Host: Henry I Padrón-Morales 

Guests:
Students from Anna Murray Academy School 12, Rochester City School District - Bilingual Program
Brennan, 5th grade 
Naomi, 6th grade
Cuauhtemoc, 4th grade

Podcast Engineer: Forrest Ward Cherry

We are joined by three students from the Rochester City School District as they chat about books they read for fun, and books they read for school. A 4th, 5th and 6th grader share their differences and similarities in reading choice. They dig into the elements of a good story and what makes a book hard to put down!

Host: Henry I Padrón-Morales

Guests:
Rachel Crawford, Akimbo Books
Chad Ellis, Bookeater

Podcast Engineer: Forrest Ward Cherry

Did you know that Independent Bookstores are regaining a footing in this country? Here in Rochester, we have a burgeoning indie bookstore scene, with bookstores popping up that speak to the unique interests in our community.  Supporting local indies not only puts our dollars back into the community, but fosters strong relationships, encourages critical thinking and ensures that we have literary gathering places in our city.

In this episode we chat with two new bookstore owners in Rochester, NY.  Together we explore: why did we open a bookstore in Rochester? What role does the community play in the succes of indies? What challenges have we had to overcome? Keeping in mind that we are only three of about 12 indies in Rochester, we also discuss coming together as a "guild" or collective to get Rochester on the map as a literary city!

Buying local supports local economies! Support your local indie!

Check out:
Akimbo Bookshop
714 University Ave, Rochester, NY 14607
https://akimbobooks.org/ 

Bookeater
836 S Clinton Ave, Rochester, NY 14620
https://www.bookeaterbooks.com/

Host: Pamela Bailie
Guest: Calvin Eaton, CEO of 540WMain, and theglutenfreechef blog
Podcast Engineer: Forrest Ward Cherry

Calvin Eaton talks about his gluten-free journey, and how he became the Gluten Free Chef.  We discuss the love of writing and reading, and his cookbook writing process. Calvin's experiences in education and activism all play a role in his creative process that culminates in his upcoming cookbook, Just Desserts: 40 Step-by-Step gluten-free recipes.

Preorder Calvin's Cookbook HERE

Learn more about Calvin Eaton
The Gluten Free Chef Blog
540WMain

Hosts: Henry I Padrón-Morales and Pamela Bailie

Guests:
Students from Anna Murray Academy School 12, Rochester City School District
Brennan Sierra, 5th grade 
Miles Warren, 6th grade
Lucas Nieves, 6th grade

Podcast Engineer: Forrest Ward Cherry

We are joined by three students from the Rochester City School District as they chat about their love of books, what they are reading and how their current reading list helps them understand world events. "One book can change the world!" exclaimed these students. This lively discussion hits on a wide range of topics and highlights how young people read to learn for school, and also choose their own books for their own interests. Coming from a Spanish-English dual language school, they all touch on their favorites in both languages.

Host: Pamela Bailie
Guests:
Evanna di Salvo,  Frederick Douglass Branch Library (city of Rochester)
Bruce Tehan,  Arnett Branch Library (city of Rochester)
Adrienne Pettinelli,  Henrietta Branch Library (town of Henrietta)
John Cohen, Ogden Farmer's Library (towns of Ogden, Spencerport)

Forrest Ward Cherry, Podcast Engineer.

Listen to four librarians from urban, suburban and rural settings provide a glimpse into the umwelt of their libraries. Today's conversation explores the many services provided by the Monroe County Library System - many of which may surprise you! Libraries are not just for books, but also provide access to technology, offer tutoring for all age ranges, connect people to resources... and so much more!  The four will also share insights on topics related to COVID19, how book challenges are handled (Banned Books) and the unique aspects of their community's use of the library.

Hipocampo has collaborated with the Monroe County Library System since the bookstore's inception: on storytelling, book purchases and participating in library programs.

Host: Pamela Bailie
Guests: Gabriel Hatch, sophmore at School of the Arts High School, Rochester NY. Cody Miller, Assistant Professor of English Education at SUNY Brockport

Book banning is top of the news today, with many school districts across the US  banning titles in their libraries, often at the request of political groups. The majority of books banned today have Black or brown protagonists, or have LGBTQ themes.  What is history of banned books in the United States, why are books banned, and what books are banned? Today's conversation digs into this: how book banning can threaten democracy, and how the choices to ban specific themes can be hurtful to communities who already have only recently found themselves reflected in stories printed by traditional publishers. We also talk about past actions by high school students to combat book banning, which led to Banned Books Week.

Just a few of the books discussed in this episode:
All Boys Aren't Blue
Felix Ever After
Fahrenheit 451
Last, Last Day of Summer

Interested in books discussed in this episode? Or any other book? Visit us at hipocampochildrensbooks.com for a large collection of books, including almost anything you'd want from a banned books list!

As the community prepares for another school year, Henry talks to local activist and Rochester City School District student Sarah Adams, as well as veteran journalist Justin Murphy, author of Your Children Are Very Greatly in Danger.  Sarah and Justin discuss the power of youth-driven activism, hopes for the upcoming school year, and put the current challenges facing the school district into a historical perspective. 

 In this trial episode we discuss our hopes for the podcast and share audio from the equipment test day: an event where we set up all of our recording equipment in the shop and invited kids to come have spontaneous conversations with us on the air. We had fun, we know the equipment works, and now we share what we learned with you!

Highlighted in this episode is local author & illustrator, Rosemary Shojaie. Her book The Snow Fox can be purchased on our website or in the store.

Thank you to:

Declan Maurer
Virginia Schafrath
Millaray Zuniga
& Rosemary Shojaie

Music featured in this episode: Adios Borinquen, Trío Ponceño