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First Online With Fran: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Frances McGarry
Featuring Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary things in The Arts
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- 2 weeks ago31 min
Svetlana Satchkova: Speak Up, America!
The choices we have here in America are different than the choices in Russia. Let's start with choices we have here in America. First of all, the most important choice that we have is VOTING. That is the most important right that has not been taken away. In Putin's Russia elections have not been free for decades. And opposition candidates were barred from running and even then, the results were always manipulated to deliver for Putin a staggering victory. So, this is what I can tell my American listeners: VOTE. ~Svetlana Satchkova Svetlana Satchkova is a Russian-born journalist and novelist who immigrated to the United States in 2016. She covers culture and politics, with bylines in the Rumpus, Newsweek, LARB, the Independent, and others. Currently a research fellow at the Jordan Center for the Advanced Study of Russia at NYU, she holds an MFA from Brooklyn College and lives in Brooklyn. Svetlana has published three novels in Russian; The Undead: A Novel of Modern Russia, is her English-language debut.
- Apr 20, 202630 min
Pat Ceasar: Truth Teller
When you're running for office be your authentic self and tell the truth. You have to tell everybody what you have done for them and what you want to do. You have to listen to them. You shouldn't be scripted. Shoot from the hip; talk from the heart. And you can tell them how you can't get things done without having the House and Senate, but this is what I would like to do. What makes sense for all Americans. But you have to point out the opponent -- things are hurting them. Ask them not to be a one issue voter; you're not voting for perfect but for Good. ~Pat CeasarPat Ceasar, Pat Is a Comic/Actor/Writer/ Director/DP and an Artist & Storyteller. After attending the Art Institute of Boston at Leslie College she started her career working on Political advertising in Boston as an Art Director. Then Pat moved to NYC and switched her career to consumer advertising.
- Mar 13, 202633 min
Dr. John King: Living the Spirit of SISU
There's always hope. You can't say the word hope without smiling. Hope is that ability to get up and go again. The Finnish have word for it--SISU. What it means is white-knuckle courage in the face of overwhelming odds. When everything is lost, the spirit of SISU manifests itself. And for me SISU means relentless resilience. I'm incredibly stubborn and the idea of ever giving up never crossed my mind. I had to prove that they were wrong. That they could never break me. Dr. John A. King is an Australian-born, Indigenous (Warumungu) author, speaker, and survivor-advocate based in Texas.
- Feb 27, 202634 min
Donna Walker Kuhne: The Power of Building Audiences
As I've traveled around the world to teach, speak, and lecture about audience development, in particular, Africa, is that what I've learned is that at the end of the day, people want to feel welcome, they want to have a good time, even if it's something that made them want to laugh, but to feel like, 'Wow, this was thought-provoking, this was interesting, and to feel that I made a good choice coming. And maybe I met someone that I didn't know.' I learned how class, particularly in America, is such a barrier for people to feel they belong. ~Donna Walker-KuhneDonna Walker-Kuhne is an award-winning author, strategist and expert in building diverse audiences and engaging communities for arts experiences. She believes that thriving communities embrace the arts and are invited to participate in the arts in a consistent and predictable manner. ~
- Jan 19, 202630 min
Irina Kruzhilina: Fierce Frontrunner on Immigration
I want to educate the public about what’s happening in the immigration crisis itself and inside the courts, about the refugees and how they are treated here, but also to make the performances beautiful in a way that will impart something profound to the audience. How do I put these stories into the most beautiful artistic form to go to the core of the human being? What I need from these performances is a call to action—for people to actually DO something. We need to educate them and impact them emotionally, so that people know what to do. This crisis is on us! We need to be haunted by their stories. We need to hear these stories over and over again so we cannot turn away. ~ Irina KruzhilinaIrina Kruzhilina is an award-winning theater maker whose roles include director, scenographer, experience designer, playwright, professor, and artistic director, creating work at the intersection of visual art, live performance, and civic engagement.
- Dec 12, 202528 min
Rosie Stewart: Freedom-to-Read Revelations
Why is freedom to read so important? I think we take for granted the idea that a multiplicity of voices are accessible to us, and our libraries are places that represent the voices of everyone in the community. There's a court case called Little v Llano just came out of the 5th district of the 5th circuit court of appeals, the district covers Texas and Louisiana. This court case is threatening one of the most essential freedoms that we have which is a couple of First Amendment precedents that were established in the 60s-70s that say that very thing -- that books cannot be removed from the shelves based on just disagreeing with the partisan ideas or the ideas wherein...the threats to these freedoms are very real, and what I try to do is get out the urgent message that we could see the Supreme Court weaken the first amendment as it comes to free expression, as it comes to the freedom to read, as it comes to the ability to read what you want, think what you want about it, write what you want, and I don't know what could be more fundamental than that. That's the message I'm really trying to get across. ~ Rosie StewartRosalie (Rosie) Stewart is Senior Manager of Public Policy at Penguin Random House. A skilled grassroots organizer with a passion for youth, LGBTQ+ advocacy, and championing the freedom to read, Rosie has extensive experience working at the federal, state, and local levels on issues including appropriations, intellectual freedom, and voting access. Rosie is a graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government
- Nov 8, 202532 min
Laura Raicovich: Fall of Freedom
"One of the major ideas behind Fall of Freedom was not only to get some bold-faced names involved to this project to attract involvement, but to get regular folks to participate...We are all creative beings; we are all producing culture all the time...it's not just seeing the art on the wall, but the conversations we might have. These are important cultural acts that are unfolding on a daily basis and everybody is participating in them. You don't have to fall into this special category of "artist" to produce culture. " ~Laura Raicovich Laura Raicovich is a New York City-based writer and curator based in New York City. Most recently, she curated the inaugural Counterpublic Convening, CIRCUS OF LIFE, in St. Louis, MO and is an initiator of Fall of Freedom, a national call for cultural resistance in the US.
- Oct 19, 202536 min
Lina AbiRafeh: Women's Rights in Dark Times
Holding women back doesn't just harm women, it holds everyone back - our economies, our nations, our future. If inequality is limiting us all, why aren't we doing anything to fix it? To build the unity needed to move forward, we have to connect to people's values. What kind of world do they want? For me, the answer is clear: we need women's full participation - everywhere. Holding women back holds humanity back. And building a better world for women is better for everyone. ~Lina AbiRafehLina AbiRafeh is a prominent women’s rights activist, author, and speaker, dedicated to eradicating inequality for women. With three decades of experience, she has worked in over 20 countries to create real-life solutions to the global challenges women and girls face. Lina is also the Founder and Chief Changemaker of Better4Women, her advisory firm delivering practical and innovative solutions for gender equality. Lina holds a master’s degree in international economics and development from Johns Hopkins University and a PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her work includes speaking and writing to ignite everyday activism, creating impactful change for women worldwide.
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