Stance Podcast with Chrystal Genesis
Society & Culture
About
Stance is an independent award-winning arts, culture and current affairs podcast run by New York based journalist and curator Chrystal Genesis. An episode is released on the 1st of every month. Stance is produced by Chrystal Genesis, Zara Martin and Saskia Sewell. stancepodcast.com @stancepodcastGuests so far include musicians Four Tet, Jamila Woods, Róisín Murphy, Amber Mark, Caribou, Kaytranada, Jessie Ware, Tricky and Nao, authors Yaa Gyasi, Sayaka Murata, Elif Shafak & Valeria Luiselli, lawyer and campaigner Gina Miller, politician Bobi Wine, poets Fatimah Asghar, John Cooper Clarke & Kae Tempest, actor Riz Ahmed, Me Too founder Tarana Burke, playwrights Inua Ellams & Natasha Gordon, writer and activist Janet Mock, choreographers Akram Khan, Deborah Colker and Hofesh Shechter, fashion designer Duro Olowu and visual artists Shirin Neshat, Larry Achiampong, The Singh Twins & Juliana Huxtable.Topics covered include Is This for Real?, Black in the Time of Corona, Manchester
Episodes
- Ep. 74: Musician José González on Against the Dying of the Light
Musician José González spoke with Chrystal Genesis about his latest album, Against the Dying of the Light. They explored his background, musical influences, and how themes of flourishing and resistance shape his work. The conversation also…
- Ep. 73: Inside Kokomo w/ Ria and Kevol Graham on Caribbean Food and Hospitality
Ria and Kevol Graham share their experience opening Kokomo, a Caribbean restaurant in Brooklyn, discussing their approach to hospitality, menu development, and community engagement, including fundraising for Jamaica.
- Ep. 72: Visual Artist Brittney Leeanne Williams on Color, the Body, and the Art of Presence
In episode 72 of Stance Podcast, Chrystal Genesis speaks with visual artist Brittney Leeanne Williams about her figurative painting, the significance of color like red in signaling the Black experience, and her exploration of spirituality…
- Ep. 71: Artist and DJ Elijah on Independence, Creativity, and Closing the App.
In episode 71, guest Elijah speaks with host Chrystal Genesis about his book "Close The App, Make The Ting," his Yellow Squares project, experiences in London's independent music and art scenes, and the topic of creative sustainability.
- Ep. 70: Singer and Multi-Instrumentalist Emma-Jean Thackray on Owning Her Inner Weirdo
Singer Emma-Jean Thackray discusses her album "Weirdo" with Chrystal Genesis, detailing how grief, neurodivergence, and resilience influenced the record. The conversation covers her musical journey, the creative process during isolation, a…
- Ep. 69: Style, Sound & Self-Expression w/ Musician & Artist Goya Gumbani
Musician and artist Goya Gumbani joins Chrystal Genesis in New York's East Village ahead of his live show to talk sound, style, Miles Davis, and his new album, Warlord of the Weejuns . In this episode, the Brooklyn-born, South London-based…
- Ep. 68: Cooking, Culture & Caribbean Cuisine w/ Chef Marie Mitchell
Marie Mitchell joins Chrystal Genesis at home in Harlem for a cooking lesson and conversation, drawn from her debut cookbook, KIN: Caribbean Recipes for the Modern Kitchen. In this episode, Marie teaches Chrystal how to finally master a cl…
- Ep.67: Exploring Tate Britain's 80s Exhibition Through a Black Queer Lens w/ Campaigner Marc Thompson
Stance visits London to explore the Tate Gallery show The 80s: Photographing Britain with campaigner Marc Thompson. The exhibition examines how photographers used the camera to respond to the seismic social, political, and economic shifts…
- Ep.66: Introducing South African musician Moonchild Sanelly
Stance is back with singer and dancer Moonchild Sanelley as we approach our 8th year on air! In Season 4, Chrystal Genesis explores the people, places, stories, and ideas shaping our creative world. And with that, we head to South Africa t…
- Ep.65: Musician Kamaal Williams, Author LaToya Watkins, Artist Cochemea, Musician Sinkane
After seven years of Stance which has spanned over 64 episodes of arts, culture and current affairs, 8 insightful Stance Takes shows, the growth of Stance Studios, multiple awards, and over 30 in-person events across the globe, we present…
- Ep.64: Music w/Enji; US Jews of Color: Celebrating Sukkot, Journalist Robin Washington, Writer Hanah Bloom, Jews of Color Initiative CEO Ilana Kaufman & Philosopher Lewis R. Gordon
On Stance, we explore the question: what does it mean to be a Jewish person of color in America today? We chat with a range of voices from this growing demographic, in the worlds of philosophy, pop culture, community organizing, and journa…
- Ep.63: Harlem Raised: Film w/ Maysles Documentary Center, Food w/ Sugar Hill Creamery, Nature w/ Brotherhood Sister Sol; Music w/ Vagabon
This show explores Harlem, one of New York City's most historic and noteworthy places. Co-hosted by special guest, Vita, she joins her mum, Stance's host and founder Chrystal Genesis to highlight some of their favorite places. As residents…
- Ep.62: On Humanity w/ Philosopher & Historian Professor Lewis R. Gordon; Poet & Writer Fariha Róisín; Music w/Soul Singer-songwriter Danielle Ponder
How do we tap into sources of hope, compassion and humanity during such turbulent times? This episode of Stance explores this question through the lenses of philosophy, poetry, and music. Professor Lewis R. Gordon is a philosopher, musicia…
- Ep.61: Celebrating ESG w/ Co-Founder, Singer & Guitarist Renee Scroggins; Journalist, Cultural Critic & Professor Carol Cooper
We're back from our summer break to bring you a special show all about the seminal funk-punk dance band, ESG. Join us on this immersive musical journey through New York City exploring the 70's, 80's and beyond, following ESG and their uniq…
- Ep.60: Tribeca Festival, NYC's Celebration of Film w/ actors Claire Danes, Zazie Beetz, CCH Pounder and filmmakers Steve Buscemi, So Young Shelly Yo, Guo Guo, Noam Kaplan, and Jennifer Esposito
We take you to Tribeca Film Festival celebrating creative storytelling from the heart of NYC's lower Manhattan. Chrystal Genesis interviews actors and filmmakers on the red carpet and backstage to cover some of the most exciting films and…
- Ep.59: Hot Docs 30th Anniversary: Canada's International Documentary Film Festival
Stance visits Toronto to cover Hot Docs, the largest documentary film festival in North America, known for its bold and outspoken programming. Founded in 1993 by Canadian filmmakers and producers, the festival now showcases over 200 films…
- Ep.58: Touring and Cooking in NYC's Chinatown w/ Culinary Historian, Cookbook Author and Award-winning Campaigner, Grace Young
We visit New York City's Chinatown with culinary historian, cookbook author, and campaigner Grace Young. The largest in the US, it is known for an abundance of markets, eateries, multi-generational businesses, and independent stores servin…
- Ep.57: Excavating Spirituality w/ Poet aja monet, Writer Emma Warren, Visual Artists Senga Nengudi Fittz & Kaylynn Sullivan TwoTrees
Stance delves into the spiritual realm and how it manifests through the visual arts, dance, music and poetry. An ever-evolving topic, we cover the power of spirituality through ancestral connections, imagination, movement, humor and joy. T…
- Ep.56: Why You Should Care About Caste w/ Author Anindita Ghose, Activist & Storyteller Thenmozhi Soundararajan, Model & Engineer Seema Hari
Have you heard of Caste? Whether you know it well or not at all, Caste in South Asia and around the world influences everything from politics, education, media, and family relationships. It's a system which dates back centuries and today a…
- Ep.55: Accra Ghana: Music w/ SuperJazzClub; Freedom Skatepark Founder Sandy Alibo; Culinary Sundown Experience at Palm Moments
Stance is back with its sixth anniversary episode, a celebration of all things Stance loves: culture, food, music and art. In this show, Chrystal Genesis travels to the buzzing, complex and vibrant capital of Ghana: Accra. An epicenter of…
- Ep.54: Live from Glastonbury Festival w/Producer, DJ and Vocalist Sofia Kourtesis
Stance celebrates the summer with a live show from Glastonbury. The most iconic music and performing arts festival in the UK. Stance takes in the sounds of the festival atmosphere and speaks with Lima-born, Berlin-based producer, DJ and vo…
- Ep 53: Sex, Desire & Pleasure w/ Author Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, Poet Samiya Bashir, Artist Lady Skollie, Journalist Kemi Alemoru; Music w/ The Twilite Tone
We examine sex, desire, and pleasure through visual art, literature, culture and musical critique to uncover how black women, and women of colour, navigate their sexual needs and wants. Stance hears from Ghanaian non-fiction author Nana Da…
- Ep 52: Island Life w/ Musician Leyla McCalla; Professor Godfrey Baldacchino; Author Mary Taylor Simeti; Writer Alice Albinia; Mitchell Kuga, Maura Walz & Yung Kha on HBOs White Lotus
Stance explores Island Life through music, food, culture, and literature as well as where they sit within our imaginations. From representations on telly to Sicily's diverse culinary food history, and Haiti's culture and politics through s…
- Ep 51: Ukraine & the Narratives of War w/ Daemeah Karbeah, Cynthia Enloe, Daniel Trilling, Ahmed Shihab-Eldin; Hercules & Love Affair
In light of the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, we examine how narratives of war shape how we see and experience conflict. Stance explores the tropes of war, racist media coverage, war as entertainment, and the current and future issues refug…
- Ep 50: Summer of Soul Director Questlove; Innovative Musicians w/Joviale, Planningtorock, KALLITECHNIS.
Stance speaks with Summer of Soul Director Questlove and highlights the innovative musicians making their mark on music right now. We discover how the arts, introspection, sound, society, and heritage influence these artists and their craf…
- Ep 49: Beyond the Studio: In Conversation with Artists Antony Gormley and Nari Ward
Stance Podcast goes beyond the studio in conversation with world-renowned sculptors Antony Gormley & Nari Ward. From London and New York, they share unique, considered opinions on their own practices and each other's work, and highlight th…
- Stance Takes Montreal: Where Music Meets Art w/ Musician Gayance; Visual Artist Yannis Guibinga; Art Collector Dr. Kenneth Montague
Stance Takes is back with a special show taking you around Montreal's creative scene. Known for its independent and eclectic music and visual arts, Montreal is a striking and dynamic French speaking multicultural city. In this immersive ep…
- Stance Takes: MFest Muslim Knowledge & Creativity w/ Author Nadifa Mohamed; Journalist Rokhaya Diallo; MP Zarah Sultana; TV Director Nida Manzoor; Historian Blair Imani and more
Stance Takes is back covering MFest, a multi-arts festival of Muslim knowledge and creativity with Maslaha with The British Library. We bring highlights from the festival, sharing an immersive glimpse from its programme, and speak with awa…
- Ep 48: The Bronx w/ Yayoi Kusama at New York Botanical Garden; Artist Tasha Dougé; Rapper Kemba; Food: Togo's Bognan International & Italian Madonia Brothers Bakery
Stance visits The Bronx to spotlight its rich history and contemporary landscape to dissect how it's one of the city's most unique and overlooked boroughs in New York City. Through visual art, global cuisine, and music, Stance uncovers jus…
- Ep. 47: East Africa: Past, Present & Reimagined Futures w/ Author Nanjala Nyabola, Architect Omar Degan, Archaeologist Sada Mire, Journalist Abdi Latif Dahir, Artist Eltayeb Dawelbait
On Stance, Chrystal Genesis is joined by award-winning journalist and writer Ismail Einashe to explore the people and stories of East Africa. Inspired by migration, culture, music and history, the episode traverses through Kenya, Sudan, an…
- Ep. 46: (Un)learning for Liberation w/ Joshua Virasami, Dylan Rodriguez, Sonya Childress, Asher Gamedze, Thenmozhi Soundararajan, Kelsey Mohamed, Camille Barton, Aditi Jaganathan
In this episode of Stance, Chrystal Genesis is joined by film programmer and cultural researcher Jemma Desai. Together they examine the practices of (Un)learning for Liberation as they highlight the many forms of abolitionist thinking thro…
- Ep. 45: Brixton Uprising w/ Singer Carroll Thompson, Novelist Alex Wheatle, Poet Linton Kwesi Johnson, Musician Asher Senator, Dr Rebekah Delsol; Singer Rachel Chinouriri
Marking the 40th anniversary of the 1981 Brixton Uprising, Stance explores the moments leading up to the uprising and the activism that inspired it, their connections to the Windrush scandal, and the 2021 Police, Crime, Sentencing and Cour…
- Ep. 44: Musician Genesis Owusu; Pandemic Birthing w/ Maiysha Campbell Kramer & Milli Hill; Pregnant: Visible and Invisible Disabilities; Vertical Birthing w/ AMUPAKIN in Ecuador
In Stance, Chrystal Genesis is joined by actor and activist Alix Wilton-Reagan to unpack pregnancy and birthing experiences right now. Bringing to the forefront women's voices from around the world, we explore what it means to be pregnant…
- Ep. 43: Jamaica Jamaica! Musician Judy Mowatt; Art w/ National Gallery of Jamaica & Suzie Wong Presents; Environmentalist Donna Blake; Producer Iotosh & Comedian Raul Blaze
Come with Stance to Jamaica to explore the old and new currents shaping the shifting arts and cultural scene. We speak with musicians, creatives, artists, and activists to discuss the Jamaica of today We head to the National Gallery of Jam…
- Stance Takes: Reframing The Black Image - Pioneers of The Past w/ Alayo Akinkugbe; Renata Cherlise; Theo Imani & Osei Bonsu
To mark our fourth birthday Stance Takes is here with a special programme celebrating the black image in visual arts. Tired of the old interpretations of the black image and inspired by new forces that are redefining who gets to choose, vi…
- Stance Takes on Forces of Art: Colombia, Syria, Kyrgyzstan, Uganda and Kenya
To mark the New Year Stance Takes is back with a special programme celebrating a new book Forces of Art which champions the work of artists and arts organisations across the world. We travel to the Choco region of Colombia to look at the w…
- Ep. 42: Elif Shafak; Tricky; 2020: Failing Up or Tearing Down? w/ Chryl N. Laird; Taylor Small; Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic; Sarah Kendzior; Kwame Anthony Appiah
In this episode of Stance, we cover music, literature and politics by asking whether 2020 marks a tipping point for the system of Failing Upwards. Are we seeing the beginning of a Tearing Down as the incompetence of populist leadership is…
- Ep. 41: Musician Ebo Taylor; 1-54 Founder Touria El Glaoui; Artist Hassan Hajjaj; Zimbabwean film Cook Off; #EndSARS; NYC: Hopes and Fears
In this episode of Stance, Chrystal Genesis covers the creatives and change-makers on the African continent through music, visual art, politics and film. We speak with the iconic Ghanian musician and father of Highlife and Afrobeat, Ebo Ta…
- Ep. 40: The New Paris w/ Jean-Pascal Zadi; Lindsey Tramuta; Lucie Camara & Celine Leroy; CHASSOL and Podcasts: Melting Pot, Dinner For One & VOXXX
In this special show, Stance visits Paris to explore the fresh and creative cultural landscape of this iconic, global city. We discuss literature, film, music and podcasts as Chrystal Genesis is joined by Lory Martinez, host of Mija Podcas…
- Ep 39 On The Record; Dancer and Choreographer Akram Khan; Singer Songwriter Róisín Murphy; Writer Zalika Reid-Benta
We cover film, literature, music and dance starting with the documentary On The Record, which charts decades of abuse at the hands of US Hip Hop Mogul Russell Simmons. We discuss this and more with the author of Miseducation: A Woman's Gui…
- Ep. 38: Black in the time of Corona; Pastry Chef and TV Judge Cherish Finden; Performance Artist Travis Alabanza; Musician Samantha Crain
In this show we cover health, food, performance art and music as Stance starts off by asking what lies behind the loss of black lives during COVID-19 as Chrystal Genesis is joined by Shanae Dennis, a biochemist, journalist & campaigner and…
- Ep. 37: Politician Bobi Wine; Visual artist Shirin Neshat; Singer Ghostpoet; Filmmaker Elizabeth Carroll on Diana Kennedy
In this episode of Stance we have visual arts, music, politics and film featuring Bobi Wine, the Ugandan politician and musician hoping to be the country's next president; Iranian visual artist Shirin Neshat guides us through her work culm…
- Ep. 36: Is This For Real? w/ Lab vs Mined Diamonds, Psychiatric Misdiagnosis and Deepfakes; Comedian and Writer Sophie Duker
Stance asks: Is This For Real? as we explore authenticity through the growth of lab-grown diamonds within the jewellery industry with filmmaker and journalist Harriet Constable and with 77Diamonds co-founder Tobias Kormind; we speak with b…
- Ep. 35: On Institutions /w Lola Young; Gus O'Donnell; Gary Younge; @CPositivista; Musician and Composer Caribou
Stance takes on Institutions and explores some of their inner workings and how best to navigate them with professor and journalist Gary Younge, economist and former head of the British Civil Service Gus O'Donnell, actor, campaigner and Cha…
- Ep. 34: To Belong with SHINGAI, @thetempleofherskin, Gary Younge & Maaza Mengiste; Fashion Designer Duro Olowu
Stance interrogates what Belonging means through tattoo art, literature, music and journalism as Chrystal Genesis is joined by guest editor, author, journalist, Artistic Director and CEO of The Bernie Grant Arts Centre, Hannah Azieb Pool.…
- Stance Takes - Nightclubs: Counterculture and Resistance
To celebrate our 3rd birthday, Stance Takes is back bringing you two live discussions on nightclub culture. We start with Beats, Racism and Strife as we explore prejudice and discrimination in the nightclub space over the decades. We exami…
- Ep. 33: Notions of Happiness; Actor & Producer Zackary Momoh; Rites of Passage with Andi Oliver & Nikesh Shukla
We unpack notions of Happiness through art and colour, celebrity, film, psychology and science as Chrystal Genesis is joined by guest editor, makeup artist Kay Montano. We learn more about The Queen of Happiness Florence Mills as we take a…
- Ep. 32: The Disappeared; Singer & Producer Amber Mark; Philadelphia: City Of Murals
We explore film, music, literature and visual art as Chrystal Genesis is joined by guest editor, journalist and director of Bare Lit Festival, Mend Mariwany. We investigate the theme of The Disappeared as we head to Iraq to cover an estima…
- Ep. 31: Revolutionary Mothering; Musician Kindness; Puppetry in Sri Lanka
Chrystal Genesis welcomes guest editor Jemma Desai, film curator and writer. We explore mothering as a radical and transformative force in the world, with reports from Cape Town, Leeds, Seattle and London. We talk to musician and producer…
- Episode 30: Brazilian Dance with Deborah Colker; Low Born by Kerry Hudson; Wasfi Kani on Porgy and Bess.
In this special summer episode, Stance features Deborah Colker, the legendary Brazilian choreographer and creative mind behind the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics. We speak to writer Kerry Hudson about her memoir, Low Born, that chart…