Andrew George of Three Rivers Pride stops by Keep Your Voice Down to chat about the upcoming and first ever Pride Festival in the City of Three Rivers on Saturday, June 24. Andrew, Alek, and Doug talk about how a Pride flag ban protest and the community support it garnered spurred on the creation of Three Rivers Pride Festival, how it all came together in under six months, and details on what to expect at the event.

Kim Moffat, executive director of We Are Voters and prolific podcaster (Here’s What’s Happening, Dawson’s Darlings, My America), joins Alek and Doug on Keep Your Voice Down this week to discuss all things voting. We Are Voters is a nonpartisan nonprofit that aims to reimagine civics education, reestablish a healthy dialogue concerning government and politics, and build stronger, more informed voters regardless of political affiliation.

In this week’s episode of The Unapologetics Podcast, Malachi “A+scribe” Carter asks, “So, how do we respond to arguments against Critical Race Theory and its potential compatibility with the Gospel? What should you say when presented with claims from a thought leader like Neil Shenvi? This installment of Theory and Theology with guest Rasool Berry, teaching pastor at The Bridge and author of Critical [G]race Theory: The Promise & Perils of CRT and UnCritical Race Theory, provides some insightful talking points to help us navigate the rhetoric while addressing the heart of the matter.”

Malachi “A+scribe” Carter of The Unapologetics Podcast asks, “How did Critical Race Theory even become a whole problem in the church? Who fired shots first?”

This installment of Reading in Righteousness gives attention to one Christian thought leader who has become the most prominent in White, conservative evangelical spaces concerning the topic of and opposition to Critical Race Theory — Dr. Neil Shenvi. A+scribe reads and scrutinizes his article “Critical Race Theory and Christianity.”

Alek’s childhood friend and standup comedian Rio Riojas stops by Keep Your Voice Down to discuss his recent foray into the world of standup comedy and his upcoming show in Kalamazoo (Wednesday, March 22 at Final Gravity Brewing Company, 8 p.m.). The Bay City native and East Lansing resident tells Doug and Alek about how he got started, how his act has evolved over the last year, his comedic style, how becoming a father has influenced the way he performs onstage, and why you shouldn’t bring your kids to see his act.

Three Rivers Public Library Director Bobbi Schoon returns to Keep Your Voice Down to discuss the library’s involvement with the Smithsonian’s Spark! Places of Innovation program. Spark! explores the unique combination of places, people, and circumstances that sparks innovation and invention in rural communities. The Three Rivers Library will be hosting its very own exhibit alongside a traveling Smithsonian exhibit that will make its way to the library this summer.

Alek, Doug, and Bobbi also discuss Women’s History Month, National Reading Month, and the myriad of ways citizens of Three Rivers can engage with the library.

Local author and hairstylist Brittni Huyck drops by Keep Your Voice Down to talk about her Iron City Heat Series, a trio of what Alek calls “spicy novels” and Doug, an adult, calls romantic novels. The Three Rivers native describes her writing process, what her family, friends, and clients think of her “dirty books,” and what their support has meant to her. Brittni also talks about how her life, the people in it, and her experience as a hairstylist have influenced her creative endeavors.

Alek and Doug are joined by Portfolio Ink owner and tattoo artist Amber Ward, and Portfolio shop manager Jillian Gardner. The quartet discuss Amber and Jillian’s respective upbringings, the interesting routes each took to the world of tattoos and piercings, how their love of art and artistic expression influences most everything they do, and their involvement in and support of Three Rivers Pride.

Alek and Doug welcome poet, community activist, voice actor, author, and Watershed Voice columnist and board member Aundrea Sayrie. The long awaited interview with one of Watershed’s founding members doesn’t disappoint as Aundrea talks the origin story of Three Rivers Open Mic, her Black History Month series on WSV and why she decided to change the format this year, her ongoing health concerns and how they have changed her outlook on life, and an upcoming book she’s written about professional voice acting.

This episode is the first of the mini-series, Theory in Theology. A+scribe chops it up with Joseph L. Tucker Edmonds, an Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Africana Studies at Indiana University’s School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI as well as the Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture. Together, they explore the theological context through which we can begin answering the question: Is Critical Race Theory compatible with the Gospel?