You’re listening to the Brooklyn, USA podcast -- an occasional audio love letter from Brooklyn to the world. Each episode of our show turns a different corner of life in Brooklyn, and delivers stories, sounds and scenery from the people and places that make it home. And while we wait for things to turn around, we’ll be six feet apart at the intersection of immunity and incumbency, on a corner we’ve been calling -19,’20.

“Hyphen Comma Apostrophe”
by Emily Boghossian 
[2:06]

In this week’s installment of our language corner, we’re taking apart “-19,’20” to get a better look at its cv omponent parts.

“Start To Fade Away”
by Shirin Barghi
[5:43]

Lena Afridi is a policy director for The Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development. She’s also a trained city planner, and a writer. In the last episode of our sister series M Train, she talks about losing her father, the geography of death in a pandemic, and how gentrification and COVID-19 have complicated burials in New York City. You can listen to the full conversation on this week’s episode, by searching for “M Train” “BRIC Radio.” M Train is hosted and produced by Ahmed Ali Akbar and Shirin Barghi.

“Colds And Coughs And That Sort Of Thing”
by Ross Tuttle
[12:29]

When the outbreak hit New York, we made our first appointment with Mert Erogul – an Emergency Room doctor in a local Brooklyn hospital. He’s checked in on us a few times since, but we hadn’t heard from him in a while, so we tracked him down to hear how things were looking, and for once, they’re looking up.

“In The Beginning It Was Confusing”
by Mayumi Sato
[27:13]

Fumio Wakatsuki lives and works in Tokyo. As Japanese officials take steps to end the lockdown in the crowded, sprawling city of 37 million people, Fumio tells us about some of his key concerns, and what he’s doing to stay positive. 

“The People That Really Need It”
by Shirin Barghi
[29:12]

The Bronx has been disproportionately affected by coronaviruses, and many of the working class communities in the borough are facing the reality of navigating a really unfair medical system. In this episode, activist Thahitun Mariam tells us about the Bronx Mutual Aid Network for Covid19 -- a support network she started for Bronx residents to organize their own communities, help people access food and supplies, pickup prescriptions and complete errands for all those who are elderly, disabled and/or immunocompromised. 

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“Weekend Weather with Junior Meteorologist Giff City” was produced by Emily Boghossian, Taylor Cook, and Lauren Germain. Brooklyn USA’s “Messages From Over Here” are produced by Voltron.

If you have something to say and want us to share it, all you have to do is...

1. Call (917) 719-0021 to reach our Voicemail Box
2. Tell us your name, neighborhood, email (we’ll edit this out – just want to know how to reach you!)
3. Tell us any and all of the things that you need or want to say.

• It can be a story, a joke, a secret, or a fact.
• It can be something that you overheard from six feet away, or have been thinking about, worrying about, or a thing that made you smile.
• It can be a way that you're coping with, processing, and navigating this moment, and what you’re hoping that the next one holds.
• It can be a movie recommendation, a book you love, a self care tip or breathing technique that you’re finding very useful...
• or anything else that you want to share with the world!

 
And if you’d rather just record yourself and send it in, just...

1. Open up your phone’s Voice Memos / Voice Recorder app and hit RECORD.
2.  Follow Steps 2 & 3 (from before).
3. Email the audio file to brooklynusapodcast@gmail.com.

 
We’re here when you need us, and we can’t wait to hear from you.
 
See you on the other side, in Brooklyn, USA.
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Brooklyn, USA is produced by Sachar Mathias, Emily Boghossian, Shirin Barghi, Khyriel Palmer, Mayumi Sato and Charlie Hoxie, with help this week from Ross Tuttle.

For more information on this and all BRIC Radio podcasts, visit www.bricartsmedia.org/radio.