Back after the summer break, Chrystal Genesis welcomes guest editor Jemma Desai, film curator and writer. We explore mothering as a radical and transformative force in the world, with reports from Cape Town, Leeds, Seattle and London. We talk to musician and producer Kindness, whose new album celebrates joy, resilience and community through funk, pop, Indian folk, deep house and 90s-style R&B harmonies. Finally, we head to Sri Lanka to learn how the country’s rich history of puppetry is helping to heal wounds, a decade on from the civil war.

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In this special summer episode, Stance features Deborah Colker, the legendary Brazilian choreographer and creative mind behind the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics. We speak to writer Kerry Hudson about her memoir, Low Born, that charts life growing up poor in 80’s & 90’s Britain. Stance heads to Grange Park Opera to speak to Wasfi Kani, the woman bringing South Carolina’s Porgy and Bess to the English countryside. 

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Stance travels to Manchester to explore and celebrate its extraordinary LGBTQ+ history and why it’s been consistently judged as one of the best places in the world to be LGBT. We speak with the individuals paving the way for a thriving Manchester LGBTQ+ community including with artistic director of Hope Theatre, Adam Zane, and chat with Lydia Bernsmeier-Rullow, a member of the Drag King scene. We catch up with Chicago born singer, songwriter and poet Jamila Woods to find out more about her album LEGACY! LEGACY! that celebrates 12 of her heroes and icons from the African diaspora, along with the cultural lineage they have created for her. Lastly, Stance covers Smack That, a play currently touring the UK, inspired by real stories of domestic violence and abuse.  

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Stance meets award winning, critically acclaimed writer Valeria Luiselli. We speak to her about her life and what influenced her new book The Lost Child Archive, which has been longlisted for the 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction. We head to the East Bay, California, to learn about the disability rights movement for artists and we visit Creative Growth, the world’s first and largest non-profit centre dedicated to artists with disabilities. And lastly, we profile electronic music collective KOKOKO!. Formed in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, they have been hailed as creating a new and exciting sound that is radical and energetic in a country where political instability has been almost consistent.   

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Stance catches up with Actor and Director powerhouse Adjoa Andoh to find out more about her production of Shakespeare’s Richard II showing at the Globe Theatre in London. It’s the first UK show to be produced entirely by people of colour front and backstage. Stance flew to Bergen in Norway to check out Borealis, an experimental music festival showcasing everything from music to performance art to dance and voice. Voices featured include Last Yearz Interesting Negro with Phoebe Collings-James, Juliana Huxtable, Colin Self, B L A C K I E and more.  

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Stance profiles London singer and producer NAO to hear about her acclaimed second album, Saturn. Plus, in this month’s feature, Stance explores the many faces of modern yoga. We speak with a group of women at The Wanderlust Studios on how they’re driving for greater representation in the wellness space. Instructor Mark Whitwell on the people who call themselves ‘yogis’, and we speak with Maria Aroch, LA’s first instructor who teaches from a wheelchair. Journalist Benjamin Lorr delves into the cult-like controversy surrounding the founder of Bikram yoga, and the artist who started the movement #WhitePeopleDoingYoga, Chiraag Bhakta talks us through the Western interpretations of yoga. 

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In this episode, we examine some themes within Women and Islam. We discuss the rise of US political figures Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib; plus the Sudanese revolt with journalist Hana Baba. We have a discussion with women from the Arab Diaspora; actress Sherine Chalhie, producer Enas Refaei researcher Roeann Osman, and journalist Maha Makhdum. We uncover the practice of Islam shrouded in mystery - Sufism; and we hear from one of the writers in a seminal new essay collection called It’s Not About The Burqa.  We profile rap artist and actor Paigey Cakey and hear about her career and upcoming projects including recent mixtape, Flavours. And lastly, Stance visits La Colonie in Paris, a radical art space for cross-cultural critical thinking created by artist Kader Attia.  

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We kick off the new year with an exploration of language in our feature, “Way With Words”. How do we preserve our most endangered languages? How does a dialect become a language? Do labels like “Womxn”, “LGBTQIA”, “people of color” and “Latinx” empower or hold people back? What happens when a command of written and verbal language no longer separates robots from humans? We’ll dig into these questions and more. We profile Armina Mussa, visual artist and creative director of Saint Heron - a multidisciplinary creative agency founded by Solange Knowles. Armina shares how a life-changing incident has helped her find her voice in her art. Lastly, we revisit our MIND series exploring links between design and mental health in urban spaces. How is the creative community in London responding to the pressures of city life? 

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We cover beauty and its value in society. Through philosophy, fashion and performance Stance explores  the ethics surrounding beauty ideals, the objects we treasure, and the beauty rules of Drag. We hear from Nafisa Kaptownwala, founder of the first non-white modeling agency Lorde Inc, and Andrea Evans, an agent at B&M Models, about the ideals of beauty which shape society. Author & Actor Cerrie Burnell examines the relationship between beauty and disability as a children’s TV presenter. We end our exploration of beauty with drag artist Honey Mahogany, who talks us through the culture of Drag and beauty standards. Stance profiles with artist Naeem Mohaiemen, Turner Prize Nominee, to find out more about what inspires his work. In our current affairs piece, we investigate how neuroscience is being used to promote greater wellbeing in cities, with a new generation of scientists, architects and policymakers.   

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How can we re-imagine political power? What is the role of culture in the current political climate? These were the questions framing the YBCA 100 Summit in San Francisco - an event recognising some of the most exciting people, organisations and movements changing society for the better. Stance caught up with this year’s honorees writer, director and TV producer, Janet Mock; founder of the Me Too movement, Tarana Burke; award-winning sci-fi and fantasy author, Nnedi Okorafor; poet, writer, actor and producer of Blindspotting, Rafael Casal; and Chief of Programs and Pedagogy at the YBCA, Marc Bamuthi-Joseph, who drives these important socio-political conversations.

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In our first ever podcast, as President Trump took office we spoke about the rise of the demagogue. Nearly two years on, the bitter fight for control of Congress is playing out in front of our eyes. Stance looks at how global relationships with democratic participation has changed and are shifting in a period of rapid technological and political upheaval. We speak with Political Director for Emerge America, A’shanti Gholar about the US voting system towards women of colour, and the barriers they continue to face. We speak with Sayaka Murata, a multi-award winning author to find out more about her brilliant  new novel, Convenience Store Woman. To end the show, we speak to two poets from opposite sides of the Atlantic, Heta chats with US based Fatimah Asghar on her acclaimed debut collection of poetry, If They Come For Us, on identity, healing and Pakistani Muslim girlhood. UK based poet and artist John Cooper Clarke chats with Chrystal about his new collection of poetry, The Luckiest Guy Alive, which has cemented his influence as the ‘Emperor of Punk Poetry’.

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In this episode of Stance Takes - we celebrate Black History Month in the UK and explore the noisy debate about its continuing relevance. In the year that Windrush went from being a ship to a scandal, in the month that many schools dismissed its celebration as tokenistic and in the week two descendants of a Barbadian slave trader married in a royal chapel, Stance asks - how have we got here?

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This month, Stance looks at what has been hailed as a new era in masculinity a year on from the start of the #metoo movement. We dissect society’s idea of masculinity and how this is being challenged and reshaped, with voices including Dr.Raewyn Connell, a sociologist who shares her groundbreaking theories on masculinity. Chrystal chats with performance artist Scottee at the launch of their dance production, Fat Blokes, which confronts why fat men are seen to be funny but never sexy. Emmy award-winning filmmaker Deeyah Khan talks us through the male-dominated extremist ideologies she confronts in her films, Jihad: A Story of Others, and White Right: Meeting the Enemy. Stance profiles the award-winning poet, musician and writer Kae Tempest and hears on their new poetry collection, Running Upon The Wires.  To end, we catch up with director, actor and winner of this year’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize, Desiree Akhavan, ahead of the launch of her highly anticipated new TV show, The Bisexual starring Maxyne Peake.

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The first Stance Takes dissects the cultural significance of award-winning surrealist TV drama comedy, Atlanta by FX. Donald Glover has been described as a “one of Hollywood’s most exciting and in-demand creative minds” today and he recently made history as being the first black person to win an Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a comedy series. Expect an immersive audio experience filled with music, analysis and snippets from the hit series as its second season comes to a close.

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We explore coming of age, and how it is expressed and celebrated across many cultures through literature and film. Stance hears from author Shereen El Feki on her landmark book, Sex and the Citadel: Intimate Life in a Changing Arab World. Film curator Jemma Desai joins Chrystal to talk about how coming of age is portrayed in film, and shares some of her favorite films in this genre. We speak to award-winning playwright and poet Inua Ellams about his critically acclaimed play, Barber Shop Chronicles, which is touring internationally. And, lastly we catch up with Eno Williams, the lead singer of Nigerian/UK Electronic 8-piece band, Ibibio Sound Machine, a blend of African and electronic sounds inspired by West African funk, and modern post punk and electro.

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Stance dissects the great British obsession with class featuring a special in-depth report focusing on its impact on the creative industries. We break down the issues surrounding this inequality and explore what needs to change as we hear from some of the working class artists leading in this debate. Voices include sociologist Dr Lisa Mckenzie, visual artist Joy Miessi, art critic duo The White Pube, Arts Council’s Hassan Mahamdallie, David Mumeni, founder of Open Door, and Lynsey Hanley, author of Respectable: The Experience of Class, she is one of the UK’s leading thinkers on class equity. Chrystal profiles Mercury-nominated singer and songwriter Jessie Ware to find out more on her third album Glasshouse, and worldwide tour. To end, we catch up with star of the dance world, Hofesh Shechter, ahead of his mammoth community-led project set in the Tower of London as part of LIFT theater festival.   

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Stance investigates PTSD and how people living in violent neighborhoods are developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at rates as high, if not higher, than veterans who served on the frontline in Iraq. We speak with Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard University, Dr.Kerry Ressler to find out more on why people living in violent neighborhoods are developing PTSD at higher levels than others.  Stance finds out more on this from trauma specialist, Many Bostwick, and through a visit to New Horizons Youth Centre in North London. Karl Smith, an ex offender diagnosed with PTSD shares the impact of the Synergy Theatre Project, as a transformative platform bridging the gap between theater and the criminal justice system. We hear from a thorn in the Chinese government’s side, activist and member of the feminist 5, Li Maizi. To end, Jamaican Iranian filmmaker and photographer Khalik Allah speaks with us at the West Coast Premiere of his acclaimed film, Black Mother, a spiritual journey through Jamaica’s cities and tranquil countryside.  

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Stance visits India, with a focus on the ever-changing and growing city of Mumbai. We meet educator Jyoti Kalle from the Navjyot Foundation, a school on the streets educating street children and construction workers. In a joint discussion with Stance, Praful Baweja the founder of Queer Azadi tells us about life in Mumbai for the LGBTQ community, and Ramya Pandyan and Dr.Ishmeet Nagpal from SXonomics share why they’ve created a feminist project which tackles issues of gender politics through art and performance. Visual artist Sameer Kulavoor chats about his artworks, and on founding an independent illustration studio, Bombay Duck Designs. We speak with  Grammy Award-winning musician, Zakir Hussain, and visionary choreographer, Alonzo King, at the world premiere of their new co-creation, Sutra to discuss the importance of artistic collaboration. To end, we catch up with actor and playwright, Natasha Gordon whose first ever play, Nine Night debuts at the National Theatre. The play explores the traditional Jamaican funeral wake through one family’s experience of grief and joy across generations.

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Stance looks at the changing face of drugs, through the experiences and perspectives of  producers and consumers in the US and Gabon. Heta tours her local San Francisco weed shop to see what’s on offer. We hear from Amber Senter, co-founder of Supernova Women, and Eunisses Hernandez from Drugs Policy Alliance about the impact of recently changed legislation on the industry and communities who have been negatively affected by harsh cannabis laws. We also speak with Ted Lichtenberger, CEO of Humboldt Legends on his business which links cannabis growers to consumers. To end our exploration of drugs, Chrystal learns more about the sacred plant, Iboga, from the forest of Gabon, which is known to be one of the strongest psychedelic drugs on the planet. We profile award-winning choreographer and director Holly Blakey, ahead of her London show, Cowpuncher. We speak to writer Nikesh Shukla to find out more about his new novel, The One Who Wrote Destiny.

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Stance returns with our final Alternative Realities series to investigate Witches. We explore early depictions of witches in art history with curator Deanna Petherbridge. Stance travels to Los Angeles to meet  practicing witch Gabriela Herstik who shares more on witchcraft as a way of life, and her new book Craft: How to be a Modern Witch. Award-winning journalist Seema Yasmin speaks to Heta about the harrowing experiences of witch-hunts which have claimed thousands of lives in India. Chrystal  speaks with author Kamila Shamsie about her multi-award winning novel, Home Fire, a modern reimaging of Sophocles's play Antigone. We end with a profile of DJ & Producer of the moment, Kaytranada.

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