Stories of Our City

In our previous episode, we shared the story of Cathy Rude and Connie Blokkum, two midwives who collectively started a birthing center in west Houston, Texas, six years ago. This week, hear Connie share more about the privileges of being a midwife, particularly in being able to encourage women in all aspects of their lives, both medically and spiritually.

In a labor of love, three Texas midwives collectively started and are running a birthing center in the west Houston city of Katy six years ago. Hear from two of these women, Cathy Rude and Connie Blokkum, as they share pieces of their journey and how they are loving and serving their community by following their passion for giving other mothers a safe, non-medicated and natural birthing option.

In a labor of love, three Texas midwives collectively started and are running a birthing center in the west Houston city of Katy six years ago. Hear from two of these women, Cathy Rude and Connie Blokkum, as they share pieces of their journey and how they are loving and serving their community by following their passion for giving other mothers a safe, non-medicated and natural birthing option.

In a labor of love, three Texas midwives collectively started and are running a birthing center in the west Houston city of Katy six years ago. Hear from two of these women, Cathy Rude and Connie Blokkum, as they share pieces of their journey and how they are loving and serving their community by following their passion for giving other mothers a safe, non-medicated and natural birthing option.

Nasser Shorbaji, aka Chyno, is a bit of an anomaly. The son of a Syrian-Filipino couple from Damascus, Chyno—whose mother tongue is English— works as a hip-hop artist based out of Beirut, Lebanon. His feeling as a sort of outlier in the various environments he has found himself in throughout life is what originally drew him to hip-hop. Hear Chyno share about the genre’s rich diversity, its power to express self and reflect one’s environment, and how the Syrian hip-hop scene’s freedom of expression has expanded since the Syrian revolution.

All the music featured in this episode comes from Chyno’s debut solo effort, entitled “Making Music to Feel at Home.”

Nasser Shorbaji, aka Chyno, is a bit of an anomaly. The son of a Syrian-Filipino couple from Damascus, Chyno—whose mother tongue is English— works as a hip-hop artist based out of Beirut, Lebanon. His feeling as a sort of outlier in the various environments he has found himself in throughout life is what originally drew him to hip-hop. Hear Chyno share about the genre’s rich diversity, its power to express self and reflect one’s environment, and how the Syrian hip-hop scene’s freedom of expression has expanded since the Syrian revolution.

All the music featured in this episode comes from Chyno’s debut solo effort, entitled “Making Music to Feel at Home.”

Nasser Shorbaji, aka Chyno, is a bit of an anomaly. The son of a Syrian-Filipino couple from Damascus, Chyno—whose mother tongue is English— works as a hip-hop artist based out of Beirut, Lebanon. His feeling as a sort of outlier in the various environments he has found himself in throughout life is what originally drew him to hip-hop. Hear Chyno share about the genre’s rich diversity, its power to express self and reflect one’s environment, and how the Syrian hip-hop scene’s freedom of expression has expanded since the Syrian revolution.

All the music featured in this episode comes from Chyno’s debut solo effort, entitled “Making Music to Feel at Home.”

For some, cross-stitch may conjure up images of sewing circles in the olden days or of simple patterns stitched using five shades of the same color. Elif (pronounced "a-leaf"), a native of Turkey, is seeking to challenge that traditional image of stitching by creating pieces that appeal to younger generations. While comfortable being a self-proclaimed 'old-soul', through her artwork Elif is serving as an advocate and agent for the evolution art must take to captivate and express each unique culture and generation.

For some, cross-stitch may conjure up images of sewing circles in the olden days or of simple patterns stitched using five shades of the same color. Elif (pronounced "a-leaf"), a native of Turkey, is seeking to challenge that traditional image of stitching by creating pieces that appeal to younger generations. While comfortable being a self-proclaimed 'old-soul', through her artwork Elif is serving as an advocate and agent for the evolution art must take to captivate and express each unique culture and generation.

For some, cross-stitch may conjure up images of sewing circles in the olden days or of simple patterns stitched using five shades of the same color. Elif (pronounced "a-leaf"), a native of Turkey, is seeking to challenge that traditional image of stitching by creating pieces that appeal to younger generations. While comfortable being a self-proclaimed 'old-soul', through her artwork Elif is serving as an advocate and agent for the evolution art must take to captivate and express each unique culture and generation.