Discover the big noise made by a small state. Explore Rhode Island Jazz: A Short History with Tom Shaker, co-author of A Treasury of Rhode Island Jazz & Swing Musicians.

Learn how the Rhode Island jazz scene evolved from the days of Dixieland to today. Explore why Rhode Island produced so many jazz musicians, and find out which Rhode Island musicians made their mark on jazz history.

Dr. Tom Shaker is a college professor, a radio DJ, a documentary filmmaker, and an expert on Rhode Island jazz.

His radio show The Soul Serenade, featuring classic soul music from the 1960s and 1970s, airs on WICN on Mondays at 7 p.m.

His award-winning film with Norm Grant Do It, Man! The Story of The Celebrity Club tells the story of the legendary Celebrity Club, the integrated 1950s nightclub in Providence’s Randall Square neighborhood.

His book with Dennis Pratt A Treasury of Rhode Island Jazz & Swing Musicians is a biographical collection of jazz and swing musicians who have played in Rhode Island and a sequel to Who's Who in Rhode Island Jazz: c. 1925-1988 by Rhode Island musicians and historians Lloyd Kaplan and Robert Petteruti.

Kiki Butler, Head of Adult Services and Lauren  Walker, Assistant Director at the Coventry Public Library sat down to discuss the issue of fake news,  why it’s important, and how to tell whether or not a source is reliable.  

For a full list of works cited and links to all the mentioned articles, studies, and websites, please visit the Coventry Public Library.

Music courtesy of YouTube Audio Library – Lilac Skies by Corbyn Kites

The American Civil War 1861: A House Divided

Explore the American Civil War in a four-part series by Dr. Stanley Carpenter, Professor Emeritus of Strategy and Policy at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, RI.

Dr. Carpenter is Naval War College Command Historian, a United States Naval Officer, Active and Reserve, Retired as Captain, 1979-2009, a widely-published expert on British Military and Naval History, and the author three of WWII spy novels.

Included with the lectures are slides. Click on the links in the show notes to open the slides, and move to the next image when Dr. Carpenter says “slide.”

Slide Show: The American Civil War 1861: A House Divided

If you have questions for Dr. Carpenter about the American Civil War, send them to [email protected], and we will pass them on.

The American Civil War 1862: The Grand Design

Explore the American Civil War in a four-part series by Dr. Stanley Carpenter, Professor Emeritus of Strategy and Policy at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, RI.

Dr. Carpenter is Naval War College Command Historian, a United States Naval Officer, Active and Reserve, Retired as Captain, 1979-2009, a widely-published expert on British Military and Naval History, and the author three of WWII spy novels.

Included with the lectures are slides. Click on the links in the show notes to open the slides, and move to the next image when Dr. Carpenter says “slide.”

Slide Show: The American Civil War 1862: The Grand Design

If you have questions for Dr. Carpenter about the American Civil War, send them to [email protected], and we will pass them on.

The American Civil War 1863: Hallowed Ground

Explore the American Civil War in a four-part series by Dr. Stanley Carpenter, Professor Emeritus of Strategy and Policy at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, RI.

Dr. Carpenter is Naval War College Command Historian, a United States Naval Officer, Active and Reserve, Retired as Captain, 1979-2009, a widely-published expert on British Military and Naval History, and the author three of WWII spy novels.

Included with the lectures are slides. Click on the links in the show notes to open the slides, and move to the next image when Dr. Carpenter says “slide.”

Slide Show: The American Civil War 1863: Hallowed Ground

If you have questions for Dr. Carpenter about the American Civil War, send them to [email protected], and we will pass them on.

The American Civil War 1864-1865: War Is Hell

Explore the American Civil War in a four-part series by Dr. Stanley Carpenter, Professor Emeritus of Strategy and Policy at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, RI.

Dr. Carpenter is Naval War College Command Historian, a United States Naval Officer, Active and Reserve, Retired as Captain, 1979-2009, a widely-published expert on British Military and Naval History, and the author three of WWII spy novels.

Included with the lectures are slides. Click on the links in the show notes to open the slides, and move to the next image when Dr. Carpenter says “slide.”

Slide Show: The American Civil War 1864-1865: War Is Hell

If you have questions for Dr. Carpenter about the American Civil War, send them to [email protected], and we will pass them on.

North Kingstown Free Library’s Community Outreach Coordinator, Emily, interviews Ana, owner and operator of Green TenderFoot, Rhode Island’s only low waste refill shop located in Pawtucket Rhode Island. They discuss how Green TenderFoot got started, and all about the low waste movement, sustainability, and environmental racism.

Want to learn more about these topics? Download our reader’s guide with titles you can find at your local library!

Visit Green TenderFoot online here. 

UPDATE: Green TenderFoot is launching a new project called The Healing Room, coming soon to Pawtucket. Learn more and support the project here. 

In today’s episode we are headed outside to set up a StoryWalk® at Sowams Woods, a property managed by the Barrington Land Conservation Trust. We will also hear from a few board members of the Trust to learn a bit about what they do to conserve open space in town and how you can enjoy a land trust property near you. Discover your RI land trust through the RI Land Trust Council's website.

A StoryWalk® is an innovative way to enjoy reading and the outdoors at the same time. Laminated pages from a children's book are attached to signposts along this one-mile loop trail where you can walk along this woodland path and read The Belonging Tree by Maryann Cocca-Leffler.

StoryWalks® were created in 2007 by Anne Ferguson in Montpelier, Vermont and have been installed in all 50 states and 12 countries.

Learn more about our StoryWalk® at Sowams Woods in Barrington, which is happening 10/9/20 to 10/30/20.

Register for our Outdoor Scavenger Hunt at Barrington Public Library on 10/27/20 at 4 pm.

Reading Recommendations about the natural world from out BLCT guests include:

Melissa’s Pick:

Watership Down by Richard Adams

Victor’s Picks:

Night of the Spadefoot Toads by Bill Harley ; The Overstory by Richard Powers (Cindy also recommended!) ; The Maine Woods by Henry David Thoreau ; A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold ; and any of John Muir’s writings

Cindy's Picks:

Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore by Elizabeth Rush (Victor also recommended!) ; Casting Deep Shade by C.D. Wright 

RI Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea joins Rhody Radio to guide listeners through all the ways they can vote safely and securely in the upcoming presidential election. Secretary Gorbea also shares about the other initiatives happening through the Secretary of State's Office and talks about what it has meant to her to be the first Hispanic holder of statewide office in New England.

Visit vote.ri.gov or call 2-1-1- to find the information you need to vote on November 3, including your polling place, sample ballot and all the important dates you need to know to vote by mail or early in person.  Learn more about the Secretary of State's other initiatives, including the Small Business Portal, civic education resources and the RI State Archives, at sos.ri.gov. 

The music in this episode is The President's March by the US Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps accessed through Pixabay Music.  Rhody Radio is a project of the Office of Library & Information Services and is made possible through funding support from the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, an independent state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Council seeds, supports, and strengthens public history, cultural heritage, civic education, and community engagement by and for all Rhode Islanders. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this podcast do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Excerpts

Providence Evening Telegram: He wanted the Apple, 1887

Women's Suffrage Scrapbook, page 19: Women's Suffrage: More ways than one, 1887

The Rhode Island Women's Suffrage Association Constitution, 1892

The Rhode Island Equal  Suffrage Association Constitution, 1915

Browse the entire RI State Archives digital collection here.

Attributions

Rhody Radio is a project of the Office of Library and Information Services and is made possible by a grant from the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities.

A special thank you to Ashely Selima, Nellie Gorbea, and the entire State Archives staff for making this episode possible.

♫ Introductory and end music from Pixabay

♫ Transitional music from Pixabay

Episode cover art courtesy of RI State Archives. View the full image here.