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Mario Sanders, PhD Candidate in SIU's School of Communication Studies, slides over to the guest seat this episode to talk about his show in the Kleinau. Work/Shoot is a performance that utilizes both work (fiction) and shoot (reality) elements of professional wrestling to discuss masculinity and grief, while simultaneously using autoethnographic reflections on masculinity and grief to illuminate aspects of professional wrestling. Faculty member Justin Young fills in for hosting duties.

Dr. Christina Ivey, Assistant Professor in SIU's School of Communication Studies, joins Mario to talk about their show in the Kleinau. Saints, Witches, and Madwomen is a historiographical exploration that traces the connection between saints, witches, and madwomen as a lens to examine Ivey's relationship with their mother.

Dr. Anjuliet Woodruffe, Assistant Professor at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst, and Dr. Marquese McFerguson, Assistant Professor at Florida Atlantic University, join Mario to discuss their performance Live and In Color. Live and In Color is a collaborative poetry performance in which Dr. Woodruffe and Dr. McFerguson reflect on "what it has meant to live as Black wo/men and academics over the last 5 years."

Dr. Scott Jarmon joins Mario to discuss his recently defended dissertation about the figure of the crone through her representation in The Golden Girls and the films of Hayao Miyazaki.

Frankie Kimmell, PhD Candidate in SIU's School of Communication Studies, joins Mario to discuss his dissertation on queer faculty's navigation of identity disclosure in higher ed, drag pedagogy, and his Spotify Wrapped results.

Dr. Desiree Rowe, professor at Towson University and Kleinau guest artist, joins Mario via the power of the internet* to discuss anti-method and her performance, Wave 1-12-22. "Shaped by the sudden death of her unvaccinated father in January 2022 from Covid-19 and long form interviews with Covid-19 grief activists, in Wave 1.12.22 Rowe explores how the work to democratize grief and hold politicians accountable for Covid-19 deaths twists around, though, and against the personal. In midst of the institutional and governmental structures that force a particular type of mourning for a particularly imagined personhood, Wave 1.12.22 revels in a queer mourning that pushes back." *Please forgive some awkward editing around the 9 and a half minute mark; sometimes the internet is less powerful than we'd like.

Paula Horton, SIU undergrad and director of the Kleinau production Autism in Real Life, joins Mario to talk about her show, the differences between the medical and the social models of disability, the privilege of diagnosis, and family.

Dr. Jonny Gray, Associate Professor in SIU's School of Communication Studies and director of the Kleinau Theatre show Lovely as a Tree, joins Mario to discuss their show. Lovely as a Tree is "a solo performance exploring the arboreal as inspiration, form, metaphor, challenge and transformative symbol of hope."

India Hagen-Gates, PhD candidate in the SIU School of Communication Studies, joins Mario to discuss environmental rhetoric and representation, Unlikely Hikers, conceptualizations of nature, and teaching experiences.

Welcome back from summer! Dr. Sakshi Bhati, assistant professor in the SIU School of Communication Studies, joins Mario to discuss leadership communication, community engagement, mental health, and immigrant experiences.

Alicia Utecht, PhD candidate in the SIU School of Communication Studies, joins Mario to talk about her fate to attend SIU going back to her time in undergrad, academic service, disability studies, fandoms, and family communication.

T Brown, SIU Communication Studies PhD candidate and director of the Kleinau Theater show Cult Piece, joins Mario to reflect of the production and the process of its creation. Cult Piece is an experimental artistic performance that represents Brown's experience living through and surviving a cult organization.

Dr. Caleb McKinley-Portee, assistant lecturer in the College of Liberal Arts at Southern Illinois University, joins Mario to discuss Black performance aesthetics, Afrofuturism, Sankofa, the blending of personal and academic interests, and his love of Octavia Butler.

Sean Maulding, SIU Communication Studies PhD student and director of the Kleinau Theater show 'Til Death Do Us Part, joins Mario to discuss his recent performance and the core concepts that shape it. As a demonstration of drama therapy, 'Til Death Do Us Part is Maulding's exploration with coming to terms with topics like grief and death through persona performance.

Welcome back to the Communication Studies podcast! SIU School of Communication Studies assistant lecturer Justin Young joins new host Mario Sanders to talk about his winding path to academia, his love of media and its ability to connect us with others, the death of the monoculture, video game compilations, nostalgia, and animal friends.