Below the Radar

SFU's Vancity Office of Community Engagement
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Amplifying ideas that fly below the radar. We talk environmental and social justice, arts, culture, community-building and urban issues with featured guests. This podcast is produced by SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement as a part of our Knowledge Democracy Project @ 312 Main — encouraging the meaningful exchange of ideas and information across communities. Hosted and currently produced by: Am Johal Joey Malbon Julia Aoki Kathy Feng Samantha Walters Visit our website for archived audio and video recordings of our public events: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/library.html

  1. Panic Now? — with Ira Allen

    2D AGO

    Panic Now? — with Ira Allen

    On this episode of the Below the Radar B-Sides, our host Am Johal is joined by Dr. Ira Allen, Associate Professor of Rhetoric, Writing, and Digital Media Studies at Northern Arizona University. Ira is the author of The Ethical Fantasy of Rhetorical Theory and Panic Now? Tools for Humanizing. Together, they chat about living in a system of Carbon-Capitalism-Colonialism (or CaCaCo), AI’s disruption to meaning-making, and panicking. Enjoy the episode! Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/btr-bsides-ira-allen.html Resources: Ira J. Allen: https://troubledfreedom.com/ Ira’s CV: https://directory.nau.edu/?person=ia298 The Ethical Fantasy of Rhetorical Theory: https://upittpress.org/books/9780822965367/ Panic Now? Tools for Humanizing: https://utpress.org/title/panic-now/ Bio: Dr. Ira Allen (he/him) is Associate Professor of Rhetoric in the Departments of English and of Politics & International Affairs at Northern Arizona University. His scholarship on human meaning-making includes The Ethical Fantasy of Rhetorical Theory (U Pittsburgh P, 2018), alongside many articles and chapters, and undergirds his inquiry into the AI revolution and other features of polycrisis in Panic Now? Tools for Humanizing (U Tennessee P, 2024). With Scott Sundvall and Caddie Alford, he has a volume exploring our hypermediated and increasingly automated crisis of meaning forthcoming in 2026: Rhetoric Before and Beyond Post-Truth (U Pittsburgh P). Among other topics, Ira teaches undergraduate courses on digital argumentation and graduate courses on #datapolitics and humanizing rhetoric. Cite this episode: Chicago Style Johal, Am. “Panic Now? — with Ira Allen.” Below the Radar, SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement. Podcast audio, January 5, 2026. https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/btr-bsides-ira-allen.html.

    53 min
  2. The Future of Hogan's Alley — with Djaka Blais

    2025-12-04

    The Future of Hogan's Alley — with Djaka Blais

    On this episode of the Below the Radar B-Sides, we’re joined by Djaka Blais, the Executive Director of Hogan’s Alley Society. Am and Djaka discuss the history and future of the organisation, and its ongoing work in daylighting Black history in Vancouver and beyond. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/btr-bsides-djaka-blais Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/btr-bsides-djaka-blais Resources: Hogan’s Alley Society: https://www.hogansalleysociety.org/ Hogan’s Alley 2024 report: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/654e87e4e6889372eafb1636/t/6776c85dd93b442d0750f334/1735837829981/HAS+-+2024+Final+Year+In+Review-compressed.pdf Bio: Djaka Blais (she/her) is a social sector leader with 21 years of experience in philanthropy, government, and community mobilizing. She is a change agent to shift power dynamics and remove oppressive structures within philanthropic and nonprofit organizations. Djaka is the inaugural Executive Director of Hogan’s Alley Society, a Vancouver-based non-profit focused on advancing the social, political, economic, and cultural well-being of people of African descent (Black People) through the delivery of inclusive housing, built spaces, and culturally informed programming. Djaka is a founding Director of the Foundation for Black Communities, the first philanthropic foundation for Black communities in Canada. She is a board member with Philanthropic Foundations Canada and a How Women Lead fellow in their first Black cohort. Cite this episode: Chicago Style Johal, Am. “The Future of Hogan's Alley — with Djaka Blais” Below the Radar, SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement. Podcast audio, November 12, 2025. https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/btr-bsides-djaka-blais.

    28 min
  3. The Regular — with Ness Nöst

    2025-10-24

    The Regular — with Ness Nöst

    On this episode of the Below the Radar B-Sides, we’re joined by Ness Nöst, an independent singer-songwriter. Ness is known for her powerful live performances, and her breakout EP, Working Hours (2024), received international airplay and acclaim. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/btr-bsides-ness-nost Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/btr-bsides-ness-nost Resources: Ness Nöst: https://www.nessnostmusic.com/ Ness’ Bandcamp: https://nessnostmusic.bandcamp.com/ Bio: Ness Nöst is known for her soulful blend of indie folk, jazz, and dark poetic storytelling. Think Joni Mitchell and k.d. lang meets Feist. She is currently working on her debut full-length album following the release of Glimmers (March 2025), her second self-released, self-produced EP. A fully independent artist, Nöst continues to push creative boundaries while integrating themes of women’s rights and advocacy into her music. ​ Her breakout EP, Working Hours (2024), received international airplay, including on London Soho Radio in the UK, and was featured in Exclaim! and RANGE Magazine. Following a Canada-wide tour in 2024, she returned with Glimmers, which has already been featured on CBC Music. She has also collaborated with grassroots organizations such as Good Night Out and #NOTME, using her platform to support workplace safety and harm reduction. Known for her powerful live performances, Nöst has played over 250 shows across Canada, captivating audiences with her rare ability to connect through music. Cite this episode: Chicago Style Johal, Am. “The Regular — with Ness Nöst” Below the Radar, SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement. Podcast audio, October 25, 2025. https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/btr-bsides-ness-nost.

    46 min
  4. We Have Stories — with Rosemary Georgeson and Jessica Hallenbeck

    2025-10-24

    We Have Stories — with Rosemary Georgeson and Jessica Hallenbeck

    On this episode of the Below the Radar B-Sides, we’re joined by Rosemary Georgeson and Jessica Hallenbeck, two artists whose ongoing community engaged collaborative work have produced multiple acclaimed film and research projects. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/btr-bsides-rosemary-georgeson-jessica-hallenbeck Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/btr-bsides-rosemary-georgeson-jessica-hallenbeck/ Resources: Lantern Films: https://www.lanternfilms.ca/ Rosemary Georgeson: https://rosemarygeorgeson.wordpress.com/ Jessica and Rosemary’s Research: https://geog.ubc.ca/news/written-out-of-history-restorying-the-archive/ We Have Stories: Women in Fish: https://www.facebook.com/WeHaveStories The Saltlicks: https://thesaltlicks.bandcamp.com/album/diaries Bio: Rosemary Georgeson is a Coast Salish and Sahtu Dene filmmaker and multi-media artist. She was born and raised in the commercial fishing industry, spending the first half of her life fishing around Galiano Island and the Salish Sea, sometimes as far as Prince Rupert. Since leaving the industry, she’s worked in the arts community as a writer, storyteller and researcher. Recognized in 2009 by the Vancouver Mayor’s award for emerging artist and in 2014 as the Vancouver Public Library’s Storyteller in Residence, her work is deeply rooted in her family history on Galiano Island. Jessica Hallenbeck is a documentary filmmaker, independent scholar and community planner. With an undergraduate degree in media and film from Queen’s University, she has worked in documentary for 20 years. Jessica holds a PhD in Geography from the University of British Columbia and her multimodal research cuts across filmmaking, writing, and exhibitions. Jessica is a Sundance Institute and Chicken and Egg Alumni. Her dissertation (2020) won The Starkey-Robinson Award for graduate research on Canada and is currently under contract with UBC Press. She has been the recipient of multiple Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Grants (SSHRC), including the prestigious Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship. Cite this episode: Chicago Style Johal, Am. “We Have Stories — with Rosemary Georgeson and Jessica Hallenbeck — with Rosemary Georgeson and Jessica Hallenbeck” Below the Radar, SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement. Podcast audio, October 14, 2025. https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/btr-bsides-rosemary-georgeson-jessica-hallenbeck.html.

    35 min
  5. No More Watno Dur — with Sadhu Binning

    2025-10-19

    No More Watno Dur — with Sadhu Binning

    On this episode of the Below the Radar B-Sides, we are joined by Sadhu Binning, bilingual author, educator, and advocate for Punjabi literature, culture, and language. Sadhu shares stories from his life, and discusses the path to founding arts and cultural collectives in Vancouver in the 80s and 90s. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/btr-bsides-sadhu-binning.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/btr-bsides-sadhu-binning.html Resources: No More Watno Dur: https://www.mawenzihouse.com/product/no-more-watno-dur/ Watan: https://www.watanpunjabi.ca/oct2018/ Bio: Sadhu Binning, a bilingual teacher, advocate/founder, author, and editor, has lived in Vancouver since 1967, when he migrated there. During his resilient career, he has published and edited over nineteen poetry, fiction, plays, translations, and research books. His works have been included in more than fifty anthologies both in Punjabi and English. He edited and co-edited the Punjabi magazines Watno Dur and Watan. He co-founded Vancouver Sath, a theatre collective (1983), Ankur, an English literary magazine (1993), and founded the Punjabi Language Education Association and various other literary and cultural organizations, including the Punjabi Literary Association (1973). He has sat on the BC Arts Board, is a central figure in the Punjabi arts community, and was named one of the top 100 South Asians who made a difference in BC. He has received numerous awards in Canada and Punjab, India, including the supreme nonresident Punjabi author in 2015. Sadhu Binning received an honorary Doctorate of Letters from UBC in 2019. Cite this episode: Chicago Style Johal, Am. “No More Watno Dur — with Sadhu Binning.” Below the Radar, SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement. Podcast audio, October 21, 2025.. https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/btr-bsides-sadhu-binning.html.

    1h 1m
  6. M.I.T.C.O.E — with Dave Biddle

    2025-10-18

    M.I.T.C.O.E — with Dave Biddle

    On this episode of Below the Radar, our host Am Johal is joined by Dave Biddle, artist, musician, theorist, and PhD Candidate at SFU's School for the Contemporary Arts. Together, they chat about Dave’s research, artistic practice, and rugby. Enjoy the episode! Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/btr-bsides-dave-biddle.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/btr-bsides-dave-biddle.html Resources: Copyright Linda Fox: https://kopyrightlindafox.bandcamp.com/ Dave’s Oasis: https://davesoasis.cargo.site/ Liquidation World: https://www.instagram.com/liquidationw0rld/?hl=en Bio: Dave Biddle (being me) is a musician (being Copyright Linda Fox), a theorist (being susceptible to gnosis), and a filmmaker (being quick to tell you about his new "script"). He (still being me) is interested in how the many different forms of life on earth (being metaphorically different) are all oriented toward the production of new expressions of meaning (being negentropic), and in this process some of those expressions emerge as something called an "artist bio" (being the ultimate expression). Dave Biddle (being the artist whose bio is in question) was born in Vancouver (being the traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations) and he continues to live in that (being this) strange place where he studies the silverfish in his books (being being). Cite this episode: Chicago Style Johal, Am. “M.I.T.C.O.E. — with Dave Biddle.” Below the Radar, SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement. Podcast audio, October 21, 2025. https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/btr-bsides-dave-biddle.html.

    46 min
  7. Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat — with Johan Grimonprez

    2025-10-08

    Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat — with Johan Grimonprez

    On this episode of the Below the Radar B-Sides, we’re joined by Johan Grimonprez, a Belgian multimedia artist, filmmaker, and curator whose film Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat was nominated for the Oscar for Best Documentary at the 97th Academy Awards. Am and Johan discuss Johan’s past video work, and what Johan discovered along the way in creating and sharing Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/btr-bsides-johan-grimonprez Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/btr-bsides-johan-grimonprez Resources: Johan Grimonprez: https://www.johangrimonprez.be/ Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat: https://kinolorber.com/film/soundtrack-to-a-coup-d-etat Vancouver International Film Festival: https://viff.org/ Dial H-I-S-T-O-R-Y: https://vimeo.com/231411671 Bio: Who owns our imagination in a world of existential vertigo where truth has become a shipwrecked refugee? Is it the storyteller who can contain contradictions, who can slip between the languages we have been given to become a time-traveler of the imagination? Johan Grimonprez’s critically acclaimed work dances on the borders of theory and practice, between art and cinema, beyond the dualisms of documentary and fiction, other and self, mind and brain to weave new pathways and stories, emphasizing a multiplicity of realities. Informed by an archeology of present-day media, his work depicts intimate stories that brush up against the bigger picture of globalization. It questions our collective imagination and the contemporary sublime, one framed by a fear industry that has infected political and social dialogue. Cite this episode: Chicago Style Johal, Am. “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat — with Johan Grimonprez” Below the Radar, SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement. Podcast audio, October 14, 2025. https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/btr-bsides-johan-grimonprez.html.

    57 min
  8. The Celluloid Specimen — with Joe Clark and Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa

    2025-09-09

    The Celluloid Specimen — with Joe Clark and Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa

    This episode of Below the Radar B-Sides is guest hosted by Joe Clark, term assistant professor at SFU’s School for the Contemporary Arts. He is joined by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa, Assistant Professor in Film Studies at Seattle University, and author of The Celluloid Specimen: Moving Image Research into Animal Life. Together, they chat about their shared interest in non-theatrical film, and the histories and speculative futures of scientific filmmaking. Resources: Joseph Clark: https://www.josephclark.me/ Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa: https://www.benjaminschultzfigueroa.com/ The Celluloid Specimen: Moving Image Research into Animal Life: https://www.benjaminschultzfigueroa.com/the-celluloid-specimen-moving-image-research-into-animal-life Bio: Joseph Clark: Joseph Clark (PhD, Brown University) is an educator, filmmaker, researcher, and arts programmer. His research and teaching interests focus on archival and non-theatrical media, including newsreels, home movies, and sponsored film. He is the author of News Parade: The American Newsreel and the World as Spectacle (University of Minnesota Press, 2020) and the director of the short film Persistence & Loss (2021). He is a long-time member of the DOXA Documentary Film Festival Programming Committee and part of the organizing committee of the Vancouver Podcast Festival. Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa Dr. Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa is an Assistant Professor in Film Studies at Seattle University. His research focuses on the history of scientific filmmaking, nontheatrical film, and animal studies. Among other venues, his writing has been published in JCMS: Journal of Cinema and Media Studies, Film History, Journal of Environmental Media. His book The Celluloid Specimen: Moving Image Research into Animal Life is due to be published by UC Press in February, 2023. Cite this episode: Chicago Style Clark, Joseph. “The Celluloid Specimen — with Joe Clark and Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa.” Below the Radar, SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement. Podcast audio, August 12, 2025. https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/btr-bsides-celluloid-specimen.html.

    43 min
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5
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

Amplifying ideas that fly below the radar. We talk environmental and social justice, arts, culture, community-building and urban issues with featured guests. This podcast is produced by SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement as a part of our Knowledge Democracy Project @ 312 Main — encouraging the meaningful exchange of ideas and information across communities. Hosted and currently produced by: Am Johal Joey Malbon Julia Aoki Kathy Feng Samantha Walters Visit our website for archived audio and video recordings of our public events: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/library.html

Information

  • Creator
    SFU's Vancity Office of Community Engagement
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    293
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Below the Radar

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