24: this leaf belongs to sassafras

25: work in progress

Some of the thoughts that host Natania Hoffman has gathered throughout the process of creating the Extra Half.

24: this leaf belongs to sassafras

A conversation with Alexis Nelson, social media manager at BARK and creator of Black Forager. We talk about the relationship between the origins of her family (Cape Verdean, Black American and Native American) and the history of race in the United States, and about what happens when tracing genealogy is not possible. Alexis also talks about the process of becoming Black Forager and how foraging, for her, is a synthesis of her parents’ cultural heritage. To support our work, visit patreon.com/theextrahalf [http://patreon.com/theextrahalf]

23: a flag on every cucumber

A conversation with Simen Fegran, German-Norwegian horn player and member of the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. We talk about the importance of understanding the past as a nation and about how patriotism is perceived in Germany, Norway, and the United States. We also talk about his experiences living in Western and Eastern Germany, his time on tour with the Gustav Mahler Youth orchestra, and about the role that the Gewandhausorchester played in the Leipzig community during the pandemic.

22: storytellers

A conversation with Rosalind Chao and Yi-Mei Templeman, mother and daughter, who were both born in the United States. Rosalind is an actress known for her roles in the Joy Luck Club, Mulan (2020), Star Trek, The Laundromat, Freaky Friday, among others; Yi-Mei is a cellist and founding member of Trio Gaia who additionally explores dimensions of music making such as singing, playing, strumming, composing, arranging, and improvising. We talk about their cultural ties to the USA, China, and England and about the importance of the performing arts as a means of connecting people, genres, stories, and experiences.

21: you’re meant to be in music

A conversation with Harriet Langley, violinist. Harriet is Korean and Australian, and lived in several other countries including Belgium and the United States. We talk about the role musicians can play in the world, about learning violin in different languages and contexts, navigating race and gender across cultures, and about learning to fit in - or not - in her countries of heritage. And at the end we enter a topic that, while tangential, is important to both of us: pescetarianism, vegetarianism, and the influence of what we eat on the world. To support our work, visit patreon.com/theextrahalf [http://patreon.com/theextrahalf]