Bending The River

Alexander Warren and Je’Miyah Suggs with Trinity City Arts

To truly reach people, stories can’t just be told—they have to be shareable, teachable, and actionable for every age. Trinity City Arts began in 2014 with a simple goal: make the tools of storytelling and civic engagement accessible to kids, teens, parents, and elders alike. What started as a community play about policing and neighborhood safety has grown into a hands-on “artivism” lab, where theater—and now comics—become entry points for reading, writing, drawing, and speaking up together. Today, their North Star is unchanged: young people must be seen and heard. In this conversation, we meet two of those voices—Trinity City Arts interns and Issue #2 writers Alexander Warren and Je’Miyah Suggs, both now college sophomores. They came to the project through 826 New Orleans, carrying different strengths. Alex is a lifelong comics fan who began writing seriously during COVID, turning dyslexia into a source of clarity and purpose. Je’Miyah is a poet whose teachers pushed her to share her work publicly, discovering along the way a vocation for community-rooted storytelling. Together, they’re learning the craft—and the collaboration—behind building a world: shaping character voices, working with artists, and translating the music, beauty, and hard truths of New Orleans into panels where young readers can see themselves.

Joshua Starkman

Smiling back at you from the other side of the algorithm comes the rhythm and charm of Joshua Starkman. Blake sits down with Joshua to talk about moving to the city, diving into the music scene head first, and the evolution of a tiny, tiny deck concert.

Bob Murrell

Blake gets a chance to chat with Bob Murrell. Bob is a Comedian, Aspiring Politician, and all-around Well Read Do-gooder.

Melissa Martin

Blake sits with chef, author, and super mom Melissa Martin for a chat about her background, being a writer, and love for coastal Louisiana.

Nick Slie

Blake gets a chance to sit down and interview theater art director, educator, and speaker Nick Slie.