Citizen Reporter

Im in the kitchen preparing a meal for the family with just enough time to describe a little radio activity I've been working on. It involves listening back to talk radio programs from the end of the summer of 2001 and the leadup to 9/11. Hearing how people spoke and thought back then which is, of course, extremely familiar as I was there and these programs are from my home region. All this through the lens of what we are living through in 2024 and the ways we think and function now. Some people may not want to go back, I find it fascinating to do so.

Instead of the interview style podcasts this program has been about for almost 2 decades, today we're back to the other great tradition of old school personal publishing --- the monologue.

Janelle Ward and I were once eager grad students at the University of Amsterdam where we dove head first into the world of personal publishing before most of the world had any idea what this was or why it would matter. 20+ years later, we are communications professionals, somehow still sitting in the Netherlands, watching events unfold online and offline. The past few months, with the growing unrest and major changes taking place at social media companies, we wonder if this is a major moment that will define the next era of personal publishing and existing online? Today we chat about what it might all mean and what we remember about how we got here.

Matthew Dons is back! And after having been diagnosed with terminal cancer over 6 years ago; that's saying something! Today on the program we continue to follow his story of life, not after cancer, but with cancer. Including the launch of his new online course to help combat the misinformation that has found its way into every corner of the internet. "Making Cancer History" is the course he is teaching and tune in to hear why people all over the world are participating.

For Trui Hanoulle it started as an interest in going places and learning about people. Over the past two decades what followed became a life’s work; to gather stories about women who dare to move even in the face of prejudice, stereotypes, and other elements of gender barriers. Today on the podcast Trui joins me to talk about her mission and what she has seen and learned from the back of a motorcycle across continents and within cultures that many of us do not often hear from. She has also been kind enough to share photos of her project “Move She Does” which you can see here or in your podcast app as the episode plays.

Today on the podcast we are joined by the Ukraine director of the War Childhood Museum, to hear about the work they do and how it is being impacted by the ongoing invasion. I’d like to also inform you that if you appreciate the unique and impactful work they are doing, they could really use your help. Please go to warchildhood.org to find out how to make a monetary donation.

In a time of so much frustration, confusion and despair - a podcast is always appropriate. Especially when you couple that with the backdrop that this month I also became a father! So much joy on the one hand, so much struggle on the other, and then you have the incredibly unjust world taking another horrible turn. This monologue is the story of the rollercoaster month it has been and the mounting questions that obviously I am not equipped to answer but that doesn’t stop me from trying.

Legendary blogger, writer, crtical thinker and my friend of many years — Elmine Wijnia joins me to talk about the big life changes, be in location, the insane buying of a new home, the having of a kid, and all that stuff that sometimes happens in this life. Listen in and join us as we reflect on the how and why of choices made and journeys taken.

Once a year I have the great pleasure of spending a few days in Boston with my dear friend and audio legend Christopher Lydon. We listen to Duke Ellington, pour over audio for his next program, and find time to turn on the microphone and have our “state of the world” conversation. Having missed our standing appointment during the pandemic, this year I managed to cautiously get back to Boston, back to my happy place; sitting across from Chris and discussing life. Today on the podcast, it’s the State of the World in 2021, starring the one and only Christopher Lydon.

Tara Brown and Sean Bonner are some of the most creative and curious people I’ve ever known. Among the many things they are fascinated by, there are NFT’s; which coincidentally have also become something of a curiousity over the past years. Today on the podcast, to better understand NFT’s and what is possible and where the conversations around them have gone and could yet go, Tara and Sean are my guests. Have a listen!

Kaustuv Pokhrel's path as an activist and advocate for young people has taken many interesting and unexpected turns. As the most recent lockdown in Nepal grew ever longer, we decided it was a good time to sit down and record these stories of his work as both a radio host and an organizer around youth, identity and self-expression. Listen in and enjoy!

Matthew Dons was told five years ago that he had less than one year to live. 5 years later, he is still living with terminal cancer. The struggle has not gotten easier yet at the same time Matthew has gained a wealth of knowledge about health care costs, cancer treatment options, humanity and I would argue… life itself. Today on the program, recorded some weeks before his major surgery he is struggling to recover from currently, we talk about these past 5 years, and we also discuss the recent loss of the great Dan Kaminsky. In between there is podcasting, media, information, friendships and well.. the stuff life is made of. Listen in and enjoy.

Picture it: You meet someone new who introduces themselves to you. You proceed to start a conversation, but this person's voice sounds exactly like that of a childhood friend. In that moment, although you're supposed to be listening to the conversation, you're also thinking back to those days and that person. You're there but you're somewhere else. Budhaditya Chattopadhyay is very interested in the "somewhere else" that sound can take us to. As an artist, researcher, writer and theorist, Budhaditya's work revolves around lived experiences as well as contemplation through listening. In today's podcast I get to ask him about his life, work, and the kinds of sounds that most fascinate him, particularly during a pandemic when people are moving less and perhaps noticing one another more. Along the way we do something I love to do… remember music and films.

Legendary podcaster and esteemed political commentator Madge Weinstein returns to the program to update the gentle audience on what life is like when there are vaccines for covid but people somehow still manage to make each other sick.

Beyond the loss, the distance, and the isolation brought on by the global pandemic, Bilal Ghalib has found creative and effective ways to keep learning; about himself, his loved ones, and humans in general. He also has never stopped experimenting with ways of connecting with people or tapping into his own talents and fears. Today on the podcast, we spend the hour speaking with Bilal about his reflections over the past year, what he has figured out and what he struggles with. We tackle history and the parts of our past that are difficult to talk about or make sense of. We speak of family and the complication of distance when being the outsider /foreigner becomes a way of life. We also manage to discuss what gaming means to us, so far, with limited experience. Bilal is a very special person who has appeared on this podcast numerous times over these past two decades, and Im very thankfully to have had this time together and to be able to share it with you the listeners.

When the global pandemic broke out, Davey Brightbill was struggling to make it home to his cooperative community in Florida. In the months that followed he faced a personal health scare and the more well known shortages of PPE among first responders in his region and across the country. Now over a year into the pandemic, he is part of a network of maker spaces that rose to the occasion - providing that much needed equipment. He has also navigated, like so many senior citizens, the new world of vaccines and testing.

Back in the winter of 2016, Madhavan Pillai welcomed me with open arms and warm conversations in the mountainous tranquility of Ooty, Tamil Nadu, India. He was new to the city and we talked about the kinds of projects in art and photography that he hoped to make a reality for the community. 4 years later, Maddy’s creativity and commitment is as contageous as ever. Today on the podcast, Madhavan Pillai speaks about his experiences over these past years, and his current project called “People of India”, a project that brings together artists from around the nation, as part of the ongoing effort to decolonize photography in India. Listen and enjoy!

When you’re conerned about the state of the legislative and executive branch following a horrendous attack on congress - call Vin from Jersey, he’ll straighten us all out.

In the spirit of celebrating the holidays and spending time, virtually, with your loved ones, this holiday edition of CTRP features an interview with my nephew: Alexander Rendeiro. Since we can't be together in person, he joins me from New Jersey to discuss what his year has been like as a high school student and an avid connaisseur of music, gaming, and all things internet. But not cereal. Don't ever ask him about cereal.

Michael Schaap is a documentary maker, a voice over artist, and an arm-chair historian who I have had the pleasure of knowing for almost two decades. For the past four years he has been watching in frustration and sadness as the US and the rest of the world, walk down a dangerous path not unlike what we've seen before. Today on the podcast, an end of the year, Hanakkuh-Christmas-Kwanzaa-Festivus special looking at the glboal impact of the election in the US. And like every good holiday film, if you listen close you'll hear an inspiring message… as well as Michael's cat chewing on cables and documents. Listen and enjoy!