Third Space Indy

This week, I talked to Coryn Hendrix, the founder of Board Meetings, an LGBTQIA+ and allies skate-and-social group here in Indianapolis that meets regularly at various skate parks around town. I had known about the predecessor to this group, Grind Culture, for quite a while, and I met the founder, Carly, basically a week before she left for California. So I was so overjoyed to see that Coryn was carrying the banner of queer skating in this city forward and had a great time chatting.

Sponsors:

City Rising (cityrising.org)

Proformus Urban Planning & Design

Intro music: Scared Rabbit by Jennasen

Timestamps

0:00 Intro

1:34 Meet Coryn Hendrix

3:57 Board Meeting Indy & its origins

4:35 LGBTQI+ skate community

10:27 Coryn's skating style

12:38 Roller skating history & culture

20:13 Indy skate parks

23:49 Lady Skate Squad

24:54 Why LGBTQI+ spaces matter

36:20 Canned questions

46:24 Previous guest Q

50:15 The Power of Fun

54:24 Q for next guest

Hang Doan is a local drag queen, artist, influencer, and model. This week, Michael sits down with Hang at the Spades Park playground to talk about their gender journey, figuring out life, and how to become hot, rich, and famous. Enjoy the conversation :)

00:00 Cold Open

00:22 Support Third Space Indy

02:11 What Is a Third Place

02:41 Meet Hang Doan

03:31 Thrifting Fit Check

05:47 Vietnamese Hoosier

06:50 Drag King 101

09:46 Trans Masc and Gender Roles

12:09 Gender Beyond the Binary

15:12 Hanibear Shop Live Doodles

18:30 Booked Gigs and Weddings

20:45 Modeling Agency Reality Check

27:24 School Success Mindset

30:51 Content Creation and Drag Digest

39:12 Food Pantry No Shame

41:56 Transitioning In Public

47:04 Canned Questions

49:27 Indy Drag Theater Story

53:34 Froyo Nostalgia Debate

58:41 Learning Drag And Auditions

01:04:33 What Success Means

01:10:01 Be Your Own Ally

01:14:50 Plugs And Farewell

Hannah Hadley is a musician, textile artist, art teacher, and the organizer behind Indy Gay Market. Michael sits down with Hannah at the Indianapolis Art Center to talk about building queer community through markets and art, the origin story of the Big Gay Market, and what it means to create a big gay space in Indianapolis.

Sponsors:

City Rising (cityrising.org)

Proformus Urban Planning & Design

Intro music: Scared Rabbit by Jennasen

Timestamps

0:33 — Intro

1:20 — Meet Hannah Hadley

5:18 — Big Gay Market vs. Indy Gay Market

7:06 — Logistical stress (or lack thereof)

10:36 — Origin of the Big Gay Market

12:13 — Coming out

15:47 — Big Gay Market as a third space

17:33 — Visibility, inclusivity

23:34 — The biggest Big Gay Market ever

30:40 — Shoutouts to the Indy Gay Market team

33:51 — Sonia

37:11 — House shows

39:39 — Canned questions

41:18 — Teaching fiber arts and the joy of making your own clothes

50:50 — Question from previous guest

Jesse Brown is a City-County Councilor for District 13 on Indianapolis' Near East Side and one of the loudest progressive voices in local government. Recorded live at Patina Art Gallery & Alley Cat Ceramic Studio in front of a crowd for Third Space Indy's one-year anniversary, Michael sits down with Jesse to talk about his unlikely path from punk anarchist to elected official, the frustrations of fighting a rubber-stamp city council, and why a better world is actually possible.

Sponsors:

City Rising (cityrising.org)

Proformus Urban Planning & Design

Intro music: Scared Rabbit by Jennasen

Timestamps

0:51 — Welcome & sponsors (live at Patina Art Gallery & Alley Cat)

3:03 — Happy birthday, Third Space Indy

5:32 — Introducing Jesse Brown

6:32 — Who is Jesse Brown?

9:49 — Pike Township to Irvington

11:52 — Cathedral High School and dreadlocks

13:55 — Turning down Princeton

15:28 — The Sam Masarikia Scholarship

17:00 — Teaching

19:52 — Salting at the Westin Hotel

25:08 — On Burnout

28:13 — Late Intro

30:52 — How local government fails to build community

37:26 — What is a third space to you?

40:33 — A third space that no longer exists

42:22 — If you were a plant, what plant would you be?

44:15 — Q&A: How do you grow good villagers in a third space?

49:33 — Q&A: What's missing from leftist organizing in Indianapolis?

54:21 — Q&A: Cronyism and city contracts

1:02:09 — Q&A: How do you actually follow through?

1:06:01 — Q&A: What's giving you hope today?

1:06:45 — Q&A: Is Indiana any closer to legalizing marijuana?

1:10:34 — The Socialist Party of Indiana and building a new ballot line

1:15:42 — Where to find Jesse Brown

Danielle Guerin is the founder and executive director of Soul Food Project Urban Farm, a nonprofit with four urban farm sites across Indianapolis. Michael sits down with Danielle at one of her farms in Irvington to talk about growing food and growing people, food deserts, the true meaning of food access, and finding healing through farming.

Sponsors:

City Rising (cityrising.org)

Proformus Urban Planning & Design

Intro music:

Scared Rabbit by Jennasen

Timestamps

0:44 — Intro

1:43 — Meet Danielle and the Soul Food Project

4:40 — Growing up in a food desert without knowing it

6:02 — The four farms and what each neighborhood needs

7:09 — Why a grocery store doesn't always solve a food desert

11:28 — Farm Visibility

13:09 — How Soul Food Project got its name

16:25 — Building community at the farm

19:47 — Volunteering and what a shift actually looks like

21:47 — Tips for starting your own garden

22:53 — What keeps Danielle going

26:24 — On Indianapolis

29:52 — How farming helped heal Danielle's relationship with food

34:11 — "What is a third space to you?"

37:08 — A third space that no longer exists

39:10 — Center Point Brewery

40:00 — Question from previous guest

42:48 — What's on Danielle's mind

44:07 — Soul Food Project 10 years from now

46:17 — How to find Soul Food Project

Nigel Long is a DJ, community organizer, and lifetime Indianapolis native known as DJ Grapevine. Michael sits down with Nigel at the Cloud Underground studio inside Morning Star a part of Flanner House in Northwest Side of Indy. Michael and Nigel talk about Black joy in Indianapolis, the origins of Grapevine, and why community is always work worth doing.

Sponsors:

City Rising (cityrising.org)

Proformus Urban Planning & Design

Intro music:

Scared Rabbit by Jennasen

Timestamps

0:44 — Intro

1:56 — Who is DJ Grapevine?

3:03 — Growing up in Devington

5:28 — Flanner House and historically Black neighborhoods

7:17 — The origins of Grapevine

13:42 — Community investment without government support

14:06 — Music and his grandfather's influence

23:32 — Gang Gang and his role in Indianapolis

24:32 — Black: A Festival of Joy

30:22 — The Brick by Brick Campaign

36:36 — Canned questions

Third Space Indy Live Show on May 23rd, 2026: oneyear.thirdspaceindy.com

Andrea Watts is an advocate, consultant, and former city government bureaucrat working to improve Indianapolis's built environment through her work at Health By Design. Michael sits down with Andrea at Canal Bistro in Broad Ripple to talk about walkable cities, the politics of infrastructure, Arab American identity, and what it means to fight for the city you're stuck loving.

Sponsors:

City Rising (cityrising.org)

Proformus Urban Planning & Design

Intro music: Scared Rabbit by Jennasen

Timestamps

1:07 — Intro

3:51 — How Michael and Andrea met

5:52 — Health By Design and the built environment

6:29 — How Indianapolis has changed

10:14 — From city bureaucrat to advocate

13:19 — The Walton family model and attracting talent through livability

16:16 — Building connections through shared passion

19:22 — Why Andrea never moved to New York City

21:44 — Drive Less April challenge

25:01 — Why it's hard not to drive in Indianapolis

28:09 — IndyGo, transit frequency, and the privilege of flexibility

33:23 — Arab American Heritage Month and Lebanese identity

35:41 — Canned questions

38:47 — 16th & Monon street mural

42:21 — Lost third spaces

49:15 — Carmel's walkable infrastructure

52:56 — Friday Field Trips series

55:15 — The Walk and Bike Summit

57:41 — Question for the next guest: What's on your rider?

Ethan Rosuck is a meteorologist at Fox 59 and CBS4 in Indianapolis. Michael sits down with Ethan at Chicago Beef and Dog Company in Irvington to talk about building friendships in a new city, Jewish identity and culture, Indianapolis's local food scene, and what it's like to love your niche career.

Sponsors:

City Rising (cityrising.org)

Proformus Urban Planning & Design

Intro music:

Scared Rabbit by Jennasen

Timestamps

0:43 — Intro

1:46 — Ethan's career as a meteorologist and moving to Indianapolis

5:22 — Being the instigator of friendship and community

11:43 — Turning 30, relationships, and slowing down

20:41 — Jewish geography, cultural identity, and bagel snobbery

34:10 — Indianapolis's local food scene: Side Door Bagels, Bohdi, and supporting local

44:49 — Canned questions

45:17 — What is a third space?

49:03 — A third space that no longer exists

54:26 — Question from previous guest Jay Grillo

1:00:41 — Question for the next guest

1:01:23 — Where to find Ethan

Jay Grillo is a multimedia artist, documentarian, and organizer at the Indianapolis Liberation Center. Michael sits down with Jay inside the Liberation Center in Fountain Square to talk about art as solidarity, cultural identity, and building community through showing up.

Sponsors:

City Rising (cityrising.org)

Proformus Urban Planning & Design

Intro music: Scared Rabbit by Jennasen

Timestamps

• 0:51 — Intro
• 5:52 — Design work, Folklórico dancing, and the Latino arts community
• 7:25 — Documentary work and storytelling in solidarity
• 14:00 — De Aquí y De Allá and third-generation immigrant identity
• 26:02 — The Indianapolis Liberation Center
• 33:41 — Getting involved and the power of showing up
• 39:24 — Touch Grass Indy
• 41:34 — Canned questions

Karla López Owens is the deputy prosecuting attorney, community outreach director at the Marion County Prosecutor's Office, and president of the Indiana Latino Democratic Caucus. This week, she joins Michael at Ellenberger Park in Irvington to talk local democracy, her run for Marion County Clerk, and what it looks like to take government services directly to the people.

Links & Resources

• Karla's Instagram: @K_LopezOW
• Karla's Website: https://klo4change.com/
• IndyVotes.org — early voting info

Third Space Indy is supported by:

• City Rising: cityrising.org
• Proformus: proformus.com/

Music: "Scared Rabbit" by Jennasen

Timestamps

[0:00] — YDSA protest announcement

[0:27] — Spoken word intro

[2:16] — Guest introduction

[3:23] — What is the county clerk?

[5:18] — The 2020 Ellenberger Park caucus

[12:43] — From 2020 to now

[13:45] — Party challenges & voter suppression

[18:40] — Ron Gibson & local accountability

[20:48] — Rank choice voting

[24:08] — Immigrant voting rights, clarified

[25:48] — Top priorities for Indy

[30:12] — Vision for the clerk's office

[33:09] — DSA & people-first politics

[35:29] — "I'm not a politician"

[37:36] — What is a Third Space?

[38:50] — Why Irvington?

[41:06] — A lost Third Space

[42:56] — Biggest hurdle for small businesses?

[45:10] — How & when to vote

[45:59] — Uncle Mark walks by