Join us as we celebrate the publication of Grit and Gravity, volume 11 of the Grace and Gravity series, a series dedicated to women writers in the DC area. Christina Tudor and Cynthia Via are two of the excellent writers in the series. (and are both alums of the DC Public Library writers workshops). We chat briefly with Melissa Scholes Young, the editor of the series. As part of a new spot on writers and their jobs and the business of writing, we talk to OF Cieri. Credits Dream Pop by HoliznaCC0...
Jun 11, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 104
This month we have local writers Austin Ross and Joey Hedger, both with books out with Malarkey Books. We also have Alan Good, editor of Malarkey Books, who has published a slew of DC writers. Credits Java Pop by Spires That in the Sunset Rise is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License . https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Spires_That_in_the_Sunset_Rise/Curse_the_Traced_Bird/Java_Pop/ Washington, DC by The Nighttime Adventure Society is licensed under a At...
Apr 10, 2025•49 min•Ep. 103
***From 2019*** In this episode, host Victor Benitez interviews Jean Badalamenti, Health & Human Services Coordinator for the DC Public Library and Peer Outreach Specialists Jerome and Renee to talk about about the library's role in assisting DC's most vulnerable and at-risk residents.
Mar 19, 2025•43 min•Ep. 102
Join as Margaret Roberts Drucker returns with another scary story, Chris makes a soothing song for these troubling times, and Ivy Grimes reads her piece about someone swallowing a glass piano. Credits Re-Function! by junior85 is licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License. Life’s Small Pleasures by Christopher Stevenson: DC Metro - Interior 1 by crashoveride6 is licensed under CC0 https://freesound.org/people/crashoverride6/sounds/219233/ Baby Girl 1 year old - Coos, Gurgles, Drops Toys by Sauron...
Mar 12, 2025•46 min•Ep. 101
In this episode Carla Wills and Negest Rucker joins host Olubunmi Bakare to discuss their family connections to slavery in Maryland and the Catholic Church. Recommended books related to this episode: The 272 : the families who were enslaved and sold to build the American Catholic Church / Rachel L. Swarns. The ledger and the chain : how domestic slave traders shaped America / Joshua D. Rothman Slavery and freedom on the middle ground : Maryland during the nineteenth century / Barbara Jeanne Fiel...
Feb 19, 2025•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 100
In this episode, we revisit the reading of Reverend Martin Luther King’s 1963 "Letter From A Birmingham Jail". It was performed annually as a staged reading in the Great Hall of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library prior to the library's renovation. Today, we continue that tradition in virtual form, blending voices familiar and new, including DC Public Library staff and community members.
Jan 21, 2025•50 min•Ep. 99
Join us with the opening episode of the year as we join local writers Hannah Grieco and Rose Solari as we discuss writing, teaching, and running a small press in Washington, DC. Credits: Java Pop by Spires That in the Sunset Rise is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Spires_That_in_the_Sunset_Rise/Curse_the_Traced_Bird/Java_Pop/ Washington, DC by The Nighttime Adventure Society is licensed under a Attribution-NonCo...
Jan 14, 2025•56 min•Ep. 97
In celebration of Go Go preservation week at the DC Public Library, Montu Mitchell joins host Olubunmi Bakare to discuss his Love DC Go Go clothing campaign and its connection to the culture of Washington, DC. Music by BOPD elevator by BOPD is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Nov 27, 2024•38 min•Ep. 96
In this episode DC based writer Kristi Ferguson discusses writing, growing up in Brazil and the DC writing scene. Also joining the podcast is Baltimore based writer Stephanie Parent. She talks about sex work and her memoir My Dungeon Love Affair. Credits: Start to Finish by C. Scott is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/C_Scott/Stage_Theory_Beats_vol_3/CScott_-_Stage_Theory_Beats_vol_3_-_03_Start_to_Finish1/ Afrikaans by C. Scott is licensed...
Sep 04, 2024•47 min•Ep. 95
*Original air date: January 29, 2020.*Paul Coates is owner and operator of Black Classic Press, one of the oldest Black publishing companies in the U.S. He joins host Olubunmi Bakare to discuss his life, publishing company and how books shaped his life.
Aug 20, 2024•43 min•Ep. 94
Join us for our August episode, featuring interviews with George Mason Professor Michael Don and DC Library worker and poet Jessica Harris. Also, the bulk of the music on this episode comes from C. Scott's album Beats Vol. 3, a trip hop album in CCO, often used in tween games. Credits What A Beautiful Sunset is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 https://soundcloud.com/user-659340737/what-a-beautiful-sunset Steak Fingers by C. Scott is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Li...
Aug 07, 2024•42 min•Ep. 93
Credits: Dark Ambient Music (Death And Forever) by TheBoseDeity is licensed under the Attribution NonCommercial 3.0 License. https://freesound.org/people/TheBoseDeity/sounds/395691/ DC Metro - Interior 1 by crashoveride6 is license under CC0 https://freesound.org/people/crashoverride6/sounds/219233/ Washington, DC by The Nighttime Adventure Society is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 International License. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/The_Nighttime_Adventure_Societ...
Jul 02, 2024•43 min•Ep. 92
Join us as we explore what librarians and libraries do. Did you know for example that you can read The Paris Review on PressReader if you have a library card? Also, keeping in theme, we hear from Takoma Park librarians, Writer and Adult Librarian George Koors about his novel Always the Wanderer, and writer LJ Pemberton, whose acclaimed novel Still Alive is in our digital collection. Credits Dream Pop by HoliznaCC0 is licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/...
Jun 04, 2024•48 min•Ep. 91
In this episode, host Olubunmi Bakare speaks with Kamau Sadiki. Kamau is a Board of Directors member and Lead Instructor with Diving With A Purpose (DWP), an organization committed to resurrecting the stories of shipwrecks involved in the Transatlantic Era of African Enslavement (TEAE) through maritime archaeology. They discuss his mission to find and document vessels of enslavement. "DESCENDANT" a must-see documentary about the Clotilda descendants now streaming on Netflix https://www.youtube.c...
Feb 22, 2024•55 min•Ep. 90
In this epsiode, we tackle Cryptocurrency with guest Adam Zarazinski. Adam is the CEO of Inca Digital, a local Veteran-owned and run company that helps businesses understand and use Cryptocurrency and related technologies. In our interview, Adam breaks down cryptocurrency- what it is, how it works, how to avoid crypto scams, and more. Have you been the victim of a crypto scam? Inca Digital is collecting data on crypto scams and wants to hear from you- email info@inca.digital to connect....
Feb 15, 2024•42 min•Ep. 89
credits: swirling winter wind gusty grains sand.flac by Kyles is licensed under the CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication license. https://freesound.org/people/kyles/sounds/454213/ Arctic by Sonically Sound is licensed under the Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 License. https://freesound.org/people/sonically_sound/sounds/612871/ Hand Bells, Low-C, Single.wav by Inspector J is licensed under the Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 License. https://freesound.org/people/InspectorJ/sounds/3398...
Jan 16, 2024•26 min•Ep. 88
Join us as we explore the winter holiday season. We hear from writers Kim Renay Anderson and Rev. Veronica Graves, listen to the ending of The Dead by James Joyce and ruminate over what it is that’s so important about these days. Is it just the food? Is it the religious aspects? Is it family? What is it? Credits The Lass of Aughrim. Traditional. Performed by Christopher Stevenson. Performance is in the Public Domain. The Dead by James Joyce. Public Domain. Performed by Christopher Stevenson. Hum...
Nov 29, 2023•53 min•Ep. 87
In this episode Erin Garnaas-Holmes lead climate adaptation planner with the District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment's Urban Sustainability Administration joins host Olubunmi Bakare to discuss climate change and the effects it will have on the District. Bus Stop by HoliznaCC0 is licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License. https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ Website dclibrary.org Social @dcpubliclibrary on Instagram @dcpl on X...
Nov 08, 2023•35 min•Ep. 85
Get Lit with Halloween this year as we take a look at why people like scary stories, then hear an eerie story from local writer Margaret Roberts Drucker and listen to a poems from Adelaide Crapsey and Anne Boleyn. Credits Halloween Episode Horror Background Atmosphere For Suspenseful Moments by UNIVERSFIELD Is licensed under 4.0 DEED Attribution 4.0 International https://freesound.org/people/UNIVERSFIELD/sounds/702870/ Howling by PhonosUPF is licensed under CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Dom...
Oct 31, 2023•40 min•Ep. 84
In our third episode of "What the Tech", we learn about Extended Reality (which includes Virtual and Augmented Reality) from local expert Joseph Cathey of Capitol Interactive. We discuss what it is, some examples of how it's being used locally for education and art, and where it might be going in the future.
Oct 25, 2023•45 min•Ep. 83
Credits: Ambience, Nightlife by Inspector J is licensed under the Attribution 4.0 License. https://freesound.org/people/InspectorJ/sounds/352514/ Blind Haitian singer on Place Boyer (Petillon Ville, Port au Prince) by Felix.Blume is licensed under the Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 License. https://freesound.org/people/felix.blume/sounds/396104/ Bucket Drummer by Logan Circle2 is licensed under CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication https://freesound.org/s/454637/ Dark Scary Castle,...
Sep 28, 2023•33 min•Ep. 82
In our second episode of "What the Tech", we talk about Chat GPT, the Artificial Intelligence-powered chat service. We learn a bit about what it is, how to use it, what to use it for, and some of its pros and cons.
Sep 06, 2023•20 min•Ep. 81
In the Real World History program, DC high school students study the Great Migration by reading The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson and conducting oral history interviews with people who came to the DC region as part of the Migration. Listen to a series of clips from the 2022-2023 cohort of Real World History curated by two of the student oral historians, Maya Schindler and Naomi Fraser-Jones. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------...
Jul 11, 2023•52 min•Ep. 80
In our first episode of “What the Tech”, we’re starting with the basics, passwords. They’re something that we all have to use and often forget, so we’ll get into why we have to use them, how to make good ones that you won’t forget, and what’s next in the world of passwords.
Jun 14, 2023•25 min•Ep. 79
In this episode, host Olubunmi Bakare is joined by Ana Ka'ahanui and Stella Tarnay, founders of Capital Nature and Forest Health and Community Outreach Specialist, Kasey Yturralde of the DC Department of Transportation's Urban Forestry Division. They discuss exploring and learning about the natural environment in Washington, DC and the surrounding area. ************************************************************************************************************************************ Links to pr...
Apr 21, 2023•44 min•Ep. 78
In honor of Women's History Month, author, professional archivist and historian Dr Ida Jones joins host Olubunmi Bakare to discuss her work , Mary McLeod Bethune in Washington, DC : Activism and Education in Logan Circle. Jones also discusses her role as a part of the Women's Suffrage National Monument Foundation . ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more information on the Women's Suffrage Nationa...
Mar 22, 2023•37 min•Ep. 77
**From 2018**On this episode of DCPL Presents, we sit down with Carolyn Becker, digital communications manager of Goodwill Greater Washington and founder of the popular Instagram account, DC Vegan Life. With a passion for sustainable living and tasty vegan treats, Caroyln explores how she uses social media to create community, promote sustainability, and ways you can, too!
Mar 08, 2023•44 min•Ep. 76
In this episode Janet Sims-Wood, author of Dorothy Porter Wesley at Howard University: Building a Legacy of Black History, joins host Olubunmi Bakare to discuss the life and legacy of Dorothy Porter Wesley. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chilling by Alex-Productions was used in this episode. Lo-Fi Chill Hip Hop | Chilling by Alex-Productions | https://youtu.be/y_ShwSq40G8 Music promoted by http://...
Feb 24, 2023•33 min•Ep. 75
In this episode Olubunmi Bakare is joined by by activists Nadine Seiler and Karen Irwin along with archivists Aliza Leventhal and Laura Farley to discuss their mission to preserve artifacts from the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in Washington, DC. Link to Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence Artifact Collection https://www.dclibrary.org/node/69429 **************************************************************************************************************************************** Chills by Hol...
Jan 18, 2023•43 min•Ep. 74
In this episode Olubunmi Bakare interviews Adebayo "De' De' " Folarin . De' De' is a comedian, DC Public Library Technician and vocalist for the Washington, DC based Go-Go band, Rare Essence. He discuses his life growing up in Washington, DC and how he became a multi-talented entertainer. ************************************************************************************************************************************** Link to wild turkey attacking woman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7VZECe...
Dec 21, 2022•36 min•Ep. 73
