Where We Live

Last January, an estimated 2,500 young people experienced homelessness in Connecticut, according to the Connecticut Coalition To End Homelessness annual Youth Count. And that was before the pandemic that overturned so many lives.

Connecticut had made a goal to end youth homelessness by 2020. So what gaps remain? We hear from advocates, providers, and a young person about how the state can help youth at risk of housing insecurity and homelessness.

Have you or someone you know experienced housing insecurity or homelessness?

GUESTS:

• Richard Cho - Chief Executive Officer of Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness
• Roy Graham - Youth Special Projects Coordinator for Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, where he oversees the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project
• Diamond Lovette - member of Youth Action Council that is part of the Greater Hartford and Central Coordinated Access Network (CAN)
• Gabrielle Padilla - Coordinator of Housing Services through Mental Health Connecticut. She oversees the CAN Navigators program for the Northwest Connecticut Coordinated Access Network (CAN), serving Waterbury and Litchfield County

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With the ongoing pandemic, what do municipalities need to do to stay afloat?  This hour, we look at neighborhoods and towns in Connecticut working to keep their residents connected and businesses thriving during this pandemic. We hear from residents in Westville, a small thriving community in New Haven. We also hear from New London - a city looking to revitalize and create more resiliency. 

Coming up, we learn what urban design has to do with it - building up a city involves a lot more planning than you think! 

We want to hear from you. What’s happening in your neighborhood?

GUESTS:

• Lizzy Donius - Executive Director Westville Village Renaissance Alliance

• Ken Greensburg - Urban Designer and City Builder, Principal at Greenberg Consultants

• Felix Reyes - Director of Economic Development and Planning for the City of New London

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What has your year looked like? What are you grateful for? In the last days of 2020 we reflect on our most memorable shows of the year. It’s been a hard one for so many and that’s why we took sometime to ask you--what you’re thankful for this year. Despite this chaotic, hard year, it’s important to stay grateful for what we have.

GUESTS:

• Janice Kaplan - author of The Gratitude Diaries and Host of The Gratitude Diaries podcast
• Adrian Gostick -  coauthor of Leading with Gratitude and cofounder of The Culture Works
• Chester Elton - coauthor of Leading with Gratitude and cofounder of The Culture Works

Cat Pastor contributed to this show which originally aired November 24, 2020. 

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On May 1st, 1970, the eyes of the nation were on the Elm City. Students and others from around the country had gathered to protest the murder trial of Black Panther Party leaders Bobby Seale and Ericka Huggins.

This hour, we take a look back at May Day in New Haven, 50 years ago this year. We talk with Huggins and hear from a former Baltimore mayor who was one of the Yale students who helped keep protests peaceful.

Do you remember May Day and New Haven’s Black Panther Trials?

GUESTS:

• Paul Bass - Editor of the New Haven Independent, and co-author of Murder in the Model City : the Black Panthers, Yale, and the Redemption of a Killer, with coauthor Douglas Rae
• Ericka Huggins - Ericka Huggins is an educator, human rights advocate and poet. She was a member of the Black Panther Party from 1967-1982
• Kurt Schmoke - Former Mayor of Baltimore and President of University Baltimore. He was a member of Yale Class of 1971

To learn more about this period, check out the podcast “Revolution on Trial” hosted by Mercy Quaye, a co-production of Artspace and The Narrative Project. It explores the history of the New Haven Black Panthers, and will be available Friday, May 15, 2020 on podcast apps. Learn more here.

Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired May 15, 2020.

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At the start of this year, Jericho Brown addressed the graduates of the Bennington Writing Seminars Class of January 2020. 

He said, “If you can't imagine these last few days without trees, I know you can't imagine life without poetry. Literature fills needs we did not know we had. Poems and stories plant seeds for things we did not know we needed."

Jericho Brown is this year’s Pulitzer Prize winner for poetry for his book, The Tradition, a collection of poetry questioning why and how we’ve become accustomed to violence and trauma.

This hour, Jericho Browns joins us to discuss his work, and advice for new poets.

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

GUESTS

• Jericho Brown - Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Tradition, and director of the Creative Writing Program and a professor and at Emory University (@JerichoBrown)

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Faith can play an important role in times of uncertainty - offering comfort and hope.  Since COVID-19 hit Connecticut, many churches, synagogues and mosques have closed across the state.  Faith leaders have moved worship online - and found new ways to bring people together.

It has not been easy.  Leaders across religious traditions are under tremendous pressure guiding their congregations through grief and trauma - while helping their communities build resilience.

In a conversation recorded earlier this month, guest host Diane Orson talks with a pastor, a rabbi and an imam who have walked into a pandemic - and it is not a joke.   They speak about what it has been like for clergy, where they turn when they’re feeling stressed, and whether their own faith has wavered.

GUESTS:

• Rabbi Stacy Offner - Temple Beth Tikvah in Madison, CT
• Reverend Dr. Frederick (Jerry) Streets - former Chaplain of Yale University, Senior Pastor of Dixwell Congregational Church in New Haven, CT, and member of faculty at Yale Divinity School.
• Imam Refai Arefin - Islamic Association of Greater Hartford (also known as the Berlin Mosque) in Berlin, CT

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2020 is finally almost over, and it’s time for a break. But if your holiday plans are looking different than normal, we’ve got you!  This hour, we talk with NPR TV Critic Eric Deggans, who gives us his recommendations on what to binge watch over the holidays.

We also check in with Vox book critic Constance Grady about her recommendations from the best books of 2020.

And later: are you among the 67% of Americans who play videogames? We talk with Washington Post videogame reporter Gene Park about his favorite games of the year. If you’re not a gamer yet never fear—we talk about how to get started exploring the world of gaming.

What have you been watching, reading, or playing to get you through 2020? We want your recommendations, too!

GUESTS:

• Eric Deggans - NPR’s TV Critic
• Constance Grady  - Book Critic for Vox
• Gene Park - Video Game Reporter for the Washington Post

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If you’ve ever been to a dietician to lose weight, or just to get healthier, you’ve probably heard the same advice and been told to eat the same kind of food. But American dietitians often leave out room to eat diverse cuisines and food groups, largely leaving out a lot ethnic food. 

This hour, we learn how some dietitians are trying to change that. Coming up we talk to Jessica Wilson, a dietician and co host of the podcast, My Black Body. And we hear from a Connecticut dietician working to help individuals with eating disorders find peace with food and their bodies.

But first, the holidays are just around the corner. Did you know that Connecticut was the first state in New England to make Christmas a statewide holiday? We learn about the “The Spirit of Christmas Past in New England.” 

We want to hear from you.

GUESTS:

• Ken Turino - Manager of Community Partnerships and Resource Development with Historic New England
• Jessica Wilson - Dietician in private practice and cohost to My Black Body Podcast 
• Brianna Theus - registered dietician in Conneticut

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There’s not a lot that rhymes with pandemic. 

This hour, Margaret Gibson, Connecticut’s poet laureate joins us for a conversation on poetry writing during the coronavirus. It’s our Pandemic Book Club - poetry hour! 

Coming up, we talk about how she’s responding to the grief this pandemic has created. There are many poems on the natural beauty of the state, but very little about protecting our environment. Margaret is encouraging town poet laureates across the state to address global climate change through poetry. 

We want to hear from you. Share a poem with us. Are you reading more poetry? Are you doing more creative writing while we are stuck at home?

GUESTS:

• Margaret Gibson - Connecticut Poet Laureate
• JC Wayne - founder of The Poartry Project

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COVID has changed the way we live, work, even move. This hour, we talk about the future of public transportation in Connecticut, with commuter advocate Jim Cameron. We also hear from the State Department of Transportation (DOT) public transit bureau chief.

Ridership has plummeted on rains and buses as many residents continue to work from home. This, even as Connecticut’s often-overlooked bus systems have been critical for many of the state’s essential workers to get to their jobs.

Will Connecticut’s mass transit system be able to recover from the economic toll of COVID?

While public transit has taken a hit, another green commuting option has seen a pandemic boom: the bicycle. We talk with New Haven bicycle advocate Karen Jenkins. Will Connecticut take this moment to invest in making streets safe for cyclists?

GUESTS:

• Jim Cameron - Commuter advocate and author of 'Getting There', a weekly commentary on transportation which runs in the Hearst papers and on CTMirror.org
• Rich Andreski - Bureau Chief for public transportation at Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT)
• Karen Jenkins - Member of the Board of Directors of the New Haven Coalition for Active Transportation (NHCAT)

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