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Dear Adam Silver

Dear Adam Silver

By Dear Adam Silver

This show is an artist's take on sports — I believe both art and sports have the power to translate and help us reconsider the largest social issues we face. On each episode, we will be discovering and discussing the many connections between the two alongside artists, athletes, journalists, commentators, critics and fans.
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Episode 6: Seph Rodney on the Possibilities of Words and Art

Dear Adam SilverMar 01, 2019

00:00
01:10:07
Episode 87: Andrew Maraniss and Inaugural Ballers

Episode 87: Andrew Maraniss and Inaugural Ballers

New York Times Bestselling author Andrew Maraniss is back on the show to discuss Inaugural Ballers, his 2022 book that tells the story of the first US women's Olympic basketball team that played in the 1976 games. This incredible team was recently inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and it felt like the perfect time to chat with Andrew about this moment in history, that has helped to shape women's basketball today.


Kyle Green (MMA nerd, Professor of Sociology at SUNY Brockport, and all around wonderful guy) joins as co-host as we dig into this fascinating story that teaches us much about basketball and also the history of the United States.



Aug 27, 202301:19:05
Episode 86: A Summer Sports Stories Reunion with Kyle Green and Tunisha Singleton

Episode 86: A Summer Sports Stories Reunion with Kyle Green and Tunisha Singleton

The always charming and witty Kyle Green (Ph.D. in Sociology) and Tunisha Singleton (Ph.D. in Media Psychology) join the show to discuss the sports stories from the summer that are on our minds! Topics range from Las Vegas as a professional sports center point, watching big games and matches at Stadium Swim, the continued failures of UFC as an institution, and the misguided UNITUS apparel launch. Throughout the episode, we collectively feel all of the anger, frustration and excitement around our fandom and process it together.


You can follow Tunisha on Twitter @TSingletonSay and Kyle @kylethegreen.


More new episodes of Dear Adam Silver coming soon so please subscribe and share!



Aug 09, 202301:46:06
Episode 85: Maria Molteni is Back and Senda + Sedna are Here

Episode 85: Maria Molteni is Back and Senda + Sedna are Here

Dear Adam Silver listeners! It has been a minute! I am glad to be back at the mic and sharing a conversation that touches on themes of family, expectations of gender and health trauma all via the topics of basketball and astrology......very timely for Mother's Day.

I am excited to share my conversation with interdisciplinary artist, educator, mystic and Team Captain of New Craft Artists in Action (NCAA) Maria Molteni, who is back on the show (first featured on Episode #32: Maria Molteni and Basketball Magic). 

Maria and I unpack the wonderfully complicated and nuanced Senda/Sedna zine that we worked on together this past November, which includes an essay about Senda Berenson (founder of women’s bball) and an essay about Sedna 90377 (Maria's favorite Trans-Neptunian Object). The printing of this zine coincided with the release of Maria’s Star Ball, which was created based on the design of the Cosmic Court in Fall River, MA that Maria painted alongside local students and NCAA members. On this episode we discuss the zine, the ball and all of the themes and concepts that they offer to us.

Please be aware that Maria and I are very candid on this episode and discuss on our struggles with our body, some relating to infertility, and familial trauma.

You can find the Senda/Sedna zine for sale here and the Star Ball on sale here and you can follow Maria on Instagram @strega_maria


May 15, 202301:22:28
Episode 84: Blake Gillespie on Basketball Amidst War in Ukraine

Episode 84: Blake Gillespie on Basketball Amidst War in Ukraine

Journalist, photographer and writer Blake Gillespie is back on the pod to discuss his article for SLAM entitled In War-Torn Ukraine, these Ukrainian Hoopers are Trying to Uplift Others Through the Power of the Game.  Follow some of the basketball players mentioned in this story, including Natalia Yudytska who can be found @tasha_shorty and Dmytro “Smoove” Kryvenko, found @smooveukraine. You can also follow Blake and his every growing collection of hoops photos @sacredhoopsbook

Blake and his work have been featured on three previous episodes of Dear Adam Silver, including episodes 44, 48 and 81. 

Sep 29, 202201:04:34
Episode 83: Dr. Johanna Mellis on Understanding History through Sports

Episode 83: Dr. Johanna Mellis on Understanding History through Sports

Dr. Johanna Mellis is an Assistant Professor of History at Ursinus College where her research focuses on international sport during the Cold War, namely in the Eastern Bloc and Hungary especially, in order to connect the local voices and experiences of Hungarian athletes to the IOC and broader international sport society. Her manuscript, Changing the Global Game: Hungarian Athletes and International Sport During the Cold War, examines Hungarian sportspeople’s interactions with the International Olympic Committee from 1948-1989. Changing the Global Game shows how Hungarian athletes, Socialist Hungarian state sport officials, and the IOC gradually realized by the 1960s that sporting cooperation with one another - and not East-West political clashes nor resistance - was the way to achieve their respective aims of sport success, career and financial stability, and political and institutional strength.

Our conversation covers many different topics, but we do repeatedly come back to a consistent theme of unlearning our early understandings of world history through sport to form a better, more accurate, and historically inclusive narrative. 

You can follow Dr. Mellis's amazing and well curated Twitter feed @JohannaMellis. As I share in the podcast, my eyes have been opened to a multitude of different historical perspectives on sports through Dr. Mellis's Twitter account. 

Dr. Mellis also cohosts the End of Sport Podcast, a podcast on capitalist sport, labor, and justice for end times. The show features interviews with athletes, critical sports journalists, and fellow academics to explore all the ways that people use sport to harm others - i.e. through racist mascotry, the NCAA and higher ed’s exploitation of Black and Brown college athletic workers, sexual abuse and harassment, transphobia, and more.

You can read Dr. Mellis's writing alongside her End of Sport cohosts in The Chronicle of Higher Ed, The Guardian, Time, The Baffler, and more. She also has sole-authored pieces with The Washington Post and Arizona State University’s Global Sport Matters.

As always, thanks for listening! Please share, rate and review Dear Adam Silver wherever you get your podcasts. 

Feb 28, 202201:01:45
Episode 82: Mikey Yates on the Joy of Slam Ups and Painting as a Form of Witness

Episode 82: Mikey Yates on the Joy of Slam Ups and Painting as a Form of Witness

Mikey Yates is a painter currently based in Kansas City, MO and a resident at the Charlotte Street Foundation, where our interview took place. Mikey paints tiny moments that carry a significant weight to him, sometimes also engaging with historical world events. Basketball, his first love, comes up again in different scenes that he depicts and his rich, dynamic palette brings a glow and reverence to each of his paintings. Grateful to have the chance to talk shop with Mikey and unpack how his work, and deep appreciation for basketball, came to be. 

You can see and find out about his work here and be sure to follow him on Instagram @mikey_yates

Please rate and review Dear Adam Silver wherever you get your podcasts! Thanks for listening, as always. 

Jan 31, 202259:50
Episode 81: Blake and Giovanni on Pickup B-ball and the Instagram Community
Aug 01, 202101:03:51
Episode 80: Whereas Hoops with Noah Cohan and John Early

Episode 80: Whereas Hoops with Noah Cohan and John Early

Noah Cohan and John Early who are on the show to discuss their project Whereas Hoops. Noah Cohan is the Assistant Director of American Culture Studies at Washington University St. Louis and is a previous Dear Adam Silver guest from Episode 22 where he joined the show to discuss his book on fandom entitled We Average Unbeautiful Watchers. John Early is an artist and senior lecturer at the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington university St. Louis. Their collective project Whereas Hoops was created to draw attention to the lack of basketball courts in Forest Park, which is located in St. Louis and is one of the biggest urban parks in the country.....but with all that space, there are still no basketball courts. Noah and John are working collaboratively to highlight this issue within its' proper historical context and hopefully correct it in the long term. 

Follow Whereas Hoops on Twitter and Instagram. Thank you to John and Noah for coming on and thank you to you all for listening! Please subscribe, share, rate and review Dear Adam Silver wherever you get your podcasts.

Jul 12, 202101:10:01
Episode 79: Sidelined by Julie DiCaro

Episode 79: Sidelined by Julie DiCaro

Episode 79 features a conversation with Julie DiCaro, author of the recently published book Sidelined: Sports, Culture and Being a Woman in America. This book unpacks sexism in sports media for fans and non-fans alike. Julie writes about her time in radio covering sports, to the harassment she has received herself from fans and listeners to her time in the sport for development world. Thank you to Julie for coming on and sharing about all that went into producing this book, including her personal experiences.  You can read more of Julie's work on Deadspin, where she is a writer and editor, and hear more on her podcast The Ladies Room, which she cohosts with Jane McManus. Every week they dive into issues surrounding women and sports. You can follow her on Twitter @JulieDiCaro

Thank you, as always, to Bookman's Entertainment Exchange for sponsoring this episode. And you can pick up your own copy of Side Lined at Bookman's

May 30, 202157:23
Episode 78: Brian Tran on the Excitement of the Play In Tournament

Episode 78: Brian Tran on the Excitement of the Play In Tournament

Long time Dear Adam Silver supporter and returning guest Brian Tran is back on the show to discuss our feelings about the first weekend of the NBA playoffs, including the play in tournament, the long standing question of whether refs and players are coworkers or colleagues, and our recent transition to sworn enemies as the Suns vs. Lakers series begins. Thank you to Brian for joining and indulging all of my emotional/over the top takes. And Happy Playoffs to all Dear Adam Silver listeners! Thank you for your support. 

May 25, 202101:03:33
Episode 77: Glauco Adorno and Our Letters to Senda

Episode 77: Glauco Adorno and Our Letters to Senda

Glacuo Adorno is back on the pod today (listen to episodes 40, 25 and 3 for more)! Long time listeners will remember that we collaborated in Lithuania on a body of artwork made about women’s basketball pioneer Senda Berenson. We met while we were both in graduate school at Louisiana State university, when I was studying fine art and Glauco was studying art history and he is now a curator based in Rio de Janeiro. He is back on the pod today to read some of the letters that we wrote to Berenson while we were Lithuania, a part of this work which we have not shared before. Thank you to Glauco for coming on and being so willing to discuss this ongoing work and the hardships of the pandemic in Brazil right now.  And thank you to you all for listening! Please share, subscribe, rate and review Dear Adam Silver wherever you get your podcasts. 

Please note that we recorded this episode on Zoom and the sound quality is a bit lower than usual. 


May 01, 202101:00:48
Episode 76: Claude Johnson, Founder of the Black Fives Foundation

Episode 76: Claude Johnson, Founder of the Black Fives Foundation

I am so excited to share this episode, featuring Claude Johnson, founder of the Black Fives Foundation. The Black Fives Foundation’s mission is to research, preserve, showcase, teach, and honor the pre-NBA history of African Americans in basketball. The Foundation is doing incredible things around education and celebration of this history. I have been following Black Fives for the last couple of years, which is just a drop in the bucket of how long Claude has been doing this work and sharing these stories. The trajectory and development of what is now the Black Fives Foundation is a great reminder of all the good that can be done not just through your job, but through interests and subjects you find compelling that add to our shared discourse and push for change. So thank you, Claude for your work and for joining me today. You can follow the Black Fives Foundation and all the exciting things that are happening on Twitter @blackfives and on Instagram @blackfives.  

Thank you all for listening! Please share, subscribe, rate and review Dear Adam Silver. Your support is so appreciated.

Mar 31, 202101:23:34
Episode 75: The Menschwarmers!!!

Episode 75: The Menschwarmers!!!

Episode 75 (!!!) features Gabe and Jamie, also known as the Menschwarmers, of the Menschwarmers Podcast. In their own words, Gabe and Jamie are Jews. They also love sports. But most of all? They love Jews in sports. Menschwarmers is their biweekly podcast where they gab about goings-on, interview fascinating industry figures and keep you updated on everything related to Jews in sports. I was excited to have the chance to speak with them about Jewish sports stuff and beyond. You can subscribe to the Menschwarmers wherever you get your podcasts and follow them on twitter @menschwarmers. These guys are great and we had fun and I hope you all enjoy listening to this episode! And please share, rate and review Dear Adam Silver. Thank you for your support!

Mar 29, 202149:07
Episode 74: Andrew Maraniss and Singled Out: The True Story of Glenn Burke

Episode 74: Andrew Maraniss and Singled Out: The True Story of Glenn Burke

New York Times Best selling author Andrew Maraniss is back on the pod to discuss his newest book, just out on March 2 (!!!!), entitled Singled Out: The True Story of Glenn Burke. The book is about Glenn Burke, the first openly gay MLB Player and the inventor of the high five. This is an incredible and devastating story and couldn’t be more timely, as Democrats in the House of Representatives just passed the Equality Act, which is now on it’s way to the Senate and if passed by both chambers and signed into law by President Biden, would establish anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people. In addition, there are also several states that are currently in the process of trying to pass anti trans legislation in the area of sports. The story of Glenn Burke is ever relevant as we continue to fight for equal treatment for everyone, no matter their gender or sexual identity. Thank you to Andrew for coming on again and thank you to you all for listening. Please share, subscribe, rate and review Dear Adam Silver wherever you find your podcasts. 

You can follow Andrew on Twitter and Instagram. And you can buy Singled Out at Bookman's or wherever you shop locally! 

Please note that this episode was recorded the same day as our first conversation from Episode 72 about Andrew's book Games of Deception, so we just jump right into the conversation about Singled Out without any of the usual formalities. We were also having some technical issues due to weather which is why it is a bit broken up in some parts of the conversation. 

Mar 07, 202145:09
Episode 73: Mapping Basketball Players with Kirk Goldsberry

Episode 73: Mapping Basketball Players with Kirk Goldsberry

Kirk Goldsberry joins the pod to discuss cartography, NBA Stats and how he has combined the two to make (stunning!) graphics that reflect recent NBA trends and the history of basketball. Kirk is a Lecturer in Management and the Associate Director of the Center for Leadership and Ethics at the University of Texas at Austin as well as a staff writer at ESPN. What I love about Kirk's work is that he brings together art and science, culminating in a visual that celebrates basketball and informs the viewer.

Follow Kirk on
Twitter and Instagram

If you are interested in purchasing a Naismith International Park Map click here

Thank you to Kirk for coming on and thank you to you all for listening. Please share, subscribe, rate and review Dear Adam Silver wherever you find your podcasts. 

Feb 28, 202144:26
Episode 72: Andrew Maraniss and Games of Deception
Feb 16, 202101:02:04
Episode 71: Professor Douglas Hartmann on Understanding the 1968 Olympic Protests
Feb 08, 202156:13
Episode 70: What Basketball Means to Lawrence, KS

Episode 70: What Basketball Means to Lawrence, KS

Back in February of 2020, I was a project based resident at Lawrence Arts Center and spent two and a half weeks researching the history and current state of basketball in Lawrence, KS. The history of the game runs deep in this college town as James Naismith, the inventor of the game, was the first basketball coach at the University Kansas (KU) and worked with many people in the town and region on the development of the game.   As I am sure you can imagine, I learned a lot while I was there and can't wait to get back to continue to working through how the game lives in this majority basketball crazed town! 

I want to thank the Lawrence Arts Center for supporting this work and providing me with Jayhawks Men’s basketball tickets. Especially Kyla Strid and Justin Harbaugh for all their logistical and conceptual support. I also wanted to thank all my guests; Nick Krug, Leo Hayden, Curtis Marsh and Linda Reimond answered so many of my questions and were patient with my tight schedule. And thank you to Tim Gaddie of the DeBruce Center for all of his knowledge. And thanks to the Lawrence Public library for letting me use their recording studios! And thank you for my contacts at Haskell Indian Nations University for sitting down with me and sharing with me about the school.  And also thank you to anyone else who was willing to talk to me or gave me a ride when it was too far to walk.  And finally, thank you to my dear friend Adam Meistrell who encouraged me to come to Lawrence. He and his family opened their home to me while I was there and I couldn’t be more grateful. And thank you, to you all, for listening, and Happy New Year.

Dec 31, 202001:15:57
Episode 69: All Things Frustrating and Exciting in Sports w/ The Profs

Episode 69: All Things Frustrating and Exciting in Sports w/ The Profs

Returning guests and Professors of Sociology (aka The Profs) Stephen Suh, Alex Manning and Kyle Green are back on the show to discuss recent sports news that has been on our minds. We speak about the financial impact of the pandemic on local sports teams, MLB's recent decision to recognize the statistics of the Negro Leagues as major league and breaking as an olympic sports and much more....thanks so much to The Profs for joining me on a very non-traditional Christmas Eve.  And thanks so much to you all for listening and supporting this podcast for the past year! 

Dec 27, 202001:44:27
Episode 68: Zoe Lambert and Adia
Dec 27, 202022:00
Episode 67: Mission for Arizona Organizers Carly Berke and Ben Horowitz

Episode 67: Mission for Arizona Organizers Carly Berke and Ben Horowitz

As many of you already know, this election cycle I was a volunteer for Mission for Arizona, the democratic coordinated campaign for Mark Kelly and the Biden/Harris ticket that helped to flip AZ from red to blue for the first time in many decades! And today on the pod I am joined by two of the organizers from the campaign, Carly Berke and Ben Horowitz, who dedicated the past year of their life to winning the election for the democratic party. We get into the all of the work that went into making this historic change possible, their feelings on the current state of politics, both in AZ and the rest of the country, and what the future of the democratic movement might look like. I was grateful and excited to work with both Carly and Ben and I am so glad they are on the pod to share a little bit about the behind the scenes of campaigns in a crucial swing state. 

Although this episode is a little different from the norm for the pod, I believe that politics and political campaigns take a huge amount of creativity and of course, fierce competitiveness, and a belief you can win no matter what. So when you come at it from a conceptual point of view, the subject matter fits right in to our larger conversation around sports and art.

Thank you to Carly and Ben for joining and thank you all for listening. Please email me @ abigaillsmithson@gmail.com with any questions. 

Dec 07, 202001:07:37
Episode 66: Stealing Home with Author Eric Nusbaum

Episode 66: Stealing Home with Author Eric Nusbaum

Eric Nusbaum, author of  the recently published Stealing Home: Los Angeles, the Dodgers, and the Lives Caught in Between, joins the show to share about  researching and writing this book and his personal fandom of the Dodgers.  The book focuses on the story of the Aréchiga family, who were forced out of their home and off their property by the city, like many other families living in the Mexican-American neighborhood of Palo Verde, to clear the area for Dodger Stadium to be built.  Besides the central narrative of the displacement of a multigenerational family, this book is also about the fight for public housing, the red scare and a large American city grasping for continued relevance through Major League Baseball. Stealing Home is filled with a richness in detail that defines each character and their background, as well as beautiful sketches by Adam Villacin of the people and places we are learning about. Thank you to Eric for writing a book that represents a specific time and a place but very much speaks to systemic issues and injustices that continue to this day. 

Thank you all for listening and if you would like to get in touch, please email me @ abigaillsmithson@gmail.com. 

Dec 01, 202044:44
Episode 65: Loving Sports When They Don't Love you Back with Jessica Luther and Kavitha Davidson

Episode 65: Loving Sports When They Don't Love you Back with Jessica Luther and Kavitha Davidson

Jessica Luther and Kavitha Davidson join the show to discuss their recently published book Loving Sports When They Don't Love You back: Dilemmas of the Modern Fan. Luther is a freelance journalist, Davidson is a sports writer for The Athletic and they are both dedicated sports fans. This book is an incredible collection of perspectives and stories for dedicated fans who believe in the ability of sports to evolve and grow as a part of our greater culture. From loving your team when you hate the owner to an honest, thoughtful conversation about the arbitrary controversies around doping, this book explores challenging issues that the invested fan faces. It is a true document and its' relevance to this moment we are living through, as sports fans, is incredibly impactful. 


Nov 26, 202050:39
Episode 64: Midnight Basketball with Professor Douglas Hartmann

Episode 64: Midnight Basketball with Professor Douglas Hartmann

Professor Douglas Hartmann teaches sociology at the University of Minnesota and is on the show to discuss his book Midnight Basketball, which takes a deep, detailed look into the social initiative known as Midnight Basketball, developed in the late 1980s . In this episode, we unpack the racism that was built into this program, which targeted young adult African-American men who were living in large cities around the country.  It is important to use the word targeted in this case because the use of surveillance was at the root of this project that used the game of basketball as a form of control during certain hours of the day. 

As we discuss, this initiative is tied to our incoming presidential administration because Joe Biden was a proponent of Midnight Basketball during the mid 1990s and the fight for the passage of the 1994 crime bill. This conversation is timely and necessary to take a close look at the motivations and results of social policy that fall in line with the systemic racism inherent to our country, even when it is dressed up as help or social support.   

Thank you to Doug for coming on and for writing this educational and informative book. As always, thank you to you for listening and I hope you all enjoy this episode.

Nov 22, 202059:31
Episode 63: Brian Tran on this moment as an LA sports fan + election fears and hopes

Episode 63: Brian Tran on this moment as an LA sports fan + election fears and hopes

St. Louis based writer and long time (and first!) friend of the pod Brian Tran is back on the show to discuss his championship winning LA sport teams, the magic of baseball and our concerns and hopes for the election. 


Thank you all for listening! Please share, rate, and leave a review! And vote! 

Oct 31, 202001:34:16
Episode 62: Lori Powers and Survival Hoops

Episode 62: Lori Powers and Survival Hoops

Lori Powers is a Los Angeles based artist that works with found objects collected from neighborhoods near her home to create characters that she installs on the streets where she momentarily impacts drivers to get out of their heads and into their heart while passing through her neighborhood. A passionate, senior, gold winning basketball player she lives for the day she can get back on the court with her team safely. Her art, like basketball, is a team event. On the court the thrill of receiving a lightning speed blind pass to put in a bucket never gets old. 

Lori is on the pod today to discuss her recent work Survival Hoops made in collaboration with Nico Naismith. The two have created over a hundred basketball hoops out of found objects (a surfboard, a grill, a baby carriage and more) and installed them all over the streets of LA during the pandemic, when park hoops were closed off. The movement of Survival Hoops has now spread all over the world! Huge thank you to vagabond pick up basketball player, brilliant writer and previous podcast guest Isaac Eger for writing a beautiful piece about Lori and Nico's work in the LA Times and for putting me in touch with Lori as a podcast guest.  If anyone is interested in making their own survival hoop and needs help, you can email Lori at lorizpowers@gmail.com. And a huge thank you to Lori for coming on the show! 


Here is Isaac Eger's piece in the LA Times and here is the short documentary on Survival Hoops made by a local CBS station in LA. 

Oct 26, 202057:40
Episode 61: Ballerz 2K20 feat. Cortney Lamar Charleston, Caroline Cabrera and Zain Aslam

Episode 61: Ballerz 2K20 feat. Cortney Lamar Charleston, Caroline Cabrera and Zain Aslam

A Dear Adam Silver first! Live poetry on the show! Thank you to the writer and poets Cortney Lamar Charleston, Caroline Cabrera and Zain Aslam for coming on the pod to share their poems that were recently featured in Ballerz 2K20, a team of basketball poems edited by P. Scott Cunningham of O, Miami. These three poems are wonderfully rich and add to our collective understanding and narratives around the game of basketball. 

You can buy your own copy of Ballerz 2K20 here!


Oct 13, 202001:07:09
Episode 60: P. Scott Cunningham on O, Miami and His Deep Love for the Heat

Episode 60: P. Scott Cunningham on O, Miami and His Deep Love for the Heat

P. Scott Cunningham is a poet and essayist originally from Boca Raton, FL, now based in Miami.  He is the author of Ya Te Veo ,  selected by Billy Collins for the Miller Williams Poetry Series. Scott is a graduate of Wesleyan University and is the founder and director of O, Miami, a non-profit organization that celebrates Miami, FL through the lens of poetry. I found out about his work because he recently edited a collection of poems all about basketball entitled Ballerz 2K20 . Scott is also a longtime Miami Heat fan which made this podcast even more interesting to record right now! To learn more about O, Miami and the poetry festival they put on every year, please check out omiami.org and follow them on Instagram at @Omiamifestival. The organization is truly dedicated to celebrating Miami and engaging with their community through encounters with poems.

You can find the New Yorker article we reference in the episode about the poetry contest Scott organized in 2010 when Lebron joined the Heat here

Oct 06, 202001:05:20
Episode 59: Ivan Salcido on Creation Myths and Caring for Family History
Sep 23, 202001:08:25
Episode 58: H-O-R-S-E, A Comedy by Kathleen Cahill

Episode 58: H-O-R-S-E, A Comedy by Kathleen Cahill

H-O-R-S-E, a Comedy by Kathleen Cahill featuring Peter Story and Elisabeth Nunziato. 


Sep 07, 202018:49
Episode 57: Bradley Robert Ward on the Messy Process of Making Cyanotypes and His Recent Work About Baseball
Aug 31, 202001:21:13
Episode 56: Thoughts on the Wildcat Strike in B-Ball with 2/3 of the Profs
Aug 29, 202001:13:50
Episode 55: Dwayne Mansfield on Hoops and Horticulture
Aug 25, 202046:37
Episode 54: Ciara Ingram on Using Basketball as a Creator
Aug 17, 202058:06
Episode 53: Abdi Farah on the Excitement and Frustrations of the Bubble
Aug 12, 202001:50:06
Episode 52: The Potential of the NBA as a Space for Social Change and Some Reopening Ramblings with The Profs
Jul 30, 202001:56:14
Episode 51: The Momentum of Speak Up and Dribble
Jul 25, 202001:08:07
Episode 50: Brooklyn Film Camera, Social Unrest and Racism in Photography with Kyle Depew
Jul 20, 202001:29:07
Episode 49: Isaac Scott on Documenting the Protests
Jul 15, 202001:13:49
Episode 48: Sharing My First Letter to Adam Silver with Blake Gillespie
Jul 06, 202001:42:35
Episode 47: Tay Butler on Repurposing as Justice
Jun 30, 202001:57:15
Episode 46: Noel W. Anderson on the Potential of Undoing
Jun 22, 202002:00:24
Episode 45: Gina Adams on Broken Treaties and Confronting US History
Jun 14, 202001:10:56
Episode 44: A Heartfelt Plea to Adam Silver and a Dispatch from Sacramento with Blake Gillespie
Jun 03, 202001:06:06
Episode 43: Big Game, Small World with Alexander Wolff
May 25, 202001:07:25
Episode 42: Unpacking The Last Dance with Brian Tran

Episode 42: Unpacking The Last Dance with Brian Tran

I've been close to bursting for the past three weeks wanting to discuss The Last Dance on the pod! Thanks to Brian Tran for coming on to discuss some of his thoughts on the documentary and indulge my long list of talking points. We bounce around between the first six episodes and the most compelling themes and footage so far. 

 Brian Tran is an MFA candidate at Washington University in St. Louis where he studies and writes fiction. We first met at Paul ArtSpace, an art residency located just outside of St. Louis in Florrisant, MO. We bonded immediately over our shared love for basketball and podcasts so it makes sense that he was my first guest ever back in the summer of 2018. Always happy to have him on the show! 

May 07, 202001:33:15
Episode 41: An Ode to Mail with Melodie Reay
May 03, 202049:13
Episode 40: Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine with Glauco Adorno

Episode 40: Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine with Glauco Adorno

On today's podcast, my dear friend Glauco Adorno and I discuss the book Citizen: An American Lyric by award winning poet, playwright, educator and multimedia artist Claudia Rankine. This book is a masterful unpacking of how racism exists in the United States. Rankine combines poetry, pros, found images and text to express a personal meditation on how the system of white supremacy functions in this country, both in obvious and subtle ways. Specifically, a a large portion of the book is focused on Serena Williams and the hateful and unjust treatment she has experienced from the professional tennis world based on the color of her skin. 

Glauco Adorno is a Brazilian curator and art historian based in Rio de Janeiro. We met each other during our time as graduate students at Louisiana State University. His website can be found here. On today's episode he also shares some of what his experience has been like during COVID-19 and how the virus is being handled in Brazil. He is also featured on episodes 3 and 25 of Dear Adam Silver. 

Claudia Rankine was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1963 and received her BA from Williams College in 1986 and her MFA in poetry from Columbia Universit in 1993. She is currently the Frederick Iseman Professor of Poetry at Yale University. Her website can be found here


If you are interested in listening to any lectures by Rankine, the links are listed below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cnq71TlUvo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxU3MJmhzl0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-SNKU3T7iA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYa25y4EGec&t=780s

Apr 21, 202001:49:08
Episode 39: Jeremy John Kaplan and a Dispatch from NYC
Apr 10, 202001:39:22
Episode 38: Naomi Clement and Making Art During a Pandemic
Mar 30, 202058:36