On Hand

The pawpaw, an elusive and unique fruit native to the U.S.’s mid-Atlantic region, has been an important food to plenty of Native people for a very long time. But in modern times, it’s just now getting traction in the culinary scene. Today, we learn how to find, cook, and consume a pawpaw.

GUEST:

Sara Bir, chef and author of The Pocket Pawpaw Cookbook

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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Flint born-poet Jonah Mixon Webster’s collection Stereo(TYPE) got a second life this summer. It originally came out in 2019, published by ASADA Press, and this summer saw a reprint published by a much larger imprint, Knopf. If you’ve never read him before, you’re in for a totally immersive experience.

GUEST:

Jonah Mixon-Webster, poet and author

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

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Dr. David Pilgrim is a museum curator at Ferris State University's Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia. It's home to 14,000 mostly racist artifacts. Today we’re talking with Pilgrim about how this Michigan museum uses objects of intolerance to teach tolerance, and about the future of the museum with it’s $18.5 million expansion. 

GUESTS:

David Pilgrim, Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia curator and Ferris State University’s vice president for diversity, inclusion and strategic initiatives.

Find out more about visiting the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia.

Check out the virtual Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia tour.

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

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Federal prosecutors and attorneys for an armed anti-government militia continue to lay groundwork for a trial set to take place next year. The group of mostly-Michigan men, the so-called Wolverine Watchmen, are accused of plotting last year to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer. The defense has indicated it will show jurors that the plot never would have happened, had FBI informants not drawn the militia members in.

The defense has indicated it will show jurors that the plot never would have happened, had FBI informants not drawn the militia members in. Today, we talked with two Buzzfeed reporters about their investigation, which shines critical light on how the FBI investigated the plot, and the role confidential informants played in the case. 

GUESTS: 

Jessica Garrison, senior investigative editor for BuzzFeed News, based in San Francisco

Ken Bensinger, investigative reporter for BuzzFeed News, based in Los Angeles

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

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President Joe Biden will be in Howell, Michigan tomorrow. And he’s coming to rally support for his infrastructure plan. The infrastructure bill passed in the Senate back in August. But the House vote has been pushed back again and again for months. On this episode, we’re digging into this infrastructure bill, how it could help Michigan if passed, and why it’s been delayed.

GUESTS:

Congressman Dan Kildee, represents Michigan’s 5th District

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Autumn is the season for pumpkin spiced everything. As for Stateside? We'll take all the apples instead. So we were distraught to hear that a few freezing nights in April hurt the crop at many orchards in the state.

GUESTS:

Jan Upston, owner of Wasem Fruit Farm in Milan

Leandra King, owner of Detroit Farm and Cider in Detroit

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

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The state budget, signed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, has a provision that could threaten the funding of local health departments that issue mask mandates. The governor says it's unenforceable, but some counties aren't willing to risk it. On this episode, we'll sort through what this all means for public health policy on the ground with a political reporter and someone from a county health department.

GUESTS: Jonathan Oosting, state politics reporter with Bridge Michigan.

Gillian Conrad, communications manager for the Berrien County Health Department

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

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From the Great Migration to the impact of the I-75 extension in Detroit, Black and Latinx Americans have seen many parallels through their decades in the city. Today, we talk about the history, development and gentrification of Southwest Detroit, including Mexicantown, Corktown, and Delray.

GUEST:

Maria Elena Rodriguez, native Detroiter, entrepreneur, activist, and former president of the Mexicantown Community Development Corporation.

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

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In Northern Michigan, two GOP events, one on Mackinac Island, and one in Antrim County cast light on a party divided. Many national figures joined with mainstream elected officials at the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference. Not too far away, Garrett Soldano, a candidate for Governor held his own rally.

What is the Republican Party in Michigan in the post-Trump era? And can the disparate factions of the Party align on a single message ahead of the midterm elections?

GUEST:

Jonathan Oosting, politics reporter for Bridge Michigan

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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Detriot artist Rashaun Rucker has spent the past few years thinking about birds—more specifically pigeons. He’s considered their gift of flight, their lower status with respect to human city dweller, and the odd kinship he feels with them as a Black man. On this episode, we talk to Rucker about his new exhibit exploring those connections, which draws its title—Never Free to Rest—from a James Baldwin quote.

GUEST:

Rashaun Rucker, award-winning photographer and interdisciplinary artist from Detroit

Never Free to Rest is on view to the public at the U of M Insti­tute for the Humanities in Ann Arbor. The show runs through October 15, 2021. If you can’t make it in person, you can see photos from the exhibit here.

Rucker will be giving a virtual talk about his work this Thursday, September 30th as part of the Penny Stamps Speaker Series. Find more info about that here.

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If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work.

Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.