Podcasts about scuppernong books

No city (or metro region) is defying gentrification. All of them are failing at it.I feel that in my bones and soul when I step out of my creative studio and into a world where the train might be cancelled after I made the 15-20 minute walk to the station, and I can only get to McDonald's on foot within 5 minutes.A world where my younger cousins in school may not be valued because they're Black, but maybe they have a good doctor, an amazing community recreation center, and someone to make their hair look dope? I know they probably don't say dope for any reason anymore, but still, we are all aging and growing on this round planet with dwindling water together.That's why I decided to take cities back to school this fall and grade their performance! I did a more qualitative measure of this back in 2018-2019, and now I want to put a number on this work, so you all can more easily measure your city's progress and improve on areas that would be graded “needs improvement” on a traditional report card. A version of this report card is also in The Defying Gentrification Playbook.I graded the six metros/cities I've lived in (Greensboro; Washington, DC; Baltimore; Kansas City; Raleigh; Durham) and four cities I would consider living in (Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and Atlanta) I counted the core city elements and included adjacent counties if they behave as suburban satellite business districts and villages, not just the legacy city limits and their central business districts. Still, my 13 rubric points for metro regions may not be your 13.However, as a scholar of cities for nearly two decades and a multiply marginalized person as a regular human in cities for 40 years, I feel like my rubric covers everything.I've created a JotForm survey to capture cities and specifically metro regions I haven't been able to include in this series and to test the validity and reliability of my rubric so that this measure can be expanded. I also added a block so that you can tell me what I missed, so it can be added in. My rubric is very US-centric, but a lot of what I'm grading is affected by US federal law. I'd love to see how a Vienna or Hong Kong or London would look in my metric. That's where this survey comes in. Take the survey.Over the next few weeks, as I celebrate my tenth anniversary of dropping everything and moving from Kansas City to Washington, DC, out of my own volition, on the assumption that I could thrive in the District, I'll share my personal grades of cities/regions I've lived in or frequently visited. Over time, I'll update the grades based on what you've told me.This is our bridge between our Black August series on what I can control as a Black queer feminist disabled urbanist, the elders that guide me spiritually, and the on-the-ground facts of what is and isn't present in a city that tickles my Black queer feminist disabled urbanist spidey senses!Now let's get to those things I'm grading on!What's On The Report CardJotform will not let me give cities zeros in its automatic grade setting. It's very similar to my retired middle school teacher mom, who always stopped her Fs in her classroom grades at a 60. Her logic is that a 0 is hard to recover from, but a 60 is fixable. 0.5 signals fixable, but needs fixing.As I mentioned at the beginning, no city achieved a perfect score. The highest grade achieved was a 78, a low C, and the lowest grade was a 67, a high F. The average grade is a 73, which is a low D. Not failing, but barely passing. You'll have to come back in subsequent weeks to find out which cities failed and why. But I will tell you this week what I graded them on, in no special order of importance:Art and creative spaces for all skill and desire levels2- Both amateur and professional artists have somewhere to go that fulfills their need for creativity and a livelihood for their work.1- Only amateur or only professional artists have somewhere to go to practice their art and craft. There's also no real pipeline between the two types of artists, and professional artists are often not homegrown.0.5- No art at all, at least not in visible spaces.Thriving entrepreneurship and gainful employment are available to more than white, straight, abled, wealthy people.2- Both thriving entrepreneurship and gainful (above a living wage based on the MIT calculator) employment are present in folks who aren't straight, white, cis, male, and have family wealth1- Only one or the other is present in non-straight, white, cis, male, and family wealthy folks. Tokens are made of the few people who stand out, because it's not normal; it's extraordinary.0.5- Nobody is working or owning businesses besides the straight white cis male with family wealth. Or others are working, but for under a living wage.Wraparound medical care2- Yes, with a care center that's not a hospital, with all specialties present or able to be referred in-house, an urgent care and pharmacy that are open 24 hours, and accept all insurances and genders.1- Yes, the care center is there, but it's not all inclusive of hours, specialties, genders, and insurances. Or there's just a hospital.0.5- No hospital, no care center.Culturally competent non-medical hair and body care2- You have hair salons for all textures, hair care for all textures in all of your beauty supply stores, and you have practitioners of all types of non-medical or quasi-medical body care sensitive to all skin types and tones and sizes.1- You have these spaces, but they have documented issues with diverse hair types, skin tones, and body sizes0.5- No spaces will even accept a non-white, skinny, straight-haired person into their establishmentsFood that provides both joy and basic nutritional needs in all neighborhoods2- The food is fun and nutritious1- The food is fun or nutritious, not both0.5- There's no food at all. This is not a food desert; this is apartheid.Public transit exists for more than just paratransit users2- Public transit of all types runs for 24 hours a day1- Public transit exists, but outside of paratransit, there are restrictions on its timing, where it takes people, and what type of vehicles/trains there are.0.5- Even disabled folks can't get transportationSpiritual spaces of all faiths that affirm and delight in Black, disabled, feminist and/or queer lives2- All faiths have somewhere to go where their gender, sexual orientation, skin color, size, national origin, and their politics are affirmed and loved in the pursuit of good morality or a divine presence. These places also honor that there are different faiths, or lack thereof, and that's ok. These places respect a gray area, but have clarity on right and wrong that doesn't dehumanize people.1- Some houses of faith behave like the above, but they are few and far between, making it harder for people to plug in and for the communities to have a positive impact on the community.0.5-Houses of faith are all hateful, dogmatic, and even actively terrorizing those that don't believe in their tenets.Schools that affirm Black children K-12, no matter their ability level or perceived behavior.2- Every school, no matter who runs it or how much that might put a target on their backs, believes that Black children can thrive. This investment in Black kids reaps across all children, as in many schools, they are the most marginalized.1- Only a handful of schools, and they are ones you have to apply to and/or pay for, are affirming of Black children.0.5- No schools affirm Black children, and they may be terrorizing them and contributing directly, without shame, to the school-to-prison pipeline.Bookstores and libraries that affirm all authors and all readers.2- Specialized bookstores and libraries exist, and the regular ones honor books that aren't written by white, straight, cis, and male authors.1- Only specialized bookstores and libraries exist, or the regular ones are hostile to readers that aren't white, cis, straight, or male.0.5- No bookstores or libraries exist at all, except for maybe an aisle in Walmart, Target, Dollar Tree, or Dollar GeneralParks, playgrounds, waterfronts, and other natural resources/outdoor activities are not closed off to the public.2- These resources and activities are free and open to the public.1- These outdoor resources have a price tag, or they are partially operated by private entities.0.5- They don't exist at all or are all privatized with no kind of public accessBlack, LGBTQ, disabled, feminist, and other community centers and community events.2- All community centers and events understand that communities overlap and could need support services and culturally competent activities and vendors. They also provide safety for their primary audience of people, while being welcoming.1- Community centers and events for specific groups exist, but they don't serve others or understand intersectional identities or the need for core community safety.0.5- No community centers at allBasic housing that doesn't exceed 30% of one's income at the poverty level and for those under the area median income.2- Housing that meets and exceeds these standards, happily and fully.1- Housing that meets these standards, but begrudgingly and with an outside emphasis on mixed-income areas and market rate areas, without ensuring those who need housing and have no or low income are housed.0.5- People who can pay for housing are unhoused, and of course those who can't are unhoused by default.A way to get out of town that's not your personal vehicle (if you even have one).2- You have an airport that flies internationally, a train station that can take you to all corners of your country and possibly into others, and you have rental cars, rideshares, bikeshares, and trails connected to other cities.1- You have a handful of the above, but not everything0.5- You have none of this besides private vehiclesWhat else stood out with these cities and their initial gradesMost cities had perfect scores on the following measures:* Art and creative spaces for all skill and desire levels* Culturally competent non-medical hair and body care* Spiritual spaces of all faiths that affirm and delight in Black, disabled, feminist and/or queer lives* Bookstores and libraries that affirm all authors and all readers.* Parks, playgrounds, waterfronts, and other natural resources/outdoor activities not closed off to the public.This is not surprising in that these are the easiest things for any city to provide, often without political pushback, although some libraries are under fire for being so diverse, equitable, and inclusive.This is also in line with how movements and lifestyle changes that emerged and became more mainstream during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic have affected and stuck with certain sectors of society, like houses of faith and arts spaces.No city scored above 0.5 on housing, because most cities, even the most progressive ones in the spaces above, meet the standard that warrants a 1. This is a measure I am most looking forward to your feedback on. Same with community centers. I've heard some community centers really struggle with how to be in community and properly handle conflict resolution and intersectional identity. This might actually go down because of things you share with me.In the meantime, Greensboro, my beloved hometown, is up first on a deep dive analysis. I'll be sharing its scores and sharing specific places that fill in the gaps, along with city-specific ways the gaps that aren't filled can be filled.Your city might be a failure now, but by the end of this, it will be a winner!Before you go…I'm bringing classifieds back! All you need to know about how this will work, plus an order form, is right here in the application. All ads will follow my announcements in this section of the newsletter and can start running as soon as the next newsletter. I also have a solid editorial calendar in place through the end of the calendar year, so we can talk about ideal placement too!I am currently in Greensboro for a panel on my colleague and friend Marrianne LeGrecco's book on food justice in Greensboro, Everybody Eats. We'll be at Scuppernong Books on Elm Street this afternoon from 4-6 pm.If you want my guidance on anything, especially on how to respond to ads in the classifieds, I'm booking 90-minute strategy sessions! This is a great way to have me help you plan something, namely your career or funding strategy, and they are rebookable!Thanks to everyone who came to the inaugural Making New Fantasies: A Defying Gentrification Workshop, which we decided to do on every third Thursday as a virtual journaling workshop around processing what cities do and don't do for us. Registration is free, and you can register at this link. Join us in September if you want encouragement to write your own stories and make your own plans to make your community better.Get The Defying Gentrification Playbook full-color PDF for just $19.99Finally, for one last time, grade your city!Until next time,Kristen Get full access to Defying Gentrification with Kristen Jeffers at theblackurbanist.substack.com/subscribe

Listen to the podcast version of this above.I could have made this post a part two on Audre Lorde's influence on why I'm moving in this direction. After all, she was the one who said our silence wouldn't protect us.But in meditating on said silence and learning more about my Black queer feminist foreparents, I came across a The New Yorker article from 2020 that detailed how June Jordan was a noted scholar of what she called “environmental design” despite being lauded in most writings about her as just a poet.June Jordan, The OG Black Queer Feminist UrbanistRecently, the Black radical publication Hammer and Hope dug even deeper into the journey of her not publishing what they and she called a “land reform” novel called “Okay Now”.It was right on time for this Black August series.The New Yorker article details how she reached out to Buckminster Fuller, the designer of the architectural geodesic dome, of which the most prominent example is the blue golf ball-looking building at Epcot Center, among other housing, transportation, and spiritual inventions.She'd spent several months studying architects on the weekends at a Manhattan library and taking a trip to Greece, despite struggling to make ends meet and living in a Queens housing project. Her husband left her and her toddler during this time, and she sent her toddler to his parents because of her poverty.However, she did have the ear of folks like Fuller and writers at publications such as Esquire and the New York Times.But, when writing about a joint-conceived project with Fuller for “urban renewal” in Harlem for Esquire, she omitted her role in it in print. Then the editors at Esquire turned around and turned the article into the case for getting rid of the Black folks that Jordan had reached out to Fuller to create the project for.In the Hammer and Hope article, it mentions that she visited Mississippi for the New York Times and had become a housing researcher, espousing many of Jane Jacobs' tenets of housing and street design, helping people be better humans at the same time as Jacobs.However, Jacobs was able to get her nonfiction urbanist manifesto published, multiple to be exact, even though she was not without criticisms of her own, just for being a woman.While Jordan was questioned by her publishers at Knopf for her own urbanist nonfiction draft, which diverged from Jacobs' reasoning on what was needed for a better relationship between humans and the Earth. Jordan asserted, based on her Mississippi trip, that Black Southerners held the keys for land reform, on their farms and in their towns and cities.Jordan tried to pivot her manifesto into a novel, Okay Now, that never was completed in her lifetime and she was working on up to her death.Fuller at least wrote her a letter or recommendation for a fellowship in Italy that allowed her to start on Okay Now; other reporters and museum retrospectives continued to allow Jordan to be erased from their Harlem project, which was never built.And she continued to write poetry and speak up for folks in Palestine and the US South!How I'm Changing this Narrative of No Black Woman “armchair” urbanistsJane Jacobs is considered an expert on urbanism, despite having only some college credits from Columbia University, being married to an architect, and writing commentaries, articles, and books. She does not hold a degree, and neither did June Jordan. They both self-studied or took classes that enhanced their writings, but didn't result in a full degree, some of which could be blamed on the sexism and racism around Barnard College and Columbia University at the time.So how does this relate back to me.In this current backlash against DEI and in my first ten years of running my design consultancy and practice, I've been met with more criticism than praise, despite holdiing a Master of Public Affairs where I concentrated on community and economic development, along with my own writings and speeches around the US and Canada.I was used to how we as Southerners can praise and criticise and then go back to praising over a plate of barbecue and sweet tea.June Jordan notes our vibe herself in a line from her New York Times piece on how the Mississippians of 1969 didn't label themselves as rebels or radicals or bohemians; they just did them. There was also immense Black class solidarity.At times I worry we are losing some of that, especially with the pressure we get to be more “Northern” in the South. Now, with the internet and cultural exchange being at the tip of search bar or prompt, I'm seeing breakthroughs in Black folks finding subcultures like goth, but making it our own. Afro-Punk is a key site of this happening, both on and offline. Some will say that hard segregation was why we were in Black class solidarity, but I would counter that even with integration, in the South, we aren't that far apart from each other in the way we are in other regions that have better worker rights and pay equity.And as for me and my street cred…When I put them all together like this, erasure of my life and career is a joke.These photos and pictures stand for myself and themselves on what my career and life have looked like over the past 16 years. I wonder what our feminist foreparents would have done with the kind of access we have! But I am determined to pick up the baton and pass the torch.I need to finalize my The Defying Gentrification Playbook copyright registration, but I own my book, and I made it and published it myself.I own this newsletter space. I'm working on my own political thriller romance trilogy, that I'll design and print, and promote myself if I need to!I journal privately daily, and I have so many ideas for this newsletter and other publications I plan to pitch.Yes, I'm taking the book on tour.And I'm grateful for my Buckminster Fuller figures, who have answered my letters, booked me for speeches, and given me bylines.I will not let myself be erased, and I will not shrink myself anymore! I can open my own gates and I will press past any criticism!AnnouncementsI am going to be traveling to Greensboro next weekend for a panel on my colleague and friend Marrianne LeGrecco's book on food justice in Greensboro, Everybody Eats. We'll be at Scuppernong Books on Elm Street on Sunday 8/30/2026 from 4-6 pm.Next week's newsletter will be a returning classic from my archives that I'm annotating live from Greensboro. Then the following week we launch our next series here. It's the tenth anniversary month of the big cross-country move of my own volition. Get ready for me to revisit my reflections on bouncing between DC, Baltimore, and PG County, along with how I see myself as a North Carolinian and African in the diaspora.Finally, thanks to everyone who came to the inaugural Making New Fantasies: A Defying Gentrification Workshop, which we decided to do on every third Thursday as a virtual journaling workshop around processing these kinds of things. Come join us in September if you want encouragement in writing your own stories and making your own plans to make your community better.Until next time,Kristen Get full access to Defying Gentrification with Kristen Jeffers at theblackurbanist.substack.com/subscribe

We're setting up Sarah Dees, a professor of religious history and cultures who has researched and published widely on appropriation of Native American medicine and art. She also is deeply interested, personally and academically, in Dolly Parton. She is late to watching Ted Lasso but is super into its portrayal of masculinity. Her dream vaca is Scandinavia, and while she's technically Sagittarius, her birthday is right on the edge and she identifies more with Capricorns. She recently read and loved Detransition, Baby and the Weaver and the Witch Queen. Winning bookstore: Scuppernong Books in Greensboro, NC Books: The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall She Come By It Natural by Sarah Smarsh Exhibit by RO Kwon The Mutual Friend by Carter Bays White Magic by Elissa Washuta Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

Rosemary and Rodney sit down with singer and songwriter, Mr. Sam. Mr. Sam aka Sam Hensley comes to the rescue! Sam Hensley discusses why he writes kid's music and the benefits it brings to our youth. Mr. Sam writes kids music that parents won't hate, and you can catch his act every month at Greensboro's Scuppernong Books.

How can life be more fun? Mike Rucker, PhD, organizational psychologist, behavioral scientist, author, and creator of The Fun Habit is on a mission to help people invite more joy and wonder into their every day. He shares how to intentionally add more fun in your routine and actually stick to it, how the pursuit of happiness can improve your physical and psychological wellbeing, and how you can have both a meaningful life and a joyful life. - Come to Cathy's retreat June 25-27 in Florida! Cathyheller.com/retreat - Get Mike's book The Fun Habit from his favorite indie bookstore, Scuppernong Books https://bit.ly/funhabit - More of Mike's writing on the science of fun at https://michaelrucker.com/ - Follow Mike on Instagram @thewonderoffun  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anita treasures sleep and moments of silence. So when she hears typical narratives of early parenthood that include unending cries and restless nights, she has concerns for the mental toll on new parents. But culturally there is a lot of silence around how challenging it can be and recognizing deteriorating mental health while caring for another person can be isolating. In part two of the postpartum series "Delivered," she meets a prolific artist whose experience with postpartum depression catalyzed a mental health journey and a diagnosis of Bipolar II Disorder. She also talks to a couple about what folks should know about sex and relationships postpartum and why the mental health of non-birthing partners should be part of the postpartum conversation. Meet the guests: - A'Driane Nieves, artist and mother of two - Shannon Purdy Jones, co-owner of Scuppernong Books in Greensboro and mother of two - Darren Jones, Shannon's husband and director of Pricing at Mack Trucks, Inc Read the transcript | Review the podcast Follow Embodied on Twitter and Instagram Leave us a message for an upcoming episode here!

Anita treasures sleep and moments of silence. So when she hears typical narratives of early parenthood that include unending cries and restless nights, she has concerns for the mental toll on new parents. But culturally there is a lot of silence around how challenging it can be and recognizing deteriorating mental health while caring for another person can be isolating. In part two of the postpartum series "Delivered," she meets a prolific artist whose experience with postpartum depression catalyzed a mental health journey and a diagnosis of bipolar II disorder. She also talks to a couple about what folks should know about sex and relationships postpartum and why the mental health of non-birthing partners should be part of the postpartum conversation. Meet the guests: A'Driane Nieves, artist and mother of two. Shannon Purdy Jones, co-owner of Scuppernong Books in Greensboro and mother of two. Darren Jones, Shannon's husband and director of Pricing at Mack Trucks, Inc. Read the transcript | Review the podcast

Today we're talking about an event happening at a local downtown business. If you like books, you've probably read the Diary of a Wimpy Kid, if not you should give it a try...especially one signed by the author! Shannon Jones, Manager of Scuppernong Books joins us to talk about this exciting event! https://www.scuppernongbooks.com/

Brian Lampkin is an owner of Scuppernong Books on Elm St in Downtown Greensboro. For more about how to support businesses like his, visit nctripping.com/support-local-businesses. Also, follow us @NCTripping on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!

We're back Animals! After a week off, we're back with our 31st episode. This episode is the second in our two-part series about our North Carolina trip we're calling "Fugitives & Animals: A Collaborative Literary Tour". In this episode, producer & stand-in host, Katie Rainey, sat down with the owners and workers of each bookstore we visited to talk about books, community work, and all things related to the North Carolina Literary Scene. We're so thrilled to feature these great community places, so tune in to hear from Scuppernong Books, Bookmarks, Sunrise Books, Firestorm Books & Coffee, Main Street Books & Wall of Books.  The transcript for this episode can be found on our website.

Shannon Jones and Steve Colyer from Scuppernong Books and the Greensboro Bound Literary Festival join us to give some great details on the second year of the festival! Gate City Chatter is a podcast that aims to be informative, engaging, and interactive. We upload new episodes on Mondays. Subscribe now and never miss out! Available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, SoundCloud, and Spotify! Now available on YouTube as well! Just search for Gate City Chatter! Gate City Chatter relies on community feedback, so leave your thoughts in the form of a review on whatever podcast platform you use. You can also reach by email at GCChatter@Greensboro-NC.gov Follow @GCChatter on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily updates on all of the cultural happenings in Greensboro, NC! Music for this episode was created and recorded by The Underscore Orkestra: www.theunderscoreorkestra.com/ As always, feel free to visit The Greensboro Cultural Center located at: 200 N. Davie Street Greensboro, NC 27401

In this episode we sit down with Brian Lampkin, one of the founders of the Greensboro Bound literary festival and owner of Scuppernong Books in downtown Greensboro. We talk about the inspiration for bringing a literary festival to Greensboro and what to expect when the Greensboro Bound festival takes place May 18-20, 2018. Gate City Chatter is a weekly podcast that aims to be informative, engaging, and interactive. We upload new episodes on Mondays. Subscribe now and never miss out! Gate City Chatter relies on community feedback, so leave your thoughts in the form of a review on whatever podcast platform you use. You can also reach by email at GCChatter@Greensboro-NC.gov Follow @GCChatter on Twitter and Instagram for daily updates on all of the cultural happenings in Greensboro, NC! As always, feel free to visit The Greensboro Cultural Center located at: 200 N. Davie Street Greensboro, NC 27401

This week on Book Tour with John Grisham: Grisham returns to North Carolina for his first event at Scuppernong and authors Wiley Cash (THE LAST BALLAD) and Clyde Edgerton (PAPADADDY’S BOOK FOR NEW FATHERS) join in on the show.

This week's show takes us to the little town of Fountain where they have live music at the Fountain General Store, then we visit Scuppernong Books in Greensboro, a trampoline park called Defy Gravity in Raleigh, Umstead State Park, and Bob Garner samples the 'cue at Sam Jones BBQ in WInterville.

In this microcast Steph Post reads from her debut novel A Tree Born Crooked at Scuppernong Books in Greensboro, North Carolina.