Method Climbing is a unique space in Newark. You wouldn’t believe it but the basement of Walker House hosts a 12,000 square-foot rock climbing facility and gym. The space is a draw for rock climbing and bouldering enthusiasts, as well as many people who are interested but not experienced in the sport. On top of that, they operate a full-service café seven days a week. Rich Song, one of the partners in the business, comes onto the podcast to discuss how the gym came about, opportunities and challenges that have faced them along the way, and what he hopes the space will be ..read more

We are turning the tables this time! Tehsuan Glover, a local journalist and sartorial savant, recorded this conversation with our host, Manny Antunes, in May 2022. While there are some dated references, the conversation remains fresh and topical. We covered nearly everything under the sun: Manny’s journey through his careers; Newark elections; rap and hip & hop; the artistic process; cocktails; our ambitions. Note: We recorded during a thunderstorm. We apologize for the shock! Guest: Tehsuan Glover—Tehsuan is the publisher and editor-in-chief of The Newark Times, a locally-based and sourc ..read more

On April 18, Mayor Ras Baraka gave the annual State of the City at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the ninth of his tenure as chief executive of the city. The event began with a poem reading, the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner and Lift Every Voice and Sing, and the performance of a spoke word piece. Past Nivea Nieves led the invocation. The speech lasted about an hour and hit six major topic areas, each punctuated with video testimonials from Newark residents and city officials and partners. Those six topic areas could be categorized as: public safety; education; amenities/quality ..read more

Guests, Don Charles and Derek Walls, join the podcast to share the preparations and work behind Porchfest, a 50-plus artist/performers celebration throughout Forest Hill on September 28, 2019. Background & Articles: Porchfest Site: click here Forest Hill Community Associations Main Website: click here Guests: Derek Walls—Derek is a graphic designer working at Random House in Manhattan. He has lived in Forest Hill for six years, having moved from Brooklyn, with his husband, Don Charles. Don Charles—Don is a freelance graphic designer who works from home and enjoys many of the great ..read more

For this episode, we will explore a format which we will return to from time to time. Instead of our usual practice of hosting a panel discussion on a particular issue, we will instead focus on one person’s story and perspective on Newark. We hope that these interviews and conversation provide a fuller view of the kind of people who inhabit and frequent Newark. It’s these people that make this city great. Adam Bergo (who records music as Cevn) runs Black Swan Espresso on Halsey Street in Newark. In the summer of 2017, Laura Mashtaler, Adam’s mother, opened the coffeehouse and entrusted Adam wi ..read more

Recently, on the Newark subreddit on reddit.com, someone posed the question, “What is the most common misconception about Newark?” I jokingly responded “That it’s pronounced new-ark.” This joke has some resonance though. The pronunciation of the city’s name acts as a password, a way to separate who is from the city and who is not. Pronunciations can vary. However, locals generally settle on “nərk” or “nork.” Gabe Ribeiro, a local, 21-year old artist, has run with this unique cultural artifact and developed some branding around it. Products with this branding are instantly recognizable. They in ..read more

Jeffrey Trzeciak, Director of the Newark Public Library, joins Pod & Market to discuss what has changed at the Library over the last several years. Jeffrey discusses the Library's efforts with LGBTQI+ awareness and inclusion and its new services for the homeless of Newark, as well as other programming to maintain interest in the Library in the age of social media and increasing digitization. Jeffrey also shares a little of his background, how he got to the director position, and what it is like to be a gay individual of prominence in Newark ..read more

It’s May, which means it’s the time for commencement and graduation celebrations. Graduations speeches by politicians and celebrities will permeate social media; faculty will bestow celebrated individuals with honorary degrees; parents will take any chance to share the accomplishments of their children. At the center of these celebrations are the students, and rightly so. Many of them have spent years working towards their degrees. This is their chance to appreciate the fruits of that hard work. Behinds all these scenes of joy and accomplishment, however, are the educators who make up the acad ..read more

Being the host of a podcast in Newark means constantly keeping your ear to the ground to see who else is part of or joining the conversation. It is always interesting to see what other podcasts are sharing the Newark story to a broader audience. Which is why it’s so exciting to have Roger C. Tucker III come onto the podcast to discuss his own journey and his show. Roger is the host of “What’s Newark Got to do With It?,” a biweekly podcast that features interviews with artists, historians, authors, curators, and other cultural though leaders through the city. The conversations on the show delve ..read more

This is a very special episode. After more than a year of recording remotely, we had the opportunity to record onsite and in-person. And what a place to launch our first in-person recording in such a long time. ODR Studios sits in the heart of the Ironbound and is a gorgeous place. It is a curated 4,500 square foot industrial loft about a five minute walk from Penn Station that offers a wide array of studio services for filming, photography, and audio production. It also has a 5,000 square foot workshop below the studio space. ODR has been the setting for music videos, documentaries, fashion s ..read more