Missouri on Mic

Charlotte Wolpers Craig: “Southeast Missouri has long been a tremendously underserved area in terms of rescues for animals."

Charlotte Wolpers Craig spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Margaret Harwell Art Museum in Poplar Bluff in July. She spoke about growing up in the area, and one of her lifelong passions – helping animals. She helped found the Animal Welfare Alliance of Southeast Missouri, which opened a no kill shelter earlier this year.

Mike Shane: “The newspaper – they wanted weekly articles about museum exhibits, and so, I got voted to write those articles."

Mike Shane spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Margaret Harwell Art Museum in Poplar Bluff in July. He's a writer and spoke about some of the stories from his book, “Tall Tales: Stories from the Poplar Bluff Museum.”

Sue Crites Szostak: “As I grew up, I found out that books were my passion because they took me anywhere I wanted to go.”

Sue Crites Szostak spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Poplar Bluff Municipal Library in July. She's the director there and spoke about how books have shaped her life.

John Stanard: "The Daily American Republic’ is the successor after many, many names of the first newspaper in Butler County.”

John Stanard spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Margaret Harwell Art Museum in Poplar Bluff in July. He spoke about his family’s long history with the newspaper industry in the area.

Diana Moxon: “As a child, I always felt like the world was this huge and exciting place… and that my adventure lay far beyond the borders of the town.”

Diana Moxon lives in Columbia and spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Unbound Book Festival last April, she hosts a weekly radio program called “Speaking of the Arts.” She spoke about how she ended up in Columbia, and about some of her lesser-known passions.

J.R. Patterson: “You can do whatever you want… ideas can be endless.”

J.R. Patterson spoke with the Missouri On Mic team at the Margaret Harwell Art Museum in Poplar Bluff in July. He’s eight and from St. Louis., He spoke about his love of comics and making stop motion films. You can check out his work on YouTube as “ultimate_stop_motions.”

Cheryl Huffman: "Really the crazy jellies didn't really come around til probably this season."

Cheryl Huffman spoke with the Missouri On Mic team at the Downtown Poplar Bluff Farmers Market in July. She’s from Doniphan, and spoke about how the need for extra income led her to revisiting a craft she learned as a child.

Kate Sandefur: "We wanted to start getting together again with kids, other children, and we felt like the safest place to do it was outside.”

Kate Sandefur spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Adair County Public Library in May. She’s a librarian and a former pre-school teacher and spoke about how the pandemic led to her and some other local parents starting Prairie Song Academy, a Kirksville area Montessori-based school.

Joyce Slater: The Tale of the Sallybally

Joyce Slater spoke with the Missouri on Mike team at the 2021 Missouri State Fair. She's a professional storyteller, and she shared her love of ghost stories – especially Ozark folklore.

Toni Howe & Cate Oakley: “They know if you’re with Grandma, you're gonna go to the library.”

Toni Howe and Cate Oakley spoke with the Missouri On Mic team at the Poplar Bluff Library in July.Cate is 4-years old, and her Grandma Toni is a school librarian. They spoke about how they visit libraries together and their shared love of books.

Jason Haxton: "The story is Andrew Taylor Still. One man, 130 years ago, with an idea of bringing better health care."

Jason Haxton spoke with the Missouri on my team at the Kirksville Farmers Market in May.He's the Director of The Museum of Osteopathic Medicine at A.T. Still University in Kirksville. He loves his work and spoke about the museum and the legacy of osteopathic medicine in northeast Missouri.

Joe Love: “In the summertime, we would all go and pick berries, eat berries till we get sick, and then pick them and bring them home.”

Joe Love spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Downtown Poplar Bluff Farmer’s Market in July. She spoke about her memories of growing up, food and family.

Zac Burden: "Through these stories, you really get a sense of what Kirksville has meant to this region—to the entire state"

Zac Burden spoke with the Missouri on Mic team in Kirksville. He's the mayor there, and he stopped by our booth at the farmers market in May, to talk about his love of the town and the community's history.

Larry Lewis: "Even though we had very little money, we ate like kings."

Larry Lewis spoke with the Missouri On Mic team at the Unbound Book Festival in April - more specifically with his daughter, KBIA’s own Janet Saidi. Larry is a Missouri native and the two spoke about some fond memories of family and friends at the farm.

Sharon Pritchard: "I love to do the window and make people stop and think 'Oh my god, that's gorgeous.'"

Sharon Pritchard spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Kirksville Farmers Market in May. She and several other local women operate an art gallery in downtown Kirksville called Gallery 104.

William Robb: "We wanted to provide a place that it didn't matter what was in your pocket, you could still have healthy food that was delicious."

William Robb spoke with the Missouri On Mic team at the Kirksville Farmer’s Market in May. He spoke about his passion for food equity and his work with a local non profit called Take Root.

Brittney Like: "If you want teachers, you need to pay them."

Brittney Like spoke with the Missouri On Mic team at the Poplar Bluff Municipal Library in July. She works there, and she’s also a student teacher.

Joel Kabamba: "What I want is for people to be aware of the war that is going on in my country every single day."

Joel Kabamba spoke with the Missouri On Mic team at the Adair County Public Library in May. He is the pastor for the french speaking Congolese community in Kirksville and he spoke about the ongoing violence in his home country. A brief note that this episode contains content that some listeners might find disturbing.

Ava Thompson: "That's how I even really found out about volleyball. I found a manga called 'Haikyū!!' that I read."

Ava Thompson spoke with the Missouri On Mic team at The Poplar Bluff Municipal Library in July. She’s a middle schooler from Elsinore Missouri and she spoke with KBIA's Rebecca Smith about her love of books and volleyball.

Hattie Berke: "Reading actually gives me more of an open-minded opinion on things and has helped teach me how to approach people in different situations"

Hattie Berke spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Adair County Public Library in May. She works there, and she's also a full-time student at Truman State University studying anthropology and Spanish.She spoke about her love of books and reading, and about some of her experiences with book banning.

Cassandra Messer: "So I actually was the first one to get a pygmy goat. And I named her Tinkerbell."

Cassandra Messer spoke with the Missouri On Mic team at last year’s Missouri State Fair. Messer works for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources as an assistant superintendent at Watkins Mill State Park. She spoke about her mother and their family goat farm.

Abe Kropp: "We always have appreciated the way the United States helped us."

Abe Kropp spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Missouri State Fair last August. He spoke about his family migrating to Missouri as refugees from the Eastern Bloc.

Jessica Kanne: "You spend so much time at school so why not call your class a family?"

Jessica Kanne is a teacher here in Columbia, and she spoke with the Missouri On Mic team at the Daniel Boone Regional Library in February. She spoke about the strain the pandemic has had on teachers, as well as the joys that come from teaching young kids.

Steve Paul: "You know, the one thing that writers leave is their work. They leave us their work."

Steve Paul spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Unbound Book Festival in April. He spoke about his work at the Kansas City Star, as well as Ernest Hemingway’s time at the paper.

Selinda LeVoir: "By the time I was five, I knew that I really wanted to be a doctor. And I've just been saying that ever since."

Selinda LeVoir was a 9th grader when she spoke with the Missouri On Mic team at the state fair last August. She recently moved to the state due to her Mom finding her own extended family online through 23andMe—a company that helps connect people to biological relatives using DNA testing.She spoke about her recent move to Missouri, how it’s different from living in the city and a little bit about how she’s settling into her new home.

Verna Laboy: "It just adds to our life, to the quality of our life when we really explore nature."

Verna Laboy spoke with the Missouri On Mic team at an annual tree giveaway for Arbor Day that was held at the Columbia Farmers Market in April. She’s a gardener and spoke about her connection to nature.

Stephan Haynes: “Where there's time there's love. You taste that in the food in Missouri.”

Stephan Haynes spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Missouri State Fair last August. He spoke about his relationship to Missouri barbeque and the love that it represents.

Kibby Smith: “Trees are so important because they do provide beauty, but they also provide shade and cooling.”

Kibby Smith spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at an annual tree giveaway for Arbor Day that was held at the Columbia Farmer’s Market in April.The event was hosted by Columbia Parks & Recreation, the Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture and other nature-based organizations.Kibby spoke about the importance of trees to a community – and about how the devastating 2011 EF5 tornado that hit Joplin, Missouri continues to impact the landscape of that community to this day.

Megan Gilbertson: “Our state has a lot to offer without having to drive very far in any sort of direction.”

Megan Gilbertson spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Central Missouri Renaissance Faire last October.She spoke about her love of Johnson Shut-ins and the nature of the state, as well as some of her hopes for the future of Missouri.

Cassie Moore: “We were a very close-knit family, and we had our own family club.”

Cassie Moore spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Daniel Boone Regional Library in February.She spoke a little bit about her relationship to reading and about a unique family tradition – a family club that continues to be a foundation of her relationships to this day.

Van Beydler: “I think that if you haven't been to a state park – for the future, this is something that you ought to put on your bucket list.”

Van Beydler spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Missouri State Fair last August. Beydler is a Missouri native that grew up in Dixon, Missouri.He spoke about his love for this state, and how his early radio career led to his current position as the public relations coordinator at the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

Sarah Stouffer-Lerch: "I want Missourians to be more in touch and more in tune with their history."

Sarah Stouffer-Lerch spoke with Missouri on Mic team on the Fourth of July. She’s an Ohio State University student who interned at the State Historical Society of Missouri.She spoke about how she fell in love with studying history.

Tonya Ellis: “Reading has kind of been a thread throughout my life.”

Tonya Ellis spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Daniel Boone Regional Library in February. Tonya’s an educator and coordinator for library services for the Jefferson City School District and said that reading has had a major influence on her life.She spoke about the importance of access to information and her worries about the latest round of attempts to ban books in schools.

Lisha Taylor & Leah Freeman: “Seeing her and seeing how strong she was – I feel like that made me into the woman I am today.”

Yesterday was Mother's Day.So, this week we hear from Lisha Taylor and Leah Freeman, a mother-daughter duo who spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Daniel Boone Regional Library in February.As a single mom of five, Lisha believes in always showing her kids love. Together, they discussed the importance of family in their household and about the power of a mother's love.

Scott Lochmueller: “It's also kind of a world immersion thing – when I arrange them, I can picture myself in the world they represent.”

Scott Lochmueller lives in Columbia. He spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at a pop-up event at Paquin Tower in March.Scott loves creative worlds – whether of his own or someone else’ creation. He spoke about his love of fantasy, collecting action figures and writing.

Dale Amann: “I don’t have enough dirt for all the seeds I would like to grow.”

Arbor day is coming up on April 29th.Dale Amann spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at an annual tree giveaway for Arbor Day that was held at the Columbia Farmers Market in April. Dale spoke about his own history of gardening, and a program through the Center for Urban agriculture, Opportunity Gardens, which empowers low-income residents to start their own gardens.

Lucy Barber: “I set a reading goal for myself – to read 52 books , which came out to like one book a week.”

World Book Day is coming up on April 23.So, this week we hear from Lucy Barber, a student at the University of Missouri who’s studying education.She spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Daniel Boone Regional Library in February about her love of the library and her renewed passion for reading.

Miguel Rodriguez: “You need to get out to town and know better the world.”

Miguel Rodriguez spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Daniel Boone Regional Library in February. He’s an interpreter from South America who spoke about his passion for traveling – and shared a few of the stories he’s gathered along the way.

Miguel Rodriguez: “You need to get out of town and know better the world.”

Miguel Rodriguez spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Daniel Boone Regional Library in February. He’s an interpreter from South America who spoke about his passion for traveling – and shared a few of the stories he’s gathered along the way.

Tyrone Seals, Sr: “You got to find it within yourself to combat the situation and try to keep moving.”

Tyrone Seals, Sr. lives in Columbia and spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Daniel Boone Regional Library in February. The library also serves as a warming center for the community.Tyrone is currently unhoused and shared some of his experiences. He spoke about how he wants more people to understand the realities of being homeless.

Pat Wilson: “They treat the veterans so much better nowadays… back then, they gave me an honorable discharge and I got $12 in gasoline money to get home.”

Pat Wilson is 76 and has lived the majority of his life in mid-Missouri – born in Moberly, grew up in Columbia, and now that he's retired, he and his wife bought some land and built a house out in Fulton.Pat spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Daniel Boone Regional Library in February about his time as a soldier during the Vietnam War, and how things have changes for veterans today.

Shelley Botts: “Crooked Betty – the biggest character I've ever had in my flock.”

Shelley Botts spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Central Missouri Renaissance Festival in October.She lives in Columbia and raises chickens in her backyard and calls herself “The Hen Wife.” She shared some stories of her unusual brood, and the strong personalities that come out in the aptly named “Betty trio.”

Akshay Koppula: “If you say, ‘Hey, I'm from Missouri, and I go to this school’ – not many people know unless or until they're watching football.”

Akshay Koppula spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Diwali event on MU’s campus last November. The event was hosted by the Southeast Asian student association.Akshay is a PhD student at the University of Missouri, and said that while he grew up in India, he now considers Columbia his second home. He spoke about how he wants people to know about the University and all it has to offer to students.

James Glasgow: “We're crafters. You have to have 100 different skills. That means sewing. That means having a hot glue gun any given moment.”

James Glasgow spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Central Missouri Renaissance Festival in October. He began going to Renaissance festivals five years ago, and now he’s a “jack of all trades” with skills in sewing, leather crafting and wet felting.James says he loves the uniqueness of the festival because he can connect with friends and take a trip back in time.

Emily Spain & Catie Critchfield's “special heart"

Five-year-old Catie Critchfield and her mother, KOMU’s Emily Spain spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at a pop-up event at the Daniel Boone Regional Library on February 19th.They taught us that February is Heart Month – a time to focus on cardiovascular health and spoke about why that's important their family.

“The Brotherhood [of Pirates] is brothers and sisters united. We look out for each other no matter what.”

Thomas Gambino lives in St. Louis and is known by many as “Byrd.” He spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Central Missouri Renaissance Festival in October.From being a pirate, to the “Cardinal of France,” to his regular day job – Byrd is someone who puts family first. For Byrd, when someone is in need – his found family is there for support.

Roxie Campbell: “If we don't take care of it, we will lose a lot of our natural biodiversity and ecosystem health.”

Roxie Campbell is a naturalist at Rock Bridge State Park who spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the State Fair in August.She spoke about the vulnerability of our natural resources and Missouri’s long-standing tradition of sharing them.

Ritcha Chaudry: “I can sit on my deck, and I can look out and see fireflies in my yard.”

Tim Berghold: “Have an open mind and come for something that's going to be a bit of a fantasy adventure.”

Tim Berghold spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Central Missouri Renaissance Festival in October. He spoke about how this festival, in particular, brings people together and about the importance of having an open mind while engaging in a fantasy world.

Lana Dicus: “It’s just a great thing to have so many relatives nearby that I can count on, depend on and socialize with.”

Lana Dicus spoke with us at the CoMo 200 celebration on the Fourth of July.She's a history teacher – a 2007 Missouri Gilder Lehrman "Preserve America" History Teacher of the Year, in fact, and she spoke about the vastness of Missouri history – including some of her own family history – and about some common misconceptions about the state.