Riverside Chats

Lauren Martin, executive director of the Maha Festival talks with Tom Knoblauch about her story and the evolution of Maha. This year’s festival is on July 31 and tickets are available at mahafestival.com.  What issues are on your mind this week? We’re starting a new feature here--a kind of letter to the editor--where you can call in and speak your mind in a brief voicemail to 402-881-0089 for...

Maria Corpuz talks with Tom Knoblauch about local activism, journalism, and hosting the live late night show Nite Caps at OutrSpaces through significant personal and societal shifts over the past few years. 

Author and Documentarian Tyler J. Kelley talks about his new book Holding Back the River: The Struggle Against Nature on America's Waterways, a revelatory work of reporting on the men and women wrestling to harness and preserve America’s most vital natural resource: our rivers. Check out Tyler's book here. 

Inclusive Communities executive director Maggie Wood and deputy director Cammy Watkins talk about discrimination in Omaha--its causes, its effects, and ways organizations like theirs work to address it going forward. 

Racial equity consultant Ja Keen Fox tells his story and theory of persuasion as he works to bring a progressive vision to Omaha.

Leah Cates writes for The Reader and compiled Queer Nebraska: A Timeline , which commemorates milestones in LGBTQ Nebraska history as part of The Reader’s Pride feature and seeks to broadcast voices from Nebraska’s vibrant queer community, spotlighting the struggles and strengths of LGBTQ Nebraskans. Queer Nebraska: A timeline is available on The Reader’s site and print edition, which is out now....

Attorney Matthew Wurstner returns to the show to discuss the constitutional obligations of the police and its formation as an institution--as well as what possible reforms might look like.

Filmmakers Brent Scott Maze and Derek Maze discuss their new film, La Flamme Rouge, which was filmed in Fremont and recently played at the Omaha Film Festival.

Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert tells her story and vision for a third term.

Sarah Johnson tells her vision for Omaha and why she felt compelled to run to represent District 1 on Omaha's City Council to switch up the status quo.

Jen Bauer tells her life story, from childhood dreams of joining the Supreme Court to her current campaign to represent District 3 on Omaha's City Council.

Sarah Smolen tells her story as an Omaha educator running to represent District 4 on Omaha's City Council.

RJ Neary discusses his vision for the city, including thinking bigger and addressing the interconnected nature of issues holding Omaha back from reaching its full potential.

Author Ross Benes discusses his new book, Rural Rebellion: How Nebraska Became a Republican Stronghold--including the past 30 years moving Nebraska to the right, what went wrong for Democrats, and what the future may look like for the state. Check out the book here : https://www.amazon.com/Rural-Rebellion-Nebraska-Republican-Stronghold/dp/0700630457

Jasmine Harris tells her vision of shifting Omaha from stagnation to progress by addressing the interconnected nature of the city's problems from transportation to communication to health and more. Learn more here. And consider supporting Riverside Chats as a patron for access to the full backlog, early access to new episodes, and exclusive content for $1 a month.

Omaha educator and mayoral candidate Mark Gudgel discusses his vision for the city and the future of politics in America. Find more about Mark Gudgel's campaign here.

NOISE founder Dawaune Lamont Hayes discusses his vision for changing Omaha to meet his ambitions, now including a run for mayor.

Matthew Wurstner tells the history of America's stolen election, rife with fraud, corruption, and questionable implications for the American democratic experiment--all in the 1876 election between Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel Tilden.

Precious McKesson tells her story as the first woman and the first woman of color in Nebraska to cast an Electoral College ballot for a Democrat, as well as her assessment of the current political climate.

Critic Adam Nayman discusses his new book, Paul Thomas Anderson: Masterworks, as well as the state of the auteur today and the future of cinema after the pandemic and the streaming revolution. Check out the book here.

Naomi Hattaway discusses her campaign to represent District 6 on Omaha's City Council, including the logistics of a digital campaign, the formation of her worldview, and her vision for the city.

Brent Crampton discusses how we can shift to a circular food system and become more conscious of waste, re-use, and regeneration, which he is helping Omaha embrace through Hillside Solutions.

Author Theodore Wheeler discusses his new novel, In Our Other Lives , which follows a series of characters trying to make sense of the post-Patriot Act world and is available wherever you get books.

Astronaut Clayton Anderson discusses his upbringing and dedication to following his dream of joining NASA and going to space, as well as his ability to share his experiences in his books like The Ordinary Spaceman and his newest release, Letters from Space, which is available now.

Screenwriter Patrick Stibbs tells the story of his first screenplay, The Call, which took 20 years to make it to the screen and is now in theaters across the country, starring horror icons Tobin Bell and Lynn Shaye.