Author: WBEZ Chicago

After having often felt like the only Native or queer person in a room, River Ian Kerstetter set out to make her own space with TIES Poetry, a series of open mics and readings celebrating Indigenous queer, trans and Two-Spirit writers. Reset talks with Kerstetter about the group and their own artistic journey. For more conversations like this, check out our full catalog of interviews at wbez.org/reset.

Hospitalizations are nowhere near past years, but the virus is still here. Plus, two new vaccinations to protect babies against RSV were approved this year, but rollout has been spotty. Reset gets insight into the increase in cases and the state of vaccine access for COVID and RSV from infectious disease specialist Dr. Mia Taormina. For more conversations like this, check out our full catalog of interviews at wbez.org/reset.

The latest season of the docuseries High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America continues tracing the development of American food and food culture by examining more (relatively) recent history: Reconstruction and the Great Migration. Reset learns more about the history of Black cooking in Chicago with James Beard award-winning chef Erick Williams and Dario Durham, co-host of the history and food podcast 77 Flavors of Chicago. For more conversations like this, head over to wbez.org/reset.

The latest season of the docuseries High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America continues tracing the development of American food and food culture by examining more (relatively) recent history: Reconstruction and the Great Migration. Reset learns more about the history of Black cooking in Chicago with James Beard award-winning chef Erick Williams and Dario Durham, co-host of the history and food podcast 77 Flavors of Chicago. For more conversations like this, head over to wbez.org/reset.

The new book Our Secret Society: Mollie Moon and the Glamour, Money and Power Behind the Civil Rights Movement introduces readers to a figure whose story has largely been overshadowed– until now. Reset learns more about how Moon shaped the Civil Rights Movement from author and historian Tanisha Ford. For more conversations like this, check out our full catalog of interviews at wbez.org/reset.

Federal investigators are so far saying a “design issue” caused the Yellow Line crash, but a full investigation still needs to be conducted. Reset dives into what we know about the crash — and what it means for train safety with Sophie Sherry of the Chicago Sun-Times and DePaul University’s Joseph Schwieterman. For more conversations like this, check out our full catalog of interviews at wbez.org/reset.

Chicago politics can be complicated, but jury members in former and longtime alderman Ed Burke’s corruption trial had to quickly get up to speed. Reset gets the latest on the trial from WBEZ city government reporter Mariah Woelfel. For more conversations like this one, browse our full catalog of interviews at wbez.org/reset.

At least 26 trans or gender-nonconforming people have been killed in the U.S. this year, the majority of whom were Black trans women, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Transgender Day of Remembrance reminds us to pause and mourn these people’s lives — as well as celebrate the resilience of the trans community. Reset discusses the meaning of Transgender Day of Remembrance with Zahara Bassett, founder and CEO of Life Is Work, a West Side social service agency for trans and non-binary people. For more conversations like this, check out our full catalog of interviews at wbez.org/reset.

The city unveiled the next phase of its migrant response and resettlement efforts, which imposes limits on how long people can stay in city-run shelters based on when they arrived. The city says this is meant to free up shelter space and fast track resettlement efforts. Reset hears from volunteers Erika Villegas and Debra Michaud about how they’re preparing to help people navigate these limits. For more conversations like this, check out our entire catalog of interviews at wbez.org/reset.