Central Standard

Travel bans and the promise to build a wall are among burgeoning changes in the United State's stance on immigrants. Now, a year after President Trump's inauguration, we sit down with refugees and immigrants in Kansas City to hear their current experiences and feelings in their new home. But first, we meet the resident artist of Oak Park Mall who creates colorful sculptures out of cardboard. Guests: Juniper Tangpuz , artist Sofia Khan, physician, KC for Refugees Naudy Solano, immigration

Sheri "Purpose" Hall is a spoken word poet, an author, an ordained minister and an activist. She's represented Kansas City in national poetry slams and recently, a video of her performing one of her poems, "Irregular Rape Poem," has gone viral. Hear her story. Guest: Sheri "Purpose" Hall

In this encore presentation: meet artist Hung Liu. At age 16, she was sent to work in the Chinese countryside as part of Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution, where intellectuals (and young people) were sent to be "re-educated." During her time there, she created art that was considered illegal: paintings of things she found pretty, candid photographs of peasants working in the fields. Hear how she — and her art — found a "second home" in Kansas City. Guest: Hung Liu , artist

Can marbles come back? Inspired by an exhibit at the National Museum of Toys/Miniatures, we take a look at the history and appeal of the game. Then: a conversation about I, Tonya, the movie that shines more of a light on Tonya Harding's story. We discuss class, gender, abuse and fame on the ice rink. Guests: Scott Rice McBride, marble collector/expert Bonyen Lee-Gilmore, former competitive ice skater Michelle Smirnova, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology , UMKC Scott Mason, Rose Brooks

Today, we speak with a University of Kansas student who won an international competition focused on designing a spacecraft capable of reaching Mars and returning to Earth. Then: James Baldwin's legacy still resonates with today's thinkers on race in Kansas City. We discuss how his ideas still relate with the current social climate. Guests: Bailey Miller , graduate student, KU School of Engineering Cecilia Belser-Patton , co-founder, Just Systems D. Rashaan Gilmore , host of Unbossed and

A chef tells us about the "secret" off-menu cornbread at his restaurant, and we visit a local Ethiopian/Caribbean place to find out more about its braised oxtail dish. Then, the Food Critics search out the best soups and stews in and around Kansas City. Guests: Stacey Tramel, Executive Chef, The Oliver Cherven Desauguste, co-owner, Mesob Charles Ferruzza, KCUR Food Critic Mary Bloch, Around the Block Jenny Vergara, Feast Magazine

Coco, the latest movie from Disney's Pixar Studios, has been praised for its portrayal of Mexican folklore. Meet the local children's book author who has been tapped to turn the screenplay into a book. Plus: From the frigid temps over the holidays to today's sleet, you're probably tempted to stay in and hunker down until spring. But some people are choosing to go and do things outside. We find out why. Guests: Angela Cervantes , author of the junior novelization of Disney's Coco Ben Holmes,

A new play, Trench Warfare , is about two infantry soldiers in World War I. We talk with the local musician who composed the score for the play; he shares how he evoked the feelings of WWI with a seven-piece orchestra and a computer. Then: Sexual misconduct has been an issue in the Kansas and Missouri statehouses. Two women in politics from both sides of the state line compare notes from their experiences on the job. Guests: Tim Harte, composer Abbie Hodgson, former legislative staffer from

Today, we meet two high school students from Kansas City's Central Academy of Excellence who are using art to tell stories about gun violence. Plus, find out how communities, both rural and urban, are affected by the expansion of dollar stores such as Dollar General. Guests: Charlette Wafer , academic coach, Central Academy of Excellence Lashawna Bussey , student, Central Academy of Excellence Logan Bates , student, Central Academy of Excellence Sarah Nassauer , reporter, The Wall Street Journal

The Missouri Board of Education is currently in the middle of a political kerfuffle — so, how will area students and teachers be affected? Today, we break down the responsibilities of the Missouri Board of Education and explain their relationship with the schooling system. Then, we learn about the formation of the foster care system in America and its history throughout the past century.