The Voices of Winchester

When we heard that Winchester residents Brett Cheuvront and Mason Rhodus were planning an event called "The Mrs. Roper Romp," we were quite intrigued! So, we invited the two into our studio to record a short bonus episode of the WinCity Voices Podcast to tell us all about this brand new (hopefully annual) event in downtown Winchester! Participants are invited to dress up as Mrs. Roper (or Mr. Roper) from the 1970s classic sitcom "Three's Company." This fun event will take place on Saturday, April 20, at The Hall on Main Street, which will be temporarily renamed The Regal Beagle for one night only!The Voices of Winchester Podcast brings your stories, our stories, & all of the voices of Winchester to your ears.If you like what you hear, be sure to follow us on social media @wincityvoices & check out more content like this at wincityvoices.org. Want to tell your story on the podcast? Email Lashana at lashanaharney@gmail.com or Pete at peteky1961@gmail.com. -----------WCV's Mission:WinCity Voices believes storytelling in all of its forms — the visual, the written, the spoken — is vital to meaningful change. Our storytellers provoke thought, promote happenings, and provide entertainment. Our mission is to celebrate creativity, foster informed conversation, and inspire the people of Winchester and beyond to build connection and community.

Ken Howard is a retired educator, potter, farmer, and president of the Winchester Art Guild. The guild's retail store on North Main Street here in Winchester recently re-opened for the season, so we caught up with Ken to talk about the store, the art guild, the resurgence of Main Street, and lots more.  Your host for this episode is Pete Koutoulas. The Voices of Winchester Podcast brings your stories, our stories, & all of the voices of Winchester to your ears.If you like what you hear, be sure to follow us on social media @wincityvoices & check out more content like this at wincityvoices.org. Want to tell your story on the podcast? Email Lashana at lashanaharney@gmail.com or Pete at peteky1961@gmail.com. -----------WCV's Mission:WinCity Voices believes storytelling in all of its forms — the visual, the written, the spoken — is vital to meaningful change. Our storytellers provoke thought, promote happenings, and provide entertainment. Our mission is to celebrate creativity, foster informed conversation, and inspire the people of Winchester and beyond to build connection and community.

Welcome to Episode 7 of The Official WinCity Voices Podcast. On today's episode, host Lashana Harney is joined by Willie Carver to talk about his book "Gay Poems for Red States."About the Guest:Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr. is a youth advocate who works with the Kentucky Youth Law Project, Progress Kentucky, Narrative 4, and the Campaign for Our Shared Future. He is a Kentucky Teacher of the Year and the author of Gay Poems for Red States, a collection of narrative poetry about his childhood growing up queer in Appalachia. His creative work, which has been published in 100 Days in Appalachia, 2RulesofWriting, Another Chicago Magazine, Large-hearted Boy Blog, Smoky Blue Literary Magazine, and Good River Review, exists at the intersection of queer identity, Appalachian identity, and the politics of innocence.Willie is a candidate for the MFA in poetry at the University of Kentucky. He publishes and presents on the subjects of education, marginalization, and identity, and his story has been featured on ABC, CBS, PBS, NPR, and in The Washington Post, Le Monde, and Good Morning America. His advocacy has led him to engage President Biden and to testify before the United States Congressional Committee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. The Voices of Winchester Podcast brings your stories, our stories, & all of the voices of Winchester to your ears.If you like what you hear, be sure to follow us on social media @wincityvoices & check out more content like this at wincityvoices.org. Want to tell your story on the podcast? Email Lashana at lashanaharney@gmail.com or Pete at peteky1961@gmail.com. -----------WCV's Mission:WinCity Voices believes storytelling in all of its forms — the visual, the written, the spoken — is vital to meaningful change. Our storytellers provoke thought, promote happenings, and provide entertainment. Our mission is to celebrate creativity, foster informed conversation, and inspire the people of Winchester and beyond to build connection and community.

Welcome to Episode 6 of The Official WinCity Voices Podcast. On today's episode, host Lashana Harney is joined by Latisha Jackson, Executive Director of Ampersand Sexual Violence Resource Center, and Keisha Morgan, the Lead Advocate at Ampersand Sexual Violence Resource Center. Latisha and Keisha shed light on the organization's mission to support survivors and create safer local communities like Clark County. We dive deeper into the challenges survivors face, the role of schools and institutions in promoting awareness, and the evolving societal attitudes towards sexual violence.And together, we explore actionable steps that we can take to support survivors, amplify the message of sexual assault awareness, and contribute to creating a safer community for everyone. Content Warning: This episode discusses sensitive topics, including sexual assault, rape, and other forms of sexual violence. Listener discretion is advised.About the Guests:Latisha Jackson is the Executive Director of the Ampersand Sexual Violence Resource Center of the Bluegrass region. She comes to Ampersand as an experienced Certified Addictions Professional with over 15 years of experience in substance use disorder and mental health treatment, case management, and over 7 years of experience in program development and operations management. Latisha has robust knowledge and experience working with human trafficking victims, youth and adolescents in foster care, and various at-risk populations within her social work career. She possesses a master's degree in Social Work from the University of Louisville and a Specialization in Alcohol Drug Counseling. Latisha is currently working toward her licensure as a licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor. She is also a certified trauma-informed trainer and CPI certified. Latisha has always had a strong passion for social justice, empowering others to recognize their maximum potential while assisting them with breaking down barriers. She believes you should look through each person's eyes from a holistic approach to help those jump through the obstacles that have been hindering them from moving forward in life and even overcoming their traumas.  She states, “To have the opportunity to make a lasting, positive impact in the life of survivors and others we work with brings joy to my heart.”Keisha Morgan is the Lead Advocate at Ampersand Sexual Violence Resource Center of the Bluegrass. Born and raised in central Appalachia, she saw the need for compassionate and creative care for survivors of trauma, and that is what drives her to do the work now. As an advocate for survivors of sexual assault, Keisha has seen how important it is for survivors to be able to explore all aspects of themselves in healing and strives to provide the space for that.The Voices of Winchester Podcast brings your stories, our stories, & all of the voices of Winchester to your ears.If you like what you hear, be sure to follow us on social media @wincityvoices & check out more content like this at wincityvoices.org. Want to tell your story on the podcast? Email Lashana at lashanaharney@gmail.com or Pete at peteky1961@gmail.com. -----------WCV's Mission:WinCity Voices believes storytelling in all of its forms — the visual, the written, the spoken — is vital to meaningful change. Our storytellers provoke thought, promote happenings, and provide entertainment. Our mission is to celebrate creativity, foster informed conversation, and inspire the people of Winchester and beyond to build connection and community.

Welcome to Episode 5 of The Official WinCity Voices Podcast. On today's episode, host Lashana Harney chats with Kentucky's oldest active drag queen Ms. Niagara Falls, aka Brett Cheuvront, about all things drag. Drag queens that is. Content warning: This episode does feature explicit language and mentions of suicide. The Voices of Winchester Podcast brings your stories, our stories, & all of the voices of Winchester to your ears.If you like what you hear, be sure to follow us on social media @wincityvoices & check out more content like this at wincityvoices.org. Want to tell your story on the podcast? Email Lashana at lashanaharney@gmail.com or Pete at peteky1961@gmail.com. -----------WCV's Mission:WinCity Voices believes storytelling in all of its forms — the visual, the written, the spoken — is vital to meaningful change. Our storytellers provoke thought, promote happenings, and provide entertainment. Our mission is to celebrate creativity, foster informed conversation, and inspire the people of Winchester and beyond to build connection and community.

Welcome to Episode 4 of The Official WinCity Voices Podcast. Today's episode features guest Skylynn Burnam reading her essay, "The Diverse You," followed by a conversation with host Lashana Harney.About the Guest:Skylynn Burnam is a senior at George Rogers Clark High School. She’s been a writer for many years. If her creative writing didn’t speak in her writing at a young age, it definitely shined brightly in her voice and in conversations. Her favorite styles are creative writing and poetry. Skylynn plans to attend college in the fall and follow her dreams in journalism. The Voices of Winchester Podcast brings your stories, our stories, & all of the voices of Winchester to your ears.If you like what you hear, be sure to follow us on social media @wincityvoices & check out more content like this at wincityvoices.org. Want to tell your story on the podcast? Email Lashana at lashanaharney@gmail.com or Pete at peteky1961@gmail.com. -----------WCV's Mission:WinCity Voices believes storytelling in all of its forms — the visual, the written, the spoken — is vital to meaningful change. Our storytellers provoke thought, promote happenings, and provide entertainment. Our mission is to celebrate creativity, foster informed conversation, and inspire the people of Winchester and beyond to build connection and community.

Welcome to Episode 3 of The Official WinCity Voices Podcast. Today's episode features a conversation between host Lashana Harney, & Winchester's new mayor & first woman mayor, JoEllen Reed.  The Voices of Winchester Podcast brings your stories, our stories, & all of the voices of Winchester to your ears.If you like what you hear, be sure to follow us on social media @wincityvoices & check out more content like this at wincityvoices.org. Want to tell your story on the podcast? Email Lashana at lashanaharney@gmail.com or Pete at peteky1961@gmail.com. -----------WCV's Mission:WinCity Voices believes storytelling in all of its forms — the visual, the written, the spoken — is vital to meaningful change. Our storytellers provoke thought, promote happenings, and provide entertainment. Our mission is to celebrate creativity, foster informed conversation, and inspire the people of Winchester and beyond to build connection and community.

Welcome to Episode 2 of The Official WinCity Voices Podcast. Today's episode features holiday stories from WinCity Voices contributors, Ron Kibbey & Erin Smith.The Official WinCity Voices Podcast brings your stories, our stories, & all of the voices of Winchester to your ears.If you like what you hear, be sure to give us a follow on social media @wincityvoices & check out more content like this at wincityvoices.org.Want to tell your story on the podcast? Send Lashana an email at lashanaharney@gmail.com.P.S. Sorry for the audio mixing on this episode! Had a lot of technical difficulties this episode. The Voices of Winchester Podcast brings your stories, our stories, & all of the voices of Winchester to your ears.If you like what you hear, be sure to follow us on social media @wincityvoices & check out more content like this at wincityvoices.org. Want to tell your story on the podcast? Email Lashana at lashanaharney@gmail.com or Pete at peteky1961@gmail.com. -----------WCV's Mission:WinCity Voices believes storytelling in all of its forms — the visual, the written, the spoken — is vital to meaningful change. Our storytellers provoke thought, promote happenings, and provide entertainment. Our mission is to celebrate creativity, foster informed conversation, and inspire the people of Winchester and beyond to build connection and community.

Welcome to Episode 1 of The Official WinCity Voices Podcast. Join your host, Lashana Harney, as she reads her personal essay, "Always Becoming."The Voices of Winchester Podcast brings your stories, our stories, & all of the voices of Winchester to your ears.If you like what you hear, be sure to follow us on social media @wincityvoices & check out more content like this at wincityvoices.org. Want to tell your story on the podcast? Email Lashana at lashanaharney@gmail.com or Pete at peteky1961@gmail.com. -----------WCV's Mission:WinCity Voices believes storytelling in all of its forms — the visual, the written, the spoken — is vital to meaningful change. Our storytellers provoke thought, promote happenings, and provide entertainment. Our mission is to celebrate creativity, foster informed conversation, and inspire the people of Winchester and beyond to build connection and community.