22 Sides

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Click play to hear Judge Beau Miller of the 190th Judicial District Court in Harris County, and get ready to re-elect him!

A civil courtroom is where everyday life collisions turn into legal deadlines: car wrecks, contract disputes, land fights, expunctions, injunctions, and the business cases that keep a city’s economy moving. We’re joined by Judge Beau Miller of the 190th Civil District Court in Harris County for a plainspoken look at what his job actually demands, how a weekly docket works, and why a “normal” week can mean nonstop motion hearings plus long jury trial days.

We also talk about the part voters rarely see: judicial infrastructure. Harris County’s population growth keeps piling onto a limited number of civil courts, and that backlog has a cost. When cases drag on, families stay stuck, businesses can’t get closure, and access to justice becomes access to waiting. Judge Miller breaks down the funding reality in Texas courts, why counties shoulder so much of the operational expense, and what solutions like additional courts, courthouse space, and associate judges can (and can’t) do.

Along the way, we hit the human side of judging, including what it means to apply the law equally, how stereotypes fail in real life, and why public service keeps pulling people toward work that pays less than private practice. We close with practical voting tips for local elections, how to research ballot propositions, and where to find reliable election logistics like polling locations and line times.

If you found this helpful, subscribe, share it with a friend who wants to understand the courts, and leave a review so more Houston voters can find it.

For more information:  https://www.judgebeaumiller.com/

https://www.harrisvotes.com/

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We hope you will listen often.

For more information, visit our website 22sides.com

Let us know what you think by clicking here to send us a text.

A live stage can do what a thousand “be positive” posts never will: hold real stories without rushing to fix them. We’re joined by Peyton Welch, a registered drama therapist and co-creator of Storytelling Empowers, plus poet Alex Jay Hurtado, to talk about a community show in Conroe, Texas, where people share their mental health journeys through artistic expression. Think poetry, monologues, drama therapy, music, and a new element this year: sound therapy that invites the room to slow down and breathe.

We also take an unexpected but important detour into libraries, rare books, and the wave of book bans that threatens critical thinking and lived narratives. Protecting stories is not abstract when you’re safeguarding archives, fighting censorship, or trying to make sure the next generation can still find language for who they are. From “brain health” as a stigma-reducing frame to the way a quiet audience processes vulnerability, we dig into why storytelling is both personal and political, and why connection after the pandemic takes practice.

If you’re in Texas, Storytelling Empowers happens October 24th, 2026 at the Owen Theatre, 225 Metcalf Street, Conroe, TX 77301, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., with tickets via the link on storytellingempowers.com. We also point to support options like Mosaics for help finding therapy, plus the 988 Lifeline or Trevor Project call or text support when you need a professional to listen. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs hope, and leave us a review, then tell us: what story are you finally ready to say out loud?

@alexjayhurtado

@storytellingempowers

Josh Wallenstein for Texas House District 133

Colin from Season 2 Episode 7 Poetry Event.

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We hope you will listen often.

For more information, visit our website 22sides.com

Let us know what you think by clicking here to send us a text.

You can learn a lot about a city by what it throws away and what its artists rescue. We’re joined by Houston sculptor and fabricator Patrick Renner, whose work turns curbside wood, teardown leftovers, and architectural scraps into bright, massive pieces that feel both playful and historic. We talk about why art can be a lifeline when the world feels rough, and how “creating through the feels” becomes a real practice instead of a slogan.

Patrick walks us through his relationship with found materials, why color is a driving force in his compositions, and what changes when you build for the street instead of a white-wall gallery. We dig into Funnel Tunnel, the logistics of working at scale, his current showings at Foltz Fine Art Gallery and more! Fulcrum is a business Patrick and fellow artist own that supports other artists by fabricating ambitious projects and welcomes commissions!  We also get honest about how artists balance deadlines, relationships, and the fear that comes with going all-in.

From there, we zoom into Houston’s ecosystem: Mystic Lion community builds, the joy of collaborative making, and simple ways to look at abstract art without feeling like you have to “get it right.” If you’re curious about collecting, we share what it’s like to live with art, why commissions can surprise you, and how small decisions like lighting and placement change everything. Stick around for Houston recommendations like the Orange Show, the Silos, Redbud Gallery, and more, plus a practical gallery habit that helps you stay in the loop.

If you enjoy conversations about the Houston art scene, public art, upcycling materials, and how artists actually work, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave us a review so more people can find the show.

For more information:

https://www.patrickrennerarchive.com/about

https://www.instagram.com/mysticlyonhtx/

https://www.fulcrumhtx.com/about

https://foltzgallery.com/artist/patrick-renner

https://sevensisters.gallery/artists/54-emily-peacock/

Josh Wallenstein for Texas House District 133

Colin from Season 2 Episode 7 Poetry Event.

Support the show

We hope you will listen often.

For more information, visit our website 22sides.com

Let us know what you think by clicking here to send us a text.

We sit down with Judge Jason Cox of Harris County Probate Court No. 3 to pull back the curtain on what a Texas probate court actually does and why it matters even if you think you “don’t have an estate.” We get specific about wills, trusts, estates, guardianships, and the real-world probate litigation issues that show up when families disagree or paperwork is missing.

We also dig into the part of the job most people never connect to probate court: civil mental health commitment hearings in Harris County. Judge Cox explains why mental health law is so deadline-driven, how the court balances due process with safety, and what “attorney ad litem” and “guardian ad litem” mean when someone’s rights and liberty are on the line. Then we talk solutions, including Assisted Outpatient Treatment, an approach that supports people in the community with treatment plans, social worker teams, housing help, and fewer repeat inpatient hospitalizations.

On the planning side, we break down what actually helps you avoid unnecessary probate: payable on death and transfer on death designations for accounts and benefits, when a transfer on death deed can work for real property, and why getting your documents done before a hospital stay can protect your intent, especially for LGBTQ families. We close with the practical reality that courts run on people and budgets, which is why voting down-ballot matters. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs a clear probate roadmap, and leave a review with the biggest myth you want us to tackle next.

Please get an Early Voting plan and check for other resources here:

https://cclerk.hctx.net/

Support the show

We hope you will listen often.

For more information, visit our website 22sides.com

Let us know what you think by clicking here to send us a text.

Josh Wallenstein decides to run for Texas House District 133

We go from international law and ethics to Texas elections and the day-to-day consequences of who holds power. We unpack culture-war distractions and get real about why voting feels scary for some people and how to make it doable. 
• the mismatch between what is legal and what is ethical, and how that gap gets exploited 
• how dehumanization and us-versus-them rhetoric spreads, from Rwanda to modern US politics 
• why Josh Wallenstein decides to run for Texas House District 133, rooted in public school experience and HISD instability 
• priorities in Austin, including fully funding public schools, restoring librarians, and curbing campaign finance abuses 
• the Ten Commandments fight as a culture-war tactic while costs like rent, insurance, and the grid keep rising 
• practical ways to help friends vote, reduce fear, and navigate long Texas ballots 
• the case for using available federal dollars to expand coverage and lower health care costs in Texas 
you’ve got to get out and vote, period 

Support the show

We hope you will listen often.

For more information, visit our website 22sides.com

Let us know what you think by clicking here to send us a text.

Click play and jump into a spicy Texas politics roundtable with Alexis Melvin, Jack Valinski, Hayden Cohen, Maria Gonzalez, and Robin Mack as we talk through what’s happening on the ground in Texas and Harris County as early voting approaches. We trade real-world voting tips, call out the down-ballot races that quietly control daily life, and push each other to turn frustration into a plan. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the Harris County ballot, this is your reminder that a plan beats panic.

Texas elections aren’t decided by hot takes; they’re decided by field work, turnout math, and whether people finish the ballot. We weigh real chances for Democrats statewide, why name recognition and campaign infrastructure matter so much in a state this big, and how a few points in the right places can change the story.
 
 We also dig into the races many voters barely notice but live with every day: Railroad Commission and the electric grid, the lieutenant governor’s power in the Texas Senate, State Board of Education fights that shape curriculum, and courts that decide what rights survive when the legislature fails. Along the way, we discuss candidates and offices that come up in local organizing conversations, including Gina Hinojosa, Vikki Goodwin, Jon Rosenthal, Clayton Tucker, Teneshia Hudspeth, and Abbie Kamin, plus the strategy of building wins from the top of the ballot down.

• We assess Democratic chances in statewide Texas races and why this cycle feels different;
 • We compare campaign infrastructure in Texas and why early voting is the real deadline;
 • We break down turnout targets in big cities and the risk of down-ballot drop-off
 • We spotlight how using tools like HarrisVotes.com to find locations and sample ballots can help you make a voting plan.

Then we get practical. We break down early voting strategy, mail ballot complications, provisional ballot risks, the voter registration “suspense list,” and how Texas voter ID rules work in real life, including name change issues and what trans voters should watch for. 
 
 If this helped, subscribe, share it with one friend who needs a voting plan, and leave a review so more Texans can find it. What’s your exact day and place to vote? And whatever you do, please go out and vote the entire ticket from top to bottom… All the way down the ballot.
 
 

Josh Wallenstein for Texas House District 133

Colin from Season 2 Episode 7 Poetry Event.

Support the show

We hope you will listen often.

For more information, visit our website 22sides.com

Let us know what you think by clicking here to send us a text.

Shakespeare on Zoom sounded like a stopgap. It turned into a doorway. We sit down with actor, director, and Zoom Shakespeare Productions artistic director Rebecca Bernstein to talk about how a pandemic-era experiment grew into a real community for artists and audiences, including people who could finally participate from home across time zones, disabilities, and limited access to traditional theater spaces. 

From there we jump into what’s next on stage in Houston: Thornfield Cohen, a story of Jane Eyre, an abstract Jane Eyre adaptation that keeps Charlotte Bronte’s words while making the story feel immediate, accessible, and emotionally raw. We dig into the creative choices, including projections of Jane’s drawings and a dancer who embodies Jane’s artistic self, and why this version leans into the queerness that many readers have always felt in the love story. 

We also get direct about inclusive casting in classical theater, why “the classics” have been withheld from people of color and LGBTQ+ performers, and how experimental productions can honor the intent of old texts better than rigid “traditional” staging. Then we widen the lens to accessibility, fandom support, and the real-world barriers that still show up at venues, right down to parking and mobility issues. 

If you care about queer theater, inclusive Shakespeare, Houston arts, and making performance more accessible, hit play, subscribe, and share this with a friend, then leave us a review telling us what classic story you want reclaimed next.

Where to buy tickets to Jane Eyre show

https://matchouston.org/events/2026/thornfield-story-jane-eyre

Zoom Shakespeare Productions FB page

https://www.facebook.com/share/1EhemCNQ4A/?mibextid=wwXIfr

The Black Freighter Theatre Co. (online theater plays that my brother runs)

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17qpizfFVE/?mibextid=wwXIfr

The movie that local actress Andrea Pister has a bit part in, The Rivals of Amziah King

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27706593/?ref_=nm_flmg_job_1_accord_2_cdt_t_2

Josh Wallenstein for Texas House District 133

Colin from Season 2 Episode 7 Poetry Event.

Support the show

We hope you will listen often.

For more information, visit our website 22sides.com

Let us know what you think by clicking here to send us a text.

A slasher that’s obsessed with orgasms, a killer called Ventman, and a theater full of people laughing at totally different moments set us up for one of our most revealing roundtables yet. We’re coming at Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma from different generations and different relationships to horror, and that gap becomes the story: when a movie is built out of references, meta jokes, and genre tropes, who feels invited in and who feels left behind? 

We talk through the film’s camp horror DNA, its maximalist symbolism, and the way fandom shapes how you “read” what’s on screen. Then we get into the uncomfortable center: sex, consent, fear, dissociation, and the idea that intimacy can feel like danger, especially for trauma survivors or anyone navigating gray-ace feelings. We also ask why cartoonish gore can feel safer than realistic harm, and how body horror can be both repulsive and strangely empowering when it pushes back on narrow beauty standards. 

The hardest turn is representation. Horror has a long history of turning trans and intersex bodies into the twist, the threat, or the punchline, and we unpack what happens when a modern film tries to critique that history while still borrowing its shape. We connect the on-screen choices to real-world dehumanization in media, and we wrestle with the ethics of showing violence without feeding the thrill of it. 

If you love queer horror, meta horror, film criticism, and the messy truth of watching together, hit play. After you listen, subscribe, share with a friend who argues about movies, and leave a review. What’s one horror trope you wish would finally die?

Josh Wallenstein for Texas House District 133

Colin from Season 2 Episode 7 Poetry Event.

Support the show

We hope you will listen often.

For more information, visit our website 22sides.com

Let us know what you think by clicking here to send us a text.

We catch up with Colin on building Pass the Salt Presse. He shares on how  connecting over cake at Empire Cafe lead to starting a new life time project. His Montrose Grace Place poetry project shifted from academic-style workshops to paying unhoused LGBTQ youth to write, by focusing on practical ways to keep creating when you feel stuck.

• building Pass the Salt Press as a community-first literary nonprofit
• learning from an early workshop model that felt too academic
• paying youth poets and why small payments change everything
• publishing anthologies as resume builders and proof of work
• reducing barriers with freewrites, gentle edits, and “listening poet” drafting
• sustaining the work through gratitude, donations, and realistic print budgets
• why in-person tabling and storytelling sells more than social posts
• practical advice for beating writer’s block by building from past work and seeking live art

To find out more connect with him here: https://www.passthesaltpresse.org/

To the listeners...THANK YOU for sharing, liking and donating as you can!

Josh Wallenstein for Texas House District 133

Colin from Season 2 Episode 7 Poetry Event.

Support the show

We hope you will listen often.

For more information, visit our website 22sides.com

Let us know what you think by clicking here to send us a text.

A poetry book doesn’t just “come out” one day. It’s built in public, one reading, one community connection, and one crucial preorder at a time. Kathi Crawford joins us again at 22 Sides to share what’s changed since her last visit and to introduce her next collection, "running with the beasts", published by Finishing Line Press with preorders opening June 29. 

We talk about why the preorder period matters for authors and small presses, how her upcoming launch celebration becomes an open mic that lifts other writers up, and what a welcoming literary community can look like in Houston. Kathi also reads two poems that stay with you: one surreal and haunting meditation on time, memory, and aging, and another that riffs on Lou Reed, drums, girlhood, and the long tail of being told “you can’t” because of your gender. 

Then we get practical for anyone trying to publish poetry or submit to literary magazines. Kathi breaks down the systems that keep you sane: track submissions with a spreadsheet, submit simultaneously when allowed, read magazines to find the right fit, and watch for legitimacy so you don’t hand your work to spammers. We also dig into creative collaboration, including why working with a real artists feels more human and more interesting than defaulting to AI. 

If you enjoy poetry readings, writing craft talk, and honest advice about the creative process, hit subscribe, share this with a writer friend, and leave us a review so more listeners can find the show.

Places to find Kathi works and more:

Kathi: https://theworldinsideyou.com/

https://www.instagram.com/kathicrawford/

Event: June 7th: https://www.bloodhoneylit.com/

https://www.instagram.com/bloodhoneylit/

Book: Unbroken a public poetry anthology:

https://www.penandleafpress.com/

Book: White Wall Review Metamorphosis:

https://whitewallreview.com/

Josh Wallenstein for Texas House District 133

Colin from Season 2 Episode 7 Poetry Event.

Support the show

We hope you will listen often.

For more information, visit our website 22sides.com