S2:49 | Royal Roots · Allen Guy Wilcox · Homelessness · Sleep in Heavenly Peace · Branwen Rhiannon Drew

Lily Christopher co-hosts the full hour as we spotlight theater, poetry, culture and community—and give people across the Mohawk Valley a platform to tell their stories.We begin at Hanna Park, where Utica Royalties holds its first Royal Roots & Rhythms Festival. Founding Executive Director Hawa Peters and young performers discuss culture, community and taking pride in their roots. Ron samples Sobolo from Randy at Akwaaba Kitchen and speaks with author Dr. Zachary Willis.Actor, poet and Theater at Woodshill founding artistic director Allen Guy Wilcox joins us to discuss making professional theater accessible in the Mohawk Valley. Allen talks about playing Caliban in William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, the working life of an actor and his debut poetry collection, The Red Goose. He also reads “At the Dinner Table at Night.”Outside the Utica Public Library, a pregnant woman describes living without safe housing, prenatal care or enough food. Ron also shares the response he received from a supervisor in the emergency housing unit of Oneida County’s Department of Family and Community Services. The supervisor identified the severe shortage of affordable housing as the larger obstacle facing people seeking help.Ron then joins the United Way of the Mohawk Valley to help deliver beds while representing 95.5 FM The Heat. Bill Gagnon, president of the local Sleep in Heavenly Peace chapter, explains how the organization builds and delivers more than 600 beds each year. Volunteer Jim Learned describes what those beds mean to the children receiving them.Finally, poet, artist and library volunteer Branwen Rhiannon Drew responds in her own words after becoming the target of an anti-transgender Facebook post. She discusses identity, visibility, coming out and the role poetry has played in expressing her experiences. Branwen reads “The Problem Is Not” and “I Will Not Be Erased.”Host and Producer: Ron KlopfansteinCo-host: Lily ChristopherPhotojournalist and AI Content Producer: Jim HaleStudio Engineer: Dave Dancy, filling in for Jonathan Brooks/DJ J-EasyOriginally aired August 31, 2026, on Hot Seat: Media Monday on 95.5 FM The Heat.Listen live Mondays from 5–6 p.m. at:https://955theheat.comFind show replays and links at:https://uticaphoenix.net/mediamondayTheater at Woodshill:https://woodshill.orgContent note: This episode discusses homelessness, pregnancy, suicidal statements and anti-transgender harassment.