City Of You Podcasts

Crawford Warrick talks with Derrick McDowell, creator of the Youngstown Flea

In recognition of Father's Day on June 17th, we are spotlighting Youngstown fathers this month. Thank you for listening!

Christina Salata of Youngstown, Ohio is a young artist exploring concepts surrounding the idea of beauty and the nature of femininity. Undertones of vulnerability are displayed in her works with the use of transparent material and layered paint. Found objects such as plastic bags, metal hardware, and pressed flowers are used to convey a balance between the masculine and feminine, or to emphasize hyper-femininity in some cases. Christina is a student at Youngstown State University currently studying Interdisciplinary Art with hopes to graduate Fall of 2018.

This week we sat down with Claudia Berlinski, an Assistant Professor in the Art Department at Youngstown State University as she spoke about her experiences in grad school, the connections within her body of work, and the beauty in the mundane. If you want to know more about Claudia, you can find images of her work on her flickr page https://www.flickr.com/photos/claudia_berlinski/albums and her instagram @cloudi_b

Dr. Lillian Lewis discusses her childhood in rural Texas, her education, her art practice, and the journey to becoming an assistant professor of Art Education. Follow Lillian on instagram at @LillioLillo or learn more about her on her website at LillianLLewis.com

Arielle Pilolli discusses nature vs. man-made, her process of attacking paintings & going with the flow, and being inspired by Siobhan Hemstrum, Zaria Forman, & Dana Hargrove. Follow Arielle’s work on instagram at @ariellepilolli

Welcome back to another episode of the Youngstown Parent Storytellers Project. In this edition we sit down with Latisha Dawson to continue our series with parents of Youngstown Community School, pilot site of United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley's Success After 6 program.

RJ Thompson chats with Jacob Schriner-Briggs (recent YSU graduate and future law school student) about growing up and learning in Youngstown.

The City of You Podcast Episode 171 with Justin Mondok, Environmental Planner at Eastgate Regional Council of Governments and co-founder of Thrive Mahoning Valley talks about survivors of Hurricane Maria relocating to Youngstown.

Kristie Gearhart, Heather Seno, & Mia Allonby discuss the work on display in the show Take It! during public discussions in the Soap Gallery.

Rachel de Cuba discusses vulnerability, grad school, her process of creating, familial connections, and being inspired by Kiki Smith, Ana Mendieta, House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, Allison Janae Hamilton, and the film Three Women. You can view the artwork we’ve discussed at Rachel’s website artrdec.com or check her out on Instagram at @palmetto_darlin

In this episode we share part 2 of our conversation with Success After 6 Coordinator at Youngstown Community School, Rilonda Neal, aka, Miss Ro.

Youngstown artist Mia Catherine Allonby discusses her education at Leeds College of Art, being new to America & married life, leaving the art world for rock stardom & her influences Paula Chambers, Diane Arbus, Nan Goldin, & Mona Hatoum. Recorded by Heather Seno as part of the Women Among Them exhibition at The Soap Gallery

Welcome back to the Youngstown Parent Storytellers Project! This episode features Success After 6 mom, Michole Cottle. Mother of 4, Michole has a 4th grader, Mekhi, and 3rd grader, Meziah, enjoying their second year of the program at Taft Elementary School.

Women Among Them exhibition led by Youngstown-area artist Heather Seno at The Soap Gallery on the evening of 3/2/18. Podcast recorded and edited by Heather Seno and Steph Blair.

Rilonda Neal, “Miss Ro” - PART 1 I am so grateful to each parent that has participated with this podcast thus far, because each of them have been so transparent and open to telling their stories. Rilonda’s story, or Ro as she’s known to many, is no different; however, hearing Ro’s story was particularly humbling for me, because the podcast you’re about to hear was my first time learning just what she’s experienced. And it’s not because she’s unwilling to share - Ro is very transparent and willing to talk about what she’s been through in efforts to show others they can choose to live on the brighter side of the pain they’ve seen. As super busy colleagues, Ro and I just never had the opportunity to sit down one-on-one to learn more about each other. Our conversation reminded me that, especially when I haven’t taken the time to genuinely get to know someone, it is crucial that I don’t: assume to understand why people make the choices they do, to have all the answers, or to think of myself more highly than I ough

Tanisha McMullen, “Big Sis Nish” Getting to know Tanisha McMullen is like meeting the wisest big sister or auntie you could ever imagine. And to witness the genuine connections she has with nearly everyone she comes in contact with, you understand why she’s so committed to helping others though she’s lived a life that might have left many others ready to throw in the towel. Bouts with ADHD, bipolar disorder, and even a suicide attempt are just a few of the experiences she’s helped her children overcome. After learning to manage those challenges with her children, Tanisha now possesses the impeccable skills of not only calming a child in the midst of an “uncontrollable” moment, but she also relates extremely well to parents struggling with the reality of their child’s special needs. Listen as Tanisha shares valuable words of wisdom on this edition of the Youngstown Parent Storytellers Project.

Danielle Blair, “No Days Off” Danielle’s story gave me a huge dose of inspiration, reminding me that the best choice isn’t always the most popular choice. Danielle is a mother of five, who opened up about her decision to hold back each of her three school-aged children when they reached the 2nd or 3rd grade. I’ve had a few conversations with parents that reflected on whether having their child repeat a grade of schooling would have prevented them from struggling through following years. Lack of understanding, shame, and embarrassment are obvious reasons for hesitation to make such a choice, but for Danielle, her children’s well-being made the difficult decision much easier. Since then, she’s seen a significant and positive change in her children, including her two daughters Alaya, age 11, and Danika Rae, age 9, who are enjoying their second year of Success After 6. And Danielle is deservingly proud of her oldest child, her son Daveon, who’s now 15. After being held back in the 3rd grade, Daveon is now excelli

Join us for a new episode of the United Way of the Mahoning Valley -sponsored Parent Storytellers Project with your host Tara Walker-Pollock and guest Ra'Cole Taltoan. This series primarily features parents of children who participate in the Success After 6 program and parents of students in the Youngstown City School District.

Jai Jackson talks with Cardinal Mooney high schoolers Nicolina Aiad-Ross and Angelina Aiad-Toss on a new edition of the City of Youth podcast mini-series!