Denise Balkissoon's Grab Bag

Food, identity, history and honesty

Gravy — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 18:34:42 +0000

This show is my dream podcast: food and identity and history and honesty. I love it so much. This is the story of Ernest Mickler, who put out a book called “White Trash Cooking” in the 1980s, and the lasting influence of his particular type of foodie pride.

Creative conversation on race and food

The Sporkful — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 18:34:14 +0000

I’m the food editor in the Globe’s Life section, and food + race is pretty much my sweet spot. The Sporkful has been doing some imaginative stuff on that intersection in the last bit: in this show, comedian Michelle Buteau and musician Ashok Kondabalu talk about food stereotypes, then play the namesake game.

Your parents get deported. What next?

Death, Sex and Money — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 18:33:43 +0000

WNYC does so many good shows. I love this one for its intimacy, and the obvious connection the audience has with the host, Anna Sale. This is an interview with Diane Guerrero from Orange is the New Black (which I also love) about a sadly topical issue. When she was 14, her parents were deported, and she had to grow up on her own.

Courageous and cathartic

Another Round — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 18:33:17 +0000

Not only is this an excellent show led by two smart, funny black women, but one of their producers was kind enough to chat with us about making podcasts when we were first starting out. This is their first episode after the American election, and the raw honesty is courageous and really cathartic.

Phenomenal reporting that’ll hook you

Who Killed Alberta Williams? — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 18:32:53 +0000

What phenomenal reporting by the CBC’s Connie Walker on this podcast about one particular woman – and the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in Canada. This is the first show, start here and get hooked.

Befriending strangers the old-fashioned way

Love + Radio — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 18:31:36 +0000

Remember chatlines? Before the internet, you could call in, talk to strangers, and get in trouble from your parents when the phone bill came in? Yeah. They’re still around.

What is Indian Status, anyway?

Colour Code — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 18:31:01 +0000

It was extremely important to me that our podcast about race in Canada start out with an indigenous story. We landed on the idea of explaining what Indian Status is, and what it still means. I’m pretty proud of how it turned out.