Having a meal with family and friends can be an experience of deep connectedness — or a table full of landmines. We’re jugging not only sensitive topics, but sensitive stomachs, palates and dietary choices. Your best friend is gluten-free, your brother’s boyfriend is lactose-intolerant, and your uncle only eats meat. It can make for a tricky menu! Most of us are only one degree of separation from someone who identifies as some kind of vegetarian. In this episode, we bring to the table Nashvillia...
Aug 18, 2022•51 min
Note: This episode originally aired on March 14. Scouring the racks at a secondhand store is a time-honored way to score stylish clothes on the cheap in Middle Tennessee. But the best bargains are getting more difficult to come by as goods are snatched up and sold under a different category: vintage. Sometimes, the markup can be eye-popping, so high-quality clothes or last season’s designer duds are out of reach for thrifters. The guests discuss the differences between vintage and thrift stores,...
Aug 17, 2022•51 min
Peer support is a term you might hear in mental health, disease, and addiction recovery work. The idea is really what it sounds like: support provided by people who have “been there, done that” and are still walking the walk. So how does it work exactly? What is the process like to become a peer? And what does that support feel like for people in active recovery? Today, we hear from folks who have been on both sides of the table. But first, we catch up with Tennessee Lookout reporter Jamie Satte...
Aug 16, 2022•51 min
Thousands of revelers crowded East Nashville’s Five Points area over the weekend for the annual Tomato Art Fest. It’s also peak tomato season in Tennessee. Restaurants are dreaming up new treatments, home cooks are concocting everything from simple sandwiches to cabinets full of canned tomatoes to keep the flavor going through the winter. From farms to backyard gardens, everyone’s favorite fruit that’s really a vegetable (or is it the other way around?) is popping up everywhere. So let’s talk ab...
Aug 15, 2022•51 min
Baseball is traditionally a male-dominated sport. However, throughout the history of the game there have been women players, coaches, managers and journalists fighting to make space for themselves and others – including here in Tennessee. Friday marks the debut of Amazon’s new series, A League of Their Own , which follows the journey of the All-American Professional Girls Baseball League during World War II. We’re starting off by talking about the series with cast member Saidah Arrika Ekulona. T...
Aug 12, 2022•51 min
In every part of the world, across cultures and throughout history, textiles have been used to make and share art. It’s flexible and able to take the form of quilting, weaving, printmaking or sewing. The art form has been passed down through generations, and its purpose ranges from decorative to utilitarian to revolutionary. In this episode, we’ll hear from local artists and researchers to learn about the strong presence of textile arts in Tennessee. What’s it like being a textile artist right n...
Aug 11, 2022•51 min
Since the reversal of Roe v. Wade , there’s been a major uptick in public discussion about sexual assault and how the Supreme Court decision will impact survivors. In this episode, we’re talking about what sexual assault prevention looks like in Nashville and what resources are available to survivors. We’ll start by speaking with two survivors about their experiences, including how they processed their trauma and what they want people to know about survivors of sexual assault. We’ll also talk ab...
Aug 10, 2022•51 min
A “second sanctuary” — that’s how one of our guests describes her barbershop because these places are about much more than cutting hair. They’re about community. Barbers can take the role of a counselor, even a parent, to their customers. The shop is a place were conversations flow and don’t shy away from religion and politics. At the same time, another guest says barbershops are “the segregated picture of America.” In this episode, we talk straight as a razor about the role of barbershops in ou...
Aug 09, 2022•51 min
Director Robert Altman’s Nashville premiered in Nashville on August 8, 1975. The film was already doing well in New York and elsewhere, but even before then, before it even hit theaters, legendary New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael dubbed it “the funniest epic vision of America ever to reach the screen.” Nashville would go on to gross about $10 million in the U.S. and was nominated for five Academy Awards, including best picture and best director. Keith Carradine’s ballad “I’m Easy” took home t...
Aug 08, 2022•51 min
It’s back-to-school season! Big box stores have put out special school supplies displays, and the airwaves are full of commercials for backpacks, clothes and markers. It’s a pretty familiar phenomenon, but it’s also impossible to deny that a lot has changed about education over the past few years, from the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic to new laws that impact what can be taught in the classroom. What is this time of year — this year — like for Middle Tennessee’s teachers? To learn more, we'r...
Aug 05, 2022•51 min
From getting lucky at first bid to being priced out over and over again … well, first-time homebuyers are in for an adventure in Middle Tennessee. In this episode, we meet Nashville residents who’ve had vastly different experiences buying homes over the last year. We’ll talk house-flipping, gentrification and interest rates. We’ll also hear from a real estate agent who can tell us what we’ve seen the last few years, debunk some rumors and tell us where the housing market might be heading in the ...
Aug 04, 2022•51 min
Nashville is a party city, full of honky-tonks, cherished bars and good old Tennessee whiskey. Pedal taverns and party buses fill the streets, while music venues are stocked with drinks. It’s hard to imagine what it’s like to go out in this city when you can’t, or choose not to, drink. But that’s the reality for many Nashville residents. In this episode, we’ll be joined by people who have made the decision to not drink. What did their decisions mean for their social lives and their careers? Then...
Aug 03, 2022•51 min
Huntington’s disease is a rare genetic neurological disorder that can impact everything from a person’s ability to move to their memory and can cause psychiatric disorders, like depression. For many, it’s fatal, and there’s a 50% chance that the biological child of a parent with Huntington’s will inherit the disease. Yet, there is still hope. Vanderbilt University Medical Center is home to one of the nation’s leading clinics for Huntington’s disease. It this hour, we’ll hear from Tennesseans wit...
Aug 02, 2022•51 min
Bookstores are exactly what their name implies, but they’re so much more than that. They are vital spaces where people go not only to find and buy books, but to encounter new ideas, meet fellow readers and build community. Even so, a decade ago, with the rise of online retail and e-books, the local independent bookstore was widely considered a dying breed. And many of them did die off, including the beloved Davis-Kidd in Green Hills. Whether or not you call it a comeback, the bookstore scene in ...
Aug 01, 2022•51 min
What makes Nashville laugh? Where are the best places in town to catch a comedy show? What is it like to be a comedian in Music City? To answer these questions and more, we’re joined by a panel of local comedians, producers, and booking managers. They’ll share their experiences on stage, and give us some insight into what it takes to put together a show. The start the show, we’ll be joined by journalist Radley Balko to discuss his Nashville Scene report on Nashville Code enforcement and how its ...
Jul 29, 2022•51 min
We’ve all been hearing significant chatter about the landmark restaurants we’ve lost in the last few years. What exactly makes a “landmark” restaurant, and are we experiencing more loss than normal? Or, are we just cycling through some nostalgic sensitivity as storefronts reach their inevitable finish line? To chew on some of these questions, we’re bringing long-time restaurateurs to the table. We’ll hear about how they started and, for some of them, how it ended. We’ll also talk with some folks...
Jul 28, 2022•51 min
A healthy ecosystem is a diverse one, and plants are critical to maintaining that diversity. For rare and endangered plants in Middle Tennessee, conservation can be challenging to manage. Native species often struggle to keep pace with invasive plants, and continuing development threatens to reduce green space. This hour we go on a hike in search of wild ginseng , meet some of the people working to preserve the plants that make our region unique, and learn what each of us can do to keep our loca...
Jul 27, 2022•51 min
It is just a reality of living in this country, that not a day goes by without a shooting. Recently mass shootings have dominated the news: a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, then an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois. However, what’s more common, and receives less media coverage, is the daily incidents of gun violence in our communities. In this episode, we’ll explain the Tennessee gun laws and its recent changes. We’ll hear from expert...
Jul 26, 2022•51 min
National Ice Cream Day was this past Sunday, and if this unrelenting heat is good for one thing , it’s creating the perfect backdrop for a cold treat. This hour is all about ice cream in Nashville. What are some current trends? What is the scene like? We learn a little about the “queen of ice cream” back in 1840s Nashville, meet some of the people churning away today and finally ride shotgun on an ice cream truck. But first, there are four charter amendments on the Aug. 4 ballot. We’ll break dow...
Jul 22, 2022•51 min
Early voting is currently underway in Davidson County for the Aug. 4 state and federal primary election, and the county general election. Local officials are encouraging voters to prepare before heading to the polls because this election features the longest ballot in Metro history . It's also the first federal election to take place after the Republican-controlled Tennessee legislature split Nashville into three new Congressional districts . For this Citizen Nashville, we'll be joined by Davids...
Jul 21, 2022•51 min
With the drama and attention around the gigantic purple martin roost at the symphony over the last two years, more of our eyes are on the sky and on our migrating feathered friends. What is migration? Why is Nashville not only a stopping point for bachelor parties – but hundreds of thousands of feathered birds each year? And how can we be better hosts? In this episode, we hear from three guests who have their own experiences with migrating species. Then, we pivot to talk a bit about resident gam...
Jul 20, 2022•51 min
Among cultures around the world, it’s traditional to grow your own food. But with the rise of supermarkets and grocery stores, gardening in the United States has become more and more uncommon. But, what do you do when the food you like to eat isn’t sold in grocery stores? Or when there are no supermarkets near you, and you can’t afford to buy fresh produce? This isn’t uncommon in Nashville. North Nashville, East Nashville, South Nashville and Edgehill all have neighborhoods with food deserts. Co...
Jul 19, 2022•51 min
Even on our best days, for most of us, police interactions carry at least a small element of strain. We want to get it right and are aware of the power differential. Emergencies, trauma, and potential fines or jail time all bring an additional sense of gravity to the moment. When facing a mental health crisis, are police officers the best resource to call on? In this episode, we hear a feature about one woman’s attempt to get help for her husband experiencing a mental health emergency. Then, we ...
Jul 18, 2022•51 min
On June 29, a pipeline ruptured in West Tennessee, spilling approximately 200,000 gallons of crude oil . It was the second-largest spill in state history. But at the time, there was no public announcement of the spill, which came very close to contaminating Tennessee's largest aquifer. Environmental activists say this incident goes to show that the state needs to do a better job of maintaining its existing oil and gas pipelines, rather than building new ones. But a new state law just made it eas...
Jul 15, 2022•51 min
Nashville has an ongoing lack of affordable housing. What exactly is "affordable housing"? Who defines it? And what does it mean to get subsidized housing? In this episode we talk with some experts who can knock out some of those questions for us. We'll also hear from a former landlord who's navigated making a profit while renting to college students and Section 8 voucher holders. Then we bring in a couple renters who are imminently experiencing the anxiety that comes with being priced out of th...
Jul 14, 2022•51 min
After the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade , some supporters of the ruling presented adoption as an alternative solution to unwanted pregnancies. A photo of a couple holding a sign that read, “We will adopt your baby” went viral. While adoption may be an option, it’s not necessarily so straightforward, and the process can also be tricky to navigate, both for birth parents and hopeful adoptive parents. What is the state of adoption in Tennessee right now, and what does it look like for those...
Jul 13, 2022•51 min
Nashville is growing fast, but as a city largely designed around cars, its pedestrian infrastructure is seriously lagging. Only about 19 percent of Nashville streets have sidewalks. A callout to WPLN listeners yielded some common themes: too many streets and neighborhoods with no sidewalks, making for dangerous walking conditions; and too many gaps between existing sidewalks. In 2020, a Metro report identified 71 so-called “priority miles,” where sidewalks were needed most urgently, but the time...
Jul 11, 2022•51 min
White lightning. Firewater. Mountain dew. There are a lot of names for moonshine, but what is it? Strictly speaking, it’s any illegal homemade spirit, and can be made from pretty much anything including fruits, grain and vegetables. People all over the world have been making their own alcohol for millennia, but moonshine as we know it today came to be after Prohibition laws made getting legally-produced liquor impossible. Tennessee was both the first state to adopt Prohibition laws and one of th...
Jul 08, 2022•51 min
Unions have historically been associated with factory workers and those in the automotive industry. In Tennessee, food service employees – particularly baristas – are leading the labor organization push. In Knoxville, Memphis and Murfreesboro, there’s been various efforts to unionize local Starbucks locations. While in Nashville, much of the labor organizing is taking place at smaller, independent shops – like Three Brothers Coffee and Barista Parlor. In this episode, we talk to community member...
Jul 07, 2022•51 min
Nashville is not a city known for robust public transportation — and it seems that nearly everyone has an opinion on what needs to improve. There’s an impressive lack of sidewalks, bus routes and protected bike lanes, among other challenges. The options may be improving but are still limited. For many residents, the public transit options we do have are essential. For others, riding the bus is a lifestyle choice. In this episode, we hear from people without vehicles on how they navigate Nashvill...
Jul 06, 2022•51 min
