Michigan Central Station once represented an era of industry and opportunity in Detroit, and served as a point of convergence for folks coming from all walks of life.

Jamon Jordan, official historian for the city, joined Stateside to talk about what makes the renovation and reopening of the station building, now called Michigan Central, so meaningful.

Hear April Baer's full conversation with Jordan on today's podcast. Find Stateside's coverage of Michigan Central's grand opening here.

GUEST ON THIS EPISODE:

• Jamon Jordan, founder and operator of The Black Scroll Network, City of Detroit historian, and professor at the University of Michigan

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Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.

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For 33 years, the story of Anita Wiley's disappearance was unresolved. Now, Antonio Wiley, and Anita's sister, Tonya Mosley, have a produced a podcast about Anita's story called She Has a Name. The series chronicles the realties of the drug epidemic in Detroit in the 1980s, Wiley's and Mosely's experiences with trauma and grief, and the reconstruction of family bonds.

We revisit Stateside's conversation with Mosely and Wiley on today's podcast. Find the original episode here.

GUESTS ON THIS EPISODE:

• Tonya Mosley, Emmy award-winning journalist; cohost of Fresh Air; founder of TMI Productions
• Antonio Wiley, executive producer of She Has A Name

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Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.

 

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Folks in Flint will tell you, Comma Bookstore and Social Hub has been lifting the life of the city in many ways since its opening in 2020. But post-pandemic, amid economic uncertainty, this community asset is struggling to keep the doors open.

Comma owner Egypt Otis recently started a GoFundMe campaign for the store. In doing so, she hoped to keep alive the vision she brought to life four years ago. Today, we’ll talk about what it takes to keep our indie bookstores alive–and why it matters gthat we do. 

GUEST: 

Egypt Otis, owner of Comma Bookstore & Social Hub in Flint

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Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.

 

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When queer folk icon Phranc first started identifying as an "all-American Jewish lesbian folksinger" in the early 1980s, the world was in a very different place when it came to talking about queer identity. But the artist managed to carve out a space for herself with bright, cheery songs that celebrated queer love as often as they dealt with the darker realities of prejudice. This fall, Phranc is on the University of Michigan's campus to talk about her long career and share some of her sculptural work as part of a residency with the University of Michigan LSA Institute for the Humanities.

We talked to Phranc about her lifelong journey to make space for queer people–herself included–to be themselves. 

GUEST: 

Phranc, musician and artist behind the exhibit "The Butch Closet" 

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Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.

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James Earl Jones died on Monday, at the age of 93.

This week, stage and screen fans are saying goodbye to a Michigander who was one of the United States most experienced and compelling talents. From the sinister authority of Darth Vader to the caring wisdom of Mufasa, Jones was - still is - a fixture of command. He could capture a movie in a single scene, or even a solitary line.

Today, how the actor's early life in Michigan shaped who he became. And, we’ll hear about the statue dedicated in his honor in Brethren in Manistee County, near Jones’s boyhood home. 

GUEST:

• Cynthia Asiala, Chair of the Arts and Culture Alliance of Manistee County

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Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.

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Justin Heinze's research looks at some of the psychological issues and impacts surrounding gun violence, and strategies for creating a safer educational environment. He joined us to talk about what safeguards are currently in place at the state level in Michigan in order to prevent gun violence in school spaces. 

GUEST: 

Justin Heinze, Co-Director of the National Center for School Safety; Co-Director of Research and Scholarship Core, Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention

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Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.

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Yuval Sharon is known for infusing both new and classic operas with fresh relevance. Now, the artistic director of the Detroit Opera is out with a new book that makes the case for opera that speaks to the modern audience. We spoke with Sharon about A New Philosophy of Opera, and why he thinks opera is an art form born for reinvention. 

GUEST: 

Yuval Sharon, artistic director of the Detroit Opera 

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Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.

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When Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald leveled involuntary manslaughter charges against the parents of a teen who killed four classmates and injured seven other people at Oxford High School, many believed she wouldn’t get a conviction. Today, James and Jennifer Crumbley are in prison, and another prosecutor in Barrow County, Georgia is attempting a similar approach against the father of the 14-year-old accused of killing four people this week at Apalachee High School. We talked to McDonald about the similarities in the two cases, and about what kinds of circumstances warrant charging parents for the crimes of juvenile offenders. 

GUEST: 

Karen McDonald, Oakland County Prosecutor 

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Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.

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Cell phone bans in school are becoming more common, along with the ubiquity of smartphones and social media distractions. Florida and California have both made efforts on statewide bans. In Michigan, there is no plan for a state-level ban through the Legislature. But increasingly districts are opting into bans and finding kids are more engaged in school, more social, and less distracted overall. 

GUEST: Sneha Dhandapani, reporter, Bridge Michigan

You can read Sneha's story here.

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In the years following the Great Depression, and as African Americans moved through the pathways of the Great Migration, Detroit's Paradise Valley became a hotbed of music and the arts. Among the signature sites for live music was the Apex Bar and Lounge. Taylor Childs's family first opened the bar in the 1940s, a time when, as Taylor noted, "Black land ownership was unheard of."

APEX, Child's art installation at Detroit Month of Design, tells the stories of Paradise Valley through textile and fashion design. She joined Stateside to share a piece of her family history, and to talk about what makes textile such a great medium for passing those stories on. 

APEX will open on Thursday, Sep. 5 at the LOVE building, and will close on Friday, Sep. 27 with a fashion show. Find additional details at the Detroit Month of Design website.

GUEST:

Taylor Childs, Detroit native and artist

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Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.  

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