For this episode I return to The Village of Riverside Glen, where I interview Norm Jary, former Mayor of the City of Guelph, and broadcaster for CJOY. At 91 years of age, Norm has done an incredible job keeping himself educated about Covid 19, and is taking every precaution, deeply appreciating the steps Riverside Glen has taken to protect its residents. We talk about this, and about his life - Norm is very proud of holding the longest term of mayor in Guelph's history, and shares several standout highlights from that career, from his marriage, and from his time as a radio broadcaster.

This interview was originally recorded on June 10th, 2020

For this episode I interview Thirza Armstrong, host of "The Crow's Nest", a podcast Thirza's been hosting on behalf of the Guelph Tool Library, that we've had the pleasure of airing on our CFRU airwaves. With the Crow's Nest, Thirza implores us to listen as they "chat with folks about community resilience and how the world’s lost without it, the importance of skill sharing and how you’re missing out, and the timeless 21st century hot topics: sustainability and self sufficiency."

This was an endearing conversation, stumbling through the parallels of these hosts' attempts to create space, leave space, collect stories, and learn about their communities, about how much can be learned from listening, and the balance needed in a sharing economy: we may show up to borrow, but what we lend or give is just as valuable.

You can check out the podcast at https://thecrowsnest.substack.com/

This interview was originally recorded on June 4th 2020.

Bridging the Social Distance continues to celebrate Seniors' Month by returning to The Village of Riverside Glen, this time to interview resident Doug A Gilmour. Doug has written a book chronicling his life, called "A Successful Life: Overcoming Adversity with Persistence", and based on this interview it sounds like Doug has done just that. He's experienced a lot of hardship, and a lot of loss - including the loss of several close family members, and the loss of his arm at a young age - but it's provided incredible opportunities to see what he's capable of, and to see his community come together to support him. Sometimes going through difficult situations gives you a perspective on what's possible - which is an inspiring concept to lean into during a global pandemic.

This interview was originally recorded on June 9th 2020.

The last episode, I interviewed a teacher - today, we hear from a student's perspective. Owen Mulkins-Brown is a grade nine student at GCVI. He's also a bit of a radio and story-sharing alumni, having participated in several projects with CFRU when he was a student at Willow RD PS, and acting as a host for last year's "Moving Histories, Neighbourhood Mysteries". So when looking for a student's perspective, I thought of Owen right away.

Grade nine is a major shift for any student, and navigating a global pandemic and quarantine during your first year in high school is not likely to make things much easier. But Owen sees a lot of plus sides within these strange days: more sleep, more control over his schedule, more walks, more time for other activities. And yes, more time alone, more time to reflect and more time to miss friends. But Owen's incredible knowledge of history gives him some important perspectives: he knows how important it is for us to follow guidelines, and do what we can to stay safe and help each other. He's doing an incredible job adapting.

Owen's advice: "Stay Safe. Stay Inside. Wear masks. Social Distance. And talk to people - make sure you don't go insane".

This interview was originally recorded on June 3rd 2020.

For this episode I interview Kelly McCullough, a high school teacher at the Upper Grand District School Board. Kelly helps run urbanartsguelph.ca MADE with her colleague Jeff Bersche, an arts-focused experiential learning course here in Guelph. And since experiential learning steps outside the classroom...Jenny really wanted to explore what that might mean for students during a quarantine. Are kids who take to venturing outside the traditional classroom structure more resilient when asked to shift to a totally new reality? Is this more experiential, or simply more isolating? How are kids coping? What does this look like for students graduating? We talk about this, about the very real challenges of emergency learning, about the occasional positive highlights to come out of this strange time, and our collective hope that students will brave this global pandemic okay and receive the support they need. Find out more about MADE at https://www.urbanartsguelph.ca/

This episode was originally recorded on May 28th 2020.

For this episode I interview Owen Pallett - Owen just released a beautiful new album "Island". And so we chat about this, and wonder about the future of music, reflecting on how we got here. We talk about recording, about the time between albums, and how our concept of time has shifted over the years - how some artists, when we discovered them as teens, seemed frozen in a state where it was hard to fathom them continuing to release as current active artists, how some of the most influential music came from friends that have all but vanished from the public eye but stay imbedded in our minds as we create, no matter how much time has passed. We talk about the past of touring, the future of touring, the very real work, the very real reward, and the very real worry that it may not come back. And we talk about the role of video games, of friends, of consumption, of space, of cooking, of exercise and repetition in quarantine, and the effect this all has on our mental health - where we survive, and where we thrive. You can check out Owen's new album at https://owenpallett.bandcamp.com/album/island

This interview was originally recorded on June 3rd 2020

For this episode I interview Danielle Gehl, a community herbalist and nature connection educator, who runs Eramosa Herbals - a community apothecary and medicine making practice.

Today we talk about plants, their healing properties, and their capacities to support and augment our lives as we move through this difficult time. There are no miracle plants that have all the answers. But there are plants that can help strengthen us, help calm us, help settle our minds and bodies, and help fight against viruses. They are but one piece of a balanced approach to our health, and Danielle encourages us to not be too hard on ourselves - we are all sharing a traumatic experience, so we should be kind to ourselves, lean in to what's working, educate ourselves, and if we feel up to it, explore the outdoors and see what we can find.

This interview was originally recorded on May 20th 2020.

Some additional resources:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ykSOpkDd-ZJ-Lgi9xKbWH7R8_ZPqMF14WuUVLEOtx7E/edithttps://www.longspellherbs.com/boil-roots/

This episode begins a series within a series of this show, featuring seniors sharing stories from within quarantine.

My first guest is Lloyd Hetherington. Lloyd moved into The Village of Riverside Glen the day before they went into total quarantine. From the inside, Lloyd has experienced nothing but positivity and support and care from the staff. On his own, prior to the pandemic, taking care of himself had become a struggle, and he feels he is far safer where he is now. Inspired by the stories of his fellow seniors, and the hard work of the front line-essential workers, Lloyd was disheartened that every story he saw of seniors' centres portrayed in the news has been one of fear, illness and isolation. Riverside Glen currently has no cases of COVID. He was interviewed by the media, and his quote was shortened to a short sound-bite that misconstrued Lloyd's story, further perpetuating a sad narrative. So he reached out to the recreational staff at Riverside Glen, and requested the opportunity to share his story, and the stories of his fellow residents for radio. They reached out to me, and for the next few weeks many of these stories will find their way onto CFRU's airwaves and onto this show.

Lloyd was wonderful for kicking off this idea, and he brings many good stories along with him. Lloyd is a self-described "child of the world", with an exciting life including more than a decade living in Zambia. He feels like seniors can have a tendency to minimize the value of their stories and wisdom. He understands that it's a very real challenge, maintaining a sense of self, and letting yourself be vulnerable to forming new relationships together. But he feels it is so important, and wants to share that. He thinks there are lessons to be learned from this pandemic: We are not islands. The world has thrived after past disasters, but it can't stay in a constant state of thriving, it needs to pause and to heal. We could look for doom and gloom, but there are bright spots as well. We're very excited to share his story.

This interview was originally recorded on June 2nd 2020.

Today's episode features an important interview with three of the coordinators of GBHS:Guelph Solidarity Protest to Support Black Lives Matter: Kween (a board member and heritage manager for Guelph Black Heritage Society), Barbara (who oversees the instagram page "Guelph Care about Black Lives), and Desiree, (a community member who, along with another community member Tara, came up with the initial idea for the protest.)

It was extremely generous of these three women to coordinate time within their busy schedules to share information on this event, and their insights into the relevance and urgency of addressing the racism that exists here in our own city.

I don't want to paraphrase any of the powerful information these women shared; I hope you will take the time to listen. Even if you are unable to listen to this episode prior to the event on Saturday, or unable to attend the event itself, the episode is still worth making time for - the women draw attention to some ongoing actionable steps we can take, including donating to local advocacy groups (such as Guelph Black Heritage Society), supporting local business owned and operated by BIPOC, educating ourselves, and authentically listening to the stories of folks with these lived experiences.

The event is Saturday June 6th from 2-5 pm. I will post a link in the comments, if you search "GBHS:Guelph Solidarity Protest to Support Black Lives Matter" you will find the event. Here is the information copied from the event itself:

"Guelph Black Heritage, Kween, Desiree and Tara in support of The City of Guelph bring to you Guelph Black Lives Matter Peaceful Protest.

(*Please read all below COVID-19 precautions and guidelines that must be followed to participate in this march*)

We in the Guelph-Wellington Community will peacefully march in solidarity for the lives lost to police brutality, institutionalized racism and hatred. People of all races and backgrounds will come together to show our solidarity against anti-blackness and injustice.

***Police will not be invited to this March for the safety of our BIPOC’s.*** MORE DEMANDS AND DETAILS to come.

SATURDAY JUNE 6th, 2020 - MEET 2PM at Guelph City Hall.**updates on schedule to come**

We will peacefully protest for Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Regis Korchinski-Paquet, D'andre Campbell & all those before whose names we know and those names we do not know of.

This is a PEACEFUL MARCH AND PROTEST to raise awareness of the lives lost in violence, to show our solidarity for the families and communities most impacted, to express that as the community WE are NOT just "not racist"- WE are active ANTI-RACISTS.

We at Guelph Black Heritage Society are bringing all we can in our commitment to work for better race relations in Guelph during this historic time. There are no sidelines from which to watch. All organizations and citizens that care about justice have a responsibility to join this worthy endeavor, and we are no exception. We are answering the call from our members, allies, and hearts to move Guelph forward, stronger together.

Black and racialized members of our community are grieving. The lives that have been lost, reported and not, have carried with them the weight of their injustices.

PROVIDED on SITE: Thank you to our MANY outside DonationsExtra MasksSanitizerFirst AidWater, Juice, Ice PopsBIPOC Security and Police LiaisonsPins and StickersExtra Bristol Board and MarkersGBHS Liaisons and Volunteers to answer Questions - look for us in #BlackLivesMatter T-Shirts

DAY OF INCLUDES:1. Opening Speakers, Spoken Word and Artists2. March (route update to come)3. Ending Appreciations

SAFTEY INFORMATION:*If you are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, please stay home. (We are working on setting up a designated Car Parking area to be included in the route TBA)*You MUST wear a mask. Please wear one that covers your nose and mouth*Maintain social distancing of 2 meters from each other throughout the march*March in groups of 5 or less*Maintain a distance of 6 feet between each group*Plan ahead for essential needs, care and supplies*BIPOC Volunteers will be on site helping to maintain the social distancing

LOOKING TO SUPPORT:*Donate Masks*Water Bottles*First Aid Volunteers*Set Up and Take Down*Legal Support for BIPOC*Donate*Create Signs

CONTINUE THE CAUSE: Support local Black initiativesTO DONATE: visit www.guelphblackheritage.ca or e-transfer to [email protected]

This interview was originally recorded on June 3rd, 2020

For this episode I interview Aimee Copping.

Aimee is a musician/songwriter/performer known as Transstar.

She is the founder/coordinator/instructor extraordinaire for "Blackball" - an electronic music program for marginalized communities.

She is also a producer/engineer/coordinator for "Pros and Cons" - a recording project that works with inmates at correctional institutions.

Pros and Cons just released TWO brand new albums. And Transstar is in the stages of a new EP. And while these achievements would be more than enough to warrant a radio interview, Aimee utilized her platform as a guest on this show to spread awareness of some of the struggles facing trans people; locally, in the US, during a pandemic and ultimately also just every day. It was eye-opening to see how many barriers there are to overcome to just even get to be "ordinary", let alone to get access to the additional support systems you may need as a trans person navigating a global pandemic. This was an important conversation, and Aimee was an eloquent guest. You can check out Aimee's previous EP "Famous Door" and stay up to date with her new musical release at transstar.bandcamp.com You can check out the Blackball project at Aimee's blog, http://blvckbvll.blogspot.com/ and you can learn about (and download the new releases) from "Pros and Cons" at https://prosandconsprogram.com/

This interview was originally recorded on May 28th 2020