A Public Affair

In the newly released book Flamboyants: The Queer Harlem Renaissance I Wish I’d Known, author George M. Johnson blends essays, poetry and personal narrative to tell stories of Black queer writers, performers, and activists from 1920s. Many of their sexualities were obscured or forgotten throughout history. The book is illustrated by Artist Charly Palmer. Johnson joins host Ali Muldrow to discuss the lives of the people in the book and the complexities of the writing a book about hidden sexualities.

George M. Johnson is an Award-Winning Black Non-Binary Writer, Author, and Executive Producer. They are the author of the New York Times Bestselling Author of the Young Adult memoir All Boys Aren’t Blue discussing their adolescence growing up as a young Black Queer boy in New Jersey through a series of powerful essays. George was listed on The Root 100 Most Influential African Americans in 2020. The Out 100 Most Influential LGBTQ People in 2021. And in 2022 was honored as one of the TIME100 Next Most Influential People in the World. Their second memoir We Are Not Broken was released in September of 2021.

Portrait photo by Vincent Marc  

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In her new book, While You Were Out: An Intimate Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence, journalist Meg Kissinger introduces the reader to the family of her childhood. Kissinger grew up in Chicago in the 1960s as one of 8 children. From the outside, everything looked picture perfect; however, inside the home, the family was struggling with a number of metal heath crises.

Kissinger joins host Christina Lieffring to talk about about the book, and Kissinger’s two decades traveling across the country to report on America’s mental health system for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Kissinger is presenting at the Wisconsin Book Festival on Sunday, October 20th at 12pm at Central Library, Lower Reading Room. More information here.

Meg Kissinger teaches investigative reporting at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and was a visiting professor at DePauw University. Formerly, she was a journalist with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. A Pulitzer Prize finalist, she has won dozens of accolades, including two George Polk Awards, the Robert F. Kennedy Award, awards from Investigative Reporters and Editors, and two National Journalism Awards.

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Madison’s Youth Poet Laureate is Justin Festge Russell, a graduate of Madison East High School and a First Wave scholar at UW-Madison. The program is in it’s third year and is open to poets 13-19 years old. The Youth Poet Laureate is required to do three public readings with the current Madison Poet Laureate, and they have the opportunity to apply for the National Youth Poet Laureate role.

Festge Russell, who also produces music under the artist name Jexizis, joins guest host Angie Trudell Vasquez to talk about poetry and share some pieces.

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The Red Power Movement was a Native American movement for self-determination in response to years of Termination and Relocation policies in the U.S. The Warrior Women Project is bringing to light the often forgotten or ignored stories of the women involved in the movement. The project documents oral histories, maintains an archive, and produces media to be used in home communities and to educate through decolonial learning experiences.

Director Elizabeth Castle joins A Public Affair host Esty Dinur to talk about the project and the Warrior Women film which details the life of Lakota activist and community organizer Madonna Thunder Hawk. Warrior Women (2018) was a Peabody Award Nominated film and is available for rent or purchase on vimeo.

Dr. Elizabeth “Beth” Castle works at the intersection of media, scholarship, and activism as an anti-racist educator committed to liberating and sharing unknown histories of resistance. She started the Warrior Women Project (WWP) to preserve and make accessible the oral histories of Indigenous activists and disrupt the dominant historical narrative through research for her book Backbone: Women in the Red Power Movement. While completing her Ph.D. at Cambridge University, she worked at the White House for President Clinton’s Initiative on Race. She co-directed the Peabody Award Nominated film, Warrior Women (2018), and continues the collaborative work of the WWP in decolonizing curricula, activist archiving, and community media work.

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On today’s show, Nelson joins host Allen Ruff to give a history of Christian Nationalism and help us understand the current moment.

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On today’s show, host Ali Muldrow speaks with community organizer and activist George Goehl. Goehl has a long history with organizing and been involved with campaigns as small as paving a road to large as reforming federal financial policy. He has now shifted his focus to teach the fundamental skills and concepts of organizing and tell stories of rural Americans’ organizing efforts. 

Goehl is the author of the “Fundamentals of Community Organizing” Booklet–a 50 page guide to teach the fundamental skills and concepts of organizing. He is also the the host of the podcast “To See Each Other” which just launched a new season. Set in Wisconsin, this season features the fight to save a county nursing home. 

George Goehl will be presenting at the Havens Wright Center today, Wednesday, September 25th from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM. It’s a free hybrid event, and more information can be found on the center’s website.

Photo by Laura Seaman on Unsplash

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According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, on average 624 people in Dane County were experiencing homelessness on any given night in 2023. For people in their teens or early 20s, the barriers to housing can be greater and the outcomes more desperate. The Dane County Youth Action Board (YAB) is a diverse of folks between the ages of 14 and 24 with lived expertise of homelessness and housing instability. They are using their experiences to guide solutions. As part of the HUD-funded Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program, they (along with partner organizations) developed the 2022 Coordinated Community Plan with the goal to end youth homelessness in Madison and Dane County.  

Guest host Sabrina Madison is joined by YAB members TaMaya Travis, Skye Gia Garcia, May Mahadevi Wilkins, and  Program Coordinator for the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program Kayla Every. They discuss the unique barriers facing young people experiencing housing instability, the day to day of their work, and what is still needed in Madison and Dane County. They also talk about the opening of the new EverStrong Youth Drop-In Center.

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In early August, the 2024 Legislative Council Study Committee on Sandhill Cranes, met for the first time. The committee is tasked with recommending legislation to manage the sandhill crane population. They have heard reports on the crane population, reviewed damage claims, and explored mitigation options.  The options include treating seeds to prevent cranes from eating them, paying farmers for lost crops, and allowing a crane hunt. The Cap Times reports that the yearly damage caused by sandhill cranes is estimated at $1.6 million.

On today’s show, host Douglas Haynes brings the conversation to the airways with guests David Drake and Rich Beilfuss. Drake is an UW-Extension Wildlife Specialist and Professor in the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology at UW-Madison. Beilfuss is the president and CEO International Crane Foundation. They join us to discuss the sandhill crane population growth and their impact.

We hear from several listeners throughout the hour.

Image by Marlin Greene from Pixabay

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According the to United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7th, 2023. Another 95,000+ have been injured. These numbers are certainly an undercount. The number of Gaza’s Silent Killings, or those who have died due to the crumbling medical infrastructure, continues to climb. Cases of polio have been found amongst Palestinian children. Communicable diseases are being spread due to a lack of sanitary infrastructure.  People are been unable to access medical treatments for their critical, but treatable illnesses.

On today’s show, Esty Dinur talks with Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, a California-based trauma surgeon, who recently traveled to Gaza to provide care at Gaza’s European Hospital. He explains what he saw, and how chaotic things were inside one of Gaza’s few hospitals. Yara Asi, author How War Kills: The Overlooked Threats to our Health, also joined Dinur on the show to discuss the lasting impact war will have on mortality and health. Asi argues that even if a ceasefire happened tomorrow, the impact on health with continue for years and generations.

Image by Parentingupstream from Pixabay

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On today’s show, Yuri Rashkin steps into the host seat and talks with Madison-based Ukrainian activist Natalka Akulenko about Rashkin’s recent trip to Ukraine. They discuss the reality of Ukrainian life amid the ongoing war, Rashkin’s popular Youtube channel Rashkin Report, and finding joy and beauty in Ukraine.

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