Bushwick Podcast

How to Spend a Million Dollars

It’s our season finale, and we’re closing out the year with a look at one of the most quietly radical movements gaining momentum in Bushwick, and across the city: a program that allows members of the community to directly determine how their tax dollars are spent. This week, we’re diving into the world of Participatory Budgeting with the office of City Council member Antonio Reynoso [https://council.nyc.gov/district-34/]. AFTER THE EPISODE: We’d like to extend our sincere thanks to Jennifer and Council member Reynoso for helping to open up Participatory Budgeting process to even more people in the community. To learn more about Participatory Budgeting across the city, head to the City Council’s PB page (https://council.nyc.gov/pb/). If you’re interested in getting involved with PB in Bushwick, you can visit the PB pages for the neighborhood’s City Councilmembers: Antonio Reynoso (https://council.nyc.gov/antonio-reynoso/pb/9/) and Rafael Espinal (https://council.nyc.gov/rafael-espinal/pb/9/).  We’d of course, also like to thank you so much for joining us this week, and throughout this season. None of this would be possible without your support. We’ll be taking a brief break before returning this Fall, with more of Bushwick’s incredible stories. But in the meantime, we’d love to know what you’re interested in hearing, and how we can do better. Get in touch by emailing us at hello@hearbushwick.com, or by DM’ing us on our instagram (https://www.instagram.com/bushwickpodcast/). We can’t wait to hear from you, and we’ll see you soon.   Bushwick Podcast is powered by Simplecast [https://simplecast.com/]. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

The Gradient Wants You

One of the key trends to emerge as Bushwick changes is the importance of space; who has it, who’s welcome in it, and what they can use it for. With rents increasing across the neighborhood, spaces where people can gather and organize are becoming rarer, and more critical—and some businesses see an opportunity to offer communities a home. This week, we sat down with the team behind a new Bushwick venue that invites anyone in the neighborhood to come, and be themselves. AFTER THE EPISODE We’d like to extend our sincere thanks to Melissa, Sheena, Chelsea, and The Gradient team for taking us behind the scenes of these early days at the venue. If you’re interested in learning more about or working with The Gradient, you can visit their website (https://www.thegradientbk.com [https://www.thegradientbk.com]), or get in touch by email (letsdrink@thegradientbk.com) or Instagram DM (https://www.instagram.com/thegradientbk/ [https://www.instagram.com/thegradientbk/]).  We’d of course, also like to thank you so much for joining us this week. We’ll be back with another story you won’t want to miss, but in the meantime, we’d love to know what you’re interested in hearing, and how we can do better. Get in touch by emailing us at hello@hearbushwick.com, or by DM’ing us on our instagram (https://www.instagram.com/bushwickpodcast/ [https://www.instagram.com/bushwickpodcast/]). We can’t wait to hear from you, and we’ll see you soon. Bushwick Podcast is powered by Simplecast [https://simplecast.com/]. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

The Battle 4 Bushwick

Few things are as consequential to the changes happening across Bushwick as zoning laws—the rules that say what can be built and where, here in the neighborhood. Today, Bushwick is being considered for what’s called a “rezoning,” the city’s formal process for changing those rules.  Everyone from city government officials to local non-profit leaders, seems to have a different opinion on what those new rules should look like. But one group in the neighborhood is attempting to stop the process altogether, before it can change the face of the community. This week, we sat down with one of the leaders behind a group fighting to take control of Bushwick’s destiny from the city’s bureaucracy, and put it into the hands of the community. AFTER THE EPISODE We’d like to extend our sincere thanks to Nancy and the Mi Casa team for sharing more about their work around one of the most consequential discussions happening in the neighborhood today. If you’re interested in getting involved with Mi Casa No Es Su Casa, or learning about how you can get involved in the broader movement around rezoning, you can get in touch by email (micasanoessucasanyc@gmail.com), or via DM on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/micasaresiste/).  We’d of course, also like to thank you so much for joining us this week. We’ll be back with another story you won’t want to miss, but in the meantime, we’d love to know what you’re interested in hearing, and how we can do better. Get in touch by emailing us at hello@hearbushwick.com, or by DM’ing us on our instagram (https://www.instagram.com/bushwickpodcast/). We can’t wait to hear from you, and we’ll see you soon. Join Heritage Radio Network on Monday, November 11th, for a raucous feast to toast a decade of food radio [https://heritageradionetwork.org/gala]. Our tenth anniversary bacchanal is a rare gathering of your favorite chefs, mixologists, storytellers, thought leaders, and culinary masterminds. We’ll salute the inductees of the newly minted HRN Hall of Fame [https://heritageradionetwork.org/halloffame/], who embody our mission to further equity, sustainability, and deliciousness. Explore the beautiful Palm House and Yellow Magnolia Café, taste and imbibe to your heart’s content, and bid on once-in-a-lifetime experiences and tasty gifts for any budget at our silent auction. Tickets available now at heritageradionetwork.org/gala [http://heritageradionetwork.org/gala]. Bushwick Podcast is powered by Simplecast [http://simplecast.com]. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

Niche, Nostalgia, and Novelty

Here in Bushwick, it’s that time of year again: Bodegas have stocked up on pumpkins, clubs are full of costumes even more spectacular than usual, and a certain spookiness fills the air. Halloween is nearly upon us.  For last year’s holiday, we met with Eugene J, the mad scientist behind Bushwick’s year-round celebration of all things sweet, surprising, and Halloweeny, the Eugene J Candy Company [https://www.eugenej.com/]. This year, we wanted to know: What’s he got in store for the neighborhood now? This week, we reconnected with Eugene at the height of the halloween season to learn more about how he satisfies Bushwick’s sweet tooth during the biggest candy celebration of the year.  AFTER THE EPISODE We’d like to extend our sincere thanks to Eugene for taking the time to open a window into his workshop, especially at the height of the Halloween season. If you want to pick up some of your own Halloween candy from Eugene J’s, you can visit the shop for yourself at 16 Wilson Ave. If you’re interested in learning more, or getting involved with the Eugene J Candy Company, you can head to their website (https://www.eugenej.com) or get in touch directly by email (hello@eugenej.com), phone (718-381-1050), or DM (https://www.instagram.com/eugenejcandyco/).  As a bonus, you can also check out Eugene J’s punk-horror-rock band, bbigpigg, at their bandcamp page (https://bbigpigg.bandcamp.com). We’d of course, also like to thank you so much for joining us this week. We’ll be back with another story you won’t want to miss, but in the meantime, we’d love to know what you’re interested in hearing, and how we can do better. Get in touch by emailing us at hello@hearbushwick.com, or by DM’ing us on our instagram (https://www.instagram.com/bushwickpodcast/). We can’t wait to hear from you, and we’ll see you soon. Join Heritage Radio Network on Monday, November 11th, for a raucous feast to toast a decade of food radio [https://heritageradionetwork.org/gala]. Our tenth anniversary bacchanal is a rare gathering of your favorite chefs, mixologists, storytellers, thought leaders, and culinary masterminds. We’ll salute the inductees of the newly minted HRN Hall of Fame [https://heritageradionetwork.org/halloffame/], who embody our mission to further equity, sustainability, and deliciousness. Explore the beautiful Palm House and Yellow Magnolia Café, taste and imbibe to your heart’s content, and bid on once-in-a-lifetime experiences and tasty gifts for any budget at our silent auction. Tickets available now at heritageradionetwork.org/gala [http://heritageradionetwork.org/gala]. Bushwick Podcast is powered by Simplecast [http://simplecast.com]. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

Improving the World Through the Lens of Food

Before each episode of Bushwick Podcast, you hear a message from an organization called Heritage Radio Network [https://heritageradionetwork.org/], or HRN. Even if that name is new for you, the organization is anything but. HRN has spent the past decade here in the neighborhood making shows like ours possible—while building one of the world’s most unique audio archives from a secret recording studio tucked inside a storage container within Roberta’s Pizza [http://robertaspizza.com/]. This week, we sit down with two of the leaders behind HRN to learn more about their work, and their mission to give important new voices a platform to reach listeners around the world.  AFTER THE EPISODE We’d like to extend our sincere gratitude to Caity and Patrick for sharing more about HRN’s history, and it’s work here in the community. To learn more about HRN, you can visit their website at https://heritageradionetwork.org [https://heritageradionetwork.org] or get in touch directly at info@heritageradionetwork.org. And if you’re interested in connecting with one of the most dynamic communities in local media, food, and audio, join us at the HRN 10 Year Anniversary Gala on November 11th at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Find out more at https://heritageradionetwork.org/gala [https://heritageradionetwork.org/gala].  We’d of course, also like to thank you so much for joining us this week. We’ll be back with another story you won’t want to miss, but in the meantime, we’d love to know what you’re interested in hearing, and how we can do better. Get in touch by emailing us at hello@hearbushwick.com, or by DM’ing us on our instagram (https://www.instagram.com/bushwickpodcast/ [https://www.instagram.com/bushwickpodcast/]). We can’t wait to hear from you, and we’ll see you soon.   Bushwick Podcast is powered by Simplecast [https://simplecast.com].     See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].