The Hidden South

Brent Walker
  • 5.0 (9)
  • Personal Journals

The Hidden South is an ongoing project featuring intimate conversations with people throughout the Southeast U.S.

Episodes

  1. Sep 25

    Basqo Bim — "Getting Pretty" and the Weight of Loss

    I sat down with New Orleans artist Basqo Bim whose work takes up physical and emotional space—large, expressive faces surrounded by vibrant fabric. This conversation focuses on his roots, his work, and the painful loss of his brother.

    Basqo Bim — "Getting Pretty" and the Weight of Loss

  2. Sep 10

    Keisha: "At Least I Feel Free" | Arabi, Louisiana

    Sunday morning at my antique shop on St. Claude in Arabi, LA. Keisha stopped by on her bike, and we sat down to talk about losing her mom and grandmother, dealing with health struggles, living outdoors, and finding a sense of freedom. READ THE TRANSCRIPT & SEE THE PORTRAIT:https://hiddensouth.substack.com🎙️ ABOUT THE HIDDEN SOUTH:The Hidden South is an independent documentary photography and oral history project by Brent Walker, focused on the lives of folks across the South. Operating out of an odd little antique shop, just outside of New Orleans.

  3. 11/19/2019

    9. Gail - Love and Loss

    This episode is part of a series of written and audio stories called True Romance that will take an honest look at romantic relationships. Go to thehiddensouth.com for more stories from this series. I met Gail in an art market while she was visiting New Orleans on vacation. She told me a little about a recent event in her life that impacted her greatly, so I asked her if she would be willing to share her story with us. She agreed and the interview took place on August 13th, 2019. Gail's story focuses primarily on love, infidelity, suicide, and the grieving process.

    9. Gail - Love and Loss

  4. 09/04/2019

    8. Wali - Bipolar Disorder and Romantic Relationships

    Welcome to the Hidden South - a collection of conversations between myself, Brent Walker, and the people I meet throughout the Southeast U.S. This is episode number 8. This episode is part of a series of written and audio stories called True Romance that will take an honest, in-depth look at romantic relationships. Go to thehiddensouth.com for more stories from this series. I met Wali, a 32-year-old teacher, while he was visiting a friend in New Orleans following a breakup with his girlfriend and his second hospitalization for bipolar disorder. We stayed in touch and when he returned a few months later, he agreed to share his story with me. This interview took place on August 17th, 2019, a few days prior to Wali’s new podcast going live. It’s called the 730 Podcast. It explores how mental health issues intersect with the African American experience. Have a listen. It’s definitely worth checking out.

    8. Wali - Bipolar Disorder and Romantic Relationships

  5. 08/12/2019

    7. Paul - The Power of Storytelling

    Welcome to the Hidden South - a collection of conversations between myself, Brent Walker, and the people I meet throughout the Southeast U.S.  This is episode number 7. This episode contains graphic descriptions of heroin use.  I met Paul in an art market just outside the French Quarter where he was selling multi-colored, one of a kind, painted sports coats to tourists. I immediately recognized Paul as someone who had a story to tell.  This interview was recorded at Washington Square Park in the Marigny. Paul told me about his many struggles and his recent victory after finding The Moth in New Orleans. This is Paul’s story.

    7. Paul - The Power of Storytelling

  6. 07/23/2019

    6. Ember - Addicted to Love

    Welcome to the Hidden South - a collection of conversations between myself, Brent Walker, and people I meet throughout the Southeast U.S. This is episode number 6. I met with Ember on her fortieth birthday. Our conversation took place on the hood of her bus in the Upper Ninth Ward in New Orleans, LA and focuses predominantly on love addiction and borderline personality disorder.  Show Notes Hearing Voices is an organization, with groups in 25 countries, that provides community support, and refuge for those who hear voices, see visions, and experience other forms of extraordinary perception. I found this short video very helpful in explaining the importance of the Hearing Voices Network.  Earlier this week, I posted Dawn’s story about borderline personality disorder. Her story sheds additional light on BPD. I recommend checking it out.  Ember's story amd hundreds of others can be viewed on The Hidden South

    6. Ember - Addicted to Love

  7. 07/03/2019

    5. Yemoja Oshun - Healing through BDSM

    I met Yemoja Oshun  at an art market in New Orleans and I was immediately intrigued by her career path so I asked if she would share her story with me. Our conversation focuses largely on healing her own sexual abuse through BDSM and her role in helping others heal through sensual bodywork.  Show notes: Thanks to Yemoja Oshun for sharing her story. Find out more about her work on her website, Patreon, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube  SESTA and FOSTA - The Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA) and Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) are the U.S. Senate and House bills that as the FOSTA-SESTA package became law on April 11, 2018. They clarify the country's sex trafficking law to make it illegal to knowingly assist, facilitate, or support sex trafficking, and amend the Section 230 safe harbors of the Communications Decency Act (which make online services immune from civil liability for the actions of their users) to exclude enforcement of federal or state sex trafficking laws from its immunity. SESTA has been criticized by pro-free speech and pro-Internet groups including the Center for Democracy and Technology, Electronic Frontier Foundation, the ACLU, Engine Advocacy, the Sex Workers Outreach Project (which described SESTA as a "disguised internet censorship bill"), and the Wikimedia Foundation, who argue that the bill weakens the section 230 safe harbors, and places an unnecessary burden on internet companies and intermediaries that handle user-generated content or communications. Excerpts from Wikipedia. Learn more about SESTA/FOSTA

    5. Yemoja Oshun - Healing through BDSM

  8. 06/26/2019

    4. Kelly - My Darkest Day

    Kelly and I met to talk by the Banksy at the old drop-in center just outside the French Quarter. His story focuses on growing up in foster care and the powerful events in his life that centered around New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina.

    4. Kelly - My Darkest Day

  9. 06/06/2019

    2. Raskull - The Life of a Traveler

    This conversation took place on January 31st, 2017 at the neutral ground on St. Roch Ave. in New Orleans. Raskull had been hopping trains with her boyfriend Ian and her dog Spaghetti for quite a while by the time I met her. Here’s a brief glimpse into Raskull’s life.

    2. Raskull - The Life of a Traveler

  10. 05/20/2019

    1. David - Surviving Trauma

    Welcome to The Hidden South, a collection of intimate conversations with people throughout the Southeast U.S. My name is Brent Walker. This is the first of what I hope to be many episodes of The Hidden South. Since this is the first episode, let me tell you a little about my project.  I’ve been a photographer for many years. In 2014 I began hitting the streets of Atlanta’s most impoverished neighborhoods and asking people to tell me a story about something that changed their lives. After we were finished talking, I’d take their picture and post their story and photo online.  In 2015, after a harrowing Kickstarter campaign, I took a trip around the Southeast U.S. and created my first book, The Hidden South - Come Home, which largely focuses on addiction in the South. Since the book has come out, I’ve delved into other areas of interest. For the last year and a half, I’ve focused on Mental health in the U.S. and have a book completed that has not yet been released about that subject. Now I’m in New Orleans and am gathering a collection of stories and portraits of people who have a meaningful connection to this very important place. The episode that you’re about to listen to touches on all three, addiction, mental health, and New Orleans. I’ve known David in passing for a few years. He was a barista at a coffee shop I often went to on Lower Decatur in the French Quarter. He was also roommates with a friend of mine, Corey, who died from a fentanyl overdose last year.  I met David in the Marigny, a vibrant, beautiful neighborhood just outside the French Quarter. The children that you’ll hear in the background were selling cookies and lemonade close by.  A side note: I did not anticipate this being my first podcast episode so I wasn’t worried about the noise around us and I recorded directly onto my phone. In other words, the quality of the audio isn’t great. Expect modestly better in the future.   You can view hundreds of stories and portraits including David’s at thehiddensouth.com

    1. David - Surviving Trauma
  • 10 Episodes

5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

The Hidden South is an ongoing project featuring intimate conversations with people throughout the Southeast U.S.

Information

  • Creator
    Brent Walker
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Brent Walker
  • Show Website
    The Hidden South

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