Within The Realm

With the closure of anything that would draw a crowd, local music and comedy venues fell silent as the pandemic spread. Even after the worst is over, it might be months before the big acts can get their tours together and head out across the country. Ben Wendt of Kansas City's Ope! Radio podcast sees this as a golden opportunity for local acts to fill the void. We talk to Ben about his optimistic...

Late in 2020, Major League Baseball recognized several of the Negro Leagues that thrived from 1920 until the sport was integrated as their own. Now these overlooked athletes' stats will be included in the records of MLB, a place some have thought they should have been long ago.  But what is the story of the Negro Leagues? Our conversation with Raymond Doswell, Vice-president of the Negro Leagues B...

"It seemed like a mountain we could climb" said Aaron Eubanks of the idea to build custom guitars that emerged during a game of cards. And climb they did. Eubanks, with co-conspirators Jason Crittenden and Billy Wigert, founded Mad N8V Guitars this past year. It's a story about three guys, all members of the Cherokee Nation, with a crazy idea. It's a story about the craftsmanship of making custom...

Hear the tale of my brief but tumultuous days as a Santa-ophile. Published in hopes to explain why I'm more of a Scrooge than a Bob Cratchit. My Christmas Carol has only one ghost. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" performed by Bob and Stephanie Martin. https://soundcloud.com/user-348524468-584122943?ref=clipboard&p=i&c=1 Written and produced by Steve Garrett www.withinpodcast.com

Maintaining a emotional balance has proven to be extra difficult in recent months. Mental health counselor Josh Cress joins us to discuss emotional distress tolerance and the Healthy Mind Platter. Josh Cress: A Healthy Mind 0:00 Introduction 0:51 Episode set up 2:01 Emotional Distress Tolerance 6;52 The Healthy Mind Platter 12:18 We're all in the Same Storm 14:37 Steve's Conclusion 15:49 Credits a...

A couple of years ago I did an episode about my hometown's oldest business, Fletcher Hardware. Today the store is gone, but in it's place is Fletcher Park. The park became a community vision on ground donated by the Fletcher family, a family that's been dedicated to that community since it's start. In honor of the dedication of Fletcher Park, I revisiting the interview from that previous episode....

On this 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment, I bring you the story of my Great-grandmother, Mona Perkins and her first experience with the ballot box. She was a young upstart, her independence scandalized the small Oklahoma town in which she lived. But her intention to vote in the 1920 election was too much for some of the menfolk...

In the election of 1972, 18 year-olds were allowed the vote for the first time. We speak to a friend, Randy Pease, then an Indiana college student and one of those 18 year-olds casting their first ballot. He tells us of a tumultuous time in our history and in his life that reverberates to this day. Hear Randy's music on Amazon Music, Apple Music and ReverbNation.

Kate Barnard was elected to statewide office in Oklahoma before she could vote for herself. She was a young, progressive reformer applying her vision of society to the new state government...and making it stick. She became known as St. Kate to those that benefitted from her policies, but she was thorn in the side to those who sought to use their positions to enrich themselves. Hear the story Oklah...

Erskine Wood and Sara Bard Field were introduced by none other than Clarence Darrow as progressives that should know each other. They both individually were activists for worker's right and women's suffrage, but together they advocated for Free Love. Their story spans many years and thousands of letters that reveal much about them and their struggles and the times in which they lived. "Bohemians W...

Louise Carson was a first time teacher, tasked with teaching 60 5 year-olds with no curriculum and little direction on a daily basis. She was my Kindergarten teacher and she taught me a lot. My wife, also a Kindergarten teacher, sent me armed with a list of questions to compare Mrs. Carson's class to present day. A lot has changed but I found I'm still learning from Mrs. Carson! www.withinpodcast....

In this episode we discuss primary sources with Dr. Megan Kate Nelson and their importance to the book The Three Cornered War. Dr. Nelson explains how letters, reports and other narratives from the time, Civil War Era New Mexico Territory, added detail and substance to the story of the Union, the Confederacy and Native People in the Fight For the West.

When Austin's South X Southwest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many up and coming artists lost some great opportunities to further their careers. Two enterprising guys from the Kansas City music scene determined to replace those lost opportunities... digitally. One of those artists was Love Mae C., who became the first featured guest on CXCW. Hear the story and Soul Siren Love Mae C.'...

A conversation with a licensed counselor about dealing with our emotions and mental health during this challenging time of COVID-19, quarantine and economic difficulty. Josh Cress of Ampersand Counseling Group shares with us a few strategies to better deal with these uncertain times.

We heard from Hannah Pithers a few months ago, emerging from a months long bout with Crohns, IBS and Colitis to find a  return to the life she loved. The journey continues, not just with this personal trainer getting back in shape, but challenging herself to do more for herself and others. Hannah operates FormfitnessKC with her husband Matt. Watch for her on a competition show somewhere on your TV...

The American Civil War is a much studied subject. Dr. Megan Kate Nelson visits with me about her new book "The Three Cornered War," a look at the struggle for the New Mexico Territory. The story is told expertly through the viewpoint of various characters of the struggle. Dr. Nelson is the author of  Ruin Nation: Destruction and the American Civil War and many articles on history and culture. More...

Tim O'Brien of O'Brien Communications and the Shaping Opinion podcast shares 5 tips to help us get through the COVID-19 and CoronaVirus crisis. 

Average college student by day, but he also doubles as Kansas City's youngest working comedian. What drives someone to face the greatest fear, that of public speaking, to get a few laughs? Find out from Dayton Bissett, the Kid of Kansas City comedy.  

Oklahoma has the dubious honor of sending the first certifiably insane person to Congress. Manuel Herrick served one term in Congress (1921-1923), but was able to stir up a lifetime of trouble in that two years. From airplane accidents to lawsuits over broken marriage proposals, Herrick had a knack for finding trouble. Hear the nearly forgotten story of Oklahoma's Certifiable Congressman!

Carbonated drinks in glass bottles are making a comeback. There was a time these "pop" bottles could be returned to grocery stores for a few cents per bottle. As a grade-school kid, that's how I made my extra spending money...and learned a valuable lesson from a local store keeper.

We often hear complaints about the lack of community in our country, from a lack of diversity to simply not knowing your neighbors. Could the design of our communities and homes play a part in this? I speak to an architect that believes borrowing a few ideas from the past might hold the key to building a better sense of community.

Memories of loved ones too soon gone are kept alive through stories, stories that tell who they were and who they still are. Recently, I gave an interview about becoming grateful through tragedy. In the interview, I discussed our journey through the loss of our son, Jacob. Even after the interview, there's still lots to tell about how our hearts are broken, but full. Full of memories of the good h...

It is one of the most recognizable songs the world over, but few know about it's start as a country music tear-jerker, and fewer still know about it's rocky road before it became renown. "You Are My Sunshine," even with it's status as a musical icon can add significant meaning to an evening in the backyard with the neighbor's kid.

Halloween is usually all fun and games...until you have something to prove. For my brother, it was unseating the reigning costume contest champion at the annual Halloween get-together. For me, it became a day of seeing into the future, celebrating the past and deciding what it was I wanted to be...

On February 27, 1914, Westville businessman PJ Dore was killed by Tandy Folsom. It's the stuff of local legend, but it serves as an illustration for a larger historical debate. Professor Greg Jackson of the podcast History That Doesn't Suck discusses the Frontier Thesis and opposition to the idea. Then we delve into the legend and how the truth of the matter presents a clash of cultures in the ear...