Creative Antidotes to Loneliness

At a time repeatedly declared one of the most politically polarized, even the comfort of the family living room can become a hotbed for contentious debate. A new play by Isaac Gomez RADICAL or, are you gonna miss me?  tells the sweeping story of a recently “radicalized” woman on the Mexican-American border, and hauntingly displays how the impact of her radicalization hits close to home. So using the events of the play RADICAL or, are you gonna miss me? as a launching point for a timely conversation – Host Andrea Ambam sat down with Isaac Gómez (Playwright), Glauz Diego (Director of Arts & Culture, Community Coalition LA), and Cecilia Márquez (Historian, Author &,  Professor) to debunk the myths and misconceptions about BIPOC groups and political affiliation, explore the societal impacts of an ever-growing ideological divide, and to answer the question: what is the role of storytelling in rebridging our ability to sit in the living room with one another? MORE TO TALK ABOUT (MTTA) is Level Forward’s Anthem Award-winning audience engagement platform that uses story to ignite culture-shifting conversations, activations, and community-building experiences. More where that's from on our curated digital hub www.moretotalkabout.com

How To Dance in Ohio, the landmark Broadway musical, followed the coming-of-age journey of seven autistic young adults preparing for a spring formal dance — better known as a young person’s right of passage into love, stress, and independence. Inspired by the events and themes within the heart-filled new musical How To Dance in Ohio, Host Andrea Ambam sat down with members of the landmark HTDIO Broadway Access team – Ava Xiao-Lin Rigelhaupt (Autistic Creative Consultant), Nicole D’Angelo (Assistant Music Director & Script Consultant), and Becky Leifman  (Former Director of Community Engagement at CO/LAB) – for an insightful conversation exploring the role of entertainment in creating abundant and accessible futures for disabled folks. MORE TO TALK ABOUT (MTTA) is Level Forward’s Anthem Award-winning audience engagement platform that uses story to ignite culture-shifting conversations, activations, and community-building experiences. More where that's from on our curated digital hub www.moretotalkabout.com

Inspired by the events and themes within Three Houses  (a new magical realism musical by Dave Malloy) - Host Andrea Ambam sat down with Ann James (Intimacy Coordinators of Color), Christine Jones (Theatre for One), and Laurie Woolery (Citizen Artist) for a heartfelt conversation exploring community, art, intimacy, play, and connection as cures for the loneliness epidemic. MORE TO TALK ABOUT (MTTA) is Level Forward’s Anthem Award-winning audience engagement platform that uses story to ignite culture-shifting conversations, activations, and community-building experiences. More where that's from on our curated digital hub www.moretotalkabout.com

Andrea Ambam sits down for a 1 to 1 interview with a special guest from a previous episode this season - Dr. Leeja Carter (Womanist Health Practitioner, CEO & Founder of The Coalition for Food & Health Equity). Find out more about Dr.  Leeja Carter and stay involved with her work at https://www.leejacarter.com/ Feed your ongoing curiosities at www.moretotalkabout.com

BODY PARTS traces the evolution of "sex" on-screen from a woman’s perspective, uncovering the uncomfortable realities behind some of the most iconic scenes in cinema history and celebrating the bold creators leading the way for change. In conversation with the filmmakers, Kristy Guevara-Flanagan (Director of BODY PARTS) and Helen Hood Scheer (Producer of BODY PARTS), alongside Dr. Stephane Dunn (Cultural Critic, Filmmaker, & Author of SNITCHERS & Baad Bitches & Sassy Supermamas) we dive into the making of BODY PARTS and explore our visions for the culture-shifting conversations and progressive action that BODY PARTS can bring to the entertainment industry and beyond. Feed your ongoing curiosities at https://www.bodypartsfilm.com/ and www.moretotalkabout.com

The Year Between - currently streaming on Peacock - is the comedic, yet viscerally real depiction of a young adult learning to live alongside her recent bipolar diagnosis - all while juggling a leave of absence from college, family life, the Chicago suburbs, friendships,  therapy, and new self-care routines. In conversation with Alex Heller (Writer, Director, and Star of The Year Between), HaJ (Executive Producer of The Year Between), Alexa James (CEO of National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) Chicago), we traverse the making of The Year Between and discuss how raw, real, and sometimes chaotic depictions of mental illness on screen help shatter the stigma.For support and resources visit https://www.namichicago.org/resourcesFeed your ongoing curiosities at https://www.theyearbetweenfilm.com/ and  www.moretotalkabout.com

Coming to you live from Tribeca Film Festival 2023! Mountains is a new film centered around a Haitian demolition worker who seeks to buy a home amidst a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood in Little Haiti, Miami.  Listen to an unvarnished conversation about the making of their debut feature film,  immigrant representation on screen, and the politics of Florida featuring Monica Sorelle (Director & Co-writer), Robert Colom (Co-writer & Producer), and DJ Reed (Senior Manager, Entertainment Partnerships and Advocacy at Define American). Feed your ongoing curiosities at www.moretotalkabout.com 

Listen to More To Talk About on Our Body Politic this week! Exclusive interviews and audio covering the role of storytelling in ending the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Woman and Relatives Crisis, using the forthcoming documentary short We Ride For Her  as a launching point. Listen to episode wherever you listen to podcast, and across the country on the radio for the next week: https://ourbodypolitic.com/To learn more about the film and action you can take visit: https://www.werideforher.com/

We love being live! Please note: audio has some technical difficulties from about 2:45-9:57. Thanks for your understanding :)FLEX by Candrice Jones follows a 1998 high school girl’s basketball team on their winding journey toward a potentially life-changing state championship game.Inspired by the events and themes within the adrenaline-packed play FLEX,  Andrea Ambam sits down with Dr. Leeja Carter (Black Feminist Sport Psychology Practitioner, CEO & Founder of The Coalition for Food & Health Equity), Khristina Williams (Founder of Girls Talk Sports TV), and Jamia Wilson (Activist and Writer) for a  myth-busting conversation about the unique experiences of Black women athletes. Feed your ongoing curiosities at www.moretotalkabout.comFeaturing Audio from:MSNBC: Driving Race, Gender, And Sex in 'Flex' at Lincoln Center Theatre (https://www.msnbc.com/american-voices/watch/driving-race-gender-and-sex-in-flex-at-lincoln-center-theater-189416005960)

FLEX by Candrice Jones follows a 1998 high school girl’s basketball team on their winding journey toward a potentially life-changing state championship game. Inspired by the events and themes within the adrenaline-packed play FLEX, this soul-searching conversation - with Rachel Cargle (Author & Entrepreneur), Mahogany L. Browne (Author & Lincoln Center Poet-In-Residence), and Candrice Jones (FLEX Playwright) - excavates the triumphs and tribulations of coming-of-age, the misconceptions of the south, and, how the power of interdependence and open conversations about mental health can save us all. Feed your ongoing curiosities at www.moretotalkabout.com