Creating A Dream w/ A.J. Ampadu (aka P.So the Earthtone King)

Taking Time with Fresh Daily

Fresh Daily is a Brooklyn born and bred emcee based in Oakland, who recently released an album with Paris-based producer DJ Parental called “These Things Take Time.” The album is the first of new music he’s released since his return from an eight year hiatus. During that time away from making music, he put more energy into himself. He moved from New York City to Oakland where his life seemed to bloom in a way that New York, and perhaps, the pursuit of music would not allow. Fresh and I go back, and from afar I’ve watched his life transform. So I invited him on to catch up and talk about it. We discuss the album, the move, the hiatus, time, and more. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thruthis.substack.com [https://thruthis.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

The Man on Fire: filmmaker Khary Saeed Jones and his documentary "Night Fight"

Filmmaker Khary Saeed Jones’ documentary Night Fight [https://youtu.be/MNOlNceoBeo?si=ctGEk2OnEvkNeR4E] offers us an opportunity to examine how racism produces various forms of violence that can seem isolated, random, or even benign to the uninitiated. In this episode, we dig in to how a disturbing encounter in rural Canada affected Jones and inspired his deeply personal project. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thruthis.substack.com [https://thruthis.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Working with Imagination with Miriam Tinberg

I’ve been following Miriam Tinberg (miriam_tinny [https://www.instagram.com/miriam_tinny/?hl=en]) on Instagram for some time. Her posts touch on a range of topics that get at the quirky parts of life where the language isn’t quite flushed out. With more than 160,000 followers on TikTok and Instagram, she shares podcast episodes, articles on just her thoughts on things like texting styles, friends to discuss poop with, and the nuances of work. In January 2024, Miriam quit her job to pursue a life that better aligned with her values. And she’s been sharing the process of making a way for herself on her own terms. We recorded this episode in June, at a time when I was transitioning between jobs and thinking deeply about my own relationship with work. Every so often there’s an interview that feels light and natural that it feels like grabbing a drink with an old friend. This was one of those interview. Almost as soon as we logged into the session we were off to the races. So, I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I did making it. If so, make sure to check out Miriam’s Substack “Open in a New Tab [https://openinanewtab.substack.com/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAafug8Zrcb88NKghqsJ0gVhJ4zQqf2NeT5yYN2-j3oFZVXgJIVO8eYT1rue-Bg_aem_R8zkH_V2WtOzyKoSgUYuUg].” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thruthis.substack.com [https://thruthis.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Creating A Dream w/ A.J. Ampadu (aka P.So the Earthtone King)

This episode features A.J. Ampadu aka P.So the Earthtone King, a comic book writer and publisher, and my good friend. He and I used to rap together in a crew of incredible emcees, and DJs/producers in NYC during the aughts. After years of time and effort, music as a self-sustaining career didn’t quite pan out for most of us, but we still manage to stay connected to our creativity, nonetheless. For A.J. that energy led to the creation of his own comic book company and a dream gig as a writer for Valiant Comics. I had a good time catching up with my old friend as he talked to me about how his creative drive has gotten him thru. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thruthis.substack.com [https://thruthis.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Episode 2: The Art of Journalism with Arielle Gray

Arielle Gray [https://www.wbur.org/inside/staff/arielle-gray] is an arts reporter for WBUR, an NPR station in Boston, where I used to work. We were still co-workers when I asked Ari to be my first guest for a conversation about journalism. Ari’s a Boston native, from the neighborhood of Mattapan [https://www.wbur.org/the-common/2023/09/13/mattapan-boston-food-field-guide], who works hard to cover her community with the care and respect traditional media tends to lack when covering people of color. In fact, she received a community service award [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7338180638677651456/] for her work some time after we recorded this. For this episode, we learn about how she got her start, why she views journalism as art, and how she sees her future in the industry. Much of Ari’s work delves into the history of Boston’s Black history. One of my favorite stories [https://www.wbur.org/news/2024/03/01/boston-women-black-panther-party-stephen-shames-photography] from her involves Ari tracking down two sisters captured and unnamed in a photo featured in an exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts. It’s definitely worth a read or listen if you want to learn more about her work [https://www.wbur.org/inside/staff/arielle-gray]. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thruthis.substack.com [https://thruthis.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]