Queer For Cities
The design of our communities is an intentional act that often excludes and doesn’t center folks at the margins. Queer For Cities is a podcast about life at the intersections of identity and place and designing equity-centered, liberated communities where LGBTQ+ folx thrive.
When we build queer-inclusive cities, we build better cities for everyone.
Hosted by Joshua Croke, a queer and nonbinary designer, facilitator, and mixed-media artist working at the intersections of community justice, urban development, and creative placemaking, this podcast is a journey into the heart of New England's cities and beyond. We’re diving into the heart of queer urban life, from community health to the creative economy, and everything in between.
We’re out to make queer a joyful norm.
In our debut season, we’re exploring what makes a city not just livable but a truly affirming and joyful place for queer and trans folks. We're bringing together voices from across the spectrum — from activists and artists to urban planners and architects — to share their stories, challenges, and triumphs in creating spaces where queer people thrive.
We’re coming in loud and queer. Hit that Subscribe button to follow and listen to Queer For Cities wherever you get your podcasts. Follow our journey, and let's envision and create cities where queer is a joyful norm. Visit us at QueerForCities.com and follow us @QueerForCities.
Queer For Cities
This Queer Universe with Irving Gold-Shapiro
This Queer Universe with Ozzy Irving Gold-Shapiro
🎙️ Welcome back to Queer for Cities! Episode 6—we made it!! We’re back with a captivating conversation with Ozzy Irving Gold-Shapiro, “a curious historian, Yiddishist, cultural worker, and raconteur living on Nipmuc, Pocumtuc, and Nonotuck land in so-called western Massachusetts.” Josh and Ozzy talk about their work at the intersections of identity and community engagement and how Ozzy is transforming how neighbors engage with each other, including lessons on ways to practive grief in public. We’re diving into Ozzy’s life story and the queer world they grew up in and how that shapes the work they do today.
In This Episode:
🌈 Getting to Know Ozzy:
- Your host, Joshua Croke, introduces Ozzy Irving Gold-Shapiro, highlighting their extensive work in community organizing and art in Northampton, Massachusetts.
- Reflections on Ozzy’s life growing up in a pretty queer world and how those experiences shapes some of how they engage in broader community resilience and collective power work.
🏳️🌈 Community Engagement and Queerness:
- Insights into the transformative power of community-oriented art projects in community, featuring stories from Ozzy's experiences.
📚 Cultural Heritage and Queer Narratives:
- Discussion on the influence of Ozzy’s cultural heritage on their work, especially their Jewish identity and its intersection with queerness.
- Reflections on the historical context of queer communities in Northampton and its designation as "Lesbianville, USA."
🗣️ Host: Joshua Croke, Queer For Cities
👥 Guest: Ozzy Irving Gold-Shapiro, Historian, Yiddishist, Cultural Worker
🎧 Tune in: Listen to Queer for Cities wherever you get your podcasts and on WICN 90.5 FM, Worcester’s only NPR affiliate station. Catch us on Wednesday at 6 PM when we have new episodes and find more episodes at QueerForCities.com. When we’re not airing new episodes of Queer For Cities, you can listen to our comeback show, Public Hearing, all about interesting and timely conversations about our home city, the second largest city in New England, Worcester, MA. Public Hearing is now under the very gay umbrella of Queer For Cities, yass!
👕 Support Queer For Cities with Merch! BUY MERCH HERE
📣 Supporters & Shoutouts:
- Volturno Pizza: Fab pizza, delicious bevs, great people. Learn more at volturnopizza.com.
- Love Your Labels: Supporting LGBTQ+ youth through creative expression. Discover how to get involved at loveyourlabels.org.
Thanks for listening! Please share with your fave queers, allies, and someone who maybe needs to learn a thing or two :)
Queer For Cities is about life at the intersections and designing equity-centered, liberated communities where LGBTQ+ folx thrive. Follow us @QueerForCities and QueerForCities.com. Hosted by Joshua Croke. #QueerForCities