rAMP (Radio Aula Mundi Podcast)
Bridging the gap # 67: between Lucy Smith, creator and musician, and Byron Graves, author...
Lucy Smith is a Chicago-based musician and singer-songwriter who likes to explore and present jazz, folk, gospel, blues, and more. At the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the United States' Declaration of Independence, Lucy Smith performs a special repertoire of traditional and original compositions and classics for ‘America: Songs and Stories of Protest and Freedom’, a multi-genre concert of spoken word and music written and narrated by award-winning journalist, Cheryl Corley. The concert chronicles America’s story from its founding years to the 21st century and takes place in various parks and venues in Chicago throughout the summer of 2026. It includes Emma Lazarus’ poem ‘The New Colossus’ and Langston Hughes’ ‘Backlash Blues’ along with the words of other American authors. Songs include Thomas Paine’s ‘Liberty Tree’, Woody Guthrie’s ‘This Land is Your Land’, and Marvin Gaye's ‘Mercy Mercy Me’. In 2025, Lucy received the Black Excellence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music from the Black Arts and Culture Alliance of Chicago. Lucy’s other music director work includes projects at the Park West Theatre, Goodman Theatre, and Steppenwolf Theatre, where she shared the stage with blues legend Koko Taylor and others. ••• https://lucysmithjazz.com/ https://m.youtube.com/@lucysmith9921/videos https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dhnbCdnvSpQ ••• Byron Graves is Ojibwe and Lakota and was born and raised on the Red Lake Indian Reservation in Minnesota, where they played high school basketball. When they aren’t writing, they can be found playing retro video games, spending time with their family, or cheering on their beloved Minnesota Timberwolves. Rez Ball was their debut novel; Medicine Wheels is their second book. ••• https://byrongraves.com/ https://www.harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/byron-graves ••• Interview conducted by Marco Rixecker https://www.amazon.com/author/marcorixecker ••• Radio Aula Mundi, September 2026 https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0J-iNFOJ5e5T_IIUzp5J6Svv1zhXlEEk&si=QF3rILhhYnwDuENO ••• At the moment, Radio Aula Mundi is an evolving podcast station where no language and all languages are spoken… It’s a multilingual mix of music, poetry, lectures, languages, interviews, documentaries, recipes, and a lot more, co-produced with the students of the ‘Aula Mundi International Cultural Center’… ••• Radio Aula Mundi Centro Cultural & Turistico Aula Mundi Aula Mundi Cultural Travel Center https://linktr.ee/radioaulamundi ••• Support the show
