Uptown Voices

Uptown Voices in collaboration with Livin' Americana LLC and Uptown Collective LLC•uptownvoices.transistor.fm

A podcast focused on the Uptown neighborhoods of Inwood, Washington Heights and Harlem. Our neighborhoods have a voice and we want to be heard and felt. We love Uptown. Each episode will elevate the people here who are making a difference in the life of this community. We’re also committed to “real talk” that seeks solutions that improve the quality of life in our beautiful Uptown neighborhoods.

Last refreshed: July 27th, 2025 at 8:50 PM ⓘ

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Episodes

@artbydario represents our vibrant uptown culture. His muse: everyday life in the hood.

@artbydario draws vibrant scenes celebrating life in the beloved Uptown neighborhood where he grew up. His images are vibrant representations of what many of us walk past everyday, sometimes without noticing, or at the very least, taking for granted the characters that exist in the background of our lives. Ruben Dario, named after a Nicaraguan poet, never takes the small details for granted and brings forward the images, people and objects that make up the wallpaper of our existence. Dario takes...

Jul 22, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 9

A congregation reinvents itself while a community reels from another loss

Johanna Garcia, a member of the Save Fort Washington Collegiate Church, now rebranded as The Fort Washington Community Church, joins Led and Octavio to discuss what the next steps are for her congregation and to raise awareness about what the ongoing loss of our community spaces means for our neighborhood. This important episode of Uptown Voices describes latest turn of events in negotiations with the Marble Collegiate Church system which, as of June 30th, has evicted the Fort Washington Communi...

Jul 15, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 8

Maria Lizardo, a Heights Original, "will throw down" for the community, as NMIC's Executive Director

Join Led and Octavio on Uptown Voices as they sit down with Maria Lizardo, the dynamic executive director of NMIC. Since 1979, NMIC has been a beacon of hope, expanding from Uptown to The Bronx. Maria's story is powerful. Hear her describe how her mother's immigrant tenacity, unwavering belief in education, and dedication to community service shaped a lifelong mission to help New Yorkers thrive. From overcoming an abusive past to factory work, Maria's mother instilled in her the profound value o...

Jul 08, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 7

Upper Manhattan Tenants Union: It's a class war. It's a crisis of being a tenant

In this episode of Uptown Voices, members of the Upper Manhattan Tenants Union join Led and Octavio, on the eve of Zohran Mamdani's historic primary win, to discuss their group's fight against what they see as some of the most infamous landlords in the city and what they say is class warfare against tenants. Tenants say that landlords are purposely, and in a coordinated way, withholding capital needed to provide basic services and maintain their buildings to create an unlivable city as they seek...

Jul 01, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 6

Rest In Peace - Peter Walsh, The Heart and Soul of Coogan's Bar and Grill, Washington Heights, NYC

In this episode of Uptown Voices Led and Octavio are joined by David Hunt, co-owner of Coogan's to remember his friend and business partner, Peter Walsh. To know Peter Walsh was to love Peter Walsh. Since 1985, Coogan’s was a Washington Heights institution that welcomed one and all and Peter was the soul, spirit and beating heart of that place. Peter personified the very essence of Coogan’s. Peter Walsh passed away in April, but he will be fondly remembered by anyone fortunate enough to have met...

Jun 24, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 5

Mino Lora of The People's Theater: Bravely Empowering Immigrants to Tell Their Own Stories

In this episode Mino Lora, Artistic Director of The People's Theater Immigrant Cultural Center's Executive Artistic Director & Co-Founder, joins Led and Octavio in conversation about the upcoming state of the art performance space on 206th street in Inwood, opening in the Fall of 2026. Mino is a powerhouse of the Upper Manhattan community. She's been helping build community here, welcome new immigrants and encourage the performing arts. The new space marks the next chapter for The People's T...

Jun 17, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 4

Franck de las Mercedes: On identity, processing loss and artistic resilience

Franck de Las Mercedes joins Led and Octavio to discuss his latest project: You Are Here. He also takes us on his journey, from leaving Nicaragua with nothing and landing in Washington Heights as a kid in 1985, to becoming a world renowned artist - still based in his beloved Washington Heights.

Jun 10, 2025•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 3

"We Want Tenants To Own Their Own Property"

In this episode Avi Garelick, of the Northern Manhattan Community Land Trust joins Octavio and Led to discuss how the NMCLT is helping tenants become owners of the buildings their landlords are neglecting.

Jun 03, 2025•45 min•Ep. 2

How the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance (NoMAA) is thriving in an era of vulnerability on the eve of the 23rd-annual Uptown Arts Stroll

In this debut episode Led and Octavio introduce their new podcast: Uptown Voices and then interview the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance (NoMAA) Director Niria Leyva-Gutierrez and Uptown Arts Stroll coordinator Martin Collins about their history of advocacy and collaboration with the Upper Manhattan arts community.

May 26, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 1

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