Lives Radio Show With Stuart Chittenden

Glenn Greet is the entrepreneur behind the British Market and Bakery, Chippy’s, and the first Musical Director of the Nebraska Brass Band. In the show, we talk about his early life in the pastoral landscapes of Yorkshire in England, what it means to be a British expat in America, and bringing some of the Old World to the New World - including the cultural heritage of brass bands and the consumer nostalgia of British foods and products.Hailing from North Yorkshire in England, Glenn Greet moved to America in 2000 and now lives in Omaha with his family. A former British police officer, Greet also studied music education and conducting and has traveled with various brass bands across the world. He is the first Musical Director of the Nebraska Brass Band. In 2021, Greet opened Chippy's. Its success in Omaha has spurred the opening of two other outlets - one in Lincoln, Nebraska, and one in Des Moines, Iowa.

Furniture maker, woodworker, and sculptor, Todd McCollister, talks about his work engaging at the boundary between furniture design and sculptural art. McCollister shares his journey into this passion and business, the questions he explores in his pieces, and how he engages with the natural material. Not only do we chat in the recording studio, but spend some time with McCollister in his wood shop at Omaha’s old Quartermaster Depot.Todd McCollister builds in the zone between Furniture Design and Art, bringing important elements of each into any given object. At times the boundary between the two fields gets thin or hazy. McCollister earned a BFA in Sculpture and Photography in 1996 from Texas Christian University and an MFA in Sculpture in 2000 from Stony Brook University. He then moved to New York City, first pursuing Sculpture and shifting to Furniture in 2006. In 2014 he brought what he learned back to his hometown of Omaha, NE, and founded Long Grain Furniture. An active member of the informal Omaha art c

Meredith Fuller is a psychologist, psychoanalyst, a nationally published poet, and the author of the novel, Quarry. With her husband, Jim Luyten, Fuller recently returned from walking a part of the pilgrimage route, the Camino de Santiago (the Chemin de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle or the Way of Saint James), which Pope Alexander VI declared to be one of the three great pilgrimages of Christendom. In this show, Fuller talks about the physical and spiritual experience of walking this historic European pilgrimage route and how it has informed and influenced her views on life.

Bilgesu Sisman is a philosophy PhD candidate, cinephile, film maker, and community programming manager at https://filmstreams.org/ (Film Streams). Sisman talks about the power of film to influence societal conversations, film’s capacity for expressing her imagination and philosophical questioning, and her intentions on how to live life well through an aesthetic of experience. Originally from Istanbul, Turkey, Bilgesu Sisman is a writer, researcher, and film programmer with a background in the humanities. As a PhD candidate in Philosophy at DePaul University, Chicago, her thesis explores the history of necroviolence, meaning posthumous corporal violence, and its formative role in modern, colonial, and postcolonial state power. Besides political philosophy, she specializes in film theory and philosophy of cinema. Her first feature film, KNOTS – which focuses on a mathematics student seeking truth in the face of repressed trauma – is in pre-production stage. She currently resides in Omaha, NE and works as t

Musician and hip hop artist https://marceyyates.com/ (Marcey Yates) shares his determination to grow as a musician and his own evolution as a leader. He also talks about the founding of https://www.culxr.house/ (Culxr House) as a creative community hub, especially during the 2020 protests after the deaths of George Floyd and James Scurlock, and the album https://saddle-creek.com/products/culxr-house-freedom-summer (“Culxr House: Freedom Summer”) that emerged as a response to the 2020 protests. Marcey Yates is a recording artist, music producer, and sound engineer, and the founder of Culxr House, a creative art and community space where artists and entrepreneurs can grow, create opportunities, and enrich their own artistic talents. In addition to his award winning solo work, Yates is one half of the duo Dilla Kids, and, with collaborator Xoboi, winner of this year’s Omaha Entertainment and Arts Awards' album of the year for, “Culxr House: Freedom Summer.” This show is supported in part by the https://www.omaha

Journalist Sara Gentzler's motto is to “tell complicated stories simply.” Dedicated to opening up our seemingly inaccessible public entities, in the show, Gentzler shares some of the stories she has written holding government accountable to the people it serves and talks about the importance of journalism in her life and in ours. Gentzler's explorations extend into aspects of our lives that we stigmatize yet are part of the common human experience and she shares her passion project about https://www.saragentzler.com/lettering (menstrual cup enlightenment). Gentzler is a reporter who has found her niche in holding government accountable to the people it serves. She will soon be the state government watchdog reporter at https://flatwaterfreepress.org/ (Flatwater Free Press). Most recently, Gentzler worked at the https://omaha.com/ (Omaha World-Herald), where she broke stories on Nebraska footing the bill (and refusing to admit it) for deploying state troopers to the southern border and the State’s practice of i

Singer and performer Enjoli Mitchell shares some of the highs and lows of her life, talks about music as her purpose, how music brought her through the grief of her sister's death, and the energy she gets from performing. Not only will we be in conversation, but Mitchell sings a cappella live in the studio. Raised in north Omaha, Enjoli Mitchell has been singing since she was young, Enjoli is now the lead singer in the group https://www.facebook.com/EnjoliandTimeless (Enjoli & Timeless). Formed in 2017, the band has opened for acts such as CeCe Peniston, Keith Sweat, Juvenile, Angela Winebush, Lecrae, and Twista. With solo albums under her belt and a forthcoming album from Enjoli & Timeless, Enjoli Mitchell has recently been dubbed “The Voice of the City” and “The Voice of the Street.”

Poet Katie Marya talks about the themes explored in her debut full length poetry collection “Sugar Work,” including womanhood, intimate relationships, the body, divorce and desire. Marya also talks about the experiences that have shaped her life and sense of self. As well as discussing the imagery within and the structure of her book Sugar Work, Marya reads some of her poems. Katie Marya is a writer and literary translator. Her award-winning work has appeared in numerous literary publications and she has received fellowship support from the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts and the Nebraska Arts Council. Sugar Work, her first full-length book collection, was the Editor's Choice for the 2020 Alice James Book Award. Originally from Atlanta, she now lives in Nebraska where she is finishing a PhD in Creative Writing at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Rebecca Deterding, President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Omaha, talks about the YMCA’s history; its intentional culture today of making all feel included; her approach to being a leader, and living up to her purpose in serving others. Rebecca Deterding is the President and CEO of the https://metroymca.org/ (YMCA of Greater Omaha), an organization she had served as CFO since 2015 prior to stepping into the CEO role in March. She is the first woman to lead the organization in its 155-year history. Originally from North Platte, Deterding earned her undergraduate degree in business administration and accounting from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, her MBA from Bellevue University, and she holds a CPA certificate. In the show Deterding talks about the transformation of the YMCA from its origins over a century ago to an intentional culture today of making all feel included; the meaning of leadership and Deterding’s approach to being a CEO, and living up to her purpose in serving others. This sho

Rabbi Batsheva Appel is currently the interim rabbi at Temple Israel in Omaha, Nebraska. In the show Rabbi Appel talks about her journey into the rabbinate, having first studied science and working in the corporate world. Rabbi Appel also talks about the nature of her faith and her own personal passions. Rabbi Batsheva Appel has served congregations in a variety of different roles, as a sabbatical rabbi, rabbi educator, settled rabbi, and interim rabbi, including serving as Director of Rabbinic Services for the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life, located in Jackson, Mississippi. Rabbi Appel is a trained Mussar facilitator and is a certified Interim Rabbi living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She is passionate about community, especially diversity. A native of Seattle, she graduated from Wellesley College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biological Sciences and Economics, entering the corporate world before her increasing involvement in her faith practice led her to become a rabb

Soprano, musician, performer, and singing teacher https://www.vannordstrandvoice.com/ (Shelby VanNordstrand) shares her love for singing and her passion for expressing stories through music. As well as her classical background, VanNordstrand also creates and performs avant garde music, including r u ok (created with Seth Shafer) which they performed at the 2022 https://www.undertheradaromaha.com/ (Omaha Under the Radar Festival). You can watch a video of that performance via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFNnGY1l0Y0 (this link here). https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-communication-fine-arts-and-media/about-us/faculty/music/shelby-vannordstrand.php (Shelby VanNordstrand) has appeared as a soloist with a wide range of ensembles and companies; including Lorin Maazel's Castleton Festival, New York Lyric Opera Theatre, Opera Omaha, Omaha Symphony, Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, and the Simon Estes Young Artist Program.  VanNordstrand is passionate about connecting song and opera repertoire to today’s audience

Author Dave Mainelli talks about his short story book collection https://www.davemainelli.com/ (How to Be Lonely) and how the stories test the limits of the human condition and our occasionally tenuous grip on a life well lived. Mainelli also shares how his writing has bridged from the truth of his own experiences with ill health to inspire some of the challenges facing his protagonists. Dave Mainelli teaches creative writing at Wayne State College and, starting in the Fall, at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. HIs short story collection, How To Be Lonely, was published by WSC Press in March of 2021. Mainelli draws from his diverse experiences in life to muse on our loneliness with a dark humor and a melancholy recipe. The stories test the limits of the human condition and Albert Camus' so called "serious problem" on whether life is worth living. His writing often delves into the American lower middle class and those living just below the veil of the American dream.

Fontenelle Forest’s Matt Darling talks about the wonders of nature and our essential human need to embrace it. Matt Darling is the executive director of https://fontenelleforest.org/ (Fontenelle Forest), one of the largest nature centers in the country. Fontenelle is made up of two properties and multiple ecosystems, 24 miles of trails, a high ropes course and 2,100 acres of forest, prairie and wetlands. Prior to this role at the Forest, he was the executive Vice President of the Omaha Community Foundation, a role in which he focused on an in-depth knowledge of all giving tools and the benefits of active philanthropy. Darling is heavily involved in organizations throughout Nebraska communities including but not limited to the Hastings College Foundation, Nebraska Land Trust, Central High School Foundation, and is a practicing Nebraska Master Naturalist.

Set jetter Robert Patterson talks about his passion for set-jetting – visiting the sites and scenes captured in movies, tv shows, and music videos – and the documentation of the many locations he captures, the scenes he recreates, the people he has met, and the experiences that he shares through his https://www.set-jetter.com/ (website). As the Executive Director of the nonprofit https://kidscan.org/ (Kids Can Community Center) in Omaha, Nebraska, Robert Patterson leads an organization driven to educate, engage, and inspire children through early childhood care and out of school experiences. Patterson is active with a number of community groups and initiatives and his commitment to community has been recognized with numerous awards. Over a decade ago, Patterson launched a blog that has now become the website Set-Jetter.com that records his passion as an avid set-jetter.

Legendary musician https://dereckhiggins.bandcamp.com/ (Dereck Higgins) is my guest in this week’s show. He talks about his life at the vanguard of musical creativity, his origins in a musical family, music as a form of spiritual expression, and his personal journey with grief and with depression through the healing power of music. Inducted into the Nebraska Music Hall of Fame in 2019, Dereck Higgins is a self taught music creator and a multi-instrumentalist, primarily known as a bass player. His award winning experience ranges from classic rock to reggae to punk to jazz to electronic to improvisation, and more. In his craft, he is dedicated to the moment of music making, listening to allow the music to speak. Some bands, past and present, that Higgins has performed with include: David Nance Mowed Sound, Digital Sex, Son Ambulance, RAF, Hotlines, InDreama, Chemicals, Norman & The Rockwells, Icky Blossoms, and many others. Higgins’ creativity extends to visual art, which he exhibits, and a deep involv

Former Nebraska State Poet Twyla Hansen declares that "poetry can save you." In the show, Hansen talks about making sense of the world and of herself through poetry, her affinity for the sacred, wild, and wondrous places around us, and how poetry can be a salvation in the face of pain and grief. Twyla Hansen was born and raised in northeast Nebraska on the farm her grandparents had purchased as immigrants from Denmark in the late 1880s. Hansen served as Nebraska’s State Poet for the term 2013-2018. Her newest book of poetry, Rock • Tree • Bird won the 2018 Willa Literary Award and the 2018 Nebraska Book Award for Poetry. She is the author of six other award-winning books of poetry and her writing has been published widely in numerous periodicals and anthologies.

Communications professor Jay Leighter shares some personal and professional perspectives on making sense of life through the practice of communication, research and insights into communication, community, and culture, including work with the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska and the ongoing social and ecological consideration of the Nebraska Sandhills, and his own family’s efforts towards creating a sustainable home. https://www.creighton.edu/campus-directory/leighter-james-l (Jay Leighter) is an Associate Professor of Communication Studies and Director of the Sustainability Studies Program at https://www.creighton.edu/ (Creighton University). He teaches courses on communication research and the intersection of culture and communication in everyday life. His research questions how culture influences communication and how people make decisions about the community in which they live. He also teaches a course in sustainability which is modeled after Jesuit teaching practices and discernment. Most recently, Jay i

Scott Jones is the Senior Minister for https://firstcentral.org/ (First Central Congregational Church). In the show, Jones talks about his childhood aspiration to be a preacher, his faith journey, the implications of the pandemic on his ministry and personal life, coming out as a gay man within the church, life advice from his son, and more. Scott Jones grew up in a small town in Oklahoma knowing since the age of five that he wanted to be a preacher. Then at age 29, he came out as a gay man while serving as a youth minister at a Baptist church in Texas, a story that you can read in his book - Open: A Memoir of Faith, Family, and Sexuality. Since 2010 Jones has served as the Senior Minister of Omaha’s First Central Congregational Church. Jones earned a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Oklahoma and has taught as a lecturer in the Philosophy Department of Creighton University. Jones enjoys many activities and experiences, but the most joyful is being the father to a wonderfully

Edem Garro is a singer, songwriter, and self-taught multi-instrumentalist who performs as Edem Soul Music. In this show, Edem not only talks about the place of music in her life and the themes she shares through it, but also performs a couple of songs for us live in the studio.  Edem is a 12 times Omaha Entertainment and Arts Award nominee, a 2018 OEAA winner for Best Soul, and a 2020 and 2021 Winner for Outstanding World Music. Playing over 12 instruments including the harp, ukulele, guitar and various forms of African percussion, Edem sings in English as well as in her native tongue ‘Ga’ originating from the Ga Tribe of Ghana, West Africa. Utilizing her gifts, and philosophy of life, Edem curates performances based in the realm of sound, and how it can affect the human spirit. 

Jacob Dahlke is a clinical ethicist and the Director of the Office of Healthcare Ethics at https://www.nebraskamed.com/ (Nebraska Medicine). In this show, he talks about ethics and how they are applied in a healthcare setting, especially in the context of the pandemic and the moral injury and trauma suffered by healthcare workers and himself. Jacob also talks about his own life as an art teacher and his journey to clinical ethics, his endeavors to experience the now and to move towards a form of personal enlightenment, and his advice for facing difficult choices and dilemmas. Jacob is returning to the show as a guest: our previous conversation took place during season two of Lives just as the pandemic was accelerating in March 2020 (that podcast is available on this website). Jacob is a graduate of The Bioethics Program at Union Graduate College – Mt. Sinai School of Medicine. He has contributed to the medical ethics field in Vermont, Colorado, and at Creighton University’s Center for Health Policy and E