Angie Whitehurst’s story explodes any and all stereotypes of what homelessness is or “looks like.” An econ and poli-sci major at Connecticut College, Whitehurst was an accomplished international consultant for years until she contracted a rare—and oftentimes fatal—strain of malaria in the early 80s. Twenty years later, she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Hamstrung by a pair of debilitating diseases, she’s had to fight to stay in the game mentally and emotionally. As she worked to recover, she turned her attention away from herself and towards caring for her mother and sister. Her life was interrupted in the most unexpected of ways. As she says, “It can happen to you. It wasn’t supposed to happen to me.”

A full transcript of this interview is available here.

Jeffery McNeil discusses the joy of writing, welfare (and why he’s not for it) and how his regulars helped him kick his addictions, find employment and rise up out of homelessness.

A full transcript of this interview is available here.

Cynthia Mewborn lived in a tent for a year on the street. In spite of the mental and emotional toll that’s taken on her body and soul, she’s fighting harder than ever to get her life back. Part of her recovery, as she calls, is opening up about her rough experience and the associated PTSD and anger she’s been forced to manage. She’s now housed and super engaged in several multimedia workshops put on by Street Sense—from theater to illustration to filmmaking. Tune in to hear her explain how the arts have enabled her to re-calibrate and re-frame her life.

A full transcript of this interview is available here.

Thanks in large part to police brutality and racism, Levester Green has been homeless off and on for years. But when you see Levester’s electric smile, it’s difficult to grasp the fact that he lives on the street. He’s living proof that people have an infinite capacity to endure. In this episode, he shares his take on street life and explains how art (poetry, filmmaking, music) helps propel him forward.

A full transcript of this interview is available here.

In this episode, Sasha Williams reveals the haunting story behind her homelessness and then counters her tragic narrative with extraordinary grace and positivity. She also shares a couple beautiful life hacks: one of which is being a mom to her pride and joy, Eboni.

A full transcript of this interview is available here.

In this interview Artist-in-Residence Bardia Saaedi, explores interactive art, becoming an activist, and, of course, his dynamic art/bus project. The participants in his workshop are literally transforming a bus into a mobile art gallery and advocacy platform.

If you'd like to see the bus and the folks working on it, check out these gorgeous images shot by Reuters. And you can learn more about the bus in these stories from WAMU and the Washington Post.

A full transcript of this interview is available here.

In the inaugural Street Sense Media podcast, longtime vendor Eric Thompson-Bey discusses shelter conditions, friendship, and more.

A full transcript of this interview is available here.