Riverside Chats

It’s election season in Omaha, and today's guest is John Ewing, who’s running for mayor against incumbent Jean Stothert. We’ll hear from Stothert in next week’s episode. Ewing spent 25 years as a police officer before assuming office in 2007 as Douglas County Treasurer. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and criminal justice and a master's degree in urban studies from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.Ewing and Michael Griffin are talking about Ewing’s decision to seek mayoral office after decades of public service and his priorities if he wins the election on May 13.

Phillip McClain is founder of the real estate company the Mensch Group. Through the Mensch Group, McClain spearheads affordable housing developments in North Omaha. The company broke ground on its first project last year: nine single-family homes at 49th and Curtis Streets, an area known as Curtis Corner. McClain sold the houses to families for below market value thanks to assistance from local organizations like Spark Capital and Habitat for Humanity. Tax-increment financing helped cover development costs.North Omaha has seen a surge in development in recent years, with projects like the Highlander complex on 30th Street, the North 24th Street Business Improvement District and the Levi Carter Park sports facility, which just began construction near Eppley Airfield.McClain and Michael Griffin are talking about the need for affordable housing and the Black developers working to make the landscape more equitable. They also get into TIF and its role in development.

Kaleb Michaud is a professor of rheumatology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the director of Spielbound Board Game Cafe.Michaud grew up in Kansas, where he developed a passion for music and astrophysics. He holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Rochester and a PhD from Stanford University. When he was 3 years old, Michaud was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease causing painful swelling and stiffness in joints and connective tissues. A doctor told Michaud’s parents that he may not survive past his early 20s. Living with the chronic illness inspired Michaud’s career change in 2001, when he returned to Kansas to work at the National Data Bank for Rheumatic Diseases. He joined the staff of UNMC in 2007 and is now a professor in the Division of Rheumatology and Director of the Rheumatology Fellowship Research ProgramMichaud is also a board game enthusiast with a personal collection of more than 6,000 games. He serves as the director of Spielbound, a non

Karen Russell's “The Antidote” follows five characters whose fates become entangled after a storm ravages their fictional small town of Uz, Nebraska. Together, the group of outcasts join forces to reveal the town’s secrets and show the importance of remembering and acknowledging injustices to create a better future.Russell has received MacArthur and Guggenheim Fellowships and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for her debut novel “Swamplandia.” She has taught literature and creative writing at the Iowa Writers' Workshop, the University of California-Irvine, Williams College, Columbia University, and Bryn Mawr College, and was the Endowed Chair of Texas State's MFA program. She serves on the board of Street Books, a mobile-library for people living outdoors. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, she now lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, son and daughter. “The Antidote” is Russell's second novel. She will be at The Bookworm at 6 p.m. on April 3 in conversation with Broc Anderson of the

Joel Damon is an artist, curator and co-founder of the Project Project gallery space in South Omaha. Damon was previously on the show in 2022, in conversation with Tom Knoblauch.Damon is a painter and designer who gained recognition for organizing independent visual art exhibitions for local artists. He was the curator of the Bemis Underground, the Bemis Center’s former space dedicated to regional artist exhibitions, before its closure in 2014. The experience pushed him to open Project Project in 2014 with Josh Powell. Located at 18th and Vinton Streets in South Omaha, Project Project is entirely volunteer-run and hosts new visual art exhibitions each month as well as concerts and other public events, all of which are free. This summer, Damon is relocating to Berlin, Germany to work at a gallery and publishing company and pursue life as a missionary,  Damon will also present the Hixson-Lied Visiting Artist Lecture at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 31 via Zoom. His lecture is presented by the University of Nebr

Christopher German founded the Omaha-based fragrance company Evodia in 2020. With the tagline, “where memories make scents,” Evodia comes from German’s lifelong fascination with fragrance. The company sells bottles of unisex perfume and offers clients the opportunity to create custom scents with German’s help. It’s been recognized by the Omaha’s Choice Awards four years in a row, winning first place in the Beauty & Wellness category in 2021 and 2022. Last December, Evodia opened its first storefront at Modern Work Suites, located at 8970 F St.German and Michael Griffin are talking about German's childhood experiments with his parents’ perfume and cologne, his background in forensic science and biochemistry, and how a nice fragrance can improve everyday life.

Quinn Metal Corbin is manager of the Great Plains Theater Commons. Corbin has spent more than two decades in the performing arts. She’s worked as a casting intern in New York, a script production assistant on a Broadway musical, an assistant to a powerful entertainment agency executive, and an event coordinator for the National Theatre in London among other roles.In addition to her industry jobs, Corbin founded C+C Mini Factory alongside Chelsea Cates. C+C is a photography project featuring miniature figurines placed in quirky settings. They’ve collaborated with companies like Starbucks and Firefox and were awarded Instagrammer of the Year in 2015 by the Shorty Awards. As manager of the nonprofit Great Plains Theatre Commons, Corbin works to strengthen the local theater scene by fostering new work by playwrights and other theater artists through year-round programming and the annual New Play Festival, which takes place this year from May 25 to 31.Corbin and Michael Griffin are talking about Corbin's odyss

Shaq Jones, aka Scottie Pigeon, is a dancer and DJ.Jones uses his platform to center the experience of Black men in the arts. He grew up in North Omaha and attended Lincoln University of Missouri, a historically Black college, where he led the school’s dance troupe before graduating in 2017. He returned to Omaha and began collaborating with various performing arts organizations around town, including AP’s Legacy Dance Studio, the annual Omaha Beautillion event, Omaha Performing Arts and Opera Omaha.Scottie Pigeon is Jones’ DJ persona. He began teaching himself the skill in 2019 at the encouragement of his father, who is also a DJ. The Union for Contemporary Arts selected Jones for the 2024 Inside/Outside Fellowship, where his work centered on sound and movement exploration.Jones and Michael Griffin are talking about where Jones finds inspiration, how his dance and DJ experiences inform each other, and how he uses his work to curate emotional experiences for an audience.

Kevin Clouther is an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska Omaha Writer’s Workshop, where he serves as program coordinator of the Master of Fine Arts in Writing.Clouther is also the author of the story collections “Maximum Speed” and “We Were Flying to Chicago.” His stories have appeared in Gettysburg Review, Gulf Coast, Joyland, New Orleans Review, Ruminate and StoryQuarterly, among other journals. He holds degrees from the University of Virginia and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and is the recipient of the Richard Yates Fiction Award and Gell Residency Award.In this episode, Clouther and Michael Griffin are talking about UNO’s MFA program, his love of fiction and the ritual of reading.

Dirty Birds, located in the Flatiron building at 17th and St. Mary’s Avenue, is known for its fried chicken and cocktail menu. Matthew Moseley and Dan Whalen opened the restaurant in early 2021 with a goal of serving quality food in a community-oriented space. Business partner Mike West joined the team shortly after. Guy Fieri visited Dirty Birds in 2023 for an episode of “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.” In this episode, Michael Griffin is talking with Moseley and Whalen about their culinary history, their emphasis on giving back to the community, and how they took Dirty Birds from pop-up to brick-and-mortar.

Brenton Gomez is a fixture of Omaha’s rap and skateboarding scenes. You may know him as Conny Franko, the name under which he’s been releasing music for the better part of two decades. He’s half of the hip-hop duo M34N STR33T with producer Adam Haug. Skateboarding was Gomez’s first love. His experiences street skating as a kid inspired him to spend much of his adult life advocating for skate park construction. In 2018, Gomez and his friends built ramps and rails on the unused tennis courts of Lynch Park on South 20th Street. In 2023, he helped convince the city to use ARPA funds to build an even better skating facility on the site. When Gomez isn’t skating or rapping, he’s a program coordinator at the Kiewit Luminarium. He’s also an avid reader who cites Gabriel García Márquez as one of his favorite authors. In this episode, Gomez is in conversation with Michael Griffin about how he forged his own path as a skater, artist and musician in Omaha’s DIY scenes.

Xavier Jackson is founder and CEO of Local Art Plug. An Omaha native, Jackson started the business in 2017 to connect artists with art lovers. Musicians and artists can find audiences through the organization’s website, which has pieces for sale, and a gallery space in the Flatiron Building downtown.  Local Art Plug’s services also include subscription plans for individuals and businesses. Subscribers can lease a work to “test drive” before buying it, or they can pay to have their collection rotated out with new pieces once every three months. In this conversation, Jackson and Michael Griffin discuss ways artists can advocate for themselves, the essential role of resources in the creative process, and how Omaha can better support local artists.

Carmen Winant is an artist, photographer, writer, and art professor at The Ohio State University. Her work involves installation and collage work to examine survival and revolt through a feminist lens. Her traveling exhibition “The last safe abortion” opens Jan. 18 at Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts.  “The last safe abortion” is an exploration of women’s health clinics and abortion providers, with a particular focus on the Midwest. The installation is composed of photos of behind-the-scenes work related to reproductive healthcare, such as answering phones, sterilizing equipment, conducting training sessions and scheduling appointments.  Bemis’ Rachel Adams curated the exhibition, which was organized by the Minneapolis Institute of Art. “The last safe abortion” will be displayed alongside “Synchronicities: Intersecting Figuration with Abstraction.” The installations will run concurrently through May 4. In this episode, Winant is in conversation with Maria Corpuz about the origins of “The last safe abortion,

It's our 200th episode, and we're doing something a little different this week. In this episode, Michael Griffin is in conversation with producer Courtney Bierman. A quick note on episode numbers: if you’re listening to the podcast version of this show, you’ll notice it lists this episode as number 218. That’s because show creator Tom Knoblauch started the count when Riverside Chats was a series of live conversations in Benson. We’re counting from the first episode that played on KIOS airwaves in 2020. Bierman, an Omaha native, graduated from the University of Kansas in 2019 with degrees in journalism and film. While at KU, she served as the arts and culture editor for the University Daily Kansan and completed a summer internship at KCUR, Kansas City's NPR member station. She joined KIOS in 2020 and hosts programming every weekday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.. In addition to Riverside Chats, she produces the local shows Faturday Omaha, Lives and The Entertainment. Bierman also works weekends at Film Streams. You can

Todd Lemke is the founder and publisher of Omaha Magazine, a 42-year-old regional publication covering the arts, lifestyle, entertainment, food and more. Lemke grew up in Papillion and graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1981 with a degree in journalism. In 1983, he started a print publication called Omaha Today, which eventually became Omaha Magazine.  Omaha Magazine is behind the annual Best of Omaha list, Faces of Omaha, Faces of Lincoln, the new North Omaha First, and other special publications. It has been honored by the Great Plains Journalism Awards, the American Institute of Graphic Arts, and by the Omaha Press Club. In this episode, Lemke and Michael Griffin are discussing the origin of the magazine, the intersection of advertising and journalism, and what Lemke has learned in his 40 years in the industry. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/riversidechats/support

Joshua Brown is the program coordinator at the Nebraska Arts Council, a state organization whose mission is to promote, cultivate and sustain the arts through programming, grants and opportunities to foster creative innovation statewide. At the Arts Council, Brown manages grants related to arts education and accessibility. Outside of his work with the Arts Council, he also serves as a visual artist and musician, exhibiting paintings and sculptures at community galleries in Omaha and organizing shows that support emerging and community-oriented artists. A University of Nebraska Omaha graduate, Brown has a degree in art history and is also working toward a Master of Arts in Education from the University of Nebraska Kearney. His studies have led him to explore the connections between power, government and the arts, focusing on how governments can foster environments that encourage community-oriented arts and culture. In this episode Brown and Michael Griffin are talking about art as rhetoric and why it’s essenti

Jahmai Brown is a painter, photographer and Hot Shops Art Center resident.  An Omaha native, Brown attended North High School and graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute. His paintings are often works of bright colors, bold patterns and less traditional materials like glitter and magazine clippings.  Brown was also among the artists who created the “Black Skies” mural in 2018 at 24th and Grant Streets, which highlights the experiences of the Tuskegee Airmen. Brown was only 17 when the mural was unveiled to the public. In this episode, Brown and Michael Griffin are talking about the inspiration behind his work, and his hope for viewers to interact with it. They're also talking about the skills he thinks are important for a young artist to develop, and how those artists can find support in Omaha. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/riversidechats/support

Erin Feichtinger is policy director of the Women's Fund of Omaha. In this episode, she's in conversation with Tom Knoblauch about history (in which she has a Ph.D. from Loyola University Chicago) and politics, including Governor Pillen's vision for Nebraska and how it's panning out after a contentious state legislative session. This episode was recorded before the 2024 general election. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/riversidechats/support

Working in poetry, glass and installation, Aspen Monet LaBoy’s art explores concepts of environmentalism and identity. In the summer of 2022, they implemented and co-hosted Corner’s Space at KANEKO, a public program exploring poetry through creative experimentation and collaboration. LaBoy has published three books of poetry with a fourth on the way. Several of their selected poems were aired on Friday Live with Nebraska Public Media through NPR in 2023. Their writing has also been featured in local zines and performed in various galleries. Currently, LaBoy is part of the 2023-24 Alternate Currents Cohort and Community Advisory Group through Amplify Arts. This year, they were awarded a scholarship from Penland School of Craft and were accepted into the Pilchuck Glass School Auction. In this episode, Michael Griffin and LaBoy are in conversation about LaBoy’s origins as a writer and artist, and how they became interested in glassblowing and sculpting. They're also talking about the economics of being an arti

Sean Kelly is a candidate for Douglas County Commissioner, District 5 against Brian Fahey. An Omaha native and Dundee resident, Kelly attended Creighton Prep and went on to receive an undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon Tepper School of Business. Outside of his run for office, Kelly works as a local investor and agricultural real estate professional. In this episode, Kelly and Michael Griffin discuss how Kelly's business background inspired his run for office, and his vision for District 5, which includes lowering property taxes and increasing transparency in local government. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/riversidechats/support