Bughouse Square with Eve Ewing

Bughouse Square with Eve Ewing

History comes alive as we revisit important moments in American culture with interviews from the archives of the inimitable 20th-century broadcaster and oral historian Studs Terkel. Host Eve Ewing guides us through the Studs Terkel Radio Archive and pairs each piece of archival audio with an interview with a contemporary thinker, intertwining the past and the present. Dust off your soapbox, open your ears, and come down to the Bughouse Square. Bughouse Square with Eve Ewing is produced by the WFMT Radio Network and made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: exploring the human endeavor.

Episodes

February 15, 2019 5 mins

Erika L. Sánchez explains what it was like to live in Spain and to feel like she spoke a different language, even though it was still Spanish.

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The Rundown:

  • Eve explains how much Sandra Cisneros’ writing means to her and how the stories resonate with her childhood in Chicago.

  • Sandra Cisneros talks to Studs about the tradition of Chicano writers, the wisdom of her mother, and the representation of fierce women in her work.

  • Erika L. Sánchez explains how some readers believe her work is representative of the Latinx experience and how she wrestled with mental he...

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January 18, 2019 3 mins

Min Jin Lee explains the racism she experienced as a Korean-American living in Japan, and how that pulled at both her Korean and American selves.

Look out for Episode 5 on February 1st, 2018!

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January 4, 2019 49 mins

The Rundown:

  • Eve lays out Younghill Kang’s autobiographical immigrant stories and the looming ideological presence of the Japanese occupation of Korea.

  • Younghill Kang talks to Studs about the growth of himself as an artist and writer and how it intertwines with the passage of history in Korea and the United States

  • Min Jin Lee breaks down the compulsion she had to write about the Japanese occupation of Korea and how i...

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December 21, 2018 2 mins

We have more from our interview with Imani Perry! She describes the intimate friendships that Lorraine Hansberry had with James Baldwin and Nina Simone.

Look out for Episode 4 on January 4th, 2018!

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December 7, 2018 56 mins

The Rundown:

  • Eve explains why unearthing an interview with Lorraine Hansberry is so exciting and how restrictive covenants segregated cities across the country.

  • Lorraine Hansberry talks to Studs about how critics praised *A Raisin in a Sun *as “not a typical Black play” and how she writes an affirmative hero.

  • Dr. Imani Perry explores the life of Lorraine Hansberry to see how her background, experiences and beliefs in...

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November 23, 2018 1 min

Before the next episode drops, we need to talk about Adam Mansbach’s contentious relationship with the singer of Baby Beluga.

Look out for Episode 3 on December 7th, 2018!

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If you’re going to write a book that involves swearing at your child, it probably shouldn’t go in the children’s section, right? Adam Mansbach had to figure out where *Go the F*** to Sleep *fits in the bookstore... and if his book belonged in a bookstore.

Look out for Episode 3 on Friday, December 7, 2018!

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November 2, 2018 52 mins

Ep. 2: Shel Silverstein & Adam Mansbach

The Rundown:

  • Eve teaches us how to properly pronounce the last name of our favorite childhood poet.

  • Shel Silverstein talks to Studs the history of violence and peril in fairy tales and his own artistic legacy.

  • Adam Mansbach breaks down the culture of preciousness around parenting and reads a section of his hilarious picture book, Go the F*** to Sleep.

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October 26, 2018 3 mins

Episode 2 is almost ready, but we have more from Darnell Moore! He names more black, queer writers that merit our attention now. He recommends Richard Bruce Nugent, June Jordan, Audre Lorde, Cheryl Clark, M Jackie Alexander, Barbara Smith and more.

Look out for Episode 2 on Friday, November 2, 2018!

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To tide you over until Episode 2, here are some more insights from Darnell Moore on the Movement for Black Lives and the challenges of creating inclusive spaces.

Look out for Episode 2 on Friday, November 2, 2018!

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October 5, 2018 44 mins

Welcome to Bughouse Square! For the first time, we’re opening up the archived tape from the radio show of Studs Terkel, the renowned Chicago reporter. We’re pairing some of our favorite discoveries from the Studs Terkel archive and interviews with smart folks from our time.

The Rundown:

  • Eve briefs us on who she and Studs Terkel are, what the Bughouse Square is, and why she is so excited to host the show.

  • James Baldw...

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September 17, 2018 1 min

In our first episode, Studs Terkel talks to the legendary writer James Baldwin, and Eve asks why Black writers are so often expected to be hopeful.

Welcome to Bughouse Square with Eve Ewing, presented by The Studs Terkel Radio Archive and the WFMT Radio Network.

Episode 1 arrives Friday, October 5th.

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