Podcasts about tulsa artist fellowship

Tulsa, Oklahoma artist Arthur Haywood is a winner in the L. Ron Hubbard Illustrators of the Future Contest and was honored along with eleven other artists and twelve other writers at the Taglyan Complex in Hollywood, California on April 25th. He illustrated the story, "Imagalisk" by Galen Westlake who is a Writers of the Future winner himself. The illustration and story, along with the other writers' and illustrators' stories and art are published in the international bestselling anthology, L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 40 which were officially released on May 7th. Arthur Haywood was born in 1990 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Arthur's father is Pennsylvania State Senator Art Haywood. Creating graffiti murals as a teenager with his teacher, Pose 2, inspired him to share his work publicly in murals. Having a father who has organized reading camps as a State Senator, and a mother who has been president of the local school board showed him the influence of reading on the lives of students. Being an avid reader, who judged books by their covers, led him to sharing stories he loves with others through illustration. He is focused on making book covers, murals for libraries and schools to engage youth in reading. He earned a B.F.A in Illustration from The Maryland Institute College of Art, before furthering his study of classical art at Cambridge Street Studios in Philadelphia and Grand Central Atelier in New York. His paintings are seen in Space and Time Magazine, murals for the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, St. Joseph's University, Elkins Park School, Summer of Soul film, and his book, The Great Library. He is a recipient of the 2020-2021 Harriet Hale Woolley Scholarship at the Fondation des États-Unis in Paris. There he developed murals with students at Lycée Paul Lapie, Ecollectif and André Malraux Elementary school depicting students of diverse origins reading and the stories that have engaged them to encourage learning and cultural appreciation. He is a recipient of the 2022 - 2023 Tulsa Artist Fellowship where he is continuing his series of paintings for public schools and book covers to inspire reading. The Illustrators of the Future Contest judges include, Bob Mississauga, Ontario writer Mr. Galen Westlake is a winner in the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest and was honored along with eleven other writers and twelve artists at the Taglyan Complex in Hollywood, California on April 25th. His story, "The Imagalisk," is published along with the other writers' and illustrators' stories and art in the international bestselling anthology, L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 40 which was officially released on May 7th. Born and raised in Canada, Galen practices law in Toronto and spends his days talking a great deal to a great many people. His family of four, however, confidently assures him the less he says the better. To this end, he more quietly expresses himself by writing stories during his daily commute on the train. When the stranger sitting next to him stops reading over his shoulder, he knows his tale needs a little something extra. Galen's fiction has appeared in Galaxy's Edge and Unidentified Funny Objects. His most recent legal writing may be found in Advocates' Quarterly, if someone were so inclined. Galen was awarded the Silver Play button by Google (they have yet to ask for it back) and he once competed in a Mud Hero-Ultra race event without dying. For a decade, Galen alternated as the VP and treasurer of a nonprofit, operating a nursery school for inner-city children in Toronto. He has been a janitor, a camp counselor, and once spent a summer mining a cryptocurrency that may or may not have actually existed. His laser tag score is outstanding.

Tulsa, Oklahoma artist Arthur Haywood is a winner in the L. Ron Hubbard Illustrators of the Future Contest and was honored along with eleven other artists and twelve other writers at the Taglyan Complex in Hollywood, California on April 25th. He illustrated the story, "Imagalisk" by Galen Westlake who is a Writers of the Future winner himself. The illustration and story, along with the other writers' and illustrators' stories and art are published in the international bestselling anthology, L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 40 which were officially released on May 7th. Arthur Haywood was born in 1990 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Arthur's father is Pennsylvania State Senator Art Haywood. Creating graffiti murals as a teenager with his teacher, Pose 2, inspired him to share his work publicly in murals. Having a father who has organized reading camps as a State Senator, and a mother who has been president of the local school board showed him the influence of reading on the lives of students. Being an avid reader, who judged books by their covers, led him to sharing stories he loves with others through illustration. He is focused on making book covers, murals for libraries and schools to engage youth in reading. He earned a B.F.A in Illustration from The Maryland Institute College of Art, before furthering his study of classical art at Cambridge Street Studios in Philadelphia and Grand Central Atelier in New York. His paintings are seen in Space and Time Magazine, murals for the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, St. Joseph's University, Elkins Park School, Summer of Soul film, and his book, The Great Library. He is a recipient of the 2020-2021 Harriet Hale Woolley Scholarship at the Fondation des États-Unis in Paris. There he developed murals with students at Lycée Paul Lapie, Ecollectif and André Malraux Elementary school depicting students of diverse origins reading and the stories that have engaged them to encourage learning and cultural appreciation. He is a recipient of the 2022 - 2023 Tulsa Artist Fellowship where he is continuing his series of paintings for public schools and book covers to inspire reading. The Illustrators of the Future Contest judges include, Bob Mississauga, Ontario writer Mr. Galen Westlake is a winner in the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest and was honored along with eleven other writers and twelve artists at the Taglyan Complex in Hollywood, California on April 25th. His story, "The Imagalisk," is published along with the other writers' and illustrators' stories and art in the international bestselling anthology, L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 40 which was officially released on May 7th. Born and raised in Canada, Galen practices law in Toronto and spends his days talking a great deal to a great many people. His family of four, however, confidently assures him the less he says the better. To this end, he more quietly expresses himself by writing stories during his daily commute on the train. When the stranger sitting next to him stops reading over his shoulder, he knows his tale needs a little something extra. Galen's fiction has appeared in Galaxy's Edge and Unidentified Funny Objects. His most recent legal writing may be found in Advocates' Quarterly, if someone were so inclined. Galen was awarded the Silver Play button by Google (they have yet to ask for it back) and he once competed in a Mud Hero-

Chatting With Sherri welcomes artist and Illustrator Arthur Haywood! Arthur's father is Pennsylvania State Senator Art Haywood.  Creating graffiti murals as a teenager with his teacher, Pose 2, inspired him to share his work publicly in murals. Having a father who has organized reading camps as a State Senator, and a mother who has been president of the local school board showed him the influence of reading on the lives of students.  Being an avid reader, who judged books by their covers, led him to sharing stories he loves with others through illustration. He is focused on making book covers, murals for libraries and schools to engage youth in reading. His paintings are seen in Space and Time Magazine, murals for the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, St. Joseph's University, Elkins Park School, Summer of Soul film, and his book, The Great Library. He is a recipient of the 2020-2021 Harriet Hale Woolley Scholarship at the Fondation des États-Unis in Paris. He is a recipient of the 2022 - 2023 Tulsa Artist Fellowship where he is continuing his series of paintings for public schools and book covers to inspire reading.

Jason and Brett talk to Hannah Murphy Winter and Billie Winter, the couple behind Queer Power Couples, as they delve into the essence of queer power partnerships, offering intimate insights into documenting this untapped element of queer history. They then talk to Ryan Fitzgibbon (A Great Gay Book, on sale May 21) about his curation of a time capsule featuring essays, poems, and photographs, immortalizing layers of queer history and rich tapestry of LGBTQ+ experiences.Hannah Murphy Winter (she/they) is a journalist who writes about queerness and policies that impact LGBTQ+ lives. Her work frequently appears in Rolling Stone. She lives in Seattle with her wife, Billie Winter, three cats they found in their shed, and their rescue dog, Pippin. The first person she ever recognized as queer was Spinelli from Recess.Billie Winter (she/her) is a photographer and videographer. She grew up in Queens, NY, and worked at Rolling Stone as a photo editor for fifteen years until she moved to Seattle and became an organic, regenerative farmer. She still has a crush on Cheetara from ThunderCats. Ryan Fitzgibbon is an artist and publisher. After beginning as a communication designer at IDEO in San Francisco, California, he founded Hello Mr. in 2012. Fitzgibbon self-published the magazine from Brooklyn, New York, before moving to Tulsa, Oklahoma in January of 2020. In addition to organizing to protect LGBTQ+ rights and expanding HIV/AIDS care and prevention in Oklahoma, his work includes supporting the Black Wall Street Times through the production of multiple print publications, and the opening of their newsroom and storefront in Greenwood. Fitzgibbon is a 2021-2023 awardee of the Tulsa Artist Fellowship.**BOOKS!** Check out the list of books discussed on each episode on our Bookshop page:https://bookshop.org/shop/gaysreading | By purchasing books through this Bookshop link, you can support both Gays Reading and an independent bookstore of your choice!Join our Patreon for exclusive bonus content! Purchase your Gays Reading podcast Merch! Follow us on Instagram @gaysreading | @bretts.book.stack | @jasonblitmanWhat are you reading? Send us an email or a voice memo at gaysreading@gmail.com

GET TICKETS TO SUPD POD JAM IN LAS VEGAS MARCH 22-23 Stand Up is a daily podcast. I book,host,edit, post and promote new episodes with brilliant guests every day. Please subscribe now for as little as 5$ and gain access to a community of over 700 awesome, curious, kind, funny, brilliant, generous souls Matt Gallagher is a US Army veteran and the author of four books, including the novels Youngblood and Daybreak. His work has appeared in Esquire, ESPN, The New York Times, The Paris Review, and Wired, among other places. A graduate of Wake Forest and Columbia, he is the recipient of the Tulsa Artist Fellowship, a Bread Loaf Writers' Conference Fellowship, a Sewanee Writers' Conference Fellowship, and was selected as the 2022 Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum Writer-in-Residence. He lives with his family in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Join us Thursday's at 8EST for our Weekly Happy Hour Hangout!  Pete on Threads Pete on Tik Tok Pete on YouTube  Pete on Twitter Pete On Instagram Pete Personal FB page Stand Up with Pete FB page All things Jon Carroll  Follow and Support Pete Coe Buy Ava's Art 

It's Super Bowl week in America. And it's a Super Bowl year of politics and national security. And as the world focuses on America's big game, it's also focused on America's dysfunction. And so are we. The border deal has collapsed, funding for Ukraine and Israel is stalled, and the election division across the country is reaching peak levels of nasty and stupid. It's an especially ugly time in America–as America again thrusts itself in the global spotlight. But there are glimmers of hope–and even fun. And in this smart, fast and fun episode, we're digging into all of it. As only Independent America does. From Putin and Zelensky to Mahomes and Tony Romo. From the fight for The Lombardi Trophy, to the fight of our time, this is a conversation for everyone. And one of the most surprising and interesting ones you'll hear this Super Bowl week.  Matt Gallagher is of the most important writers of our time, especially touching on issues of war and national security. And a sharp, real and funny voice of reason for America. He is the internationally-recognized author of the novels Empire City, Youngblood, the forthcoming Daybreak, the class Iraq war memoir Kaboom, and a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. His work has appeared in Esquire, ESPN, The New York Times, The Paris Review and Wired. He's also co-editor of the short fiction collection Fire & Forget: Short Stories from the Long War. He's a popular, funny and insightful voice—including on Twitter–on everything from politics and war to his beloved Cleveland Browns.  Matt was featured in Vanity Fair as one of the voices of a new generation of American war literature. A graduate of Wake Forest and Columbia, Matt is a 2021-23 fellow with the Tulsa Artist Fellowship, based in Oklahoma, and a US Army veteran of the Iraq war. He lives with his wife, young sons and dog in Tulsa and works as a writing instructor for NYU's Words After War program– devoted to bringing vets and civilians together to study conflict literature.  Every episode of Independent Americans hosted by Paul Rieckhoff (@PaulRieckhoff) provides light to contrast the heat. It's independent content for independent Americans. And every episode delivers a dose of the Righteous Media 5 Is: independence, integrity, information, inspiration and impact. This is another insightful pod to help you stay vigilant. Because vigilance is the price of democracy. In these trying times especially, Independent Americans will continue to be your trusted place for independent news, politics, inspiration and hope.  Stay vigilant, America.  Matt's previous appearances on IA: Episode 161 - March 18, 2022 Episode 215 - March 23, 2023 -Get extra content, connect with guests, attend exclusive events, get merch discounts and support this critical show that speaks truth to power by joining us on Patreon. Where you can also see or watch extra content with this guest.  -Pre-order Matt's new book Daybreak now here. -Meet Matt on one of his book tour dates nationwide–or invite him to visit your area.   -Watch the full video of this conversation with Paul and Matt here.  -Check the hashtag #LookForTheHelpers on Twitter. And share yours.  -Find us on social media or www.IndependentAmericans.us–where you can also grab some cool IA gear. Independent Americans is powered by Righteous Media.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lee Anne Bruce Boone takes over as the new director of the Oklahoma Ethics Commission amid challenges of inadequate funding and tackling 'dark money' in politics, a concern highlighted by her predecessor Ashley Kemp and Democratic leaders. Shonda Little has details.Carlos Moreno introduces us to Nem Lun, a (Zomi) Myanmar immigrant, and the new Immigrant Affairs Manager with the City of Tulsa, who brings her own experiences of seeking freedom and safety to the role. Carlos Moreno shares more.Severe weather damaged thousands of trees in the Tulsa area earlier this year. A million cubic yards of green waste was collected, and many trees were bent or broken. Britny Cordera reports on how the community is coming together to regrow the city's urban tree canopy.Jasmine Biver-Smith explores the growing trend among African Americans reconnecting with their heritage, inspired by Ghana's 'Year of Return.' This initiative marks 400 years since the African diaspora began and has reignited interest in understanding ancestral roots. In part 2 of this series, we highlight Ashley Yearby, who is planning a journey to Africa, in hopes of inspiring others to discover their ancestry and celebrate the deep ties between Africa and its global diaspora.Allison Herrera has two stories that tie in local Native American issues and initiatives to the movie Killers of the Flower Moon, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, and features many Oklahomans in other rolls. The movie is directed by Martin Scorsese and based on the book by David Grann. The book tells the story of the Osage Reign of Terror, which tool place in Oklahoma. Scorsese shot much of the film on location. Herrera reports from Pawhuska and Fairfax.In spite of the dark and cold, winter has a reputation for being the most wonderful time of the year thanks to the influx of holiday cheer. Without confirming or denying her presence on the Naughty List, Sondra Slade tells the story of the year her Christmas was a wrapper's delight.Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and the Commemoration Fund.Our theme music is by Moffett Music.Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our associate producers are Smriti Iyengar and Jesse Ulrich. Our production intern is Shi Brown.

Hosts Arielle Davis and Kolby Webster introduce this episode of Focus: Black Oklahoma, our second broadcast. This originally aired on KWGS in March of 2020. In our first story, we learn what Hunger Free Oklahoma is doing to keep children across the state fed amongst the many disruptions of the COVID 19 crisis. Executive Director Chris Bernard takes us through the connections from food insecurity to the school to prison pipeline, health outcomes, college and career readiness, and disease prevention. Find out more at mealsforkidsok.org & hungerfreeok.org.With the Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Anniversary on the horizon, and Mayor G. T. Bynum's commitment to uncover the mass graves that resulted from the massacre. Many Tulsans are experiencing polarized responses for how the city can move forward in a way that honors descendants and Black Tulsans who live with the aftermath of a destroyed community. Crystal Patrick speaks with Rev. Robert Turner (who was at historic Vernon AME Church at the time the story aired) about the complexities. Allison Ikley-Freeman is running for re-election in Oklahoma State Senate District 37. District 37 includes parts of Jenks, Sand Springs, and Tulsa. Ikley-Freeman was first elected in 2017 during a special election. With deep roots in Tulsa, Ikley-Freeman's parents are McLain grads who still live in Sperry, Ikley-Freeman spent formative years in Turley. [As of the publication of this remastered podcast, Ikley-Freeman now goes by Taten Freeman]Richard Baxter, also known as Negro Spiritual 121, is a formerly justice involved paralegal and activist. who has recently embarked on a unique campaign to help North Tulsa residents. Continuing our international coverage of intimate partner violence, we explore simple solutions to combat the issue. Here is Kristi Eaton reporting from a Somalian region in Ethiopia. Could discussion over tea help prevent intimate partner violence in refugee settings? That's what two researchers, Dr. Vandana Sharma and Dr. Jennifer Scott, from Harvard University schools are trying to find out.Musically, there are two worlds in Tulsa. The Tulsa sound, Leon Russell, J. J. Cale, and Paul Benjamin. Then there's the soul, composed of rhythm and blues, a southern touch of spirit, of call and response, and harmonious ballads. Talent, like the Gap Band, Full Flava Kings, and Fay and Bobby Moffett all of whom represent some of the artists not given the same invitation to the Tulsa Sound table. Written Quincy considers this in the second installment of his series on performing artists in Tulsa, discrimination, and what he calls the Brown Code.Just Mercy, directed by Destin Daniel Creighton, is a film and number one bestselling true story of a man, Walter McMillan, portrayed by Jamie Foxx, who was wrongly convicted and incarcerated in 1980s Alabama. Through this story we find out about the Equal Justice Initiative, founded by the book's author Bryan Stevenson, played by Michael B Jordan. Other stand out performances include Herbert Richardson, portrayed in the film by Rob Morgan, and Oklahoma's own Tim Blake Nelson's performance of Ralph Myers. Focus Black Oklahoma film reviewer, Devin Williams, has our review. Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership by Public Radio Tulsa, the Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective and is broadcast from the studios of Public Radio Tulsa on the campus of the University of Tulsa. Our theme music is by Moffat Music. Our contributing music artist on this broadcast is Malachi Burgess (Mali Music, Mali Motives).Additional music is contributed by Two Piece. The executive producers of Focus: Black Oklahoma are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Scott Gregory. The Associate Producers are Bracken Klar and Ali Shaw. Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the...

People across the country of all religious faiths and cultural ethnicities are rallying in support of a ceasefire in Palestine. This month, Oklahomans Against Occupation held two events in an effort to raise awareness about the tragic battle for Gaza. Here's Britny Cordera.In a landmark ruling with far-reaching implications, a Muskogee Nation District Judge in Oklahoma granted citizenship to two descendants of enslaved Africans, historically known as Creek Freedmen. This decision, aligning with the tribe's Treaty of 1866, not only overturns previous denials of their applications but also sets a precedent for acknowledging the rights of hundreds of other Freedmen descendants. Here's Carlos Moreno with the ruling.In the face of a steep decline in Black, Indigenous, and People Of Color, or BIPOC, farmers in the United States, a young Black woman is determined to reverse the trend by spearheading an initiative to provide scholarships for BIPOC students aspiring to careers in agriculture. Shonda Little interviews Neleh Anderson and Jekia Harrison to bring us this story.In the spirit of Sankofa, looking back to move forward, Jasmine Bivar-Smith shares a deeply personal journey of discovery and connection. With friends like Carlisha Williams Bradley and Jeanette Biles, Jasmine's story is a testament to the power of exploring one's roots and grappling with the profound impact of connecting with one's heritage.After decades of being closed, Tulsa's Big 10 Ballroom celebrated its reopening with a tribute concert dedicated to Gap Band founding member, Ronnie Wilson. Taking their name from Greenwood, Archer, and Pine streets, Wilson founded the band with his brothers, Charlie Wilson and Robert Wilson, in 1967. Shi Brown sat with Wilson's widow Linda Boulware-Wilson to discuss Ronnie and the Gap Band's legacy.Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and the Commemoration Fund.Our theme music is by Moffett Music.Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our associate producers are Smriti Iyengar and Jesse Ulrich. Our production intern is Shi Brown.

Hosts Arielle Davis and Kolby Webster introduce Focus: Black Oklahoma in this, our first broadcast originally aired on KWGS in February of 2020. Webster kicks of the show examining how gentrification, eminent domain, big strategic land buys and more are affecting Tulsa's downtown and adjacent neighborhoods with Becky Gligo, the housing policy director for the city of Tulsa mayor's office, touch on the basics of connecting neighbors, organizing, the characteristics of strong neighborhoods, and addressing their concerns. Public discourse about immigration often suggests that DACA recipients are only people who entered the U.S. unlawfully from Central America. While nearly 700,000 reported DACA recipients are from Central American countries, nearly 100,000 are not. Approximately 5,000 are from countries in Africa. While the conversation can be contentious, not every immigrant has the same backstory or point of origin, as we hear in this next piece from Anissa West. Listen to the moving, true story of a formerly incarcerated woman and how she is working to change the prison system for other women. The state of Oklahoma leads the nation in the number of incarcerated women. Crystal Patrick brings us this piece.Mass incarceration is a national crisis. Oklahoma incarcerates more men and women than any other state. Tulsa introduced legislation to reduce the rates at which black Tulsans are arrested and incarcerated. Mika Nicole brings us a story on what Oklahoma is and is not doing on the municipal level to address this issue.When discussing incarceration, things can sometimes become overwhelming and abstract-- because we're talking about numbers, statistics, and raw data. We now move away from the abstraction to introduce you to two Black men who were incarcerated for over 20 years for crimes they did not commit. Negro Spiritual 121 has the story.Next, the first in a series of stories from contributor Kristi Eaton on the power of podcasting to transform torn communities. She speaks with Somali refugees and the Harvard professors behind a newly created podcast.Kojo Asamoah Caesar has entered his name into the District 1 Congressional race. If elected, he would become the first Black person to hold that office. Kojo discussed his plans to strengthen communities by retaining untapped talent with Focus Black Oklahoma's Bracken Klar.Over the last few years Black women across the nation are starting more businesses than any other group. In Tulsa, they are opening businesses in the historic Black Wall Street District. Kiana Smith sits down with Charity Marcus to explore this story. Finally, we offer a story on Black artists, musicians and promoters encountering discrimination at venues across Tulsa. This discrimination is referred to as "The Brown Code." This piece is the first in a series from our contributor Written Quincy.Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and the Charles and the Commemoration Fund.Our theme music is by Moffett Music.Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our associate producers are Scott Gregory, Smriti Iyengar, and Jesse Ulrich.

Recently the Oklahoma state legislature joined the wave of book bannings across the US by requiring school libraries to reflect “community standards.” But who decides what those community standards are? Charlie Chadwick asks the librarians themselves.Free Mom Hugs, a nationwide movement of love, visibility, and acceptance for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community was born right here in Oklahoma. Love Revolution, the first Free Mom Hugs national conference, occurred in Oklahoma City in September. Shonda Little spoke with the organization's founder Sara Cunningham, and national coordinator Amber Jensen. The fate of the prairie chicken becomes a symbol of a bigger environmental argument in the heart of Oklahoma. President Biden stays firm on the bird's protection as the U.S. Senate and House battle to delist it, thereby ending federal intervention. While the national debate continues, local landowners are taking steps to address the needs of this now famous bird. Brittany Cordera reports.In 1921 the resilient citizens of Greenwood, an all-Black community in Tulsa, faced a devastating racial conflict that escalated into an unstoppable tragedy. In the present day, the people of Tulsa confront a new challenge: how to comprehend and impart this history to future generations. Tulsa's World Stage Theater is reprising the critically acclaimed production Reflections, written by two Tulsa playwrights. Anthony Cherry has more.Have you thought you could be the next Chip and Joanna Gaines? Well so did Sondra Slade, but listen to her story and decide for yourself if she was in a show from HGTV or from Animal Planet.Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and the Commemoration Fund.Our theme music is by Moffett Music.Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our associate producers are Smriti Iyengar and Jesse Ulrich. Our production interns are Joshua Wise and Shi Brown.

This is a podcast special episode that combines all three segments of our Blacks & Cannabis series. In the first episode of the series (originally aired on episode six in June 2021) Juddie Williams explores the inequities of Oklahoma's growing cannabis industry. In the second segment (originally aired on episode seven in July 2021) we hear the experiences of a North Tulsa based dispensary owner who opened his doors during the pandemic and the community activist who never wanted those doors opened. Juddie Williams fills us in. In the third and final segment (originally aired on episode nine in September 2021) Juddie Williams helps clear the air about working in the cannabis industries.Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and the Commemoration Fund.Our theme music is by Moffett Music.Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our associate producers are Smriti Iyengar and Jesse Ulrich.

Links, Bios & Support InfoBooks & Selected Projects by Moheb SolimanHOMES (Coffee House Press, 2021)We're Back! Also ReferencedLorine NiedeckerGabrielle Octavia RuckerCecily Nicholson, Wayside SangDavid ByrneWalt WhitmanEtheridge KnightMoheb Soliman is an interdisciplinary poet from Egypt and the Midwest who's presented work at literary, art, and public spaces in the US, Canada, and abroad with support from the Joyce Foundation, Banff Centre, Minnesota State Arts Board, and diverse other institutions. He has degrees from The New School for Social Research and University of Toronto and lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he was Program Director for the Arab American lit and film organization Mizna before receiving a multi-year Tulsa Artist Fellowship and this year a Milkweed Editions fellowship. His debut poetry collection HOMES (Coffee House Press, 2021), explores nature, modernity, identity, belonging, and sublimity through the site of the Great Lakes bioregion / borderland. Moheb has been a finalist for the Minnesota Book Awards, Heartland Booksellers Award, and others, and was showcased in Ecotone's annual indie press shortlist and the Poets & Writers annual 10 debut poets feature. See more of his work at www.mohebsoliman.info.In honor of this episode, Commonplace's partner org will donate $250 to the Alliance for the Great Lakes, chosen by Moheb Soliman. The Alliance for the Great lakes is a nonpartisan nonprofit working across the region to protect our most precious resource: the fresh, clean, and natural waters of the Great Lakes.Please support Commonplace by becoming a patron here!Sign up for “Reading with Rachel” the newest course in The Commonplace School for Embodied Poetics.

A 2021 study published by The Lancet Medical Journal revealed Oklahoma has the highest mortality rates from police violence in the United States, with Tulsa and Oklahoma City in the top 20 cities with the most fatal police shootings. Against this backdrop, the newly elected District Attorney for Oklahoma County has stirred controversy with her decision to drop charges against seven officers involved in the killings of three different men. Here's Shonda Little with details.8:59 The Department of Human Services, or DHS, is a light of hope for many people, and a lifeline for vulnerable children and families in need. But what happens if that trust is shattered? Families have been devastated as a result of allegations of corruption and malpractice, and our communities are seeking answers. Here's Dawn Carter with more.19:30 In the midst of the world's urgent call for clean energy, a new project in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, casts a contentious light on the fine line between economic progress and environmental destruction. At the center of this new project is the proposed LNG, Liquified Natural Gas, export facility, which is projected to provide prosperity for some while posing environmental risks to others. Two corporate titans with ties to the George Kaiser Family Foundation are behind the idea. Here's Dr. Nick Alexandrov with his second installment of this series.Clara Luper, a pioneering black educator and activist whose sit-ins in the late 1950s prompted state desegregation, is at the center of Oklahoma's civil rights legacy. Educators are reviewing Luper's lectures and deeds more than half a century later, drawing parallels and lessons for today. Jasmine Bivar-Tobie delves into this legacy and its current relevance.Between 1990 and 2020, the percentage of Black women with a bachelor's degree or higher increased from 11% to 26%, but Black women still face obstacles in higher education. Historically Black Colleges and Universities, or HBCUs, like Langston University in Langston, Oklahoma have become safe havens for Black Women to achieve their dreams and not fall into the stereotypes leveled against them. Sharodon Jenkins has the story.44:29 ”All the world's a stage” and in Tulsa, the World Stage Theater Company is a new player on the scene. The company's upcoming production of The Chinese Lady is its latest opportunity to utilize theater as a medium to explore topics that impact society locally and globally. Anthony Cherry has the story.Would you like to work with us at FBO or pitch an idea? Email us at contact@focusblackoklahoma.com!Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and the Commemoration Fund.Our theme music is by Moffett Music.Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our associate producers are Smriti Iyengar and Jesse Ulrich.

In Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, a battle against environmental and climate injustice is underway. As an Oklahoma energy company sets its sights on the Gulf, Nick Alexandrov reports on concerns mounting over the potential harm inflicted on historically Black towns in the area. Partner Tulsa, a collaborative effort of civic leaders in the City of Tulsa, is spearheading revitalization plans for the Greenwood District. With projects like the Kirkpatrick Heights and Greenwood Master Plan, the aim is to honor the district's rich history while embracing future growth. Sondra Slade sits down with Partner Tulsa's Jonathan Butler to discuss it.For a long time, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have been actively competing in sports leagues and tournaments, particularly in basketball and football. But the development of the HBCU Chess Classic marks a new era for the HBCU community. Jasmine Bivar-Tobie elaborates on this first-ever chess competition which promotes Black achievement in Science Technology, Engineering, and Math, or STEM fields, and was led by students and the first Black Chess Grandmaster, Maurice Ashley. If you've seen a cover of Vogue or GQ magazines, you may have seen Dillon Peña's work. Though he started out in a small town on Route 66, the Oklahoma native is now a renowned makeup artist and even created his own skincare line. Shonda Little speaks with him about his story. In the center of Tulsa's Greenwood District, where the echoes of history are still audible, Nuova Wright's literary work, "little wife: the story of gold," is more than a mere collection of eco poetry and memoir. Gabrielle Vickers reviews how this book gracefully interweaves the essence of Thoreau's "Walden" with Wright's personal story. With a strong sense of place as a foundation, the author carefully guides the reader through grief, resentment, and trauma that has been passed down from generation to generation. From Florida to New York to Oklahoma, Tulsa Artist Fellow Kalup Linzy has blazed a trail across the world of performing arts. Carlos Moreno reports on his new solo album released this year.Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the George Kaiser Family Foundation, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, and the Commemoration Fund.Our theme music is by Moffett Music.Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our associate producers are Smriti Iyengar and Jesse Ulrich. Sharodon Jenkins is our production intern.

Paul Farber:You are listening to Monument Lab Future Memory where we discuss the future of monuments and the state of public memory in the US and across the globe. You can support the work of Monument Lab by visiting monumentlab.com, following us on social @Monument_Lab, or subscribing to this podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts. Li Sumpter:Our guest today on Future Memory is artist, scholar, and composer, Nathan Young. Young is a member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians and a direct descendant of the Pawnee Nation and Kiowa Tribe, currently living in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. His work incorporates sound, video, documentary, animation, installation, socially-engaged art, and experimental and improvised music. Young is also a founding member of the artist collective, Postcommodity. He holds an MFA in Music/Sound from Bard College's Milton Avery School of the Arts and is currently pursuing a PhD in the University of Oklahoma's innovative Native American art history doctoral program. His scholarship focuses on Indigenous Sonic Agency. Today we discuss his art and practice and a recently opened public art project at Historic site Pennsbury Manor entitled nkwiluntàmën, funded by the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage and curated by Ryan Strand Greenberg and Theo Loftis. Let's listen.Welcome to another episode of Future Memory. I'm your co-host, Li Sumpter. Today my guest is Nathan Young. Welcome, Nathan.Nathan Young:Hello. Thank you. It's nice to be here with you today. Li:Future Memory is the name of Monument Lab's podcast. In the context of your own work, when you hear the words "future memory," what does that mean to you? Do any images or sounds come to mind? Nathan:They really do. There's one. It was a website of a sound artist, a writer, an educator, Jace Clayton, DJ/Rupture, had a mixed CD called "Gold Teeth Thief". I remember it was kind of a game changer in the late '90s. I got that mixed CD from a website called History of the Future. Li:That's very close. It was very close.Nathan:It's always stuck with me. I'm fortunate enough to be able to grapple with a lot of these kind of ideas. I'm not really quite sure how I feel about some of the history of the future because in some ways I work within many different archives so I am dealing with people's future or thinking about or reimagining or just imagining their future.But future monuments are something that I grapple with and deeply consider in my artwork. I think it's one of the more challenging subjects today in art. I think we see that with the taking down of monuments that were so controversial or are so controversial. But I find it fascinating the idea of finding new forms to make monuments to remember and the idea of working with different communities of memory. It's key to my work. It's just a lot of listening and a lot of pondering. Actually, it's a very productive space for me because it's a place to think about form. Also, it opens doors for me just to think about the future. I will say this, that one problem that often arises as a Lenape Delaware Pawnee Kiowa person is we're often talking about the past, and I really like to talk about the future and to work with organizations that are thinking about the future. Li:I can relate to that. Nathan:I think it's a misunderstanding. We always really are talking about the future. I've had the great fortune to be around some people. Actually, I grew up in the capital of the Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma. A lot of people know that Oklahoma is the home to 39 federally recognized tribes. I was fortunate enough to grow up in Tahlequah, which is the capital of the Cherokee Nation, and was able to be around a well-known and respected medicine man named Crosslin Smith, also an author. I remember being a part of an interview with Crosslin. I grew up, he was a family friend.He said, "I'm often asked about the old or ancient ways and the new ways." What Crosland said was, and I'll try my best to articulate this idea, is that there is no difference between the ancient ways and today. These things still exist. It might be an illusion or we might not be able to comprehend or understand it, but there is no difference between the ancient, when we're thinking of things in the sense of the sublime, I think. There is no understanding the ancient and what is contemporary. That was really an important moment for me as an adult. To hear him articulate that was really important. So I think about that. I'm not really sure about a lot of things, but I really like to think about that when I'm working. Li:It kind of runs through your mind as you're working and creating. It's a deep thought, that's for sure, connecting those things. Even thinking back on your own personal history with sound, when did you first connect your relationship to place and homeland to sound and music? Nathan:Well, my earliest remembrances of music, honestly, are my dad driving me around in his truck, picking me up after school, and singing peyote songs, Native American Church songs, peyote songs. The members of the Native American Church call that medicine. My father was an active member of a chapter of the Native American Church at that time. I was fortunate enough to receive my Lenape Delaware name in a peyote meeting. But the first things I remember are the music he played in the car, but really the singing in the car, the singing in the truck that he would do of those peyote songs. Even after he quit going to meetings or he wasn't active in the Native American Church anymore, he still would sing these peyote songs, and I would ask him about the peyote songs, because they're different for every tribe. The forms, they still have their kind of conventions, but they're very tribally specific.Everything in what we call legally Indian Country here in the United States is super hyper local. So just down the road, that's really the beautiful thing about living in Oklahoma, is you have people whose ancestors are from northeast, southeast, southwest. There's only one tribe here from California. So it's a really rich place for sound and song. Both of my parents are Indigenous American Indian. My mother is Pawnee and Kiowa. My father is Lenape Delaware. I also grew up around the Big Drum, what we call the Big Drum at powwows. I never became a powwow singer or anything like that. Never learned anything around the Big Drum. But I did eventually learn Pawnee songs, Native American Church Pawnee songs.But really, I was just a kid in a small town in Oklahoma. When skateboarding hit and you become kind of an adolescent, you start to discover punk rock and things like that. Those to me were the way that the culture was imported to me. I didn't realize that I was already surrounded by all this beautiful culture, all of the tribes and my parents' tribes and my grandparents'. But then it was like a transmitter. Even these tapes were just transmitters to me. So those were really important also. I have a lot of thoughts about sound. Other thing I remember is my father often would get onto us or make fun of us for being so loud and saying we would be horrible scouts or hunters.Li:Making too much noise. Nathan:The Native Americans, yeah, yeah. We weren't stealth. You'd hear us coming a mile away. So he would always say, "You wouldn't be a very good one," just to try to get us quiet down.Li:No one wants to be a bad hunter, right? Can you break down the concept of Indigenous Sonic Agency? is this based on ancestral traditions, your artistic practice, academic scholarship, or a bit of all the above? Nathan:Well, Indigenous Sonic Agency is really one piece of a larger subject sonic agency, which I encountered in a book titled Sonic Agency by Brandon LaBelle. I was a former member of this collective, Postcommodity, and I'm reading this book. When we were first starting the collective, we had the opportunity to work with this Czech poet named Magor, Ivan Jirous Magor. It means blockhead, I believe. It's a nickname. He was kind of described as the Andy Warhol of the Plastic People of the Universe. He was an art historian. He spent most of his life in prison just for being an artist, an art historian. He was an actual musician. He didn't play with the Plastic People of the Universe, to my knowledge, but he did to write the lyrics, to my knowledge. We had the opportunity to record with Magor. So I'm reading this book about sonic agency, and here I find somebody that I'd actually had an experience with sonic agency with in my early days and as a young man and an artist.But ultimately Indigenous Sonic Agency is, in some sense, similar but different to tribal sovereignty. So when you think of agency or sovereignty, it's something that they sometimes get mixed up. I'm really trying to parse the differences between this, what we understand so well as political sovereignty as federally recognized tribes and what agency means, say, as an artist. But in my research, in the subject of sonic agency and Indigenous Sonic Agency, it encompasses pretty much everything. That's what I love about sound. Everything has a sound, whether we can hear it or not. Everything is in vibration. There are sounds that are inaudible to us, that are too high or too low. Then there's what we hear in the world and the importance of silence with John Cage. I think that they're just super productive.I was introduced really to sound studies through this book called Sonic Warfare by Steve Goodman. It was really about how the study of sound was, in a sense, still emerging because it had mostly been used for military purposes and for proprietary purposes such as commercials and things like that. As I stated earlier, I felt like music was my connection to a larger world that I couldn't access living in a small town. So even everything that came with it, the album covers, all that, they really made an impression on me as a young person, and it continues to this day, and I've been focusing deeply on it.My studies in sonic agency -- Indigenous Sonic Agency -- encompass everything from social song, sacred song, voice, just political speech and language, political language. There's so much work to be done in the emerging sound studies field. I felt that Indigenous Sonic Agency, there was a gap there in writing and knowledge on it. Now though, I acknowledge that there has been great study on the subject such as Dylan Robinson's book, Hungry Listening. I am fortunate enough to be around a lot of other Indigenous experimental artists who work in all the sonic fields. So it's an all-encompassing thing. I think about the sacred, I think about the political, I think about the nature of how we use it to organize things and how language works. Silence is a part of it. Also, listening is very important. It's something that I was taught at a very young age. You always have to continue to hone that practice to become a better and better listener. Li:That's the truth. Nathan:My grandmother was very quiet, but whenever she did talk, everybody loved it. Li:That's right. That's right. Let's talk about the Pennsbury Manor project. Can you share how you, Ryan Strand Greenberg, and Theo Loftis met and how nkwiluntàmën came to be? Nathan:Well, to my recollection, I try to keep busy around here, and oftentimes it means traveling to some of the other towns in the area such as Pawnee or Bartlesville or Dewey or Tahlequah. I wasn't able to do a studio visit with Ryan, but I wanted to see his artist talk that he was giving at the Tulsa Artist Fellowship, which I was a fellow at at that time. I remember seeing these large public art projects that were being imagined by Ryan. We had worked on some other projects that, for one reason or another, we weren't unable to get off the ground. Eventually, Pennsbury Manor was willing to be this space where we could all work together. I remember rushing back and being able to catch Ryan's artist talk. Then right before he left town, we had a studio visit and found out how much we had in common concerning the legacy of the Lenape in the Philadelphia area, what we used to call Lenapehoking. So it was a really a moment of good fortune, I believe. Li:Monument Lab defines monument as a statement of power and presence in public. The nkwiluntàmën project guide describes Pennsbury Manor as a space to attune public memory. It goes on to say that sites like these are not endpoints in history, but touchstones between generations. I really love that statement. Do you think Pennsbury Manor and the land it stands on, do you consider it a monument in your eyes? Why or, maybe even, why not? Nathan:Well, yeah, I would definitely consider Pennsbury Manor, in a sense, a monument. I think that we could make an argument for that. If we were talking about the nature of it being William Penn's home and it being reconstructed in the 20th century, you could make a very strong argument that it is a monument to William Penn and also as William Penn as this ideal friend to the Indian. Some people don't like that word. Here in Oklahoma, some of us use it. Technically, it was Indian Country legally. But I use all terms: Native American, Indigenous, Indian. But I'd mostly like to just be called a Lenape Delaware Pawnee Kiowa.I definitely would say that you could make an argument that is a monument to William Penn especially as part of that, as this ideal colonist who could be set as a standard as for how he worked with the Lenape and then other tribes in the area at the time. I think that's kind of the narrative that I run into mostly in my research, literally. However, I would not say that it was established or had been any type of monument to my Lenape legacy. I did not feel that... I mean, there was always mention of that. It was, like I said, as this ideal figure of how to cooperate with the tribes in the area. But I would definitely say it's not a monument to the Lenape or the Delaware or Munsee.Li:Can you share a bit more about the project itself in terms of nkwiluntàmën and what exactly you did there at Pennsbury Manor to shift and really inform that history from a different perspective? Nathan:Well, first of all, at Pennsbury Manor, I was given a lot of agency. I was given a lot of freedom to what I needed to as an artist. I was really fortunate to be able to work with Doug and Ryan and Theo in that manner where I could really think about these things and think deeply about them. I started to consider these living history sites. My understanding is that they're anachronisms. There's a lot of labor put into creating a kind of façade or an appearance of the past, and specifically this time, this four years that William Penn was on this continent. So this idea that nothing is here that is not supposed to be here became really important to me. What I mean by that is, say, if you threw in a television set, it kind of throws everything off. Everybody's walking around in clothing that reflects that era and that time. If you throw some strange electronics in the space, it kind of is disruptive. I didn't feel the need to do anything like that.I felt that one of the great things about working in sound and one of the most powerful things about sound is that sound can also be stealth. You can't see sound. We can sonify things or we can visualize it or quantify it in different ways. But to me, this challenge of letting the place be, but using sound as this kind of stealth element where I could express this very, very difficult subject and something that really nobody has any answers to or is sure about... I was trained as an art historian, and I know that we're only making guesses and approximations just like any doctors. We are just trying to do these things.But sound gave me the ability at Pennsbury Manor and nkwiluntàmën to work stealthy and quiet, to not disturb the space too much because there's important work that's done there, and I want to respect people's labor. As a member of the Delaware tribe of Indians of Lenape, I felt that it was a great opportunity to be the person who's able to talk about this very difficult subject, and that is not lost on me. That's a very, very heavy, very serious task. Li:Yeah, big responsibility. Nathan:Yes. It is not lost on me at all how serious it is, and I feel very fortunate. I think without such a great support system in place, it wouldn't have been possible. nkwiluntàmën means lonesome, such as the sound of a drum. We have a thing called the Lenape Talking Dictionary,  Li:I've seen it. I've seen it. Nathan:I'm often listening. I'm listening to Nora Dean Thompson who gave me my Delaware name, my Lenape name, Unami Lenape name in a peyote ceremony. So I often go there to access Delaware thought and ideas and to hear Delaware voices and Delaware language being spoken. I know that some people have different views on it, but let's say, I think artists and people have used the Unami Lenape before and art exhibitions as a lost or an endangered languages. I know that in the entire state that I live in, and in most of Indian country, there's a great language revitalization movement that I was fortunate to be a part of and contribute to.Really, that's where I discovered that that's really where through language, there's nothing more Lenape, there's nothing more Delaware, Unami Lenape than to be able to talk and express yourself in that manner or, say, as a Pawnee or a Kiowa to be able to talk and express. Embedded in those words are much more than just how we think of language. They're really the key to our worldviews. Our languages are the keys to our worldview and really our thought patterns and how we see the world and how we should treat each other or how we choose to live in the world or our ancestors did. So I'm fascinated by the language. I was fortunate enough to be around many, many different native languages growing up. But ours was one because of the nature of us being a northeastern tribe that was very much in danger of being lost. Some would say that at one point it was a very, very, very endangered language to the point to where nobody was being born in what we call a first language household, where everybody could speak conversationally in Unami Lenape.So these things, we all think about this, by the way, all of my community, the Delaware Tribe of Indians. I was fortunate enough to serve on the Tribal Council as an elected member for four years. We think about these things definitely all the time, and people do hard work to try to revitalize the language. I know at this time that the Delaware Tribe of Indians is actively working to revitalize our language. Li:That's a part of that preservation and remembrance because your work, really does explore this idea of ancestral remembrance and is rooted in that. Then again, you're also engaging with these historic sites, like Pennsbury Manor, that tap into public memory. So in your thoughts, how are ancestral remembrance and public memory connected? Are there any similar ways that they resonate? Nathan:Well, I think of different communities of remembrance. Within this idea of memory there are just different communities. I don't want to want to create a dichotomy, but it's easily understood by those who focus on the legacy of William Penn and those who focus on the legacy of the Lenape or the Pawnee. But ancestral memory is key to my culture, I believe, and I really don't know any way to express it other than explaining it in a contemporary sense. If you're deeply involved in your tribal nation, one of the one things that people will ask you is they'll say, "Who are your folks?" Literally, people will say, "Who are your folks?" Li:Who are your peoples? Nathan:"What family do you come from?" I didn't start to realize this until I was an adult, of course. It's not something you think you would ever think of as a child or anything. It started to become really apparent to me that we're families that make up communities that have stayed together in our case for hundreds of years across thousands of miles. It's a point to where we got down to very small numbers. We still stuck together. Then there was also a diaspora of Lenape that went to Canada, the Munsee and the Stockbridge. There was the Delaware Nation who has actually lived more near the Kiowa. My grandmother was Kiowa. But we still had the same family names. For instance, there are people and members of the Delaware Nation that are actually blood related to the Delaware Tribe. So that is really our connection to each other is our ancestors. That's purely what binds us to together is that our ancestors were together, and we just continue that bond. Li:Thank you. A part of Monument Lab's mission is to illuminate how symbols are connected to systems of power and public memory. What are the recurring or even the most vital symbols illuminated in your work? Nathan:Oh, that's a really tough question because my work is all over the place. I work across a lot of different mediums, although I've trained as an art historian, so I came into this as a visual artist. I just happened to be a musician and then discovered installation art and how sound works in art. But for me, the story I feel that I'm trying to tell cannot be held by any number of symbols or signs. I want to give myself the freedom and agency to use whatever is needed, actually, whatever is needed to get across the idea that is important to me. So going back to nkwiluntàmën, lonesome, such as the sounds, these colors, we use these white post-Colonial benches, and there's four large ones, placed across the grounds of Pennsbury Manor. You'll see that, if one were to visit, they would see a black bench, a yellow bench, a white bench, and a red bench. Nathan:If you're from my community, a Delaware Tribe of Indian member and you know that you're a Lenape, you understand that those colors have meaning to our tribe, and you'll know that those colors have sacred meaning. So in some sense, I will use whatever I think is the most appropriate way to use it also. I want to give myself the freedom to use any type of symbolism. I loved growing up with my mother and my grandmother being able to go to powwows. My mom would say, "Well, here comes the Shawnee women. Here comes the Delaware women. They dress like this. Here comes..." Li:You can recognize from their dress. Nathan:My mother and my grandmother taught me that iconography of our clothing, what we now call regalia. Li:I was curious if perhaps the drum or even the idea of homeland show up in your work? Nathan:Oh, they definitely show up in my work when appropriate. But rather than a drum, I would say sound or song or music. We do have these iconographies and symbols that are deeply meaningful to us, and I often use those in my artwork. But really the question for me is how to use them appropriately and, also at the same time, expand the use of these things appropriately. It's just being accountable to your legacy and your community in a sense and not crossing these boundaries, but still at the same time pushing form, pushing the edge.I'm a contemporary person. We're all contemporary people. We want to add something. We want to contribute. We want to be useful. So I'm searching for symbols and forms all the time, different ones. Whether it be a mound, whether it'd be a swimming pool inside an art gallery or a singing park bench or a post-Colonial bench in Pennsbury Manor, in some ways you could say I would be indigenizing and musicalizing those benches. But I consciously work to have a very broad palette. I want my work to be expansive and be able to encompass any subject or idea, because that's why I got into art is because you can talk about anything.Li:Yeah, it's boundless. It's boundless. Then also thinking about the connections and the symbols that you mentioned, the colors that you mentioned, the iconography, what systems of power might they be connected to? Nathan:Well, ultimately, I think that most of the power that is embedded in these symbols comes from the sublime, that come from the sacred. It's complicated. The sacred means to not be touched. That's my understanding, it's to not be touched. However, it's been the source of inspiration for artists of any continent of any time is, if you want to call it, a spiritual, sublime, religious connection, inspiration, whatever, but ultimately, that is my understanding. From my research, even as a young person studying Pawnee mythologies at the University of Oklahoma and special collection and learning stories, our origin stories and what color meant and how the world was seen by my ancestors from other tribes as well as Lenape stories, it's something that's hard to grasp and to hold onto, but that's how we've come to identify each other. It's as simple as we have car tags here that represent our tribes. We have a compact with the state. So everybody's looking around at all these different car tags.Li:Wow. Nathan:You see a regular Oklahoma one, and then you'll see... A very common one is a Cherokee because they're one of the biggest tribes. You'll see a blue one, it's Pawnee. Now you'll see a red one, and it's Delaware or Lenape. It says Unami Lenape on it, and it has our seal. So we play this kind of game all of us. I mean, it's not a game, but we're always looking at license plates to see... It might be your mom's car you're driving that has, say, a Kickapoo license plate or something, and it's a Cherokee driving it or a non-Indian or something, a relative, say. It's not for me to say where these came from. It's something that I actually just really explore and that fascinates me. It's very rich growing up and being a member of my tribal communities. I learn something new almost daily. Li:I can imagine like you said, the learning experience that you have as a child growing up in your community. You mentioned mythologies earlier. I study mythology. One of the purposes I've come to understand is education, educating through these stories. I recently interviewed Jesse Hagopian from the Zinn Education Project and the movement for anti-racist education. The struggles for education reform and reckoning with Eurocentric understandings of history seem to be deeply connected efforts. So on nkwiluntàmën, I understand an educational curriculum has been developed for younger audiences. What do you hope that people take away from this project that they might not find in a textbook or a classroom? Nathan:Well, I would hope that when people visit the large-scale sound installation and visual elements of it that they would understand... my greatest hope that people would learn what I learned while creating the work was that I really don't know what it felt like. I just came across, I was looking for the words in the Delaware Talking Dictionary for feelings, and I found a sentence or a way of saying feeling that said, "It did not penetrate me. I did not feel it." It made me realize that I don't know. I've never had this happen to me. The history of the Delaware Lenape is of constant removal, of constant pushing. Most people know the Cherokee Nation and the Trail of Tears. Actually, there were many movements of the Cherokee. It's very complex. All tribes are very complex. You always have to qualify. But the Trail of Tears is what most people know about. It was this very long, two-year complex journey. It was fraught. Li:That's one of the stories that we learned in school, if at all. Nathan:So our story is of nine of those and, to my understanding and research, was about once every 30 years. So it seemed to me that most Lenape, who came to be known as the Delaware Tribe, who I grew up with as, had ancestors that had experienced a removal. It's something that we still live and deal with today. We came to Oklahoma from what is now Lawrence, Kansas, when this was called Indian Territory. We had been living before that north of Kansas and had adapted our way of life as we changed across this territory and through time to survive.So as we moved into the Plains, we started to hunt buffalo, and then we get kind of crosswise with some other tribes. I think when the federal government was constituting Indian Country, they were concerned with the relationships between other tribes and how they felt. My understanding is we had upset some... By Buffalo hunting and adopting that way of survival and life, there was some trepidation about us. They wanted our reservation. The railroad wanted our reservation, and Lawrence, Kansas, to run directly through our reservation. They were forcing us to move off that reservation, and they couldn't find a place. That was kind of my understanding of the situation. So we ended up in the northernmost part of the Cherokee Nation. This made us a landless tribe for a very, very long time. Technically, we didn't have a reservation. We were living in the Cherokee's reservation because we had this very ancient but kind of tangential connection to the Cherokees. So that's a very long and complicated story as well. Li:That's actually a beautiful setup for one of my last questions actually. This idea of documentation and stewardship are key for Indigenous communities, as you just mentioned, that continue to contend with stolen land, forest displacements, cultural erasure, and lost languages. Monument Lab thinks a lot about the future archives that can hold the dynamic nature of public memory in all its forms. What would a future archive of ancestral memory look, feel, or even sound like for you? Nathan Young:I love that question because we do work with future archives of our ancestors, all of us do today. So I think it's really a question of form. I've encountered this in my studies of Sonic Agency and Indigenous Sonic Agency. The invention of the phonograph and the wax cylinder are very important. It didn't look like anything. It looked like sound or that archive. I think that unknowingly, we're all living in an archive. We're archiving moments now as things speed up constantly. Paul Virilio, the theorist, was very, very important to my thinking because he theorized about speed and the speed of, say, how a camera shutter and a gun are very similar in their repeatingness. I think about repetition a lot. But today, we live in this hyper surveillance society that any moment could be archived, any moment could be filmed, and also these things will be lost. So that is a fascinating thought to think about what may survive and become the archive and what may not, even with all of this effort to constantly surveil and document everything.But it's my hope that archives are important just because they give us a deeper understanding of a connection to something we will never be able to experience. So I think that a future archive is something that we cannot imagine. We don't know what it's going to look like, and it's up to us to find out and to explore form and explore possibilities so that we're not stuck in this mindset that has to be in steel and monumentalized as a figure or a person or something like that. So in my mind, it's just to be revealed to us. We'll know later, but I would hope that were to make...I know this is what people still do today that make monuments. They want to make something beautiful, but that means something different to Lenape or a Pawnee or Kiowa, so that seems very different to us. And so we do that. We do memorialize things in different ways. But I think that we think of them as more ethereal, whether we think of them as things that we know that aren't going to really last forever. I feel that way, at least. I don't speak for all of my culture. But I know that some of us are trying to find new forms to really memorialize our past and unite our community of memory and our tribes, our experiences.Li:Like you said, time, everything's moving so fast and everything's evolving. Everything's constantly changing. So who knows what the forms will take. This has been such a wonderful conversation. I really appreciate your time. I just wanted to see if you had any final words or even gems of ancestral wisdom you might want to leave with us before we finish. Nathan:No, I can't share any ancestral wisdom, not knowingly or very well. I just appreciate the opportunity to create the piece. I appreciate the opportunity to expand upon the piece by talking with you about this because I'm just trying to figure this out. I don't have all the answers. Li:Right, that is part of  being a life learner and walking this path. Everyone's on their journey. We are constantly learning at every turn. I'm with you, Nathan. I often admit that I do not have all the answers. That is for sure. I really enjoyed learning about your work and your practice. I definitely plan on getting down to Pennsbury Manor and look forward to the curriculum for the youth when it comes out. Nathan:Well, thank you. I hope you enjoy it. I hope that it's a meaningful experience for you. I'm a very fortunate person to be able to work on such a project and very grateful to the entire team and everybody that supported the process. Li:Thank you, and thank you again to Ryan Strand Greenberg, who is also the producer of this podcast and worked with you on the project for nkwiluntàmën. Thank you to Nathan Young, our guest today on Future Memory. This is another one for the Future Memory archives.Monument Lab Future Memory is produced by Monument Lab Studio, Paul Farber, Li Sumpter, Ryan Strand Greenberg, Aubree Penney, and Nico Rodriguez. Our producing partner for Future Memory is RADIOKISMET, with special thanks to Justin Berger and the Christopher Plant. This season was supported with generous funding by the Stuart Weitzman School of Design and the University of Pennsylvania.

Last month (May 2023), FBO correspondent Dr. Nick Alexandrov introduced us to a west Texas community under threat from the ONEOK Saguaro Connector Pipeline. In this installment he also updates our Battle for Greenwood special that first aired in September 2021. On this episode, we air the second part of his story.Tulsa has been known as a for everything from oil and gas, to art deco, and western swing music. Today however, Tulsa is at risk of becoming known as a hub for human trafficking. One local nonprofit is working to change that. Anthony Cherry reports on this horrific situation. Even in a deep red state like Oklahoma, the Democratic Party hasn't thrown in the towel. In the Third Congressional District, a young Cheyenne-Arapaho citizen has recently been elected as the Oklahoma Democratic Party's vice chair. Shonda Little speaks with him and others about this recent development.It's Pride month and amidst the current controversy around 2SLGBTQIA+, and especially trans rights, June is a time to create spaces for reflecting on intersectionality and what it really means to feel included. Smriti Iyengar talks with two queer teens about just that.In February 2023, we introduced our All Black Towns series exploring the history of towns established by Freedmen in Indian Territory with Carlos Moreno & Crystal Patrick. This month, Jazmine Bivar-Tobie takes us to Tullahassee for part two of our eight part series digging into the state's historic all black towns.Food is something that brings people together and no one knows that better than Fatouh Kablaan, a Syrian refugee who resettled here through the New Tulsan's Initiative. Fatouh has been sharing her culture with All Souls Unitarian ChurchCarlos Moreno has details speaks with Fatouh and her husband about their experience in Oklahoma.What kid didn't want a pony when they were growing up? Chaz Stephens was one of the lucky ones, or so he thought. Then he met "Two Face," a miniature horse. Listen to this story, it will have you laughing until you are a little hoarse yourself. Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the George Kaiser Family Foundation, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, and the Commemoration Fund.Our theme music is by Moffett Music.Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our associate producers are Smriti Iyengar and Jesse Ulrich. Sharodon Jenkins is our production intern.

In this episode of Focus: Black Oklahoma: Education funding disparities continue to adversely impact students in underserved communities who suffer from limited opportunities for success. Anthony Cherry talks with education leaders in Tulsa who are committed to advocating for more equitable funding allocations from the legislature. Special thanks to an aspiring journalist named Harley Smith for her contributions to this story. Since the Dakota Access Pipeline protests that began in 2016, pipeline projects have come under wider scrutiny from the public. Now another marginalized community, in this case in Texas, faces down a natural gas giant in an effort to protect their land. Dr. Nick Alexandrov has the story.In our March 2023 episode, Focus: Black Oklahoma covered efforts to reform the Oklahoma County jail. Since that broadcast, a grand jury released a report detailing conditions at the controversial facility. Shonda Little has the update.A proposed bill aimed at prohibiting discrimination based on natural hair or hairstyles failed to pass in the current 2023 house session. Dawn Carter speaks to Representative Monroe Nichols, who introduced the bill, and Dr. Tameeca Rogers, a professor and filmmaker advocating for the bill's passage.The 2023 Tulsa Jazz Fest, produced by Taylor Entertainment Group, is happening on June 2nd, at Guthrie Green from 6-10PM. John Taylor, owner of Taylor Entertainment Group, is an artist manager, booking agent, digital media entrepreneur, and impresario with a passion for spreading awareness of Tulsa, Oklahoma's abiding relationship with jazz music. Though Oklahoma has a vibrant Jazz scene, nationwide its popularity has waned over the last few decades. Early June in Oklahoma will be filled with live Jazz around the state. The 32nd Charlie Christian International Music Festival, produced and presented by the Black Liberated Arts Center, Inc. will occur in Oklahoma City June First through the Third on the Oklahoma City Community College Campus. Tickets and additional information can be found at www.tickets.occc.edu or www.charliechristian.org.There are a number of women rappers topping Billboard charts in 2023, winning Grammy awards, and dominating popular culture. But artists like Ice Spice wouldn't be able to blow up overnight without the strong foundation laid by pioneers over the preceding decades. Here's Savai with more.Mothers: you can't live with 'em, you can't live without 'em. Usually we have to worry about our moms telling an embarrassing story about us, but for Michelle Cullom the shoe is on the other foot.Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the George Kaiser Family Foundation, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, and the Commemoration Fund.Our theme music is by Moffett Music.Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our associate producers are Smriti Iyengar and Jesse Ulrich. Savai is our production intern.

Welcome to Tulsa Talks presented by Tulsa Regional Chamber. I'm your host Tim Landes.  Long before I returned to journalism, I worked for my tribe, Cherokee Nation, for a decade. It was there I helped do media relations for Cherokee Casinos and Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism. It was in that role I learned about the importance of the art. We're storytellers because up until Sequoyah created the syllabary, the only way to share history was through stories and art. Even with the written language this continues. Over the last 15 years, Cherokee Nation has invested heavily in art. It's actually a Cherokee Nation law that every construction project must incorporate art into the budget.  That's not the case for Muscogee Nation. When the tribe acquired the Cancer Treatment Center and turned it into Council Oak Comprehensive Healthcare, they inherited a massive new facility that would help revolutionize health care for the tribe and open its doors for all area tribal citizens. The team behind the hospital saw an opportunity to not only provide medical treatment, but also help folks heal through art.  Under the curation of Osage Nation citizen Julie O'Keefe, who had helped Bacone College with their Acee Blue Eagle Collection, the tribe purchased and commissioned art from over 30 artists, which has resulted in dozens of pieces of art of all kinds hanging throughout the hospital campus, including some from Yatika Fields and outside in the courtyard, where Kenneth Johnson is creating his largest sculpture to date.  I wrote about this for a feature that is in our May issue of the magazine. I love this story, but due to space limitations I couldn't share all I wanted to from the artists. This is often the case, sadly. Ask any journalist about the content piled on the cutting room floor and they might cry. That said, I realized I had an opportunity to share more from the artists on how important this project has been to them.  Something else that sometimes happens is an interview opportunity comes up after the story goes to press. In this case, hospital officials purchased a painting from legendary Muscogee Nation artist Dana Tiger. She calls the painting her masterpiece. When I learned the tribe had purchased the painting, I jumped at the chance to head down the turnpike to Muskogee to visit with Dana about her art.  First up is Yatika Fields, who is a Muscogee Nation citizen and Cherokee and Osage. He's also a Tulsa Artist Fellow. The health care center acquired many of his paintings and commissioned him to paint his largest to date. He talks about how important it is, but also how there's also the need for more public walls to showcase Native art.  Second is Kenneth Johnson is a sculptor, who resides in Santa Fe. He's logged many miles driving back and forth to work on his courtyard installation, which it turns out has been a family affair.  I close with Dana Tiger, who I recently spent time with in her Muskogee studio, where she beamed with pride as she showed me her children's artwork, which continues a family tradition that began with her late father.  Dana was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1999, but she hasn't let that slow her down. It means a lot that she took the time to talk to me, and I'm thrilled to share it with you on this episode. A note: you might notice cameos by one or two of her studio cats during the conversation. 

This month on Focus Black Oklahoma:Parenting is hard and determining what constitutes a family is even harder. Oklahoma Law has no precedent for a same sex custody battle. Yet, Kris Williams finds herself in the midst of a struggle for parental rights. Shonda Little has the story.The American Dream is fairly elusive, even for the people who were born and raised in the United States. Economic inclusion and self-sufficiency for refugees are priorities of the University of Oklahoma's Humanitarian Innovation Research Group, or OU HIRG. Anthony Cherry has the story about the organization and how they are advocating for refugee rights.The need for representation across a variety of industries has been lacking for years. In particular, Black physicians are few and far between. Dr. Jabraan Pasha has details about the Youth Medical Mentorship Program which is working to change the disparity of Blacks in medicine.Against the backdrop of divisive social, cultural, and political rhetoric, as the state of Oklahoma continues to see a rise in legislation banning race and gender diversity in education, restricting reproductive health and autonomy, and restricting 2SLGBTQIA+ rights, the initiatives, programs, and services of social justice organizations in the state have become increasingly sought after, especially to equip and support young people in the approach and navigation of these complex conversations. For over eight decades, one of the state's oldest inclusivity-focused nonprofits, Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice, or OCCJ, has worked to promote understanding and mutual respect through advocacy, conflict resolution and educational programs. OCCJ started as a volunteer movement chapter of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, formally establishing the Tulsa branch in 1958. In 2005, OCCJ became independent of that national organization. Through their initiatives and programs, they continue to do the work of elevating voices and educating world citizens. On February 6th, Phil Armstrong was officially welcomed as the OCCJ's new president and chief executive officer. Juddie Williams has the story.In an effort to reinvigorate Greenwood and the health of its citizens, the Historic Greenwood District Main Street is launching Greenwood Go, an initiative to ensure more people have healthy bodies to walk the historic District but also spur healthy commerce in the community. Sondra Slade shares details.Though Tulsa's moniker as the Rose Capital has been long gone, there are still beautiful flowers all around town that highlight the history made here. As Tulsa enjoys this renaissance in arts the people of the city have committed to give its flowers to the artists that showcase its beauty. Chaz Stephens has the story.Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the George Kaiser Family Foundation, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, and the Commemoration Fund.Our theme music is by Moffett Music.Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our associate producers are Smriti Iyengar and Jesse Ulrich.

America has had a hard few weeks. And definitely taken some Ls. And as one season ends, and another begins, we're calling a big time pitcher out of our bullpen to help us make sense of it all. From Trump's indictment, to Iraq at 20, to Ukraine's urgent needs, to March Madness and the WBC. Matt Gallagher (@MattGallagher0) is back. He joined us last after just leaving Ukraine for Episode 161 in March of 2022.  One of the most important writers of our time, especially touching on issues of war and national security, Matt is the internationally-recognized author of the novels Empire City, Youngblood, the forthcoming Daybreak, the class Iraq war memoir Kaboom, and a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. His work has appeared in Esquire, ESPN, The New York Times, The Paris Review and Wired. He's also co-editor of the short fiction collection Fire & Forget: Short Stories from the Long War. He's a popular, funny and insightful voice—including on Twitter–on everything from politics and war to his beloved Cleveland Browns.  His new Esquire article digs into the Ukraine war in a way nobody else has before. And he's gonna talk about it. And much more.  Matt was featured in Vanity Fair as one of the voices of a new generation of American war literature. A graduate of Wake Forest and Columbia, Matt is a 2021-23 fellow with the Tulsa Artist Fellowship, based in Oklahoma. He lives with his wife and sons in Tulsa and works as a writing instructor for NYU's Words After War program– devoted to bringing vets and civilians together to study conflict literature.  Every episode of Independent Americans hosted by Paul Rieckhoff is the truth beyond the headlines–and light to contrast the heat of other politics and news shows. It's content for the 42% of Americans that proudly call themselves independent. And delivers the Righteous Media 5 Is: independence, integrity, information, inspiration and impact. Always with a unique focus on national security, foreign affairs and military and veterans issues. This is another pod to help you stay vigilant. Because vigilance is the price of democracy. In these trying times especially, Independent Americans will continue to be your trusted place for independent news, politics, inspiration and hope.  -Get extra content, connect with guests, attend events, get merch discounts and support this show that speaks truth to power by joining us on Patreon.   - WATCH video of Paul and Matt's conversation here. -Ready Matt's latest Equire piece: “The Secret Weapons of Ukraine”  -Check the hashtag #LookForTheHelpers on Twitter. And share yours.  -Find us on social media or www.IndependentAmericans.us.  -Check out other Righteous podcasts like The Firefighters Podcast with Rob Serra, Uncle Montel - The OG of Weed and B Dorm.  Independent Americans is powered by Righteous Media. America's next great independent media company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This month we start with education. No matter what you call it, a “voucher” or a “tax credit,” the end result is defunding our State's public education system. Anthony Cherry talks with two state lawmakers about the current legislative session and the bills regarding school vouchers.Since the Occupy Wall Street protests in 2011, there has been a growing focus on the disparity between the wealthiest 1% of Americans and the other 99% of the population. A recently published report demonstrates how wealth inequality is a global issue that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Nick Alexandrov details how the effects can be measured here in Oklahoma.Oklahoma has long been on the list of states that incarcerates a large percentage of its population. Prison conditions such as overcrowding and mismanagement are just a few of the public's concerns. One group, the People's Council for Criminal Justice Reform is working to ensure someone is held accountable. Shonda Little has details.In 2019, Tulsa Mayor, GT Bynum announced a public investigation into potential mass graves of Race Massacre victims located at Oaklawn Cemetery. The documentary film, Oaklawn, produced by the Center for Public Secrets and Well-Told covers the events since that first announcement and more broadly the injustices Black Americans face daily including government and policing. Charlie Chadwick has the story.The term Black Excellence has become mainstream in recent years just as Drag and drag culture have taken over our brunches and our Friday evenings. Jasmine Bivar Tobie shares the thoughts of global drag super stars and some local voices to get to the meaning of Black Excellence.Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the George Kaiser Family Foundation, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, and the Commemoration Fund.Our theme music is by Moffett Music.Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our associate producers are Smriti Iyengar and Jesse Ulrich.

In this episode, we begin with a story that explores the insidious aspects of implicit bias. They are an ever present part of the lived experiences of people of color in America. Black women are the most susceptible to bias through the lens of the healthcare system. Dr. Jabraan Pasha has the story about the Tulsa Birth Equity Initiative and its mission to ensure that more pregnant Black women have the medical support they need through their doula program.Amidst the political rhetoric that surrounds banning abortions across the nation, mental health is often overlooked as an important aspect of maternal health . Shonda Little examines the case of a young Oklahoma woman who is caught in the center of the struggle between politics and an individual's rights.In 2018, Oklahomans voted to legalize medical cannabis. In March, they will have an opportunity to vote for the legalization of recreational cannabis. Jamie Glisson has details on a recent forum covering the issue. Oklahoma means land of the “red people,” yet the state once contained within its borders more all black towns than any other. One of the lesser known facets of this history is the legacy of all black towns established by Freedmen of various Indigenous nations. Here's Crystal Patrick with the first segment of an eight part series digging into the state's historic all black towns.Many genres of popular music in the United States have been influenced by Black culture: hip hop, R&B, jazz, blues, rock 'n' roll, soul, and more. However, contributions by Black artists to country music are often overlooked. In 2021, one woman established an organization to change that. Carlos Moreno has the story.Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the George Kaiser Family Foundation, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, and the Commemoration Fund.Our theme music is by Moffett Music.Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our associate producers are Smriti Iyengar and Jesse Ulrich.

Oklahoma is among the Republican led states that have banned over 1000 books since Fall 2021, with the bans disproportionately affecting works with Black characters or addressing issues of race. Focus: Black Oklahoma's Anthony Cherry spoke with educators about the impact of restricting literature in the classroom.With Kamala Harris holding the office of the Vice President of the United States, Black women are arguably more visible in American politics than ever. Dawn Carter reports on a national organization dedicated to increasing engagement and representation of Black women in the political process. For more reporting on the topics discussed in this story you can listen to our episode released in January 2021 wherever you get your podcasts.Anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric along with a Molotov cocktail were thrown into a Tulsa donut shop because it was hosting a Drag Queen event. This event, and others like it, indicates performers and even their allies have reason for fear and concern. Dr. Nick Alexandrov has details on the growing instances of anti-LGBTQ hate crimes.The U.S. Supreme Court's landmark McGirt vs. Oklahoma decision in 2020 was a big win for tribal sovereignty that gave tribal nations jurisdiction over many crimes committed in their territory and by their citizens. But, working out the state of Oklahoma's role in such matters has proven extremely contentious. StateImpact Oklahoma's Logan Layden spoke with KOSU Indigenous Affairs reporter Allison Herrera about one case that highlights the complications involved.Oklahoma health officials have surveyed high school students for decades, looking at things like their alcohol use, nutrition, and home life. StateImpact's Catherine Sweeney reports the data have shown a spike in mental health struggles.Being your truest self in any life situation can sometimes be challenging. Jasmine Bivar-Tobie shares the experience of attempting to honor and protect herself in an alternative space.Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies.Our theme music is by Moffett Music.Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our associate producers are Smriti Iyengar and Jesse Ulrich.

On this episode, we start off with Anthony Cherry bringing us details on how finding representation in education is the new challenge for school districts in this story from September. Oklahoma's teacher shortage has reached critical levels and finding Black teachers is almost impossible.Shonda Little explores the motivations and tactics used by white supremacist gangs in the state and where they appear to be setting up shop. Here is her segment on the United Aryan Brotherhood, which we aired in January. The Washington Post picked up the story in September.Focus: Black Oklahoma's three part series, The Battle for Greenwood, was the recipient of an award from the Oklahoma Society for Professional Journalists in the Special Programs category. This excerpt, narrated by former co-host Kolby Webster, is from the third episode, titled Reparations, and takes a deep dive into the City's controversial efforts to identify potential mass graves that resulted from the 1921 Race Massacre. As of this recording, 19 additional adult graves and 2 child burials have been discovered at Oaklawn Cemetery. In our November broadcast, Nick Alexandrov brought us the story of how one Tulsa Fortune 500 company has been using its money to support campaigns of politicians who proclaim, without evidence, that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump.Also from our November broadcast, Jasmine Bivar-Tobie shares the story of Leeman Lewis' ongoing pledge to restore the Okmulgee Black hospital through the work of the nonprofit organization Landmark For All Generations.It's hard not to recognize that Black people and their contributions have touched every part of our state. In our July broadcast, Carlos Moreno reported on how the Claremore Museum of History celebrated the one year anniversary of its Black History exhibit.In this section from our Culture Keepers series Britny Cordera takes us on a well-seasoned adventure towards decolonizing menus across the country. This story aired on Focus: Black Oklahoma in January 2022 and was further covered by The New Yorker Magazine in September.Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies.Our theme music is by Moffett Music.Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our associate producers are Smriti Iyengar and Jesse Ulrich.

On this episode, we start off with Dr. Nick Alexandrov examining one Tulsa Fortune 500 company that uses its money to support campaigns of politicians who proclaim, without evidence, that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump. As many find themselves learning to navigate in a “post-truth” era, there's at least one statement you can always trust: money talks.For 2022 midterm elections, state-wide attention was focused on what the electoral outcomes would mean for issues like Indigenous sovereignty and education. Jamie Glisson reviews this year's results for state and national offices.A new exhibit at the Cherokee History Museum in Tahlequah explores the history of the Freedmen, the people formerly enslaved by the Indigenous nation. FBO's Allison Herrera visited the museum with some of their descendants.Because of Black history and a personal commitment to preserving landmarks that are tied to Black people, Leeman Lewis bought and is restoring the Okmulgee Black hospital as a labor of love for his community. Jasmine Bivar-Tobie shares the story of Lewis' ongoing pledge to ensure it is a Landmark for All Generations.Despite humble beginnings in rural Oklahoma, Jalen Dorsey has built a stellar music career and a booming new business venture that proves it's not where you came from- it's about where you want to go. Shonda Little has details on the life of Jalen aka DJ Lite Brite and his thriving music and entrepreneurial endeavors.High school. Years many of us simply want to forget. Yet, no matter how old you get or how many years have passed there is always a reunion that brings all those feelings flooding back. FBO's Executive Producer Quraysh Ali Lansana shares his anxieties about attending his 40th high school reunion.The holidays are always a special time of year when families come together to celebrate. But when grandma is slipped the “special brownies” and decides to share the gift that keeps on giving, well, that's when true memories are made. Here's Sondra Slade.Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies.Our theme music is by Moffett Music.Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our associate producers are Smriti Iyengar and Jesse Ulrich.

On this episode, we start off with exploring why most people believe that justice must be punitive. The Restorative Justice Institute of Oklahoma seeks to change the public's perceptions on this issue using a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens. Jasmine Bivar-Tobie has the story. Next Jamie Glisson introduces us to Joshua Harris-Till. 67 years ago a 14 year old boy was murdered based on an accusation. An accusation that was deemed false at the time and then proven so decades later. Emmitt Till was dragged from the home of his Aunt and Uncle in Drew, Mississippi by two white men with shot guns, then taken to a nearby barn and tortured for hours until he was shot in the head and then thrown into a nearby river with a large fan tied to his leg to weigh him down. Media coverage of the recent shooting at McLain High school in Tulsa, perpetuates the narrative that our communities are dangerous and rife with violence. Anthony Cherry shares a story about how Black male mentors through organizations like Men of Power are focused on making sure more young Black men are seen as thriving- not as threats. With a written history dating back 3,000 years, China has one of the oldest cultures in the world. As the Mandarin Chinese language grows into a 21st century lingua franca, Chinese language programs have achieved success in Oklahoma despite obstacles like budget cuts and political and cultural barriers. Carlos Moreno spoke with members of the United States Heartland China Association to discuss ongoing efforts to promote Chinese language education. An often overlooked aspect of Oklahoma history is the legacy of Jim Crow style policies that were implemented even prior to statehood. Shonda Little traveled to Elk City to hear how members of the Black community have maintained the city's oldest cemetery by cultivating a “for us, by us” attitude for nearly 120 years. There's an old proverb about friendship: as iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. Sometimes being sharp means having as much fun as possible while keeping each other out of trouble. Sondra Slade recounts what real friendship looks like during a cross country road trip in college. Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. Our theme music is by Moffett Music. Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Smriti Ayengar is our associate producer. Our production intern is Torren Doss.

On this episode, we start off with a closer look at Oklahoma's teacher shortage, which has reached critical levels, and finding Black teachers is almost impossible. Anthony Cherry has details on how finding representation in education is the new challenge for school districts. Next Shonda Little examines recent tragic impacts that lagging mental health funding and unrestricted access to guns have on communities and shares more on the need for gun trigger laws in Oklahoma. In the fourth installment of her series exploring candidates running for political office across the state, Jamie Glisson speaks with Congressional District 1 candidate, Adam Martin. Historically, access to sustainable energy resources has been out of reach for many marginalized communities. Dawn Carter has the story about WeSolar a community solar firm that aims to change that. We catch up with local students with StateImpact Oklahoma's listening tour with youth across the state. StateImpact's Robby Korth and KOSU's Kateleigh Mills talked with a couple of Tulsa high school students about race, gender and how they interact with their peers at school. Mikeal Vaughn, the founder and executive Director of The Urban Coders Guild is celebrating five years of ensuring Black and brown youth are reflected in the tech industry that gave him his start. Carlos Moreno has the story. Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. Our theme music is by Moffett Music. Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our producers are Nick Alexandrov and Vanessa Gaona. Our production interns are Torren Doss and Smriti Iyengar.

In this installment, Lydia Jeong met with leaders who are closing gaps in anti-racist education by encouraging Oklahomans to talk about issues relating to race and discrimination. Her story has more about Aware Tulsa and University of Oklahoma's Anti-Racist Rhetoric and Pedagogies seminar. Next up Anthony Cherry examines how most Oklahomans are unaware of the state's early migrants from the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. This often underrepresented community has long been a part of Oklahoma history. Here, he shares their story. In our third installment of Jamie Glisson's series exploring candidates running for political office across the state, she speaks with Congressional District 4 candidates incumbent Congressman Tom Cole and his opponent Mary Brannon. Tulsa arts organization, A Pocket Full of Hope makes big moves into a historic building so that youth can share the stage once graced by greats like Count Basie and Ray Charles. Jasmine Bivar-Tobie has details on how this organization continues to improve the lives of students in North Tulsa. Finally we have a story about father and son dynamics. They can be challenging, but when one adds girls and snakes those dynamics can be humbling- especially for fathers. G.K. Palmer tells us his story about a kung-fu snake. Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. Our theme music is by Moffett Music. Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our producers are Nick Alexandrov and Vanessa Gaona. Our production interns Perla Mauricio, Torren Doss, and Smriti Iyengar.

We start this episode with taxes! Tax code is complicated and the fiscal impact of the McGirt decision on the State tax collection is also complicated. Dawn Carter has the story on how tribal tax exemptions are impacting state funded programs. We continue discussing Native American Nations in our next story. Allison Herrera tells us about the traumatic experiences of Indian Boarding schools, painfully brought to light in a one of a kind event in Anadarko. The testimonies are putting former boarders firmly on the road to healing. Next we revisit local nurses and new data on the long-term effects of COVID, specifically on the health of Black people-- which is significant. A lack of mental health services and patient advocates are just some of the real concerns across North Tulsa and similar communities. Nick Alexandrov has the story. Juddie Williams has our next story: Freedom of speech is a constitutional right that still requires protection so that people can express their political views as fully as possible. Williams brings us a story about two organizations whose sole purpose is to protect our civil liberties. Listen in as queer farmers find community through an event called Queer Farmer Convergence. Catherine Wheeler shares just how important it is to be seen, heard, and challenged by your peers. It's hard not to recognize that Black people and their contributions have touched every part of Oklahoma and Claremore is no exception. From Olympians to sucessful business men, Claremore has a long history of Black excellence that is now being showcased in the Black History exhibit at the Claremore Museum of History. Carlos Moreno brings us the details. We end with an audio diary from musicians who recently performed at the Woody Guthrie Center. Crys Matthews and her wife Heather Mae graced the stage, singing songs from each of their prestigious careers, love songs they wrote for each other, and each debuting a new song for what the couple called a small but mighty audience. As the crew broke down the stage, Matthews took some time to speak about being on the road again playing music. She is a rising star in the folk music world, winning the Lincoln Center New Music competition in 2017, and recent awards at the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance, and the International Folk Music Awards. A preacher's kid from small town North Carolina, Matthews talked about the themes in her music of love, faith, civil rights, and social justice. Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. Our theme music is by Moffett Music. Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our producers are Nick Alexandrov and Vanessa Gaona. Our production interns Perla Mauricio, Torren Doss, and Smriti Iyengar.

After numerous attempts by the Survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre to be granted a trial, a judge handed down an unprecedented ruling on May 2nd that provides hope to those who are fighting to repair and restore Greenwood. Carlos Moreno has more. Next Jamie Glisson has the first in a series exploring the candidates running for political office across the state. Here, she speaks with Congressional District 3 incumbent, Congressman Frank Lucas and some new challengers for that seat. Adverse Childhood experiences are responsible for traumatizing millions of children across the state. One organization believes that a mentor can counteract that trauma with an activity as simple as bowling. Dawn Carter shares more about Big Brothers, Big Sisters Bowling for Kids Sake event. Brandy Colbert's book "Blackbirds in the Sky" was written for young adults but doesn't shy away from the tough topic of the Tulsa Race Massacre. Our teen correspondent Adrienne Brown has details about what's been missing from her education and why straight talk in our classrooms matter. Preserving the prairie system is no simple task. And now at the heart of conservation and culture is the Prairie Chicken. While it may not be as familiar as Bald Eagles, Britny Cordera has more on what makes Prairie Chickens just as iconic and in need of protection. Finally Chaz Stephens will connect the dots from Dragonball Z to N.E.R.D. exploring how Black nerds are gaining greater visibility and acceptance in mainstream culture. Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. Our theme music is by Moffett Music. Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our producers are Nick Alexandrov and Vanessa Gaona. Our production interns Torren Doss and Smriti Iyengar.

Dr. Nick Alexandrov opens the show with #justiceforshed: A Black man is dead in Norman, OK and while the family seeks answers, others are bringing attention to Stand Your Ground laws and how they are in-equitably applied when it comes to Black and Brown bodies. Next Jamie Glisson reports that only 54% of registered voters in Oklahoma voted in the 2020 elections. As we approach key elections in the coming months, Jamie shares who's in, who is out, and where there are opportunities to engage voters. Lydia Jeong brings to the forefront the power of listening to our neighbors and connecting with our communities, highlighting the simple process and profound results of communication. In our next story we ask, "what values do Oklahomans authentically share with the rest of the country and more specifically what values matter most to Black and Brown Oklahomans." Juddie Williams speaks with local surveyors who want to dig into the ideals and motivations of Black and Brown folks in the center of America. Then Sherrita Sweet follows up on an education fund for descendants of the Tulsa Race Massacre that was put in place nearly twenty years ago. Here she is with a leader looking to expand the fund and navigate the complications ahead. As climate change continues to bear down upon the western United States, historic wildfires have wreaked havoc upon the lives of many. In western Oklahoma, and numerous other states, the elite firefighters and fire management staff from the Cheyenne and Arapaho nations have continued to answer the call. Shonda Little has the story. Finally Michelle Collum reminds us that even when you look your best- no one knows when a wardrobe malfunction is gonna strike. Here, she shares a funny tale about a bathroom wrestling match that you'll never forget. Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. Our theme music is by Moffett Music. Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our associate producers are Nick Alexandrov and Vanessa Gaona. Our production intern is Smriti Iyengar.

In this episode, writer Sarah Perry talks with Resort founder Catherine LaSota about her identity as a writer, our needs to prove things to ourselves as writers, and the benefits of learning to observe across different media. Sarah Perry (she/they) is a memoirist and essayist who writes about love, trauma, gender-based violence, queerness, and the power dynamics that influence those concerns. She is the author of the memoir After the Eclipse, which was named a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, a Poets & Writers Notable Nonfiction Debut, and a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers pick. Perry is the recipient of a 2020-2022 Tulsa Artist Fellowship, the 2018 Betty Berzon Emerging Writer Award, and fellowships from the Edward F. Albee Foundation, VCCA, Playa, and The Studios of Key West. She holds an M.F.A. in nonfiction from Columbia University. Find out more about Sarah here: https://www.sarahperryauthor.net Purchase After the Eclipse here: https://bookshop.org/books/after-the-eclipse/9781328511911 Find out more about our personalized, one-month writing coaching program, called LET'S DIVE IN, here: https://www.theresortlic.com/letsdivein Join our free Resort community, full of resources and support for writers, here: https://community.theresortlic.com/ More information about The Resort can be found here: https://www.theresortlic.com/ Cabana Chats is hosted by Resort founder Catherine LaSota. Our podcast editor is Jade Iseri-Ramos, and our music is by Pat Irwin. Special thanks to Resort assistant Nadine Santoro. FULL TRANSCRIPTS for Cabana Chats podcast episodes are available in the free Resort network: https://community.theresortlic.com/ Follow us on social media! @TheResortLIC Support the Resort in our May 2022 fundraiser!: https://www.freefunder.com/campaign/support-writers

Focus: Black Oklahoma has been selected to participate in the Advancing Democracy cohort with the Solutions Journalism Network, or SJN. Our series, In A Confused State, will follow Oklahoma advocacy groups navigating new restrictions on freedoms in four areas: reproductive rights, voting laws, teaching history and direct action/activism. We begin the show with our final piece in the series as Devin Williams sheds light on the obstacles between minority voters and the ballot box in Oklahoma. We also get closer to the people working to make the path to accurate representation more clear. Next Jamie Glisson looks at Ketanji Brown Jackson, who was officially confirmed to the supreme court on April 7, 2022, by a 53 to 47 vote, and the political successes of Black women locally and nationally that brought our political system to this historic moment. In the first installment intended to help us understand the McGirt versus Oklahoma supreme court case and its continued challenges by the state, Dawn Carter notes that almost half the state of Oklahoma may still be considered Native American land that was never disestablished when Oklahoma was granted statehood. The decision could have transformative impacts for citizens across what we know of as Oklahoma. Oklahoma's rich Black history could be lost, if not for people like Damario Solomon-Simmons and Derrick Edie Smith Jr- also known as the “history influencer”- Young Black Mayor.  Crysal Patrick shares some of what led them on this journey of educating not just our state, but our world on Oklahoma history. Then we get an introduction to a new exhibit, Woven, by Shenequa Brooks at 108 Contemporary. In this exhibit, she demonstrates where art and entrepreneurship collide. Brooks is creating art while sharing her talents and expertise with other young artists of color. Carlos Moreno shares the unique story of an “Artpreneur” with us. In this month's final story we get an inside look at what it takes to put on the biggest art show for the youngest artists in town. Lydia Jeong takes us to Philbrook for The Big Show. Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. Our theme music is by Moffett Music. Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our associate producers are Nick Alexandrov and Vanessa Gaona. Our production intern is Smriti Iyengar.

Stand Up is a daily podcast. I book,host,edit, post and promote new episodes with brilliant guests every day. Please subscribe now for as little as 5$ and gain access to a community of over 800 awesome, curious, kind, funny, brilliant, generous souls Check out StandUpwithPete.com to learn more My guest today is author and combat veteran of the Iraq war Matt Gallagher. He is just back from Ukraine where he trained them for possible combat   He wrote this for Esquire: I'm a U.S. Vet. I Trained Ukrainians to Fight.   Matt Gallagher is the author of the novels Empire City and Youngblood, a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. His work has appeared in Esquire, ESPN, The New York Times, The Paris Review and Wired, among other places. He's also the author of the Iraq war memoir Kaboom and coeditor of, and contributor to, the short fiction collection Fire & Forget: Short Stories from the Long War. In 2015, Gallagher was featured in Vanity Fair as one of the voices of a new generation of American war literature. In January 2017, Senator Elizabeth Warren read Matt's Boston Globe op-ed “Trump Rejects the Muslims Who Helped Us” on the U.S. Senate Floor. Among other media, he's appeared on CBS News Sunday Morning and NPR's The Diane Rehm Show, and was interviewed at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan by retired general David H. Petraeus. A graduate of Wake Forest and Columbia, Matt is a 2021-23 fellow with the Tulsa Artist Fellowship, based in Green Country, Oklahoma. He lives with his wife and sons in Tulsa, and works remotely as a writing instructor for New York University's English Department's Words After War, a workshop devoted to bringing veterans and civilians together to study conflict literature.  All things Jon Carroll  Follow and Support Pete Coe Pete on YouTube Pete on Twitter Pete On Instagram Pete Personal FB page Stand Up with Pete FB page

Focus: Black Oklahoma has been selected to participate in the Advancing Democracy cohort with the Solutions Journalism Network, or SJN. Our series, In A Confused State, will follow Oklahoma advocacy groups navigating new restrictions on freedoms in four areas: reproductive rights, voting laws, teaching history, and direct action/activism. This week we start the show with our latest in the series. Here, Dr. Nick Alexandrov explores school choice, the complicated history of the term and the reality of its execution in practice within the state's various private, public, and charter school systems.  Next, we look at the COVID-19 pandemic two years on. Oklahoma is set to begin a study looking into the long term effects COVID-19 is having on some who have contracted the virus. Dawn Carter has the story of how Long haulers or Long COVID is affecting Oklahomans and what resources may help those affected.  We then look at a much different issue impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Escalation in anti-Asian language, violence, and hate crimes in the country continues with incidents increasing over 300% in the last year. Contributor Lydia Jeong speaks with Asian American women who are grappling with the rise in aggressions against their communities. We follow Shonda Little as she explored the Old Settlers Reunion in Cheyanne. For some it is a chance to relive the glory days of the land run. For the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes though, it's a painful reminder of all they have lost. In our final story, we continue our examination of the lasting impacts of COVID. Jamie Glisson talks with local musicians who found themselves struggling to make ends meet as well as share their talents with those quarantining at home. Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. Our theme music is by Moffett Music. Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our associate producers are Nick Alexandrov and Vanessa Gaona. Our production intern is Smriti Iyengar.

An unknown number of American veterans have heard the call and boldly volunteered to join the fight in Ukraine. Matt Gallagher (@MattGallagher0) is one of them. Utilizing what he learned as a US Army Scout Platoon Leader in Iraq, Matt spent the last few weeks training Ukrainian civilians in how to fight and survive in Lviv. But Matt is not just any veteran. He is the internationally-recognized author of the novels Empire City and Youngblood, the class Iraq war memoir Kaboom, and a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. His work has appeared in Esquire, ESPN, The New York Times, The Paris Review and Wired. He's also co-editor of the short fiction collection Fire & Forget: Short Stories from the Long War. He's a popular, funny and insightful voice—including on Twitter–on everything from politics and war to his beloved Cleveland Browns.  Matt just left Ukraine, and joined our host, Paul Rieckhoff (@PaulRieckhoff) for an exclusive interview via Zoom from just across the border in Poland. Matt is an old friend of Paul's, a former Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) colleague, and one of his favorite voices in the public square. This is Matt's first extended media interview after his harrowing experience and brief appearance on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 with fellow American vets Adrian Bonenberger and Ben Busch. He shares what it was like to train brave local students, lawyers and police officers from ages 16 to 60 to kill Russians–using antiquated weapons and no body armor. Matt is part of the first wave of American veterans that have entered Ukraine and could have a profound impact on the way America and the world views the war.  Why did he go? What did he see? Who were the people he was training to use AK-47's and kill enemy tanks? What do the Ukraine forces he trained need? What's Matt's message for Biden? And for you? History is unfolding all around us and Matt will be a voice to help us understand it. He'll also share ways that you can take action–by supporting Razom–a support non-profit in Ukraine.  Matt was featured in Vanity Fair as one of the voices of a new generation of American war literature. In 2017, Senator Warren read Matt's Boston Globe op-ed “Trump Rejects the Muslims Who Helped Us” on the Senate Floor.  A graduate of Wake Forest and Columbia, Matt is a 2021-23 fellow with the Tulsa Artist Fellowship, based in Oklahoma. He lives with his wife and sons in Tulsa and works as a writing instructor for NYU's Words After War program– devoted to bringing vets and civilians together to study conflict literature.  Every episode of Independent Americans hosted by Paul Rieckhoff is the truth beyond the headlines–and light to contrast the heat of other politics and news shows. It's content for the 42% of Americans that proudly call themselves independent. And delivers the Righteous Media 5 Is: independence, integrity, information, inspiration and impact. Always with a unique focus on national security, foreign affairs and military and veterans issues. This is another pod to help you stay vigilant. Because vigilance is the price of democracy. In these trying times especially, Independent Americans will continue to be your trusted place for independent news, politics, inspiration and hope.  -Get extra content, connect with guests, attend events, get merch discounts and support this show that speaks truth to power by joining us on Patreon.  - WATCH video of Paul and Matt's conversation here. -Check the hashtag #LookForTheHelpers on Twitter. And share yours.  -Find us on social media or www.IndependentAmericans.us.  -Check out other Righteous podcasts like The Firefighters Podcast with Rob Serra, Uncle Montel - The OG of Weed and B Dorm.  Independent Americans is powered by Righteous Media. America's next great independent media company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We kick off this episode of Focus: Black Oklahoma with Devin Williams reporting on how teachers in the state are being pushed to the brink and the current state of teaching, and subbing, during the covid-19 pandemic as well as policymakers advocating for better. Focus: Black Oklahoma has been selected to participate in the Advancing Democracy cohort with the Solutions Journalism Network, or SJN. Our series, In A Confused State, will follow Oklahoma advocacy groups navigating new restrictions on freedoms in four areas: reproductive rights, voting laws, teaching history and direct action/activism. Continuing this series, Crystal Patrick and Dr. Nick Alexandrov go in depth on Critical Race Theory and the penalties against public institutions that teach concepts that the state legislature finds problematic. We then follow Shonda Little to the southwestern part of the state as she finds White supremacist gangs are a growing threat. She speaks with Oklahomans who have had direct experiences with the United Aryan Brotherhood terrorist organization.  Carlos Moreno joins organizations that are holding space for the healing and processing of Black and Brown death and explains how to have conversations about it with the whole family.  Robert Caddy and Sherrita Sweet continue our series on wellness and tell us about mindfulness techniques to fight battles within the body. Finally, when it comes to Valentine's Day, we explore expectations, reality, and how, sometimes, less is indeed more with comedian Sondra Slade. Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. Our theme music is by Moffett Music. Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our associate producers are Nick Alexandrov and Vanessa Gaona. Our production intern is Smriti Iyengar.

In 2019, Joy Harjo was appointed the 23rd United States Poet Laureate, the first Native American to hold the position and only the second person to serve three terms in the role. Harjo's nine books of poetry include An American Sunrise, Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings, How We Became Human: New and Selected Poems, and She Had Some Horses. She is also the author of two memoirs, Crazy Brave and Poet Warrior, which invites us to travel along the heartaches, losses, and humble realizations of her “poet-warrior” road. She has edited several anthologies of Native American writing including When the Light of the World was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through — A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry, and Living Nations, Living Words, the companion anthology to her signature poet laureate project. Her many writing awards include the 2019 Jackson Prize from the Poetry Society of America, the Ruth Lilly Prize from the Poetry Foundation, the 2015 Wallace Stevens Award from the Academy of American Poets, and the William Carlos Williams Award from the Poetry Society of America. She is a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, Board of Directors Chair of the Native Arts & Cultures Foundation, and holds a Tulsa Artist Fellowship. A renowned musician, Harjo performs with her saxophone nationally and internationally; her most recent album is I Pray For My Enemies. She lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Website: https://www.joyharjo.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joyharjoforreal/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoyHarjo Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoyHarjo

Focus: Black Oklahoma has been selected to participate in the Advancing Democracy cohort with the Solutions Journalism Network, or SJN. Our series, In A Confused State, will follow Oklahoma advocacy groups navigating new restrictions on freedoms in four areas: reproductive rights, voting laws, teaching history and direct action/activism. Continuing this series, we begin with Juddie Williams and Dr. Nick Alexandrov as they break down the misconceptions of Critical Race Theory, or CRT, and that despite it not being a new concept, it is often misunderstood. We continue with Devin Williams and his story that tells us how, despite a 30 year history of activism including fighting for anti-segregation, a Bartlesville librarian is remembered with words for her service to the community but the actions she longed for have fallen on deaf ears. We continue with Tulsa's Martin Luther King Commemoration Society preparing for it's annual festivities and is urging participants to seek hope, action, and the fierce urgency of now-- which is the theme for this year's celebration. Carlos Moreno brings us this story. Next Focus Black Oklahoma is proud to present a new series discussing topics of health and wellness in the BIPOC community. Contributor Robert L. Caddy is a certified health and fitness expert who brings us more on how Oklahoma ranks in the nation on health. Contributor Britny Cordera takes us on a well seasoned adventure towards decolonizing menus across the country and finally Sondra Slade reminds us that sometimes it takes a while for good advice to soak in and, often, the credit seems to go to anyone but those closest to us. Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. Our theme music is by Moffett Music. Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our associate producers are Nick Alexandrov and Vanessa Gaona. Our production intern is Smriti Iyengar.

Focus: Black Oklahoma has been selected to participate in the Advancing Democracy cohort with the Solutions Journalism Network, or SJN. Our series, In A Confused State, will follow Oklahoma advocacy groups navigating new restrictions on freedoms in four areas: reproductive rights, voting laws, teaching history and direct action/activism. Continuing this series, we begin with Jamie Glisson exploring the impacts of the recent redistricting laws that continue to disenfranchise Black and Brown citizens. Next, contributor Devin Williams brings us more history and numbers on those still affected by the Oklahoma Death Penalty and what advocates hope to see after the high profile commutation of Julius Jones. Carlos Moreno then shows us how the Buck Colbert Franklin Legal Clinic is keeping the spirit of the local trailblazer alive as North Tulsa welcomes the opening of the Clinic which is already connecting with the community in big ways. The First Americans Museum celebrated its grand opening in September. Juddie Williams took a walk through to learn what the museum hopes to accomplish in representing Indigenous communities and sharing their values. Sondra Slade talks about the holidays and how food, especially this time of year, brings us together. Finally we say goodbye and thanks to Bell Hooks, Eddie Faye Gates, and Greg Tate. Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. Our theme music is by Moffett Music. Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our associate producers are Nick Alexandrov and Vanessa Gaona. Our production intern is Smriti Iyengar.

This is the final episode in our three-part series "The Battle for Greenwood" and is produced by Focus: Black Oklahoma, in partnership with KOSU. This episode, "Reparations," looks at Tulsa Race Massacre descendants' demands that they be compensated for their trauma; the City of Tulsa's pushback against reparations; the domestic history, and global context, of these calls for repayment; and the way recent reparations plans have played out in places like Rosewood, Florida, and Evanston, Illinois. "The Battle for Greenwood" team includes Jamie Glisson, Carlos Moreno, Jesse Ulrich, Kolby Webster, and Devin Williams and is produced by Dr. Nick Alexandrov. Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our associate producer is Vanessa Gaona. Our production intern is Smriti Iyengar. Focus: Black Oklahoma is supported in part by KOSU, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, the George Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Schusterman Family Philanthropies.

On this episode of Focus: Black Oklahoma we dive into the complications and chemicals of Capital Punishment with Carlos Moreno and Dr. Nick Alexandrov investigates healthcare as reparations. Focus: Black Oklahoma has been selected to participate in the Advancing Democracy cohort with the Solutions Journalism Network, or SJN. Our series "In a Confused State" follows Oklahoma advocacy groups navigating new restrictions on freedoms in three areas: reproductive rights, teaching history, and direct action/activism. In this installment Shalondra Harrison breaks down the anti-protest laws that now significantly impact our communities. Crystal Patrick uncovers some unrecognized contributions of Black WWII veterans and Britny Cordera explores the challenges of keeping Native languages alive. Focus: Black Oklahoma is produced in partnership with KOSU Radio, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective. Additional support is provided by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. Our theme music is by Moffett Music. Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our associate producers are Nick Alexandrov and Vanessa Gaona. Our production intern is Smriti Iyengar.

kara lynch is a time-based artist living in the bronx, ny – born in the momentous year of 1968. kara completed the MFA in Visual Arts at the University of California, San Diego and has been a research fellow at the African and African Diaspora Studies Department, University of Texas Austin and the Academy of African Studies at Bayreuth University in Germany. She is an emerit@Professor of Video and Critical Studies at Hampshire College. In 2020 kara was awarded a Tulsa Artist Fellowship and joined Gallery of the Streets as a principled artist collaborator. Her art practice is re-memory, vision, and movement. It manifests as poetics, process, and conjures autonomy for Black and Indigenous people across Diaspora. Through low-fi, collective practice, and social intervention lynch explores aesthetic/political relationships between time + space. This artist's practice is vigilantly raced, classed, and gendered – Black, Queer and Feminist. Major projects include: ‘BlackRussians' – a feature documentary video, ‘The Outing' – a video travelogue, ‘MouhawalaOula' – a gender-bending trio performance for oriental dance, live video & saxophone; ‘We Travel the Space Ways: Black Imagination, Fragments and Diffractions'– an edited volume of Black Speculation; and the current project, ‘INVISIBLE' – an episodic, speculative, multi-site video/audio installation that excavates the terror and resilient beauty of the Black-Indigenous experience. Current explorations include: RuleReverse! a series of video interventions learning from Sylvia Wynter's Maskarade; "Come Prepared or Not At All" a series of drawings concerned with Black Towns and Futures. "Stories from the Core" a collaboration with Sarah and Maryam Ahmed; and Blues U - a bi-monthly radio show on radiocoyote.org/FM 90.1 Tulsa. Spy-boi_prelude_RuleReverse! - still from performance September 2020/Greenwood Ave Tulsa, Indian Territory SAVED [episode 03 of Invisible] postcard 2008/2013

This is the second episode in our three-part series "The Battle for Greenwood" and is produced by Focus: Black Oklahoma, in partnership with KOSU. This episode, "What's Next, or Is Greenwood Rising?," investigates the contentious relationship and agendas between the two Chambers of Commerce in Greenwood; the backstory of the land on which ONEOK Field resides and its impact on the economic growth of the community; and an effort to remove Highway I-244, which is divisive in many ways. "The Battle for Greenwood" team includes Jamie Glisson, Carlos Moreno, Jesse Ulrich, Kolby Webster, and Devin Williams and is produced by Dr. Nick Alexandrov. Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our associate producer is Vanessa Gaona. Focus: Black Oklahoma is supported in part by KOSU, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, the George Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Schusterman Family Philanthropies.

Clemonce Heard was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is the winner of the 2020 Anhinga Robert Dana Prize, selected by Major Jackson. His poetry collection, Tragic City, which investigates the events of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, is forthcoming from Anhinga Press in October 2021. Heard's work has appeared or is forthcoming from Obsidian, The Missouri Review, Cimarron Review, Iron Horse, World Literature Today, Poetry, Rattle, Ruminate, and elsewhere. He earned a BFA in graphic communications from Northwestern State University, and an MFA in creative writing from Oklahoma State University. Heard was a recipient of a 2018-2019 Tulsa Artist Fellowship and was the 2019-2020 Ronald Wallace Poetry Fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He currently lives in San Antonio, Texas, and serves as the Sala Diaz artist-in-residence. Find the book and more at: https://www.clemonceheard.com/ As always, we'll also include live open lines for responses to our weekly prompt or any other poems you'd like to share. For details on how to participate, either via Skype or by phone, go to: https://www.rattle.com/rattlecast/ This Week's Prompt: This was a lot of fun last time, so let's do another random street view poem. Randomstreetview.com is a site that randomly generates photographs of streets all over the world. Find a photo that speaks to you and write a poem about it. Next Week's Prompt: Write an apology poem. The Rattlecast livestreams on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, then becomes an audio podcast. Find it on iTunes, Spotify, or anywhere else you get your podcasts.

Subscribe to Quotomania on Simplecast or search for Quotomania on your favorite podcast app!Joy Harjo is an internationally renowned performer and writer of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. She is serving her second term as the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States.The author of nine books of poetry, including the highly acclaimed An American Sunrise, several plays and children's books, and two memoirs, Crazy Brave and Poet Warrior: A Call for Love and Justice, her many honors include the Ruth Lily Prize for Lifetime Achievement from the Poetry Foundation, the Academy of American Poets Wallace Stevens Award, two NEA fellowships, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. As a musician and performer, Harjo has produced six award-winning music albums including her newest, I Pray for My Enemies (Sunyata Records). She is Exec­u­tive Edi­tor of the anthol­o­gy When the Light of the World was Sub­dued, Our Songs Came Through — A Nor­ton Anthol­o­gy of Native Nations Poet­ry and the editor of Living Nations, Living Words: An Anthology of First Peoples Poetry, the companion anthology to her signature Poet Laureate project. She is a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, Board of Directors Chair of the Native Arts & Cultures Foundation, and holds a Tulsa Artist Fellowship. She lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma.For more information about Harjo:Previously on The Quarantine Tapes:Natalie Diaz about Joy Harjo, at 16:10: https://quarantine-tapes.simplecast.com/episodes/the-quarantine-tapes-061-natalie-diaz“Joy Harjo reads her poem ‘Running'”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8vwqWJsJiI“The Quarantine Tapes 153: Joy Harjo”: https://quarantine-tapes.simplecast.com/episodes/the-quarantine-tapes-153-joy-harjo“Joy Harjo on how a new Native poetry anthology fills a gap in American literature”: https://artscanvas.org/books/joy-harjo-on-how-a-new-native-poetry-anthology-fills-a-gap-in-american-literature

On this edition of ST, we learn about Arab Film Fest Tulsa, which opens tomorrow (10/21) at Circle Cinema here in Tulsa and runs through Sunday (10/24). A joint presentation of Tulsa Artist Fellowship, Circle Cinema, and Mizna, an Arab American arts/cultural organization based in Minnesota, this festival will offer several feature-length movies (as well as a few shorts) of Southwest Asian or North African (as in, "SWANA") origin. The films will explore various aspects of art, identity, community, and family in order to convey the diversity and complexity of Arab and Arab American experiences. Our guests are Moheb Soliman, a TAF Fellow, and Lana Barkawi, the executive/artistic director of Mizna. (For more on Arab Film Fest Tulsa, please visit the Circle Cinema website.)

On this edition of ST, we learn about Arab Film Fest Tulsa, which opens tomorrow (10/21) at Circle Cinema here in Tulsa and runs through Sunday (10/24). A joint presentation of Tulsa Artist Fellowship, Circle Cinema, and Mizna, an Arab American arts/cultural organization based in Minnesota, this festival will offer several feature-length movies (as well as a few shorts) of Southwest Asian or North African (as in, "SWANA") origin. The films will explore various aspects of art, identity, community, and family in order to convey the diversity and complexity of Arab and Arab American experiences. Our guests are Moheb Soliman, a TAF Fellow, and Lana Barkawi, the executive/artistic director of Mizna. (For more on Arab Film Fest Tulsa, please visit the Circle Cinema website .)

This is the first episode in our three-part series "The Battle for Greenwood" and is produced by Focus: Black Oklahoma, in partnership with KOSU. This episode, "Street Fight," explores the complex history of the two incarnations of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and their two different missions; the status of the Greenwood Cultural Center in light of the fact the Greenwood Rising History Center wasn't built next door; and how urban renewal has created what some consider a third massacre in the District. "The Battle for Greenwood" team includes Jamie Glisson, Carlos Moreno, Jesse Ulrich, Kolby Webster, and Devin Williams and was produced by Dr. Nick Alexandrov. Focus: Black Oklahoma's executive producers are Quraysh Ali Lansana and Bracken Klar. Our associate producer is Vanessa Gaona. Focus: Black Oklahoma is supported in part by KOSU, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, the George Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Schusterman Family Philanthropies.

“Humanity is messy, each of us starts with ourselves, it's horribly messy and then multiply that times millions. And that's an incredible, lovely mess.” So says Joy Harjo, the 23rd United States Poet Laureate, and the first Native American to hold that post. She is the author of nine books of poetry, several plays, and childrens books, and two memoirs—and is an internationally renowned performer and writer of the Muscogee nation, with an innumerable number of prizes and fellowships at her back. Today, we sit down to discuss her second memoir, POET WARRIOR, which just came out. It is beautiful—not only the story of her life, but a vehicle for deep wisdom about language, metaphor, and ritual. We—as individuals, as communities, as nations, and as humankind—exist in a collective story field, Harjo tells us. Everyone's story must have a place, a thread within the larger tapestry—and our story field must constantly shift to include even the most difficult stories, the ones we want to forget and repress. But, as she remarks, the hard stories provide the building blocks for our house of knowledge—we cannot evolve without them. To move forward, we must find ourselves in the messy story of humanity, assume our place as part of the earth in this time and in these challenges. For Harjo, it is when we turn to song, poetry, and the arts that we are able to re-root ourselves in the voice of inner truth, a knowing that has access to stories past, present, and future. And it is this wisdom of eternal knowledge that will help guide us forward—if we only stop to listen.  Joy is also the winner of the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, the PEN USA Literary Award for Nonfiction, the Jackson Prize from the Poetry Society of America, the Wallace Stevens Award from the Academy of American Poets, and the William Carlos Williams Award from the Poetry Society of America. Harjo is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, the New Mexico Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts, the Rasmuson United States Artist Fellowship. She is a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, Board of Directors Chair of the Native Arts & Cultures Foundation, and holds a Tulsa Artist Fellowship. In 2014 she was inducted into the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Finding ourselves in the messy story of humanity…(6:33) Returning to rituals of becoming…(36:14)  The story of mothers…(42:59) MORE FROM JOY HARJO Joy Harjo's Website Poet Warrior: A Memoir More Books by Joy Harjo Upcoming Live Events Follow Joy on Twitter and on Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today's Quotation is care of Joy Harjo.Listen in!Subscribe to the Quarantine Tapes at quarantinetapes.com or search for the Quarantine Tapes on your favorite podcast app! Joy Harjo is an internationally renowned performer and writer of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. She is serving her second term as the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States.The author of nine books of poetry, including the highly acclaimed An American Sunrise, several plays and children's books, and two memoirs, Crazy Brave and Poet Warrior: A Call for Love and Justice, her many honors include the Ruth Lily Prize for Lifetime Achievement from the Poetry Foundation, the Academy of American Poets Wallace Stevens Award, two NEA fellowships, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. As a musician and performer, Harjo has produced six award-winning music albums including her newest, I Pray for My Enemies (Sunyata Records). She is Exec­u­tive Edi­tor of the anthol­o­gy When the Light of the World was Sub­dued, Our Songs Came Through — A Nor­ton Anthol­o­gy of Native Nations Poet­ry and the editor of Living Nations, Living Words: An Anthology of First Peoples Poetry, the companion anthology to her signature Poet Laureate project. She is a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, Board of Directors Chair of the Native Arts & Cultures Foundation, and holds a Tulsa Artist Fellowship. She lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma. For more information about Harjo:Joy Harjo reads her poem ‘Running'.“The Quarantine Tapes 153: Joy Harjo”:https://quarantine-tapes.simplecast.com/episodes/the-quarantine-tapes-153-joy-harjoJoy Harjo on how a new Native poetry anthology fills a gap in American literature” https://artscanvas.org/books/joy-harjo-on-how-a-new-native-poetry-anthology-fills-a-gap-in-american-literature

“It goes back to my family and having an enrichment in my culture…knowing that I'm a part of rhythm. When we dance, my feet touch the same ground. I dance hard in ceremonies, and I'm gonna run hard too.” Yatika Starr Fields (Osage, Cherokee, Muscogee Creek) is a painter, muralist, and ultrarunner based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Yatika grew up in an artistic family and specializes in using oil, acrylic, and watercolor mediums. He's currently a fellow in the Tulsa Artist Fellowship program, which supports contemporary artistic practitioners of diverse mediums. He's known for his bright works and graffiti mural pieces that push back against the idea of western fine art and engage wide audiences. Yatika has run races of all distances– from 5ks to ultramarathons, including the 2019 Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) TDS, a 145k (90-mile) trail race in the Alps which Yatika finished in 32 hours, 58 minutes, and 51 seconds. Yatika studied landscape painting at the University of Oklahoma's summer program in Sienna, Italy before enrolling at the Art Institute of Boston from 2001 to 2004. In this conversation, we discuss the connections he makes between his culture, art works, and running, as well as his philosophy in training for ultra-distances.   In This Episode: About the Artist: Yatika Fields Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) Trail Running Event Ouray 100-mile Endurance Run Trofeo Kima Skyrunning Trail Tulsa Artist Fellowship Trail Runner Magazine's Apology Instagram Post – June 15th, 2021 Grounded Podcast Instagram Post in Response – June 15th, 2021 Fluent Generations: The Art of Anita, Tom & Yatika Fields, Exhibition - Sam Noble Museum, Norman, OK Yatika's Standing Rock Paintings   Follow Yatika Starr Fields: Instagram: @yatikafields Twitter: @Yatikafields Website: https://www.yatikafields.com/   Follow Grounded Pod: Instagram: @groundedpod Twitter: @groundedpod Facebook: facebook.com/groundedpodwithdinee   Subscribe, Listen, & Review on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Soundcloud | Stitcher   Music by Jacob Shije (Santa Clara Pueblo, NM). This podcast was made possible through the Tracksmith Fellowship Program.

WATCH ON YOUTUBEhttps://youtu.be/Vn8o8B75fpgJeff sits down with artist Adam Carnes as he shares very deeply about what informs his work, about how moving to Tulsa and working here has changed his Consciousness, and about his work that is in the Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Project exhibit at Living Arts of Tulsa.Adam Carnes (b. 1981), is a Tulsa transplant via Brooklyn. He received his MFA from the New York Academy of Art and BFA from the Ringling College of Art and Design.To learn more about Adam and his work, visithttps://www.adamcarnes.com*Photo by Melissa Lukenbaugh & Tulsa Artist FellowshipGKFF awarded Carnes with the 2017-2020 Tulsa Artist Fellowship. Growing up in Florida during the development of the Information Age, Carnes has been striving to maintain his connection with humanity through painting. Skira Rizzoli’spublication “The Figure” includes Adam’s work and is sold in museum book stores like the Met, Royal Academy and National Gallery. His Griots art pieces were published in BOMB Magazine’s Summer 2021issue #156 and “RELEASE ME, the Spirits of Greenwood Speak” anthology.These “Griots” pieces are an extension of my “Strangers, Friends & Sacred” series and they honor the 1921Tulsa Race Massacre survivors for their contributions to Tulsa’s Historic Greenwood District, dubbed “Black Wall Street” for it’s thriving concentration of black entrepreneurs. The overarching narrative speaks to the triumph of the human spirit.Griot is a “West African troubadour-historian. The griot profession is hereditary and has long been a part of West African culture. The griots’ role has traditionally been to preserve the genealogies, historical narratives, and oral traditions of their people; praise songs are also part of the griot’s répertoire.

WATCH ON YOUTUBEhttps://youtu.be/Vn8o8B75fpgJeff sits down with artist Adam Carnes as he shares very deeply about what informs his work, about how moving to Tulsa and working here has changed his Consciousness, and about his work that is in the Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Project exhibit at Living Arts of Tulsa.Adam Carnes (b. 1981), is a Tulsa transplant via Brooklyn. He received his MFA from the New York Academy of Art and BFA from the Ringling College of Art and Design. To learn more about Adam and his work, visithttps://www.adamcarnes.comhttps://www.instagram.com/adamcarnesart/*Photo by Melissa Lukenbaugh & Tulsa Artist FellowshipGKFF awarded Carnes with the 2017-2020 Tulsa Artist Fellowship. Growing up in Florida during the development of the Information Age, Carnes has been striving to maintain his connection with humanity through painting. Skira Rizzoli'spublication “The Figure” includes Adam's work and is sold in museum book stores like the Met, Royal Academy and National Gallery. His Griots art pieces were published in BOMB Magazine's Summer 2021issue #156 and “RELEASE ME, the Spirits of Greenwood Speak” anthology.These “Griots” pieces are an extension of my “Strangers, Friends & Sacred” series and they honor the 1921Tulsa Race Massacre survivors for their contributions to Tulsa's Historic Greenwood District, dubbed “Black Wall Street” for it's thriving concentration of black entrepreneurs. The overarching narrative speaks to the triumph of the human spirit.Griot is a “West African troubadour-historian. The griot profession is hereditary and has long been a part of West African culture. The griots' role has traditionally been to preserve the genealogies, historical narratives, and oral traditions of their people; praise songs are also part of the griot's répertoire.

Our guest on StudioTulsa is Carolyn Sickles, the Executive Director of Tulsa Artist Fellowship, or TAF, which is an arts-and-community-focused project of the George Kaiser Family Foundation. The TAF recently announced that it has given 22 of its fellows an Arts Integration Award for 2020-2021, which is meant to help these artists further their involvement with (and presence within) the Tulsa community via new works, new series, and so on. The award includes a $25,000 stipend, $10,000 in project resources, and also free living and work spaces. As Sickles tells us, a few of the notable, now-in-progress endeavors stemming from this award include Liz Blood's "Creative Field Guide to Northeastern Oklahoma," Joy Harjo's "We Were There When Jazz Was Invented: Jazz of Southeastern Native Nations Peoples," Karl Jones' "Goff-Fest," and Quraysh Ali Lansana's "The Namesake Project."

"Lost Childhood: The Visible and Invisible Weight of COVID on North Tulsa Youth" is the first in our three part series "Black Plague: COVID in North Tulsa." This episode focuses on how the pandemic has altered the lives of young people in north Tulsa. We look at food access, mental health, and free time, among other topics, and how young folks' experiences with these things have changed since COVID. The series was made in partnership with Solutions Journalism Network, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective.

"A Heavy Blow: The Pandemic's Impact on Domestic Violence" is the second episode in our three-part series "Black Plague: COVID In North Tulsa." This episode examines the pandemic's effect on domestic violence and mental health as well as the organizations helping to address the new challenges brought on by COVID while keeping up with the problems already affecting people. The series was made in partnership with Solutions Journalism Network, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective.

"The Streets Are My Home: Evictions, Homelessness, and COVID" is the third and final episode of our three-part series "Black Plague: COVID In North Tulsa." This episode focuses on the effects of COVID-19 in the north Tulsa community, specifically on evictions and unhoused people. The series was made in partnership with Solutions Journalism Network, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Tri-City Collective.

Paul Holdengräber is joined by poet Joy Harjo on episode 153 of The Quarantine Tapes. Joy and Paul discuss the relationship between different art forms as Joy talks about her poetry, music, and painting practices.Joy speaks beautifully about the relationship between memory and poetry. She tells stories about her relationship to robins, talks about her upcoming memoir Poet Warrior, and shares a song from her latest album, titled I Pray for My Enemies, due out March 5th on Sunyata Records.Here is a link to Joy’s poem with the same title: I Pray for My Enemies, by Joy Harjo Joy Harjo is an internationally renowned performer and writer of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. She is serving her second term as the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States.The author of nine books of poetry, including the highly acclaimed An American Sunrise, several plays and children's books, and two memoirs, Crazy Brave and Poet Warrior: A Call for Love and Justice, her many honors include the Ruth Lily Prize for Lifetime Achievement from the Poetry Foundation, the Academy of American Poets Wallace Stevens Award, two NEA fellowships, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. As a musician and performer, Harjo has produced six award-winning music albums including her newest, I Pray for My Enemies (Sunyata Records). She is Exec­u­tive Edi­tor of the anthol­o­gy When the Light of the World was Sub­dued, Our Songs Came Through — A Nor­ton Anthol­o­gy of Native Nations Poet­ry and the editor of Living Nations, Living Words: An Anthology of First Peoples Poetry, the companion anthology to her signature Poet Laureate project. She is a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, Board of Directors Chair of the Native Arts & Cultures Foundation, and holds a Tulsa Artist Fellowship. She lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

APT sits down for a dream interview with Painter and Muralist, Yatika Starr Fields! Fields is from Oklahoma and currently lives and works in Tulsa in conjunction with the Tulsa Artist Fellowship. He makes "kaleidoscopic imagery, with dynamic pop, symbolism and culture aesthetic, that reference both historical and contemporary themes- tied together with traditional affinity but provoked by general concerns of world differences." Visit Fields' website at https://www.yatikafields.com/ and follow him @yatikafields.

PROARTESMEXICO.COM.MX Interview in English with Hoesy Corona by Peter Hay, June 4, 2020. Entrevista en inglés con Hoesy Corona por Peter Hay, 4 de junio, 2020. Hoesy Corona (b. Guanajuato, Mexico, 1986, currently living and working between Baltimore, MD and Tulsa, OK) is a multidisciplinary artist working in both visual and performance art. He creates uncategorized works that draw from his personal experiences as a queer Latinx immigrant in the United States. His installations and colorful sculptural works fitted to the human body have been presented internationally including at The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Athens School of Fine Art, Transformer DC, The Baltimore Museum of Art, The Walters Art Museum, Gilcrease Museum, and The Reach at The Kennedy Center. Recent honors include a Tulsa Artist Fellowship, a Merriweather District Artist in Residence, a Halcyon Arts Lab Fellowship, a Ruby’s Artist Grant, a Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award, and an Andy Warhol Foundation Grit Fund Grant. Hoesy Corona (b. Guanajuato, México, 1986, que actualmente vive y trabaja entre Baltimore, MD y Tulsa, OK) es una artista multidisciplinario que trabaja en arte visual y performance. Él crea trabajos no categorizados que se basan en sus experiencias personales como inmigrante latinx queer en los Estados Unidos. Sus instalaciones y coloridas obras escultóricas adaptadas al cuerpo humano, han sido presentadas internacionalmente, incluso en el Museo y Jardín de Esculturas Hirshhorn, la Escuela de Bellas Artes de Atenas, Transformer DC, el Museo de Arte de Baltimore, el Museo de Arte Walters, el Museo Gilcrease y The Reach en el Centro Kennedy. Es becario de la Tulsa Artist Fellowship, y ha sido becario de Merriweather District Artist in Residence, Halcyon Arts Lab Fellowship, Ruby’s Artist Grant, Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award, y la beca de la Andy Warhol Foundation Grit Fund. Aquí&Allá: Conversations with Creators from the MX &USA: In this bilingual series, PROArtes México sits down with contemporary artists working in the USA or MX and discusses their work, concepts, ideas, and interests in their preferred language. A translated version of the interviews available on our website. En esta serie bilingüe, PROArtes México invita a creadores de arte contemporáneo que trabajan en Estados Unidos de América y México, y charlan sobre su trabajo, conceptos, ideas e intereses. Las versiones traducidas de las entrevistas se encontrarán disponibles en nuestra página web.

DESCRIPTION: Healing ourselves for future generations starts with claiming our own magic. Tune in for this special guest episode with Erin Aquarian (@fulltimewitch) and Edgar Fabian Frias (@edgarfabianfrias) as we explore how they use magic, facilitated through art and social and political engagement, to connect with their ancestral lineages, empower themselves and find inspiration for their work. Erin Aquarian is a @fulltimewitch residing on the stolen indigenous lands that are now called Portland Oregon. She is a tarot teacher, multidisciplinary healing artist and singer in the band Void Realm. Erin works with the tarot's archetypes to promote her agenda of healing, empowerment, and liberation for one and all. Her life's mission is to help people break free of status quo programming, find their inspiration and true purpose in life. Erin offers Cycles of Evolution lifetime readings, a monthly Virtual Ritual, and a wealth of accessible online content via Instagram, Youtube, and her newsletter. Visit her website to find out more about her work and current offerings. Healing power to the people! Edgar Fabián Frías is a nonbinary, queer, indigenous (Wixárika) and Latinx multidisciplinary artist, curator, educator, and psychotherapist. They work in photography, video art, sound, sculpture, printed textiles, GIFs, performance, social practice, and community organizing, among other emergent genres. Most recently, they have integrated their diverse practices and collaborative partnerships into the creation of large-scale interactive installations and experiences. Seeking to alter states of awareness through the creation of temporary sanctuaries that act as conduits for respite, empathy, self-reflection, humor, and curiosity. For 2019/2020, Frías is a visual arts fellow at the Tulsa Artist Fellowship in Tulsa, Oklahoma and a Research Fellow for the Oklahoma Center for The Humanities’ Research Seminar on Play. Recent exhibitions include “Nierika : Santuario Somático” at Disjecta Contemporary Art Center in Portland, Oregon and “Perpetual Flowering” at the Vincent Price Art Museum in Los Angeles, California. Their work has been exhibited at Human Resources (Los Angeles, CA), Machine Project (Los Angeles, CA), SOMArts (San Francisco, CA), ESMoA (El Segundo, CA), Disjecta (Portland, OR), Gilcrease Museum (Tulsa, OK), Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN), Performance is Alive (New York, NY), and ArtBo (Bogotá, Colombia), among others. Their work has also recently appeared in The Commons, a public access-style morning show for witches, by witches and as a part of the Many Moons Lunar Planner 2020, created by Sarah Faith Gottesdiener. Born in East Los Angeles in 1983, Frías received dual BA degrees in Psychology and Studio Art from the University of California, Riverside. In 2013, they received an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon, with an emphasis on Interpersonal Neurobiology and Somatic Psychotherapy. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more great guest conversations, listen to the monthly astrology podcast or check out your month-ahead audio horoscope go to www.embodiedastrology.com Be sure to follow Embodied Astrology on social media @embodiedastrology on Instagram and Facebook. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/embodied-astrology/message

Edgar Fabián Frías is a nonbinary, queer, indigenous and Latinx multidisciplinary artist, curator, educator, and psychotherapist. They work in a variety of media including photography, video art, installations, printed textiles, GIFs, performance, and other emergent genres, and they incorporate magical practice into their artwork - and vice versa. They also conduct ceremonial, divinatory, and healing services through their offering called Our Sacred Web.For 2019/2020, Frías is a visual arts fellow at the Tulsa Artist Fellowship in Tulsa, Oklahoma and a Research Fellow for the Oklahoma Center for Humanities’ Research Seminar on Play. Their work has been exhibited throughout North and South American, with recent exhibitions at Disjecta Contemporary Art Center in Portland, Oregon and the Vincent Price Art Museum in Los Angeles, California.On this episode, Edgar discusses how art can be a sanctuary, the potency of colorful magic, and how they use witchcraft to celebrate their expansive, ever-changing self.Pam also discusses the spirituality of style, and answers a lister question about sharing joy in times of crisis.Our sponsors for this episode are Magic Monday Podcast, Cat Coven, BetterHelp, and Mithras Candle

In Episode Six I interview visual artist M.Florine Démosthène. She was born in the United States and raised between Haiti and New York. At times she resides in Ghana where she moved after abruptly deciding to build her practice without the drama of being an artist in New York City. Florine earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Parsons School for Design in New York and her Master of Fine Arts from Hunter College in New York.She has exhibited extensively through group and solo exhibitions in the USA, Caribbean, UK, Europe and Africa She has shown with the Mariane Ibrahim Gallery in both a solo booth and group show at the The New York Armory Fair in 2019 and 2020 She is the recipient of a Tulsa Artist Fellowship, Arts Moves Africa Grant and a Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant. Florine has participated in residencies in the USA, UK, Slovakia, Ghana and Tanzania. Her work can be seen at the University of South Africa (UNISA), Lowe Museum of Art, PFF Collection of African American Art and in various private collections worldwide. Our interview was fun. You will enjoy. Additional information: https://florinedemosthene.com/home.html https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/06/arts/design/armory-show-art-piers.html https://marianeibrahim.com/artists/29-florine-demosthene/biography/ https://florinedemosthene.com/links.html

Our guest is the internationally known portraitist Joel Daniel Phillips. His 2018 hardcover book of brilliant art is called “No Regrets in Life.” It includes his larger-than-life drawings of people “living on the margins” in San Francisco. Joel’s drawings have been exhibited at institutions and galleries across the United States as well as abroad, including the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and, of course, in Tulsa. Joel is currently a Fellow at the Tulsa Artist Fellowship. The Tulsa Artist Fellowship was established in 2015 by the George Kaiser Family Foundation with a vision to recruit and retain professional artists to Tulsa. Learn more about Joel at https://www.joeldanielphillips.com/

In this episode, Sean Latham, the Director for the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities, keeps the music conversation going with Katie Moulton, a Tulsa Artist Fellowship Fellow and writer, editor and music critic.  Moulton's understanding of not only music criticism, but also musical structure, fuels a conversation about how artist and listerns can play with music. After all, we "read" a book and "paint" a picture, but "play" music. Why is that? Find out our thoughts in this engaging episode! Links: https://humanities.utulsa.edu/ https://faculty.utulsa.edu/faculty/sean-latham/ https://www.katiemoulton.com https://www.tulsaartistfellowship.org/ Tags: University of Tulsa, Podcast, OK Center for the Humanities, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, Art, Humanities, Oklahoma, Music, Old Town Road, Lil Nas X, Play, Creative, Podcast, Inspiration, Human Nature, Review, Criticism, Playful, Sean Latham, Katie Moulton, Fellow, Fellowship, Author, Writer, Musician, Music Production, Writing, Memoir

Few people have created art across as many disciplines as Joy Harjo. Even fewer have achieved her level of success. The Tulsa native and member of the Muscogee Creek Nation is best known for her poetry, which she writes as "a voice of the indigenous people." Since the 1970s, she has published 12 books of poetry, which have won her myriad awards: the prestigious Ruth Lilly Prize, a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Josephine Miles Poetry Award, the William Carlos Williams Award, the American Indian Distinguished Achievement in the Arts Award, the American Library Association’s Notable Book of the Year, to name just a few. Her memoir, “Crazy Brave,” which details her troubling childhood and her journey to becoming a poet, won the PEN USA Literary Award for Creative Non-Fiction. She reflects on that memoir — and the personal history it forced her to confront — during our interview.Joy Harjo first studied visual art — and absolutely loved it. But there was a moment in college where her focus shifted, transforming her from an artist into a poet.This episode of Tulsa Talks is brought to you by the Tulsa Regional Chamber.Most recently, Joy was the Chair of Excellence in the Department of English at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Prior to that, she was a professor of English in the American Indian Studies department at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She has also taught at the Institute of American Indian Arts, Arizona State University, and the universities of Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico.Harjo also is an accomplished vocalist and instrumental musician, playing a menagerie that includes the guitar, ukulele, bass, flute and saxophone. Her music often incorporates the spoken word. She has produced 5 award-winning albums and is a recipient of the Native American Music Award for Best Female Artist of the Year. She performs extensively nationally and internationally with her band, Arrow Dynamics.Jerry Wofford from the Woody Guthrie Center dropped by to talk about the musical line-up for the center’s Sixth Anniversary Celebration April 26-28.Be sure to check out these great musicians performing at Guthrie Green, for free, April 26-28. More information can be found at woodyguthriecenter.org. Joy Harjo’s poetry has diverse themes as complex as the artist herself: her ancestry, indigenous values, feminism, politics, individual struggle, what it means to be human. Now, at age 67, her work continues to evolve. In January she began a Tulsa Artist Fellowship to continue her exploration of poetry and music. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, @TulsaPeople, or head to our home on the web, TulsaPeople.com/podcast. There, you’ll find show notes and more info about our guests and topics. Every episode, we play you out with s

As the Crow Flies is a story about Charlie — a queer 13 year old girl who finds herself stranded in a dangerous place: an all-white Christian youth backpacking camp.  It has been nominated for the Slate Cartoonist Studio Prize (2013), an Eisner Award (2014), and an Ignatz (2016), and won a Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators (2016). Creator Melanie Gillman joins graphic Policy Radio to discuss their webcomic as well as Steve Universe! Melanie Gillman is an Eisner- and Ignatz-nominated cartoonist.  They are the creator of As the Crow Flies, a webcomic about queer teens and Christian youth camp, which will be published by Iron Circus Comics in late 2017.  They have also written the Steven Universe comic for BOOM! Studios including the fan-favorite Stevonie storyline. They currently live in Tulsa, OK, where they are a 2017-2018 fellow in the Tulsa Artist Fellowship program.  Their work can be read at: http://melaniegillman.com