The B-Side

The first installment of the B-Side this academic year features Engagement Editor Citlali Perez looking back on the memories of their childhood including many stories they heard from their family. The story, Lessons on Convivencia Through Memory, was performed at 14 East Live, our annual live storytelling show, last May.  

Story by Meredith MellandRecorded by Anna RetzlaffProduced by Richie Requena

This final installment of The B-Side for the academic year features a look back at Northwestern University students’ protest to establish an Asian American studies program. In the award-winning piece, “Northwestern’s Asian American Studies Hunger Strike, 25 Years Later,” former Associate Editor and Web Developer Meredith Melland takes an extensive look back at the perspectives of former students who went on hunger strike to fight for the now-established Asian American studies program. 

“Student support and student advocacy for the program, as well as student participation in the program, has meant that the Asian American studies program has been able to become an intellectual, academic, scholarly campus home for students and for faculty, where ideas thrive, people develop projects, and students grow and mature,” Ji-Yeon Yuh said. “I think that because of that, we will be able to thrive for a long time to come.”

Story by Yusra ShahRecorded and produced by Claire Malon

Our ninth episode of The B-Side is a cultural commentary from former multimedia editor Yusra Shah. In her piece, titled, “More Than Skin Deep,” Shah discusses her feelings regarding plastic surgery and breaks down some of the harmful stigmas associated with getting work done. 

Featuring insight from both cosmetic patients and professionals, Shah explains how plastic surgery is a deeply personal choice, more rooted in one’s internal self-image than an external desire to look better for others. Pulling from her own experiences with insecurity, Shah concludes that plastic surgery can be a source of strength and confidence and an act of self-love. 

This episode of ‘The B-Side’ was featured in 14 East’s weekly newsletter, In The Loop, on May 16. Read the full newsletter here. Cover art for the podcast is by Bridget Killian.Miss our last episode? Check it out below:

Story by Elly Boes, Lara Diaz, Adriana Talavera, Citalli VelezRecorded by Claire MalonProduced by Elly Boes

Our eighth episode of The B-Side features an investigative story from a team of DePaul reporters and 14 East contributors. Originally published in May 2021, “Who Wants General Iron?” discusses in-depth how the metal recycling company came to choose the Southeast Side for its new location and the years of organizing that followed. 

In this piece — one in an award-winning series of 14 East stories — residents, activists and community members examine the negative impacts of historic industrialization, pollution and the future of their neighborhood.

This episode of ‘The B-Side’ was featured in 14 East’s weekly newsletter, In The Loop, on April 25. Read the full newsletter here. Cover art for the podcast is by Bridget Killian.Miss our last episode? Check it out below:

Written and produced by Grace Del Vecchio

Recorded by Claire Malon

Published in 2019, “Why My Mom Carries Cash” dives into the harmful nature of stigma regarding homelessness. Featuring a collection of interviews from those experiencing homelessness, housing organizers and advocates and community members, Editor-In-Chief Grace Del Vecchio writes about culture around homelessness in Chicago and how stigma plays a direct hand in stopping those experiencing it from getting the help and resources they need. 

This episode of ‘The B-Side’ was featured in 14 East’s weekly newsletter, In The Loop, on April 11. Read the full newsletter here. Cover art for the podcast is by Bridget Killian.Miss our last episode? Check it out below:

Written and recorded by Francesca Mathewes

Produced by Grace Del Vecchio

The start of the COVID-19 pandemic called into question certain aspects of our lifestyles that we weren’t forced to address before and this certainly was the case of former 14 East Editor-In-Chief Francesca Mathewes. In the personal essay first performed at 14 East’s live storytelling event, 14 East Live, “A Softer Look in the Mirror” looks inward at Mathewes’s personal and professional development throughout the first year of the pandemic and the process of learning to give herself grace while adapting to the ever-changing world around her. 

This episode of ‘The B-Side’ was featured in 14 East’s weekly newsletter, In The Loop, on March 28. Read the full newsletter here. Cover art for the podcast is by Bridget Killian.Miss our last episode? Check it out below:

Story by Julián Martinez

Recorded and produced by Richie Requena

This week’s episode of The B-Side is a story from Pueblo co-founder and former Creative Editor Julián Martinez. “How Do You Say ‘Country Pop’ in Spanish” (read the essay in Spanish here) is a narrative essay on Martinez’s family and their assimilation into a new country through musical compromise.

Martinez shares his childhood influences on country music and what they mean to him now. He writes, “Country music scenes are notoriously, historically white. Country music, a withstanding stereotype of whiteness, is so deeply indebted to, among others, Mexican culture.”

This episode of ‘The B-Side’ was featured in 14 East’s weekly newsletter, In The Loop, on March 14. Read the full newsletter here. Cover art for the podcast is by Bridget Killian.Miss our last episode? Check it out below:

Story by Cam Rodriguez

Recorded by Cam Rodriguez

Produced by Grace Del Vecchio

Our fourth episode of The B-Side features the untold history of DePaul’s football team, and the attempt to bring the sport to the university since its dissolution in 1938. In “The Un-Undefeated Gridders of Lincoln Park,” complete with photography straight from DePaul’s archives, Managing Editor Cam Rodriguez details the start, end and importance of DePaul’s forgotten team in this homage to the college football players of Lincoln Park.

This episode of ‘The B-Side’ was featured in 14 East’s weekly newsletter, In The Loop, on February 21. Read the full newsletter here. Cover art for the podcast is by Bridget Killian.Miss our last episode? Check it out below: 

Story by Malik Pitchford

Recorded by Aneesah Shealey

Produced by Claire Malon

Our third episode of The B-Side features a cultural commentary from former Associate Editor Malik Pitchford. In this piece, titled, “Beware of the White Gaze,” Pitchford discusses the critical impact of the white gaze, a concept popularized by acclaimed author Toni Morrison. 

Using the examples of Toni Morrison and rappers Noname and Kendrick Lamar, Pitchford examines the lack of power and sovereignty Black creators have over their art, music and cultural productions due to ethnocentrism and white supremacy. 

This episode of ‘The B-Side’ was featured in 14 East’s weekly newsletter, In The Loop, on February 7. Read the full newsletter here. Cover art for the podcast is by Bridget Killian.Miss our last episode? Check it out below: