Welcome back from summer! Dr. Sakshi Bhati, assistant professor in the SIU School of Communication Studies, joins Mario to discuss leadership communication, community engagement, mental health, and immigrant experiences.

Alicia Utecht, PhD candidate in the SIU School of Communication Studies, joins Mario to talk about her fate to attend SIU going back to her time in undergrad, academic service, disability studies, fandoms, and family communication.

T Brown, SIU Communication Studies PhD candidate and director of the Kleinau Theater show Cult Piece, joins Mario to reflect of the production and the process of its creation. Cult Piece is an experimental artistic performance that represents Brown's experience living through and surviving a cult organization.

Dr. Caleb McKinley-Portee, assistant lecturer in the College of Liberal Arts at Southern Illinois University, joins Mario to discuss Black performance aesthetics, Afrofuturism, Sankofa, the blending of personal and academic interests, and his love of Octavia Butler.

Sean Maulding, SIU Communication Studies PhD student and director of the Kleinau Theater show 'Til Death Do Us Part, joins Mario to discuss his recent performance and the core concepts that shape it. As a demonstration of drama therapy, 'Til Death Do Us Part is Maulding's exploration with coming to terms with topics like grief and death through persona performance.

Welcome back to the Communication Studies podcast! SIU School of Communication Studies assistant lecturer Justin Young joins new host Mario Sanders to talk about his winding path to academia, his love of media and its ability to connect us with others, the death of the monoculture, video game compilations, nostalgia, and animal friends.

Zoe Freedkin, director of the Kleinau Theater show Left on Read, joins Justin this week to discuss the recent production from genesis of idea through post-production reflections. Left on Read is Freedkin's look at modern dating and how dating apps such as Tinder and Bumble have affected the way we affectionately communicate with one another. Zoe Freedkin is a graduate student in the SIU School of Communication Studies.

SIU School of Communication Studies first year doctoral students Alicia Utecht, India Hagen-Gates, and Carli Alvarez join Justin Young to talk about their first year as PhD students. The group discuss what brought them to SIU, culture shock, research interests, adapting to teaching, advice for future students, and more!

Shelby Swafford and Dr. Craig Gingrich-Philbrook, co-directors of the Kleinau Theater show Reproductions: A Kleinau Theatre Archive Project, join Justin this week to discuss the recent production from genesis of idea through post-production reflections. Reproductions is Swafford's guided tour through the Kleinau's archives and meditation on the idea of home and place. Shelby Swafford is a graduate student in the SIU School of Communication Studies, while Dr. Craig Gingrich-Philbrook is a faculty member.

University of Alabama Holle Endowed Chair of Communication Arts Dr. Robin Boylorn and Co-founder and Managing Partner of The Center for Advocating Innovative Policy Eesha Pandit join Justin this week to talk about presenting the keynote at the 2022 SIU Conference on Women. They talk about being an advocate and ally, the Crunk Feminist Collective, becoming a feminist, the stress of being both highly visible and invisible in the workplace, the lack of attention to missing minorities, and more!