Before the well-known witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts, Connecticut had its own spate of trials and executions. In mid-1600s colonial Connecticut, dozens of women, and some men connected to them, were accused of witchcraft. Eleven people were executed.
Earlier this year, the state moved to clear the names of all those accused of witchcraft in the state, and issued an apology. The resolution followed panel discussions and hearings with state lawmakers, descendants of the accused, and local historians.
This hour, we listen back to some of those discussions, and check in with the Connecticut Witch Trial Exoneration Project. Plus, Dr. Katherine Hermes discovered evidence that accusations of witchcraft continued well into the 1700s where we live.
GUESTS:

Sarah Jack: Co-Founder, Connecticut Witch Trial Exoneration Project; Co-Host, “Thou Shalt Not Suffer: The Witch Trial Podcast"
Dr. Katherine Hermes: Publisher and Executive Director, Connecticut Explored Magazine
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'Before there was Salem, there was Connecticut': State formally pardons accused witches

Produced by Connecticut Public, 'Where We Live' puts Connecticut in context. Host Catherine Shen brings us fascinating, informed, in-depth conversations and stories beyond news headlines.  We start local, but we take time to explore domestic and international issues and consider how they impact us personally and here at home.

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Fools and wise man, come hither! This summer’s day program of Where We Live will dedicate an hour to the master of comedy and tragedy alike, Sir William Shakespeare.
Outdoor productions of William Shakespeare’s plays go back to well…the time of William Shakespeare! And every summer this tradition comes alive on stages across Connecticut.
Today, we talk about Shakespeare in the park, the common and even - the sound! We’re joined by thespians across the state staging productions of this iconic playwright. 
GUESTS:

James Bundy: Dean and Artistic Director of the David Geffen School of Drama and Yale Repertory Theatre
Laura Sheehen: Co-founder of Capital Classics Theatre Company in Hartford
Aaron Simms: Managing and Producing Director of Shakespeare on the Sound in Norwalk, Connecticut

Theater companies featured in this broadcast, including summer 2024 productions:

Shakespeare on the Sound - Norwalk


June 12- June 30: Romeo and Juliet, Pinkney Park, Rowayton, CT


Breakdancing Shakespeare - Hartford Stage


June 17 – July 27: Hartford Stage


Capital Classics - Hartford


July 10 – August 4: The Greater Hartford Shakespeare Festival will feature two full-length productions of Hamlet and The Taming of the Shrew — outdoors — on the campus of the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford.


Shakesperience - Litchfield Hills (Washington Depot, CT)


August 7-11: Romeo and Juliet, River Walk Pavilion, Washington Depot, CT (Free Admission)


Elm Shakespeare - New Haven


August 16 – Sunday, Sept 1: Richard III, Edgerton Park, New Haven (Free Admission)


Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theatre - Middletown

Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shaking up the summer with some (outdoor) Shakespeare

In Connecticut, there are LGBTQ community centers in New Haven, Norwalk and, most recently, Bridgeport. There have also been recent efforts to launch a queer hub in West Hartford.
These spaces are important for community, safety, resources, and even are associated with reduced suicide risk among LGBTQ youth, according to the Trevor Project.
Connecticut Public reported on the New Haven Pride Center’s move to a larger location in January. They say this will allow them to offer more community resources.
This hour, we hear from Juancarlos Soto, executive director of the New Haven Pride Center. We'll also hear from a researcher who has measured the importance of these community hubs, and the resources they offer.
Plus, we get an update on the policies protecting and restricting LGBTQ rights in the U.S. from The 19th's LGBTQ+ reporter Orion Rummler.
GUESTS:

Orion Rummler: LGBTQ+ Reporter, The 19th
Juancarlos Soto: Executive Director, New Haven Pride Center
Dr. Dani Chiaramonte: Associate Research Scientist, Yale LGBTQ Mental Health Initiative

Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

'Like home to me': Examining the important role Pride Centers play

Connecticut has had its share of intense storms, but this year’s hurricane is expected to be even longer and more intensive than ever before.
Today, we talk about what to expect and how to prepare.
Damage from hurricanes doesn’t just happen on the coast. We hear from farmers inland on how they’re preparing.
Got a question about hurricane season?
GUESTS:

Juliana Barrett: Extension Educator Emerita, University of Connecticut and the Connecticut Sea Grant College Program
Evan Lentz: Assistant Extension Educator of Fruit Production and Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture at UConn
Rebecca Toms: Communications Coordinator, UConn Extension- Sustainable Food Systems

Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Looking ahead to the 2024 hurricane season

For decades, there were cities and towns that were all-white on purpose. These communities are known as "sundown towns." Because this practice was both formal and informal, researchers put together a database of these laws, customs and firsthand accounts, under the leadership of the late sociologist and civil rights champion James Loewen.
At the peak of the exclusionary practice in 1970, an estimated 10,000 communities across the U.S. kept out African-Americans through "force, law, or custom." Many sundown suburbs also excluded Jewish and Chinese Americans, and other minority groups.
There are 40 towns listed as possible or probable past sundown towns in Connecticut. This hour, we hear about this history and what it can tell us. You can add to this research too.
GUESTS:


Dr. Stephen Berrey: Assistant Professor of American Culture and History, University of Michigan


Logan Jaffe: Reporter, ProPublica


Paul Saubestre: Volunteer Researcher, Hamden Historical Society


Cat Pastor contributed to this episode which originally aired November 27, 2023. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Examining the history and legacy of 'sundown towns' in Connecticut

Today, we get an update from humanitarian aid organizations with workers on the ground in Gaza and how they are addressing this continuing crisis. Before these airstrikes, the area was facing famine, mass displacement, and severe trauma from witnessing the ongoing war in Gaza.
We also get an update on other crises happening around the globe including the ongoing conflict in Sudan, and the parallels between these conflicts. The conflict in Sudan began over a year ago in April 2023, when fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support forces. More than 14,000 people have died, and more than 8 million people have been displaced.
We talk about the legal definition of genocide and how that word is impacting how we view crises around the globe.
GUESTS

Dr. Ali Elaydi: Orthopedic Surgeon with FAJR Scientific
Provash Budden: Americares Deputy SVP of Emergency Programs
Dr. Abdelillah Douda: Coordinator of the Sudanese Refugee in Connecticut and Digital Coordinator of Feeding Centers
Nathaniel Raymond: Executive Director of the Humanitarian Research Lab at the Yale School of Public Health.

Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

'Before there was Salem, there was Connecticut': State formally pardons accused witches

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