Send us a text College campuses across the United States are filled with a vast array of clubs and organizations that can serve a range of purposes from filling students downtime with amusement to encouraging scenarios that sculpt leaders of the future. College political party clubs provide an outlet for young politicos to engage with each other, the student body, the general public, media and elected officials, and they provide an interesting portal to understand where political ideologies and ...
Apr 30, 2019•42 min•Season 1Ep. 95
Send us a text Joe Wilson, Jr. is a theatrical actor and activist, who is Coordinator Of Activism Through Performance and Resident Acting Company Member with Providence’s Trinity Repertory Company, described as "one of the most respected regional theatres in the country" Our conversation included Mr. Wilson’s journey as an artist and political activist, including his origins in the deep south, and stints in New York City. However, the core of our discussion focused on many critical social justic...
Apr 26, 2019•49 min•Season 1Ep. 94
Send us a text There’s no question that economies of the future will be strengthened by, and eventually depend on a broad, multilingual workforce and pool of innovators. Simultaneously, today, many people are unable to access educational and other developmental opportunities because of their lack of command of English, and are left out of the field of potential contributors to an improved economy. From various European explorers, to its formative roots as a colony, and through its tenure in stat...
Apr 23, 2019•35 min•Season 1Ep. 93
Send us a text Stephen Smith is a West Virginia gubernatorial candidate, who has built a people-powered political and social movement in West Virginia which seeks to overtake the state’s gouvernement from the hands of what they describe as the ‘Good Ol’ Boys” club that has long-controlled the state’s political might. What sets Mr. Smith apart from conventional political candidates, though, is his championing of a state-wide organized opposition movement, dubbed West Virginia Can’t Wait . The mov...
Apr 19, 2019•30 min•Season 1Ep. 92
Send us a text Scott MacKay is a political analyst for The Public’s Radio, the NPR affiliate that covers Rhode Island and southeastern, Massachusetts through a variety of terrestrial and digital platforms. Our conversation touched on Scott’s storied, multi-decade career in journalism, including covering then-Burlington, Vermont mayor Bernie Sanders, time spent at The Providence Journal and transitioning to radio. We touched on all sorts of elements of Rhode Island history, politics, media and ar...
Apr 16, 2019•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 91
Send us a text Kathleen Pletcher is the Executive Artistic Director of FirstWorks, a Providence-based arts performance and educational non-profit, which she founded in 2004 on the heels of her work overseeing the highly successful First Night Providence.. FirstWorks has produced dozens of events in Rhode Island across a wide spectrum of multimedia art, and are partner in the ever-expanding PVDFest, now entering its fifth year. The Bartholomewtown Podcast was awarded a producer’s grant for this y...
Apr 12, 2019•42 min•Season 1Ep. 90
Send us a text Peter Neronha is only a few months into his first term as Rhode Island Attorney General, but has already introduced several key policy and procedural changes, spanning from drug-related penalties to opening lines of communication between the public and the AG’s Office. Our conversation examined The General’s proposed new drug policies, which would reclassify many simple possession charges from a felony to a misdemeanor, amongst other shifts that would further refocus addiction as ...
Apr 09, 2019•39 min•Season 1Ep. 89
Send us a text John Marion is the Executive Director of Common Cause Rhode Island, a nonpartisan public interest organization that was founded in 1970, and whose mission is to quote promote representative democracy by ensuring open, ethical, accountable, effective government processes at local, state and national levels by educating and mobilizing the citizens of Rhode Island. During our wide-ranging conversation, John and I discussed several pressing issues facing Rhode Islanders, including the...
Apr 05, 2019•43 min•Season 1Ep. 88
Send us a text Mike Raia is well-known to Rhode Islanders as the former Director of Communications for Governor Gina Raimondo. He has built an impressive resume as a government, political, media and brand communications strategist. He recently announced that he was joining NAIL, a boutique communications firm, and heading up a new PR wing of the outlet, based in Providence, RI. Our conversation touched on Mike’s experience as a comm professional, changes in the media and public relations landsca...
Apr 02, 2019•45 min•Season 1Ep. 87
Send us a text Alan Rosenberg is a veteran journalist and editor in the southern New England market who is currently posted as the Executive Editor of the region’s legacy newspaper, The Providence Journal. In a era dominated by evolving consumer news, broad media and spending habits, I was curious about Mr. Rosenberg’s approach to moving The Journal forward with new financial and content strategies, while retaining the credibility and hard-news-first approach the paper has been known to produce ...
Mar 29, 2019•33 min•Season 1Ep. 86
Send us a text The Rhode Island Democratic Party has solidly been in control of Rhode Island politics for decades, with members currently occupying all statewide and federal elected positions, as well as a dominant segment of the state’s bicameral General Assembly. However, in recent years, more and more attention has been paid to some of the widespread ideological makeup and differences within the state party and how that diversity is represented in leadership positions and legislative activity...
Mar 26, 2019•36 min•Season 1Ep. 85
Send us a text Rhode Island has a vast and storied history of producing original and long lasting musical artists. From Providence’s position in the international lineage of noise and hip hop, to the post-punk and blues legacy bands out of Newport and South County, to northwest Rhode Island’s folk and country pool, and the East Bay’s position as a mecca of interesting ideas, The Ocean State has served as both a practical and inspiring homebase for many musical movements. At once an insular music...
Mar 22, 2019•58 min•Season 1Ep. 84
Send us a text James Langevin is The United States Representative for the 2nd Congressional District, a post he has held since 2001. Langevin served in several key roles in state government before his election to Congress, where he is a member of the House Armed Services and Homeland Security Committees. A legacy figure in Rhode Island, and beyond, Congressman Langevin is the first quadriplegic to serve in Congress, and became the first quadriplegic appointed Speaker Pro Tempore during the 116th...
Mar 19, 2019•29 min•Season 1Ep. 83
Send us a text Rebecca Webber is a Rhode Island native and graduate of Connecticut College and The London School of Economics. She returned to Rhode Island committed to public policy and economic development, most recently serving as Chief of Staff to the President and CEO of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island. Rebecca and I met last year and have had several excellent discussions about RI’s past, present and future, so I’m very glad we were finally able to schedule a pod taping. Lots ...
Mar 15, 2019•54 min•Season 1Ep. 82
Send us a text Jim Taricani is a retired investigative reporter, well known for his work at WJAR NBC 10, where he founded the station’s I-Team. He served a sentence of six months of home confinement for refusing a court order to divulge a source related to his work on the federal investigation into then Providence, Rhode Island mayor Buddy Cianci. Throughout his career, Taricani created a distinct brand of broadcast investigative reporting and, along with late Pulitzer Prize winner Jack White, i...
Mar 12, 2019•45 min•Season 1Ep. 81
Send us a text The Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation oversees many key industries that vary from real estate appraisal to the state’s medical marijuana program. In recent times, DBR has been at the forefront of local conversation, as an evolving stream of emerging industries make their way into Rhode Island’s economy. Recent legislation that legalized sports betting, including mobile sports betting, indications that Rhode Island is moving towards cannabis reclassification and the em...
Mar 08, 2019•27 min•Season 1Ep. 80
Send us a text On this episode: a discussion between key stakeholders at the ground level of the extraordinary fight against homelessness in Rhode Island, The Reverend Jack Jones of Mathewson Street Church and House of Hope’s Megan Smith. Providence, Rhode Island has been consistently noted for widespread the economic disparity of its population, most recently appearing as the 5th most such city area in the country. While somewhat skewed by the presence of a typically short-staying, elite class ...
Mar 05, 2019•53 min•Season 1Ep. 79
Send us a text Brian Newberry is a member of The Rhode Island House of Representatives from the 48th district, encompassing North Smithfield and portions of Burrillville in northern Rhode Island. As a Republican who has been in office since 2009, Newberry has had a first-hand look at how the mechanics and procedures of The House can stifle potential legislation that may seem to have broad political will, but may never come before the full body for a vote. The Rhode Island House has three distinc...
Mar 01, 2019•22 min•Season 1Ep. 78
Send us a text Rhode Island has a rich and impressive history, extending back through a network of native tribes, early European exploration and a longstanding position as a hub of independent, secular and empathetic thought in the New World. From key events like the post-King Philip's War era, to the burning of the Gaspee in Pawtuxet harbor, to enactment of The Bill of Rights, the triangle trade, to The Dorr Rebellion, The Industrial Revolution, and its modern day position as a state on the ver...
Feb 26, 2019•39 min•Season 1Ep. 77
Send us a text In this special roundtable episode, Bill Bartholomew discusses the state of Rhode Island arts with leadership from three key stakeholders: AS220 Executive Director Shauna Duffy, Rhode Island State Council on the Arts Executive Director Randy Rosenbaum and The Columbus Theatre's Shawn Schiillberg http://www.ass220.org https://risca.online https://columbustheatre.com Support the show...
Feb 22, 2019•35 min•Season 1Ep. 76
Send us a text Joseph Paolino Jr. is a prominent Providence-based developer, who oversees Paolino Properties, operating an impressive slice of the capital city’s real estate. Paolino served as the 33rd mayor of Providence and as The United State Ambassador to Malta from 1994 - 1996. Support the show...
Feb 19, 2019•33 min•Season 1Ep. 75
Send us a text Travis Escobar was recently appointed to The Providence School Board by Mayor Jorge Elorza, is the founder of award-winning organization Millennial RI and also works for The United Way. Our conversation focused on Travis’ vision for reshaping Providence’s future through educational practices and new ideas. Support the show...
Feb 15, 2019•37 min•Season 1Ep. 74
Send us a text On this episode I speak with a roundtable of Rhode Island environmental experts in light of the most recent report from the Executive Committee on Climate Change, or EC4, which the panel universally agree shows that, when it comes to the state’s collective carbon footprint, implementation and enforcement of many of the key policies already on the books is lagging significantly. With much attention paid of late to The New Green Deal on the national level, I wanted to further examin...
Feb 12, 2019•47 min•Season 1Ep. 73
Send us a text The City of Pawtucket, Rhode Island sits in the northern portion of the state on the Massachusetts border, ostensibly serving as transition point between the urban Providence-metro area and rural Northwest, Rhode Island. The city has a storied history, often connected to the Blackstone River, which flows mightily through Pawtucket, once powering Samuel Slater and other’s Industrial Revolution. But in recent months, Pawtucket has seemingly been dealt a series of unfortunate industr...
Feb 08, 2019•44 min•Season 1Ep. 72
Send us a text Reverend Donnie Anderson is a Rhode Island spiritual, social and intellectual leader, who in recent years has outwardly transitioned from man to woman. During our compelling conversation, Reverend Anderson spoke of her own experiences on her journey towards self-actualization. We also discussed some of the specific challenges that marginalized people confront, including systemic issues within the generally-progressive New England region. FOLLOW THE BARTHOLOMEWTOWN PODCAST ON INSTA...
Feb 05, 2019•35 min•Season 1Ep. 71
Send us a text Providence’s Roger Williams Park Zoo has consistently been recognized as a leading zoological institution, as well as regional tourism magnet. But with increased scrutiny being placed on animal captivity, I sat down with Roger Williams’ Executive Director, Dr. Jeremy Goodman, for a wide-ranging conversation about the his operation’s conservation, rehabilitation and educational work, captive animal management practices and the role that the zoo serves in Rhode Island communities. I...
Feb 01, 2019•30 min•Season 1Ep. 70
Send us a text Democrat Jorge Elorza was overwhelmingly re-elected to a second term as mayor of Providence this past November. Our conversation focused on the mayor’s backstory and experiences, and how they inform his decision making process and policy priorities. Support the show...
Jan 29, 2019•33 min•Season 1Ep. 69
Send us a text A roundtable discussion about Rhode Island’s future with Rhode Island Representative Mike Chippendale (R) and Providence-based activist / performer / political commentator Nika Lomazzo. This panel features two vocal leaders within Rhode Island’s political ecosystem that oftentimes present differing positions. But as we discovered through our nearly hour-long discussion, when it comes to many of the key issues affecting Rhode Island’s future, many similar, core concerns are shared ...
Jan 25, 2019•58 min•Season 1Ep. 68
Send us a text Kasim Yarn is Rhode Island’s first Director of Veteran Affairs, a position that was raised to cabinet level in 2016. In his role as Director, Kasim oversees several key initiatives, such as Rhode Island Veterans Resource Center, Rhode Island Veterans Home, Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery, serving as a connector between the state and Rhode Island’s 61,000+ veterans. His broader impact as a publicly visible member of the Raimondo administration - from his hands-on work with ...
Jan 22, 2019•27 min•Season 1Ep. 67
Send us a text James Diossa was re-elected as Mayor of Central Falls, RI in 2016, after rising to Mayoral status in 2012 at the age of 27. In 2018, Mayor Diossa was also named President of The Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns, a testament to the work he has done as leader of a municipality in the midst of recovery from a near economic collapse. Diossa’s tenure as Mayor of Central Falls overlapped with the city emerging from bankruptcy, and he has been gradually working to guide the Centra...
Dec 21, 2018•22 min•Season 1Ep. 66
