Working

On this season of Working, we left the East Coast behind and flew to Detroit. We’re speaking with eight people who are drawing on the city’s complex history as they work to create its future.For this episode, we visited Slows Bar B-Q to talk with its chef, Mike Metevia. Prior to coming to Slows a decade ago, Metevia had worked in other sectors of the restaurant industry and with other cuisines, but he’d always been a barbecue guy in his private life. “I just like starting fires,” he tells us. Then in a Slate Plus extra, Metevia offers some tips on how to barbecue better at home. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: working@slate.comTwitter: @Jacob_BroganProduction: Mickey Capper, @FMcapper Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this season of Working, we left the East Coast behind and flew to Detroit. We’re speaking with eight people who are drawing on the city’s complex history as they work to create its future. For this episode, we spoke with Alexis Wiley, Mayor Mike Duggan's Chief of Staff.Wiley showed us around her office, told us about how she transitioned into the world of politics from a role as a local tv reporter, and explained what goes into the mayoral team's response to a crisis.Then in a Slate Plus extra, Wiley talks about introducing and advocating for Detroit’s Project Green Light, an effort to install police video cameras at gas stations. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: working@slate.comTwitter: @Jacob_BroganProduction: Mickey Capper, @FMcapper Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this season of Working, we left the East Coast behind and flew to Detroit. We’re speaking with eight people who are drawing on the city’s complex history as they work to create its future. For this episode, we spoke with Diana Nucera, director of the Detroit Community Technology Project.Diana Nucera runs an organization that promotes digital literacy and internet access in Detroit. Diana tells us about how she works to fill in technological gaps in Detroit—a city where nearly 40% of households still don't have internet access. She talks us through her organization's digital literacy programs and describes their efforts to build networks to build networks. Nucera also tells us a bit about her organization's DIY roots, and how they fit into the city's evolving political infrastructure. In a Slate Plus Extra, Nucera describes how net neutrality might change and how that might affect DCTP's work. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: working@slate.comTwitter: @Jacob_BroganProduction: Mickey Capper, @FMcapper Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this season of Working, we left the East Coast behind to visit Detroit. We're speaking with people who are drawing on the city's complex history as they work to create its future.The automotive industry, which has arguably defined Detroit for generations, employs a dizzying array of professionals responsible for every aspect of car design and manufacture. We visited the General Motors battery lab, where we spoke with Mark Hughes, a recent chemical engineering graduate from the University of California, Berkeley. Hughes describes himself as a “cell technical specialist.” In essence, he conducts forensics tests on failed batteries, mostly for fully electric cars such as the Chevrolet EV Bolt, though he sometimes works on hybrid vehicles as well. And while Hughes is primarily dealing with inorganic chemistry, some of the stories he tells us really do sound a lot like medical mysteries.Then, in a Slate Plus extra, Hughes talks about his own relationship to cars—and tells us what he drives. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: working@slate.comTwitter: @Jacob_BroganProduction: Mickey Capper, @FMcapper Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this season of Working, we left the East Coast behind to visit Detroit. We're speaking with people who are drawing on the city's complex history as they work to create its future.Greg Willerer grows a variety of organic crops on a few plots of carefully cultivated land in Detroit. We spoke with him about how he transitioned to farming from teaching, how he sees farming's role in a revitalized Detroit, and why he keeps on his farm.In a Slate Plus Extra, Willerer discusses some of the equipment that makes working on an urban farm feasible. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: working@slate.comTwitter: @Jacob_BroganProduction: Mickey Capper, @FMcapper Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this season of Working, we left the East Coast behind to visit Detroit. We're speaking with people who are drawing on the city's complex history as they work to create its future.For our first episode, we sat down with Gwen Jimmere, CEO of Naturalicious, a company that makes hair care products for curly-haired women. Before she started Naturalicious, she had worked in Detroit's signature industry—the automotive industry—but we visited her at a place called Ponyride, a startup incubator for socially conscious entrepreneurs. She tells us about how she got started, and how her business has grown. She also leads us through the process of making and selling her specialized line of products, and she tells us about her relationship with her ideal imagined customer, the great Shonda Rhimes. She tells us about how her business fits into the changing Detroit landscape that she's a part of.In a Slate Plus Extra, Jimmere tells us the importance of what she does when she's not working. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: working@slate.comTwitter: @Jacob_BroganProduction: Mickey Capper, @FMcapper Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this season of Working, we visit the city of Baltimore, to talk to people about their jobs there. We're hoping to learn about how the city informs their work, and how they are shaping Baltimore itself, by working.Jordan Smith is a captain of the Pride of Baltimore II, a recreation of a 19th century Baltimore Clipper. He tells us about the ship's history, his duties as captain, and how the crew supports each other to keep the ship in top shape. He also took us on a tour of the Pride and showed us how he uses both modern and traditional equipment to sail, race, and educate. In a Slate Plus Extra, Smith tells us about racing the Pride, and the combination of strategy and proficiency that goes into winning a sailing race. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: working@slate.comTwitter: @Jacob_BroganProduction: Mickey Capper, @FMcapper Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this season of Working, we visit the city of Baltimore, to talk to people about their jobs there. We're hoping to learn about how the city informs their work, and how they are shaping Baltimore itself, by working.Damon Walker helps real estate investors manage Section 8 housing. He explains how he makes sure that the properties are comfortable and up to code, and how he finds tenants for each availability.In a Slate Plus Extra, Walker tells us about how he takes care of his own home. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Thanks to the Stoop Storytelling Series for putting us in touch with Walker. Hear his story on the Stoop Storytelling Series podcast here: http://www.stoopstorytelling.com/event/podcast-the-moment-that-changed-everything/ Email: working@slate.comTwitter: @Jacob_BroganProduction: Mickey Capper, @FMcapper Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this season of Working, we visit the city of Baltimore, to talk to people about their jobs there. We're hoping to learn about how the city informs their work, and how they are shaping Baltimore itself, by working.Leigh Clayton takes care of the health of 1,500 animals in Baltimore's National Aquarium. She explains how you can tell when a fish is sick, and everything that goes into keeping them healthy. She also tells us about how the National Aquarium connects to and educates about local species, and shares some tips for home aquarium care.In a Slate Plus Extra, she talks about caring for Jacob Brogan's favorite animals: octopuses. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: working@slate.comTwitter: @Jacob_BroganProduction: Mickey Capper, @FMcapper Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this season of Working, we visit the city of Baltimore, to talk to people about their jobs there. We're hoping to learn about how the city informs their work, and how they are shaping Baltimore itself, by working.Dan Deacon makes inventive, playful electronic music, and leads crowds through silly group exercises. He tells us about how he finds time to make new music, how he first began his famous crowd participation games at his shows, and his relationship with the city of Baltimore. In a Slate Plus Extra, Deacon takes us on a tour of his home recording studio, and gives us a peek at the board game he had set up when we visited him. . If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: working@slate.comTwitter: @Jacob_BroganProduction: Mickey Capper, @FMcapper Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices