPR and other public radio programs. In this interview, Nikki breaks down how she and Davia Nelson find and use archival audio, and how they became accidental archivists in the process. The Kitchen Sisters are launching a new series called “The Keepers,” and they’re looking for stories about archivists, librarians, and curators. You can call The Keepers Hotline at 415-496-9049 and listen to their work on their podcast, "The Kitchen Sisters Present," part of Radiotopia's collective of independent producers. Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ejXGbKPEMWnAAIYF_-JuCWZlDpGkalbcg1yIkQX4RcE/edit?usp=sharing Hosted and Produced by Molly Schwartz Audio Mastering by Dalton Harts Music and Soundtracks: Opening track: “Magic” by Otis MacDonald from the YouTube Audio Library “Letter to Louie" by Mrs. B, a home recording from the Kitchen Sisters “The Road Ranger” by The Kitchen Sisters for NPR: http://www.kitchensisters.org/stories/early-work/ "The Legend of Ernest Morgan" by The Kitchen Sisters for NPR: https://soundcloud.com/kitchensisters/the-legend-of-ernest-morgan "An Unexpected Kitchen: The George Foreman Grill" by The Kitchen Sisters on "The Kitchen Sisters Present" podcast, part of Radiotopia: http://www.kitchensisters.org/fugitivewaves/george-foreman/ "Tennessee Williams: The Pennyland Recordings" by The Kitchen Sisters on "The Kitchen Sisters Present" podcast, part of Radiotopia: https://soundcloud.com/fugitivewaves/tennessee-williams-the-pennyland-recordings "First Day of School, 1960, New Orleans" by The Kitchen Sisters on "The Kitchen Sisters Present" podcast, part of Radiotopia: http://www.kitchensisters.org/present/first-day-of-school-1960-new-orleans/ The Keepers, a new Kitchen Sisters series coming to NPR’s Morning Edition, June 2018: http://www.kitchensisters.org/keepers/ Closing track: "A Gentleman" by Podington Bear from the Free Music Archive Tools used to record this podcast: The audio booth at METRO: bit.ly/MetroAudio RE20 microphone: www.electrovoice.com/product.php?id=91 oTranscribe: otranscribe.com/ Reaper: www.reaper.fm/ Izotope: www.izotope.com/en/products/repai…plug-in-pack.html

Al Levine chats with Nikki Silva, the founder and CEO of the Miss Exceptional beauty pageant, a pageant for children and adults with special needs. This years pageant will take be on November 4th at KJ Farrell's in Bellmore.

Figuring out your personal process of progress can be tricky! Momma B is ready to help with advice for taking feedback on your work, balancing your creative pursuits with your responsibilities, and playing well with others. We also get stellar advice from some Nashville songbirds, a novelist currently on the NYT best seller list, and the one of NPR’s favorite duos. Leave us a message about your summer project progress at 1-706-9-ASK-MOM and your success could be included on a future episode. Complete show notes, questions, guest bios, and more available: www.advicefrom.mom/listen/
 This episode’s advice and insight were provided by: • The Kitchen Sisters, Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva; the producers of the duPont-Columbia and James Beard Award-winning series, Hidden Kitchens on NPR’s Morning Edition and two Peabody Award-winning NPR series, Lost & Found Sound and The Sonic Memorial Project. • Janelle Brown, a New York Times bestselling author of the novels All We Ever Wanted Was Everything, This Is Where We Live, and currently on the NYT best seller list, Watch Me Disappear. [ www.janellebrown.com ] • Kira Small; a nationally touring singer-songwriter, recording artist, 2015 International Songwriting Competition Finalist, 2012 Independent Music Awards winner and former member of Berklee College of Music’s Voice Faculty [ www.kirasmall.com ] • Whit Hill; a Nashville-based singer-songwriter and a winner of the Kerrville Folk Festival's New Folk competition—one of folk music's greatest honors. [ www.whithill.com] • Majo Molfino; a writer, speaker, women’s creative leadership coach and the host of Heroine [ www.majomolfino.com ] • Nathalie Arbel; a San Francisco-based writer and editor, currently working on a book called Data-Driven Marketing [ www.nathaliearbel.com ] • Hadley Davis Rierson; a Los Angeles-based writer for television (“Dawson’s Creek,” “Spin City,” “Scrubs”) and film (Disney’s “Ice Princess”), mother, wife and arts advocate. .·:*'`*:·..·:*'`*:·.·:*'`*:·..·:*'`*:·.·:*'`*:·. Momma B’s link goodie bag (with some research from RGB) If your book shelf needs some brain food: https://www.amazon.com/Prescription-Nutritional-Healing-Phyllis-Balch/dp/1583332367/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1500751613&sr=1-5&keywords=nutritional+healing If you really want to be understood, just carry Mom’s favorite book around: https://www.amazon.com/Please-Understand-Temperament-Character-Intelligence/dp/1885705026/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1501136160&sr=1-2&keywords=please+understand+me Momma B wants you to listen to lots of psychologists: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/savvy-psychologist Janelle referenced a helpful app: https://freedom.to The digital double-bind study from Cornell and Temple on female entrepreneurs and gender hierarchies: http://mediarelations.cornell.edu/2017/04/04/gender-hierarchies-persist-online-despite-more-female-entrepreneurs/ Devon Proudfoot and researchers from Duke University explore gender creativity bias: http://www.fuqua.duke.edu/news_events/news-releases/aaron-kay-creativity/#.WXmEAcbMxE4 This research dig was inspired by a talk at Source Summit 2017 by Enrique Allen of Designer Fund: https://designerfund.com/design-leadership-insights-source-summit-2017 Advice from Mom is a production of Wise Ones Advice Services. It was produced by Juliet Hinely & Rebecca Garza-Bortman. Editing by Juliet Hinely. Mixing and mastered by Jake Young. Publicity by Jane Riccobono. Audio assistance by Bryan Garza. The theme music is by Love, Jerks—www.lovejerks.com. The song throughout this episode is Rebel in Motion by Scissors for Lefty—www.scissorsforlefty.com This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to offer diagnosis or treatment of any medical or psychological condition. All treatment decisions should be made in partnership with your health professional.

What does it take to win an NBA Championship? On Monday night, June 12th, Oakland's Golden State Warriors, aka "Dub Nation" silenced the Cleveland Cavaliers to win the 2017 NBA Championship. Three days later, thousands of diverse, loyal, cheering, screaming fans filled the streets of Oakland to celebrate a victory many felt belonged as much to them, as to the players. For now at least. After 40 years homed in Oakland, the Warriors are moving across the Bay to a new arena in San Francisco. Life of the Law goes "In-Studio" to try and sort it all out -- the controversial calls of Game 5, winning team dynamics, playing by the rules, and the gentrification of team sports. LOTL's Osagie Obasogie, Nancy Mullane and Brittny Bottorff are joined "in-studio" at KQED by Fast Break blogger and attorney Adam Lauridsen. And...in case you missed Episode 111: NBA Champion GS Warriors vs SQ Warriors -- our feature story on the annual basketball game played between the Golden State Warriors and the San Quentin Warriors inside the prison on the lower yard, now's your chance. Listen to our post-game interview with the Warriors Draymond Green after he visits the prison cells to see first hand the inmate's living conditions. Life of the Law co-produced the story with the amazing Kitchen Sisters, Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva for NPR's All Things Considered. Production Notes: In-Studio: Dub Nation was edited and produced by Tony Gannon. Special thanks to Brittny Bottorff, Osagie Obasogie and Adam Lauridsen for joining us at KQED studios in San Francisco. Our post production editors are Kirsten Jusewicz-Haidle and Rachael Cain.  Music in this episode was composed by David Jassy. Jim Bennett and Howard Gelman of KQED Radio in San Francisco were our engineers. This episode of Life of the Law was funded in part by grants from the Law and Society Association, and the National Science Foundation. © Copyright 2017 Life of the Law. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's official! The Golden State Warriors are the 2017 NBA Champions! Life of the Law honors the team and each of the players with this special episode. One day a year, the Golden State Warriors' coaches, managers, and players go behind the walls of San Quentin State Prison for a game on the prison's lower yard against the San Quentin Warriors, a team of hard-driving inmates. And like all real basketball, it's an annual battle of will and determination against time and rules. "I love coming in here. Although I'd never seen a cell.That's the scariest thing I've seen. A cell. Where the prisoners stay. I had never seen one of those. That's serious. If you ever want deterrence show somebody what that is. That's small. "  -- Bob Myers, Golden State Warriors General Manger after visiting the cells in San Quentin's North BlockYou may have heard the story we co-produced with the Kitchen Sisters that aired on NPR's All Things Considered. If you missed it, now's your chance to hear that story and for listeners of Life of the Law, an exclusive post-game visit by Draymond Green to the inmates cells to see what life inside the San Quentin is like for the men he knows from the yard. NBA Champions GS Warriors vs SQ Warriors Life of the Law's exclusive interview inside San Quentin State Prison with Golden State Warriors Draymond Green, Warriors General Manager Bob Myers, and  San Quentin's Curtis Carroll "Wall Street." Production Notes NBA Champions GS Warriors vs San Quentin Warriors was reported by Nancy Mullane and produced by Tony Gannon and theKitchen Sisters, Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva. Special thanks to Bob Myers, Draymond Green, Kevin Durant, and Raymond Ridder with  The Golden State Warriors; Lt. Sam Robinson, San Quentin Public Information Officer; Louis Scott of San Quentin Media; Zsa-Zsa Rensch and Phil Green; Curtis Carroll ("Wall Street"), and Jim McKee. Thanks also to Questlove, Fantastic Negrito, Too Short, and David Jassy for their music. Our Post Production Editors are Kirsten Jusewicz-Haidle and Rachael Cain. Our engineer was Howard Gelman of KQED Radio in San Francisco. Opening Music Credit: Fantastic Negrito, 'About a Bird.' Written and Produced by Xavier Dphrepaulezz  Piano and Organ by Lionel Holoman Bass Guitar by Cornelius Mims Guitar by Masa Kohama Additional Guitar by Xavier Dphrepaulezz Vocals by Xavier Dphrepaulezz  Engineered by Alexandro Maloles and Jabari Tawiah Mixed by Matt Winegar Mastered by Dave McNair Publishing by Angry Ant Publishing Art by Nick Francis This episode of Life of the Law was funded in part by donations from our listeners and by grants from the Law and Society Association, and the National Science Foundation. © Copyright 2017 Life of the Law. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson (The Kitchen Sisters), “Get Close. Now Get Closer… Creating Audio Movies for the Mind" A series of unprecedented freedoms – on demand software, discrete audiences, portable devices, cheap production costs, the bypassing of broadcast infrastructure and with it content restrictions – liberates the podcast from mass media's customary limitations, and podcasters are now making the most of their new territory. This conference ranges wide in its exploration of what amounts to a burgeoning new art form captivating listeners worldwide: the "impact bar" has never been higher in a culture brimming with content, but podcasters and producers have latched on to ancient verities of storytelling and the new mores of disclosure to win us over – to unplug the hyperconnected soul. http://heymancenter.org/events/the-unplugged-soul-a-conference-on-the-podcast/

On this edition of the Looking Glass, host Peter Kreten welcomes Nikki Silva from the Kitchen Sisters, Eric Molinski from Imaginary Worlds, and film director Michel Gondry to discuss how to become a storyteller. Music Credit: Frost Waltz(Alternative) Kevin MacLeod(incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http:/creativecommons.org/license/by/3.0/

On this week s show, we take a journey in sound with two radio luminaries, Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva, also known as the Kitchen Sisters. Davia and Nikki visit our kitchen at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum to discuss their amazing trajectory on NPR as well as how they came to uncover Hidden Kitchens, their duPont Columbia Award winning series. As we hear the Kitchen Sisters stories, we also delve into a sampling of their soundscape, from their early days at KUSP, Santa Cruz s community radio station, to some of their favorite Hidden Kitchen visions. With their help, we ll even hear from heavyweight champion George Foreman about his famous grill a tool used in many marginalized communities. Our conversation with the Kitchen Sisters inspired us to explore a hidden kitchen in our own backyard, so we spend a day with two communities in New Orleans who come together through food. One is a set of volunteers from Trinity Episcopal Church, the Loaves and Fishes team, who prepare and deliver meals. The other is the community to whom they cater the homeless, the transient and those simply in need of a meal in the greater metropolitan area. We re having our very own hidden kitchen visions on this week s Louisiana Eats

Host Peter Kreten welcomes Nikki Silva, one half of the legendary audio storytellers the Kitchen Sisters. In the interview they discuss how she became interested in audio storytelling, what were some of her favorite stories she has told, and gives advice to anyone who wants to start their own podcast.

The Kitchen Sisters (Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva) joined me this week to talk about their amazing careers in radio and podcasting! Davia and Nikki tell me about how it all started, how things have changed and some great 'behind-the-scenes' stories about what it takes to put together some of the amazing stories and series that they have produced!  An eye-opening discussion that you're sure to enjoy! If you enjoyed this episode, consider supporting TPD on Patreon! Links The Kitchen Sisters (Website) (Twitter) Fugitive Waves (Website)  Radiotopia (Website) (Twitter)  

Radio Storytelling Veteran Nikki Silva of the award winning Kitchen Sisters shares some of her favorite archival clips from the full history of recorded sound. Nikki also shares about cutting tape and life on a commune. #Radiotopia #kitchensisters #story #sound #thomasedison #commune #pattismith

Like so many other radiophiles, I was inspired to get into the medium by the work of great independent producers like the Kitchen Sisters—Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson. So it was really nice to finally sit down with Nikki and learn about her own radio beginnings. We listened to some of the earliest and still-cool Kitchen Sisters recordings ("Rattlesnakes," "The Road Ranger" and "Ernie Morgan, World Champion One-Handed Pool Player") and discussed the latest evolution of their work: "The Hidden World of Girls, Stories For Orchestra." Adapted from their "Hidden World of Girls" radio series, the new orchestral/multimedia production premieres at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music on July 28 and 29. Listening to Nikki talk, you can hear one of the essential ingredients in the Kitchen Sisters' success: a lot of passion and a lot of heart.

Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva, NPR's Kitchen Sisters, discuss their radio show, "Hidden Kitchens," and some of New Haven's own hidden kitchens, with Melina Shannon Di-Pietro and Josh Viertel, co-directors of the Yale Sustainable Food Project.