Stay Connected***No longer adding new episodes*** On The Record was co-hosted by Sheilah Kast and Ashley Sterner. Sheilah and shared conversations with audacious artists, intrepid scientists, community leaders and more. And of course, tales from the beloved Stoop Storytelling Series.
On The Record was produced by Melissa Gerr. Jon Ehrens created the theme music. Louis Umerlik designed the logo.
Copyright: © 2024 WYPR Baltimore
Conversations with dozens of authors. Intensive deep dives into how publishing works. A masterclass in mystery writing. One-on-one critique sessions for aspiring writers. A literary marketplace -- there will be SO MANY options at the Lord Baltimore Hotel Saturday when the 22nd CityLit Festival gets underway. Carla DuPree, CityLit Project’s executive director, joins us to share her excitement about all the partnerships and offerings.
When was the last time you had a lengthy, honest and open conversation with someone you didn’t know well? Or even better -- with someone who you assumed held a whole different world view than your own. The Associated Jewish Federation of Baltimore, the Elijah Cummings Youth Program and Associated Black Charities, are making these conversations happen intentionally, with its ‘Rekindle Fellowship’ program. By bringing together leaders from Baltimore’s Black and Jewish and Black Jewish communities for thoughtful and challenging face to face dialogue, the hope is to break down barriers and promote a deeper understanding between the communities. We hear from two members of the first cohort of Rekindle: Nancy Poole, Manager of High School Placement at KIPP Baltimore and Joey Fink a certified financial planner.
Transgender people are being targeted by the Trump administration in nearly every sector: from the military, to schools, to healthcare. And the ACLU says more than 500 anti LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures this year alone. What's happening in Maryland? To find out, we talk with Lee Blinder, executive director of Trans Maryland, Charlotte Hoffman, policy director for Trans Maryland and M Pease, a therapist and a doctoral student in counseling psychology at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Light illuminates. And it can affect our moods, how we interpret our surroundings, even how we interact with a space. In the coming months, six Baltimore artists will be creating public works that harness these qualities of light, thanks to one million dollars from the Bloomberg Philanthropies' Public Art Challenge. Baltimore is one of just eight cities across the US to get the funding, which will support installations centered in the Station North Arts District. The first unveiling happens Friday, March 28 from 6-10pm with Zoe Charlton's piece, Third Watch. We get a preview from visual artist and curator Derrick Adams, and artist Phaan Howng describes how she translated her painting into a 3D light sculpture for her piece, 'Big Ass Snake (Plants) on a Plane.'
Here's a Stoop Story from Stacey Lee about finding your spark ... and paying it forward. The next live Stoop event happens April 9 at Checkerspot brewing. The theme is Battling the Elements: Stories about confronting the forces of nature.
One year ago today, in the very early hours of the morning, the Dali cargo ship left the Port of Baltimore. Minutes later, at 1:28am, the ship struck one of the piers of the Francis Scott Key Bridge as it attempted to make its way to sea. The bridge -- that had stood for decades over the Patapsco -- collapsed in seconds. Eight workers were on the bridge at the time. Two were rescued. The other six lost their lives. The tragedy has forever changed the city’s skyline, and even more so the surrounding communities. But Baltimore came together, as it always does. Plans to build a new bridge are underway. And the families and communities have begun the process to rebuild, and to heal. Maria Gabriela Aldana is an oral historian and community engagement specialist and for the past several months, she’s been conducting interviews of people from all walks of life, whose lives were affected by the collapse. She is also the co-founder of The Art of Solidarity, which is working with the Baltimore Museum of Industry to document what the collapse of the Key Bridge has meant to our community. It’s called “Echoes from the Key Bridge," funded by the Baltimore Community Foundation.
When the Key Bridge shattered a year ago, the lives of many people shattered with it -- of course, the families of the six men who died working on the bridge. But also people whose livelihoods depended on the bridge. In Dundalk, at the east end of the bridge, jobs disappeared or were impossible to reach. Businesses closed. Lives that were already stressed grew more stressed. Catholic Charities stepped up the work it was already doing on health and wellness, immigration services, and workforce development of … to create a one-stop shop for people to get help: The Building Hope Dundalk support Center. We talk with its program manager is Mayra Loera , who already was managing client services at the Esperanza Center and immediately after the bridge tragedy helped support the families of the men who died.
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States covering about 4-thousand 480 square miles and containing some 15 trillion gallons of brackish water. The Bay is also full of oysters! Maryland saw the lowest oyster harvest ever in the early 2000s, but thanks to the hard work of lots of different groups, oysters are bouncing back. A new plan from the Eastern Bay Oyster Coalition Workgroup has a goal of improving things more. We talk with Olivia Caretti, Coastal Restoration Program Manager at the Oyster Recovery Partnership to learn more.
President Trump has signed an executive order aimed at banning transgender troops from serving in the military. We hear from Tony Woods, Secretary for the Maryland Department of Veterans and Military Families: “This is playing politics with the military. And I think this policy will eventually fail, and will be looked upon as a shameful period of our country’s history.” Plus he talks about why this ban would put the entire country at risk.
More than half of Baltimore’s children live with one parent; many of those families live in poverty. For 51 single mothers here, and their kids, the nonprofit Jeremiah Program offers coaching, community, and financial help to get them to a college degree. We talk to its director, Danielle Staton and Ebony Peacock, a mom with two kids who says the program has provided immeasurable help and support.
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