For some, the hijab is seen as an oppressive symbol – right now Iranian women are burning their headscarves in protest. But for other women around the globe – the hijab is a symbol of empowerment, beauty, and faith.

On this episode of Audacious, we hear from two women about their very different experiences with the hijab.

GUESTS: 

• Jacqueline Saper: Author of From Miniskirt to Hijab: A Girl in Revolutionary Iran. She was born and raised in Tehran to Iranian and British parents, and lived through the implementation of hijab laws after the revolution in 1979. She moved to Houston, TX in 1987
• Mubarakah Ibrahim: Hijabi Muslim fitness and nutrition coach living in New Haven, CT. She just won three medals and broke records in the U.S. Powerlifting Association Connecticut State Championship!

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Consider all the stuff in your kitchen. There’s at least ONE thing in there with a story behind it, right?

Today’s episode features conversations with eleven people about the stories behind their special kitchen utensil or appliance.

GUESTS: 

• Susan Jane Bigelow of Enfield, Connecticut, has a very special spoon
• Emily and Kevin Tracy of Windsor, Connecticut, have a utensil set that Emily borrowed long-term from an airline
• Joy Braddock from West Hartford loves her spatulas
• Debra Walsh from West Hartford, Connecticut, inherited a rolling pin that does more than flatten dough
• Amanda Delaura of Manchester, Connecticut, walked a mile in heels with her KitchenAid mixer
• Josh Lewis of New York, New York, cherishes his coveted veggie peeler
• Cureen Blake of Hartford, Connecticut inherited tools to make Bammies 
• James Hines is the Co-Owner of Cookshop Plus in West Hartford. He has a hand-me-down that is much loved, yet rarely used
• Lois Lee is the Director of the Chinese American Planning Council in Flushing, NY, whose double boiler is in the Tenement Museum 
• Susan Jacobsen of Tyler, Minnesota, has a rare Rullepølse Press
• Raquel V. Reyes of Miami, Florida, is the author of The Caribbean Kitchen Mystery Series. She has a precious cookbook that is simultaneously lost and found

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In previous installments of our Behind the Screens series - where we talk with people who make the entertainment industry work - we met the costume director for Schitt’s Creek, an intimacy coordinator, the food illustrator for the Great British Baking Show, and even the person who is responsible for hiring the most recent Fab 5 for Queer Eye!

On this episode, you’ll hear stories from three folks involved with Netflix shows, Too Hot to Handle, Bullshit the Game Show, and The Sandman.

GUESTS: 

• Rhonda Paul: Contestant on the inaugural season of the Netflix reality series, Too Hot To Handle
• Chad Haywood: Casting director for the Netflix series, Bullshit the Game Show
• Jamin Bricker: Editor for the Netflix series, The Sandman

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There’s really no way to avoid the obvious: Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease is a scary condition. The causes are somewhat mysterious, results of treatments are mixed, and there is no cure. A diagnosis will impact everybody who it touches - logistically, financially, psychologically, and emotionally.

Today, you’re going to meet a man living alone with early onset, and a husband and wife team who are doing everything they can to make sure the husband is cared for.

And you’ll get some helpful things to keep in mind from a dementia-care education specialist.

1-800-272-3900 is The Alzheimer's Association’s helpline. It is open 24/7.

GUESTS: 

• Teepa Snow: A dementia-care education specialist with a background in occupational therapy and close to 40 years of clinical practice, using a "positive approach to care"
• Brian Van Buren: Started experiencing memory issues when he was 50, but wasn’t formally diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's until age 64. He was a 2017 member of the National Alzheimer’s Association early onset advisory group, and is a member of the Dementia Action Alliance Advisory Board to bring awareness to people of color and the LGBTQIA+ community
• Marva and Tyrone Patterson: Pastors at Rescue Temple in East Hartford. Tyrone began experiencing symptoms of early-onset Alzheimer's in January of 2021

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The first person in our series featuring poets around a fire in Chion’s backyard was Zulynette.

This time, meet Andrew Dean Wright. In addition to being a photographer, digital artist, and elegant roller skater, he is a curious, gentle, and powerful poet.

Enjoy this conversation between them, recorded in Hartford on August 24, 2022.

Listen to a recent Colin McEnroe Show featuring poets, Margaret Gibson, Yanyi, and Matthew Zapruder.

GUEST: 

• Andrew Dean Wright: Hartford-based poet, artist, and roller skater 

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Imagine you’re at the beach, taking in the scenery, breathing in the fresh ocean air, when the sun hits something floating in the water just right… It’s a bottle! With a message inside that looks totally intact!

Meet people who’ve found - and gotten back - their messages in bottles, and hear about one that was thrown from the Titanic.

GUESTS: 

• Stefanie Marco Lantz, Lana & Tommy Simmons: The Simmons family received a message in a bottle as a donation at their thrift store in Statesville, NC. They tracked down its owner, Stefanie, in West Hartford, Connecticut. She had tossed her message in a bottle into the water near Martha’s Vineyard, MA back in 1982 when she was nine years old
• Eric and Melanie Dahl: Parents of Brian Dahl, who sent off a message in a bottle when he was 12 years old in 1989. He died in 2007, and his bottle was found in 2022
• Jack Walsh: General Manager at Cobh Heritage Centre in County Cork, Ireland. In their collection, they have a message in a bottle written by Jeremiah Burke that was thrown from the Titanic on its doomed voyage

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The person who took 17 lives in Parkland, Florida on Valentine’s Day of 2018 was recently spared the death penalty.

Hear from Manuel Oliver, the father of Joaquin, who was murdered that day, about how he uses art and media to rally for gun control. You’ll also hear his reaction to the sentencing.

GUEST: 

• Manuel Oliver: Father of Joaquin Oliver, who was one of 17 murdered students and teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in 2018. He is also the co-founder of Change The Ref, whose mission statement is “To raise awareness about mass shootings through strategic interventions that will reduce the influence of the NRA on the Federal level”

Jessica Severin de Martinez and Catie Talarski contributed to this show, with help from our interns, Jacob Gannon and Taylor Doyle.

Audacious with Chion Wolf is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, and email.

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The poet, Atticus, wrote, “Have you ever smelled a smell and it instantly brings you back to a happy moment from your childhood? I always loved that. I hope that's what death is. Just sitting on a cloud, smelling old smells.”

That’s the inspiration for today’s episode, featuring 18 people talking about the smells that bring them back to childhood.

In addition to the guests below, you’ll hear the voices of Dave Borsvold from Mentor, Ohio, Higuchi Naoki from Osaka, Japan, Levi Lomaski from West Hartford, Brianne Decio from Waterford, Matthew from Ecuador, Nina Lesiga from Stratford, Lisa Niedermeyer and her mother, Michele, from Salt Lake City, Utah, Nicole Currivan from Syracuse, New York, Janice Wolf from Madison, and Brandon Blain from Lebanon, Connecticut.

GUESTS: 

• Dr. Angharad Rudkin: Author and clinical child psychologist working in Hampshire, UK
• Raquel V Reyes: Author of many books, including her latest, Calypso Corpses, and Cooking (A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery) Here, she demonstrates how to make Cafe Cubano
• O’Nell Agossa: Originally from Benin, Africa, featured on our show about being a part of a diaspora
• Tanya Ko Hong: Originally from Korea, featured on our show about being part of a diaspora
• Isaiah Herrington: 10 year-old living in Hartford, Connecticut
• Alua Arthur: Death doula in Los Angeles, CA, founder of Going With Grace
• Atticus: Poet and author of the new book, LVOE
• Heather Ream: Writer from East Tennessee, who is a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), originally featured on our show about super smellers

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Humans of New York is a photo-slash-storytelling-slash-fundraising powerhouse with 30 million followers on social media.

You read narratives about overcoming adversity, personal revelations, or just flat-out great stories.

Just that combination alone - the photos and their captions - have been enough to launch Humans of New York into worldwide popularity. But its creator, Brandon Stanton, has taken it one step further.

When a subject of his tells a story about a specific need, he shares their GoFundMe page, and it explodes with contributions from HONY fans.

On today’s show, you’ll hear my conversation with Brandon at The Connecticut Forum recently, as he talks about his process, overcoming rejection, and the new era of Humans of New York as a philanthropic powerhouse.

GUEST: 

• Brandon Stanton: The creator of Humans of New York, where he features photographs and captions of his subjects. 

Jessica Severin de Martinez and Catie Talarski contributed to this show.

Audacious with Chion Wolf is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, and email.

Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nietzsche once said, “It is what one takes into solitude that grows there, the beast within included.”

This episode features three people who experienced solitude: by choice and not.

There’s a winter caretaker at Yellowstone, a runner-up from the History Channel show, Alone, and hear from a Connecticut man who spent almost 30 years in solitary confinement.

GUESTS: 

• Callie Russell: Contestant on Season 7 (aired in 2020) of Alone on the History Channel. She lasted 89 days in the Northwest Territories of Canada before being medically evacuated due to frostbite of the toes
• Steve Fuller: One of the last winter caretakers at Yellowstone National Park, a job he’s done for 50 years
• Ray Boyd: After serving 29.5 years incarcerated for a murder he committed at the age of 17, he became a spokesperson for Stop Solitary CT, which successfully rallied for changes in Connecticut's solitary confinement protocol. He is the author of Mind Over Matter: How I Became the Model Inmate

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