the Extra Half

Some of the thoughts that host Natania Hoffman has gathered throughout the process of creating the Extra Half.

A conversation with Alexis Nelson, social media manager at BARK and creator of Black Forager. We talk about the relationship between the origins of her family (Cape Verdean, Black American and Native American) and the history of race in the United States, and about what happens when tracing genealogy is not possible. Alexis also talks about the process of becoming Black Forager and how foraging, for her, is a synthesis of her parents’ cultural heritage.

To support our work, visit patreon.com/theextrahalf

A conversation with Simen Fegran, German-Norwegian horn player and member of the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. We talk about the importance of understanding the past as a nation and about how patriotism is perceived in Germany, Norway, and the United States. We also talk about his experiences living in Western and Eastern Germany, his time on tour with the Gustav Mahler Youth orchestra, and about the role that the Gewandhausorchester played in the Leipzig community during the pandemic.

A conversation with Rosalind Chao and Yi-Mei Templeman, mother and daughter, who were both born in the United States. Rosalind is an actress known for her roles in the Joy Luck Club, Mulan (2020), Star Trek, The Laundromat, Freaky Friday, among others; Yi-Mei is a cellist and founding member of Trio Gaia who additionally explores dimensions of music making such as singing, playing, strumming, composing, arranging, and improvising. We talk about their cultural ties to the USA, China, and England and about the importance of the performing arts as a means of connecting people, genres, stories, and experiences.

A conversation with Harriet Langley, violinist. Harriet is Korean and Australian, and lived in several other countries including Belgium and the United States. We talk about the role musicians can play in the world, about learning violin in different languages and contexts, navigating race and gender across cultures, and about learning to fit in - or not - in her countries of heritage. And at the end we enter a topic that, while tangential, is important to both of us: pescetarianism, vegetarianism, and the influence of what we eat on the world.

To support our work, visit patreon.com/theextrahalf

a conversation with Luisa Weiss, creator of the Wednesday Chef. An Italian-American who lives in Berlin, Luisa is a writer, home cook, editor, translator, and the author of one of the most well-known food blogs today. We have a fascinating conversation about how food can be a powerful constant in a life characterized by change, about her intercontinental “commute” as a child, and about her realization as an adult that Berlin was truly home. We also talk about the quality of produce in different countries, the position that American expats held in post-war West Berlin, and about the culinary challenge she faces as a parent: striking a balance between her desire for stability and her perpetual curiosity.

A conversation with Nina de Félice, pianist. Nina is French and Mauritian and also lived in Switzerland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. In addition to her performing career, she is the co-founder of the Festival Contrepoints Croisés in France, and of An Artist’s Blog, a new platform which gathers writing and thoughts about music. She also holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in mathematics. We talk about how to reconcile basic assumptions that are often divergent, and about the ways in which culture shapes our concept of “society.” Nina talks about the current situation in Mauritius, the ecological loss the island has suffered, and the different ways in which her families view the past and celebrate tradition.

A conversation with Dr. Shawn E. Okpebholo. A sought-after and wonderful composer, Shawn’s parents are from the United States and Nigeria. We talk about what it means to be Black and/or African-American, how his worldview has shifted in the last fifteen years, and how strongly knowing his own roots influenced his trajectory. We also talk about the importance of being Nigerian for for him growing up as well as the joy and surprise of going there for the first time as an adult, paired with the immediate sense of connection and belonging that he felt meeting his family.

For more information about his work, visit shawnokpebholo.com

A conversation with Josiah Coe, whose family is from the USA and the Philippines. We talk about his childhood on a farm in rural Georgia with seven siblings, the ways in which he grew up surrounded by Filipino culture within the United States, and how the concept of “otherizing," useful to some, is ultimately meaningless. He discusses the feeling of often being misidentified as Iranian or Mexican, and how such experiences led him to discovering those cultures and their languages. We also talk about his life as a violist and the importance of truly listening in today’s world.

A conversation with Armine Sargsyan, who is from Armenia and Lithuania. Armine talks about her upbringing in independent Lithuania and in Cyprus, the development of her own cultural identity, and the importance of raising international awareness about the ongoing conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh; she recently organized a demonstration in Vilnius, while her husband is currently on the frontline in the Artsakh. The story of her mother’s emigration to Lithuania is intertwined with the conflicts of the 1990s, and we discuss the parallels between that time and the war that started on September 27th and is continuing to escalate.