Join two millennial Princeton alumni and a Harvard graduate in the midpoint of their journey as they quit their full-time jobs and endeavors on the East Coast to revisit their Midwest roots in small-town Toledo, Ohio. Discover the narratives that embody our heartland and their quest to clarify the region’s post-industrial vision. This podcast explores misconceptions, either within or about Middle America, and unravels stories of resilience, misunderstanding, ignorance and nostalgia. The show draws heavily on archival and ethnographic study and highlights the voices of experts across the nation, from local historians to award-winning professors, to situate each regional story within a broader, national context.
COVID-19 and Vulnerable Populations
The Midstory Team sits down Jamie Luster, MPH, a public health professional and former student of Dr. Amy Acton, to talk about the U.S. health care system, COVID-19's effect on vulnerable populations and the need for more investment in preventative care.
Film, Storytelling & the Midwest: A One-on-one with Brandon Li
The Midstory Team chats with Brandon Li, a travel videographer, about his unique style of filmmaking, the impacts of the pandemic on the travel and videography industry and his perspective as a nomad who grew up in and left the Midwest.
Public Libraries: Reopening & Addressing Social Inequities
The Midstory Team chats with Jason Kucsma, the director of the Toledo Lucas County Public Library, about the evolving role of the libraries during the crisis, the move of library resources toward digital infrastructure and considerations on policies for reopening.
What We Can Learn from Taiwan’s COVID-19 Response
The Midstory Team chats with Dr. Shao-Hsuan Hsia, the director of the Division of Pediatric Respiratory Therapy and the Chief of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taipei, about Taiwan's response to the pandemic, social responsibilities and the state of public health in Taiwan.
Art & Resiliency: Museums in the Age of COVID-19
The Midstory Team chats with Adam Levine, the director of The Toledo Museum of Art, about the future of art and museums, including the role of digital presentation, utilization of outdoor spaces and shifts in artistic expression in times of crisis.
Preventative Care: Advice from an E.R. Physician
From the Midstory studio, our team chats with ER physician and a practitioner of integrative medicine, Dr. Jen Pfleghaar about the situation in the hospital and ER, integrative medicine and staying healthy during this pandemic.
Where Does Journalism Go From Here? News, Media & COVID-19
Journalism has seen intense difficulties over the last decade, but the current crisis has shown just how important that work is and how newsrooms are innovating to keep it going. We chat with Joe Stephens, award-winning reporter and Founding Director of Princeton University's Program in Journalism.
Infected and Incarcerated: COVID-19 & Prisons
From the Midstory Studio, our team chats with Keri Blakinger, a staff writer for the Marshall Project. From her experience as a previously incarcerated woman and her time spent writing about prisons, Keri expounds upon the effect of COVID-19 on incarcerated populations, how it impacts public health and safety and her own personal grappling with reentry and isolation after solitary confinement.