Over 15 episodes, Blake Sanz and Alison Turner interview 8 people experiencing homelessness and discuss themes emerging from those conversations. Episodes alternate between the hosts’ discussion of themes and the participants’ telling of their own stories. Topics include how these 8 people encounter art, trauma, substance abuse, and companionship while experiencing homelessness. Click here to listen to the Trailer for our podcast.
Episode 1:
Meet Lucky, Dale, Marissa, Donjuan, Nicole, Devin, Analyn, and Eryka.
“That’s part of how we want you to think about this stuff, is with some sense of mystery that we share with you: ‘What happened to these people?'”
Lucky’s Story
Meet Lucky, a college graduate from Seattle living on the streets of Denver.
“I always have my music
’cause my music is me.”
Episode 2: The Tyranny of Logistics
How do you get by when you can’t prove who you are?
“I will. I’ll work. But where? How?”
Donjuan’s Story
An artist from Philadelphia works on a photography project: Four Seasons in a Day.
“I wasn’t homeless. I had a home. I had a life. I had a business. I had everything. I literally walked away from everything to freaking write, to take pictures, to just get in my body and bring something out.”
Nicole’s Story
A mother experiences homelessness for a second time and uses coloring to cope.
“The first time, I wasn’t expecting it, because the way things happened. This time, I’m more in control of my feelings… because it was my fault.”
Episode 3: Art on the Margins
Hear the ways that people use coloring to cope, writing to roam, and music to reclaim.
It’s like, “Here. Okay. Finally, you all understand now? You all see? This is what I’ve been doing. This is what I enjoy doing. This is…me.”
Dale’s Story
A former head of a multi-million dollar company struggles to survive.
“I mean, I’ve died on the streets so many times.”
Episode 4: Trauma
How can you know what traumas another person carries?
It’s only a hose, but maybe you’ve seen too many snakes to trust your eyes.
Eryka’s Story
After a one-way ticket from New York to Utah then hitchhiking to Denver, Eryka explores the city with 120 pounds on her back.
“Aside from everything else going on, I love myself a lot and I know who I am, what I am. I know what my abilities are.”
Episode 5: Substance Use, Abuse, and Avoidance
From Bubbles to Nick Carraway: “They find themselves searching for godliness.”
I can spend $20.00 and not care about shit for three days.
Devin’s Story
A young man from Raleigh looks to find his place in a new city.
“I’m not going to be no specialized big vocabulary word person. I’m going to give it to them straight up. How do you get through situations?”
Episode 6: Loneliness and Companionship
Two weddings and a resume.
“People tend to shy away from me…the unexpected chance encounters are the best ones, usually.”
Analyn’s Story
Analyn describes her determination to stay with her children despite abusive partners and entanglements with social services.
“Every lawyer that I have is denying my case…They say, we believe that you were done wrong, but you can’t fight the system. It’s too much for us.”
Marissa’s Story
A homeless woman reflects on her new partner, her experiences at shelters, and other tribulations and joys of her recent past.
“Let’s not judge each other.”
Episode 7:
The Value of Narrative
Storytelling and the Circular Rambling
“I want people to know.”