THIS is Ithaca

thisithaca

5.0 (9)
SOCIETY & CULTURE

A podcast about community and the people who build it.

10/20/2024

Surviving Cancer

When Monica Vakiner received her cancer diagnosis, it felt like her world turned upside down. Today, she is 16 years cancer free. As a survivor, she has spent a lot of her time supporting other people living with or affected by cancer – because as she says, “no one should face a chronic illness alone.” For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we bring you Monica’s story, recorded in 2019 when she was still working at the Cancer Resource Center. You can check out our other audio portraits at www.thisithaca.org. Credits "THIS is Ithaca" is produced by Marietta Synodis and Florenz Gilly. Music Kovd Lask, Chilvat, Kallaloe, Beignet, A Little Powder, SG Transmission, On the Move, These Times, Shutter and Vanish, Undying, Carolina Carboy All tracks by Blue Dot Sessions Jingle Mosaic Foundation, The Fall Creek Brass Band, Richie and Rosie

16 min
12/11/2022

They Called Him The Lawnmower Man

If you’ve ever walked the streets of Ithaca, there’s a good chance you’ve met Eric Lovett, a happy-go-lucky guy wearing a stylish hat, often seen pulling a lawnmower behind his bicycle. Sadly, Ithaca lost Eric on November 27th at the age of 63. This episode is a tribute to him: a musical soul, an advocate of humor, and a fixture in the Ithaca community. Thank you, Eric, we are lucky to have known you. Production Marietta Synodis and Florenz Gilly Editing Florenz Gilly Music Red City Theme, Convoy Lines, Pigpaddle Creek, Plum King, Welcome Home Sonny, Danver Count All tracks by Blue Dot Sessions. Sounds BBC Sound Effects Cover Photo: Nico Marks/Unsplash

12 min
08/14/2022

We Fuel the Workforce

These days, the world seems to run on coffee. For many Americans, they can’t start their workday without it. As a barista at Gimme Coffee, Samantha Mason did exactly that: fuel the workforce. But when an issue came up at work, she was forced to make a decision: either quit or fight to improve her working conditions. Sam chose the latter. Read more about Gimme Coffee’s transition to a worker-owned co-operative model: https://ithacavoice.com/2022/07/a-labor-of-love-gimme-coffee-becomes-a-co-op/ Credits Producers Marietta Synodis and Florenz Gilly Editing Florenz Gilly Music Careless Morning, Lina my Queen, Shade Ways, Grumpalo, Diletone 11, Plasticity, Gin Bohème All tracks by Blue Dot Sessions. Jingle Mosaic Foundation, The Fall Creek Brass Band, Richie and Rosie

15 min
06/28/2022

The Coin Collector

"All day every day", city employee Tony Diehl sets out to empty and maintain the lollipop-style parking meters that line the streets of downtown Ithaca. Slowly they will be replaced by newer, solar-powered meters or made obsolete by smartphone apps. Slipping from the analogue into the digital age. The times they are a changin’. You can check out our other audio portraits at www.thisithaca.org. Credits Producers Marietta Synodis and Florenz Gilly Editing Florenz Gilly Music All tracks by Blue Dot Sessions. In order they appear: Pintle, Tan Mountain, Golden Grass, Plum King, That Wide River, Hash Out, Arizona Moon Jingle Mosaic Foundation, The Fall Creek Brass Band, Richie and Rosie

14 min
04/11/2022

Bound for Glory

By pure chance, young economics student Phil Shapiro discovered the Alternatives Library inside Cornell's Anabel Taylor Hall and chose it to become the venue for his live show for WVBR radio. For more than five decades, Phil continued doing shows there, thirty Sundays of every year. There must be a reason why his audience, which he claims to be one of the best, most engaged live audiences in the world, has remained loyal to Bound for Glory all these years. We spoke to Phil in the summer of 2019 about his path to becoming host of North America's longest running live folk radio show, and learned about the magic formula for building community: music, tradition, and a shared space to gather and come together. Special thanks to Hoot & Holler and Kora Feder who kindly gave permission to use excerpts from their live performances for our podcast. Bound for Glory has been on hiatus since 2020, but you can still tune in to 93.5 FM on Sunday nights from 8-11pm to hear archival shows. For more info on the show and upcoming broadcasts, visit their website at boundforglory.org. Credits Producers Marietta Synodis and Florenz Gilly Editing Florenz Gilly Music Kora Feder, Hoot and Holler (now Golden Shoals) Jingle Mosaic Foundation, The Fall Creek Brass Band, Richie and Rosie

11 min
02/14/2022

Sustainable Passion

Picture 25 women chatting over wine and swapping–no, not Tupperware–but sex toys. This is how Christine Barksdale started her business. Today, over a decade later, Barksdale is running a women-centric, sex positive store off Route 13 in downtown Ithaca. Sitting with her between whips and lingerie, we learned how an episode of Oprah inspired her to open a store and that every vibrator has a distinct sound. Can you hear the difference? NOTE: This episode mentions the existence of sex. Be alert – and have fun! Stay up-to-date on new episodes, exclusive visual material, and fun stories by subscribing to our newsletter. Or, by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. There you can see the faces of all the folks we’ve interviewed, in one scroll. Credits Editing Florenz Gilly and Marietta Synodis Music Tango Rosino, Bossa Boa, The Criper, Zulia Conspiracy, Um Pepino, Entwined Oddity, Basketline by Blue Dot Sessions Jingle Mosaic Foundation, The Fall Creek Brass Band, Richie and Rosie

13 min
12/15/2021

Delivering Your Mail

Whether on the back of a horse during a snowy day or through the streets by foot, Holly Horner tries to be outside as much as she can. Naturally, Holly chose to be a city carrier, delivering mail to businesses in bustling downtown Ithaca, as well as to houses in the more residential areas of town. We accompanied Holly while she was carrying out mail from her right-seated postal truck. Sitting down with her, she told us about the seasonal changes of mail traffic in a college town, the pitfalls of her job and what skills she had to learn for doing it right. Always stay up-to-date on new episodes, exclusive visual material and fun stories by subscribing to our newsletter. Or, by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. There you can see the faces of all people, that we've interviewed, in one scroll. Credits Editing Florenz Gilly and Marietta Synodis Music Let Go Gecko, Highway 94, Cradle Rock, That Horse Ithica, Scraper by Blue Dot Sessions Ambient Sounds Some sounds were taken from freesound.org. They were all published under a CC-License—as is our podcast. Jingle Mosaic Foundation, The Fall Creek Brass Band, Richie and Rosie

13 min
11/10/2021

Meet the Mayor

What’s a typical day in the life of a mayor of Ithaca? For Svante Myrick, who’s been mayor since 2012, it requires coffee. Lots of coffee. In this episode Svante tells us how he ran for office as a recent college grad, his thoughts on sidewalks, and the one thing most people want to talk to him about. Special thanks to the Annie Sherman from the mayor’s office. Credits Editing Florenz Gilly and Marietta Synodis Music Borough, Flashing Runner, Pedal Rider, Vienna Beat by Blue Dot Sessions Jingle Mosaic Foundation, The Fall Creek Brass Band, Richie and Rosie

11 min

5

out of 5

9 Ratings

A podcast about one town and all towns

08/12/2022

sammyrussian

It’s like a window into a city and every city. The sounds, the interviews is just hypnotizing. A great podcast for a late night stroll or a long night drive.

A podcast about community and the people who build it.

Creator

thisithaca
Years Active

2021 - 2024
Episodes

13
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Copyright 2021 All rights reserved.
Show Website

THIS is Ithaca