In this episode of Philly in the Middle, host Phil Surkis sits down with poet and educator juj e. lepe to talk about identity, adaptation, and how place seeps into poetry and daily life

juj shares stories of being a “banana slug for life” at UC Santa Cruz 🐌, the culture shock of Midwest winters, and why directness can sometimes read as “aggressive” in a land of Midwest Nice. They talk about lakes with memory and the poetry of the Driftless landscape.

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#PoetryAndPlace 🌊
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#MidwestLife 🦌

In this episode of Philly in the Middle, host Phil Surkis meets Cha Yang, Community Experience Manager at Madison’s Goodman Community Center.

Cha shares his incredible journey—from being born in a refugee camp in Thailand after his family fled Laos, to growing up on Madison’s east side, to now giving back at the same community center that once shaped his childhood. Plus, perhaps a hot foodie take, or two. Grab some cheese curds and press play!

In this episode of Philly in the Middle, I sit down with Rachael Lee, a Middleton-by-way-of-Houston local who’s called the Madison area home for over a decade—the longest she’s lived anywhere. We talk about her musical journey from violin prodigy to piano therapy, what it means to truly stay put after years of moving, and how to navigate Madison’s special brand of weird. It’s a conversation about music, belonging, and building a “perfect Wisconsin day,” one waltz at a time.  

Phil chats with accordionist, high school language teacher, and lifelong Wisconsinite Aaron Jossart. From growing up among 35 cousins in Racine to leading alt-country bands and teaching French and Spanish at East High, Aaron embodies the quirky, earnest charm of Madison’s east side. They talk Root Rivers and Clam Lakes, what Madison gets right (and wrong), and the mystery of why Aaron loves fishing—despite the blood and struggle.

Phil follows through and talks to Libby Tucci — A Madison eastsider, northside fan, and justice nerd — for a talk about Madison’s weirdness, the myth of its progressiveness, and why winter is actually a good thing. Come for the cicadas, stay for the radical honesty about race, equity, and why Madison needs to drop its east-west beefs.

Host Phil Surkis is joined by Bianca Martin, the host of the City Cast Madison podcast. Bianca shares about her Baraboo, Wisconsin roots, her Kiwi aspirations, and what it's like to stand out in the middle.

Listen to Bianca on City Cast Madison

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Philly moves to Wisconsin, sight unseen.