Author: WBEZ Chicago

The Reset team has gone through our year of conversations and hand-selected our personal faves to share with you before 2024 wraps up. In September, Reset sat down with writer Josh Noel to talk about his book, Malort: The Redemption of a Revered and Reviled Spirit. His book asks how a spirit that “tastes like bandaids” and has been the butt of many jokes survive generations and go from a lone bottle collecting dust in the back of bars to becoming an infamous Chicago must-try experience? This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity. You can find the original interview here: New book chronicles the unlikely staying power of Jeppson’s Malört (September 5, 2024). For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

The Reset team has gone through our year of conversations and hand-selected our personal faves to share with you before 2024 wraps up. Back in February, we spoke with award-winning journalist and writer Charles Duhigg. He stopped by to talk about his new book, which focuses on the neuroscience and psychology of how we communicate with one another. It’s called Supercommunicators: How To Unlock The Secret Language Of Connection. This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity. You can find the original, extended interview here: How to be a ‘Supercommunicator’ with Charles Duhigg - WBEZ Chicago (Feb. 20, 2024) For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

All during this holiday week, enjoy some of our favorite Reset conversations of 2024 – like this one, from Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco. Lupe Fiasco is a Grammy Award-winning hip-hop artist, rapper and producer, known for his rhymes, lyrics and storytelling with albums like his 2006 debut Food & Liquor, his 2007 project The Cool and his highly anticipated 2011 album Lasers, which features hit song “The Show Goes On.” Now, Fiasco is back with his latest record Samurai. Fiasco was introduced to martial arts by his father, Sensei Gregory Jaco. When Fiasco stopped by Reset to talk about Samurai, he also dived into the significant role Japanese culture and martial arts have played in his life on Chicago’s South Side. This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity. Listen to the original interview here: Lupe Fiasco on Black martial arts movement, hip-hop and his 'Samurai' tour - WBEZ Chicago (Nov. 14, 2024) You can also WATCH our interview with Lupe Fiasco here: Lupe Fiasco on Black martial arts movement, hip-hop and his 'Samurai' tour For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Happy Boxing Day! All during this holiday week, enjoy some of our favorite Reset conversations of 2024 – like our conversation with Grammy winner Laufey. A jazz icon to some, a breakout pop star to others, the Icelandic-Chinese singer Laufey has skyrocketed into popularity. Her debut album dropped in 2020, and just three years later she won a Grammy for her 2023 album “Bewitched.” Reset revisits our conversation with the 25-year-old for more on stardom and how her lyrics resonate with fans of all ages. This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity. Listen to the original interview here: Laufey performs 'Bored' for Bewitched: The Goddess Tour Chicago (April 30, 2024) For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

As thousands of Starbucks and Amazon workers go on strike, Reset gets a snapshot of union organizing in Chicago and beyond from Bob Bruno, director of the labor education program at the School for Labor and Employment Relations at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Chicago has 77 community areas, but residents know there are many more neighborhoods in the city. A UChicago survey asked Chicagoans to detail where they think their neighborhood boundaries should be, and the result is an eye-opening, crowd-sourced map of the city. Reset checks in with the urbanist behind the Chicago Neighborhood Survey, professor Emily Talen, and takes calls from listeners. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

At a meeting Friday night, the Chicago Board of Education voted to oust Pedro Martinez after months of tension between the mayor and the CEO. Reset gets the details from Chalkbeat Chicago reporter Reema Amin. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

The prosecution rested its case in the federal corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. That case includes a sweeping 117-page indictment, detailing multiple alleged schemes by Madigan. Now, the defense gets its turn. Reset gets a roundup of highlights from the historic trial so far and what to watch out for next from Jon Seidel, Chicago Sun-Times federal courts reporter. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Illinois colleges and universities are more expensive than the national average. A new bill could dramatically change how higher education is funded. Reset gets the details from WBEZ higher education reporter Lisa Kurian Philip. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.