The first half of February brought the launch of two new Charlotte-based podcasts that offer deep insights into arts, culture and community building in the Queen City.
Charlotte-based podcasts A Seat at The Table and Spoken City are now available for streaming. Both feature award-winning storyteller, poet, and speaker Hannah Hasan, though each of the two new podcasts approach their respective topics from different angles.
‘A Seat at the Table’
A Seat at The Table is a limited series with six episodes, recorded over a dinner in October 2022 centered around the family of Mia McClure, aka Mia Love Live, and the Perry family. Both families have roots in Charlotte going back generations and spreading across neighborhoods like Wilmore, Derita and more.
While family members discuss how their communities have evolved with the rapidly changing city, the podcast is interspersed with interviews featuring Charlotte natives, historians, creative and community leaders who share their own experiences and insight.
“Telling these stories in this way is important, because we get to learn about Charlotte from people who have lived many different lives here,” Hasan said in a press release announcing the podcast launch. “They can speak to seeing one side of town transfer many times. We can hear about that side of town from so many different vantage points. Even though they share DNA and share many of the same moments together, the stories are different. Their experiences are different.”
Topics discussed at the table include the meaning of family, the demolition of landmarks, being Black in Charlotte, what the future holds and more.
Producer and Charlotte native Colin J. Harden narrates the podcast, while Hasan worked with local arts organization Arts+ on curating and producing it.
Hasan’s first limited podcast series, titled On Call with Hannah Hasan, ran on the Queen City Nerve website in late 2020. That series highlighted five Black women making change in Charlotte communities.
While On Call was recorded over the phone due to COVID-19, A Seat at the Table offers more personal conversations in a space that are often a family’s most intimate gathering place: the dinner table.
“At the dinner, they reconnected, reminisced, and reminded each other of the beauty and importance of family,” Hasan said. “This project helps us to see the real Charlotte, from the experiences of the people who have been here and chosen to stay here.”
‘Spoken City’
Hasan returns to her role behind the mic as co-host of another new Charlotte-based podcast, Spoken City. The monthly podcast, funded and presented by University City Partners, highlights different creatives from University City. Hasan shares hosting duties with renowned Charlotte-based spoken-word poets Boris “Bluz” Rogers and Junious “Jay” Ward.
Rogers has won an Emmy and is a three-time winner of the National Poetry Slam. He has also done voice-over work for the Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Hornets, The National Museum of African American Music and ESPN. Ward is National Poetry Slam champion, Individual World Poetry Slam champion and Charlotte’s inaugural Poet Laureate.
Each month, one of the co-hosts will meet up with a University City creative to discuss what it means to be a creative in Charlotte and how the culture of University City plays a role.
“We are a community rich in talent, innovation and diversity and this podcast creates a space where we can celebrate such elements of our community,” said Keith Stanley, CEO of University City Partners, a nonprofit that invests in and advocates for the northeast Charlotte municipal service district.
Upcoming episodes will dig into a variety of topics including Black-owned businesses, women in University City, mental health, the importance of creativity, friendships and philanthropy. Spoken City plans to invite listeners to live-streamed taping sessions and in-person events in the upcoming year.
“My hope for this podcast is that it awakens a feeling of belonging, the creative spirit, and a positive sense of place for every resident in University City,” said Spoken City project manager and producer Jennifer Dow in a press release announcing the podcast’s launch.
“Where we live matters; it forms us, and we are blessed to breathe the same air as so many wonderful humans in this place,” Dow continued. “It’s high time we meet each other and experience a well-deserved sense of pride that should come from walking along these streams and streets together. You are Spoken City.”
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