Rowhome Newsletter | Summer 2023
We’re squeezing this newsletter in just under the wire to qualify as our summer edition.
Our Rowhome Fellow Danya AbdelHameid recording an interview for an upcoming audio project with The Enterprise Center.
As the summer comes to a close and fall kicks into high gear, we wanted to give you a recap of what we’ve been working on these past few months, tell you about some of the stories we’ve helped bring to life, and let you know what’s coming up for Rowhome Productions.
Some highlights since we were last in touch:
We joined forces with WXPN to produce a podcast series following a talented group of Black artists carving new spaces within mainstream country music.
We continued our partnerships with Philly-based organizations like BlackStar Projects, Mighty Writers, and the Association for Public Art, presenting conversations with groundbreaking artists and telling stories about important work happening in our local communities.
And we helped raise funds with the Philly non-profit organization Fishadelphia to develop a forthcoming documentary podcast series centered around sustainable fishing and seafood.
We’ve also recently celebrated Rowhome’s 3rd birthday! As we gear up for another full season of projects, we’re so grateful that we’re able to continue creating beautiful audio work with so many amazing partners.
Alex & John
Inside Look —
Black Opry Residency
Earlier this year, we teamed up with our old friends at WXPN to produce a documentary podcast series that tells the stories of five artists who are trying to make it in the worlds of country and Americana music. They were all part of XPN’s inaugural Black Opry Residency.
The project took us to Nashville, where we documented three of the artists in their hometown and immersed ourselves in the city’s vibrant music scene. We also shadowed the group of musicians during a weeklong residency in Philadelphia, which culminated in a sold out showcase at Philadelphia’s World Cafe Live.
The brilliant writer, DJ, and musical mind John Morrison hosts the series which features Tylar Bryant, Samantha Rise, Grace Givertz, The Kentucky Gentlemen, and Denitia.
The Artist To Watch: Black Opry Residency podcast is a deep dive into the lives of these fives amazing artists and their determination to blaze new trails within a predominantly white industry.
Denitia’s performance of “All the Sweet Tea” at World Cafe Live.
Our Fishing Log Documentary Project
The Project
This spring, we helped raise funds for a documentary podcast series called “Our Fishing Log”, centered on fish, people who love fish, and the ways fish connect us to the world.
It’s part of a multi-media storytelling project aimed at connecting Philadelphia residents to their local environment.
The series will take us from the freshwaters of the Schuylkill River to the coast of New Jersey and to Delaware’s ocean waters.
You’ll hear in-depth beautifully produced stories about scientists, fishermen, culinary experts, and more!
Our Partners
We’ll be working alongside lead producer, journalist and fishmonger Feini Yin, who brings extensive knowledge about all things fish. Photographer Neal Santos will capture the project's visual narrative.
The podcast is also in partnership with Fishadelphia, a Philly community-based seafood program. They’ve hosted a series of fundraising events in the past month for the project.
Look for updates and announcements on the project’s Instagram account.
Tune In - New and Noteworthy
Museum Without Walls
In partnership with the Association for Public Art, we produced an audio program for Maren Hassinger’s temporary art installation, “Steel Bodies.”
Steel Bodies traces how Hassinger became a pioneer in outdoor and environmental artwork, and how her pieces allow people to reflect on the ways art can transform perspectives about history and our relationships with each other.
The program is part of the Museum Without Walls: AUDIO project which includes 75 audio programs featuring over 160 unique voices, several of which Rowhome has produced.
You can visit the installation at the Ellen Phillips Samuel Memorial in Philadelphia until November 12.
“Thriving” Audio Documentary
This week marks the official release of Technical.ly’s “Thriving” audio documentary series. We partnered with the news organization to produce a podcast series that’s part of their year-long storytelling initiative focused on, “centering and collecting the lived experiences of Philadelphia…in order to generate insights about the economic opportunities and obstacles along their journeys to financial security and freedom.”
To lead this project, we brought on skilled audio journalist Nichole Currie. Over the course of a year, she spent time with 10 unique individuals whose paths toward thriving reflect a diversity of economic experiences. Throughout the audio documentary series, you’ll hear intimate portraits of recent immigrants, entrepreneurs, artists, and other people trying to live out their dreams.
In the first episode, you’ll get to know Ghulam Danish, a refugee from Afghanistan who fled Kabul with his family during the height of Taliban’s 2021 insurgency and relocated to Philadelphia.
Listen to Episode 1 of Thriving
Mighty Writers Podcast
A new podcast series created in partnership with the new Philly non-profit Mighty Writers: an organization that promotes literacy as a tool for social change.
Hosted by longtime Philly educator Maureen Boland, the episodes in this inaugural season weave together intimate conversations, interviews, and audio essays from a diverse group of writers, educators, advocates, and Philly kids.
The podcast also includes a special Blogcast written by Maureen Boland. The second blog entry “Sound Edits” focuses on the art of audio storytelling and spotlights some of the incredible people who worked on the podcast. You can find us in there as well!
Fun Fact: Our producer Sojourner Ahebee, a Philly-based writer and audio journalist, decided to become a public school teacher after working on the show!
Episode 4: Will the Kids Be Alright? With Dr. Laurie Santos
Many Lumens [Season 3]
Have you binged the latest season of Many Lumens? This is our second time teaming up with the folks at BlackStar Fest to produce a season of their organization’s flagship podcast, which was recently named “New & Noteworthy” by Apple Podcasts.
The first five episodes of the season have a stellar lineup of acclaimed filmmakers, writers, and actors. The second half of episodes will be dropping this October featuring some amazing guests including actor Danielle Deadwyler, musician Jason Moran, and the chefs behind the acclaimed West Philly restaurant Honeysuckle Provisions.
Episode 1: Sterlin Harjo —Filmmaker and Creator
Upcoming Events — Philadelphia
Philly Podcast Mixer
If you missed our last mixer at the Pen and Pencil Club, you are in luck. We are hosting another social gathering on 10/26 at the lively experimental jazz club, Solar Myth (1131 S. Broad Street).
It will be a fun opportunity to meet and chat with Philly folks working in radio and podcasting. We’ll also have a public call soon for (very) short audio excerpts to share at the event. Stay tuned.
Be sure to register for free at the link below. We look forward to seeing you there!
Photo of Gregorio Pac Cojulun Jr. by PJ Agbay
Coming This Fall
We’re working with The Enterprise Center to develop an interactive audio tour tracing the rich history of legacy Black businesses along Philadelphia’s iconic 52nd Street commercial corridor in West Philly.