As many of you know, in addition to hosting and producing Here There Be Dragons, I also teach architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design. And for the past year, I’ve been working on A Pause Is Not A Break. An exhibition for the architecture department about the intersection of sound and architectural practice. Learn more at https://www.htbdp…

Don’t be alarmed. We’re working on a few experiments in between seasons. This is an episode swap with the experimental Berlin-based cultural magazine Errant Journal. We’re swapping an interview they did with Brazilian practitioner Felipe Altenfelder about his project Mida Ninja. We start off with an interview with the magazine and podcast editor Ir…

My city of New York is known more for it’s skyline than its outdoor offering. But in Stockholm, nature seemed to appear out of nowhere, intertwined within the city fabric. Even neighborhoods constantly labeled “dangerous” have pretty stunning views. How has Stockholm grown, and keeps growing, with natural spaces in mind ? Twitter/Instagram: @dragon…

The subway can tell you a lot about the geography of a city. Who gets off where and why? But at the central station all those wires get crossed and people are there for all types of reasons to work, to shop, to hustle, to hand out, to protest, to get out as fast as possible. So T-Centalen ticks a lot of factors on the Stockholm spectrum between fea…

In a country known for both pragmatic protestantism and Absolut Vodka, you can imagine there is some anxiety around alcohol, that swings between enjoyment and control. A spectrum of emotion that simmers in the background of Stockholm’s night life. So episode we’ll be talking about the party, the club, the bar, the night life of the city.Twitter/Ins…

Families are a common political battle ground. What’s good or bad for families is a regular explanation for everything from censorship to over-policing to immigration intolerance. So if families are so worth providing for and so worth protecting, what exactly are they afraid of? What do kids and parents feel they need to be safe in the city? This e…

Knowing the rules and being able to navigate them can be a big part of feeling safe in the city. Whether newly arrived or born and bred, we’ll hear from Stockholmers trying to figure out the norms, how to use them, and how to change them. Will they have to bend to Stockholm or will Stockholm bend to them?Twitter/Instagram: @dragons_podcast Support …

We are taking a small break from our regularly scheduled programming to give listeners a little taste of the mini episodes that Patreon subscribers receive every other week. That's right, for subscribers Here There Be Dragons is a weekly podcast.Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/htbdpodcastYou might remember that in episode 2, The Malms, we in…

Last episode, we learned about a few key concepts. The design and planning of the Million Program. The increase of working class immigrants in Swedish cities. And the privatization of public housing. These conditions all woven together created a situation where urban immigrant families were stuck living on Stockholm’s periphery, in housing that was…

The more we poked around the edges of what Stockholmers meant when they talked about the separation in their cities, we realized people were talking about many different things. Because segregation comes in many forms. Racial segregation is often the most obvious. But there is also class segregation, segregation by citizenship, by social status, by…

Housing is one of the hairiest urban planning questions. You have to get the balance absolutely perfect. If you build too much the cost of upkeep will bankrupt the state. But if you build too little, you’ll have a human crisis on your hands in no time. Sweden is a case study of this teeter totter, constantly chasing that perfect balance. And the ri…

No matter how neighborhoods change, old meanings and power structures remain. This episode, we explore how the power and wealth wielded in the neighborhoods of Södermalm, Östermalm, and Gamla Stan, impact city residents today.Check out Ellen Arkbo's music: https://ellenarkbro.bandcamp.com/album/for-organ-and-brassTwitter/Instagram: @dragons_podcast…

Welcome to Stockholm! For all the city's seeming calm and quiet there were many stories of fear, safety, and identity to be told. We are excited to take you to the big little capital of Sweden, where one in every five Swedish residents call home. Let's find out how Stockholmers feel about their city's bigness and smallness.We are produced with the …

This time around Jess Myers returns alongside senior producer Adélie Pojzman-Pontay, to discuss the triumphs and trials of Stockholm, Sweden. Since the Cold War, Sweden has positioned itself as a third way between Soviet collectivism and American capitalism. Through the eyes of Stockholmers we explore how that vision has aged, as politics across th…

The explosive season 2 finale! Max acts quickly in the wake of Eleanor's disappearance while Jack and Anne come back together on new terms. Vane hatches a daring escape for Captain Flint, while Silver makes a fateful choice that will change his life forever.Music: www.bensound.com

Eleanor has changed for good. Jack and Anne have an emotional reunion. Vane makes his move. Flint and Miranda uncover an awful truth. This episode is really good.We're back with a slightly different format! Tell us what you think @ThereBeSailsMusic: www.bensound.com

We see the pirates through Abigail's eyes, while Flint and Miranda wonder how they will be seen by Peter. Max plots, Eleanor denies and Silver starts to understand his influence. Music: www.bensound.com

Anne considers her past experiences and how they've brought her to where she is today. Billy reveals his newly forged allegiance to Flint, while Silver plots to subvert his own. Eleanor closes a gate through which she can never return. We talk about the geography of Black Sails.Music: www.bensound.com…

The plot complicates with a new path to Nassau's future imaginable by Flint, Miranda, Eleanor... but not Vane. Jack proves his mettle as a captain at sea, while Anne copes with his betrayal. Hornigold is deliciously pretentious.Music: www.bensound.com

We learn the truth that's been haunting Flint and Miranda for almost two seasons! We also see Jack fumble his relationship with Anne, and we get more insight into Silver's view of the world.Music: www.bensound.com

The fight for Nassau looms closer in the present while a solution to the chaos is proposed in the past. Anne tells us what she's thinking. Eleanor takes a side. Flint wonders if he's the villain. Lots to talk about!Music: www.bensound.com

Attention shifts away from the Walrus for a moment to focus on what's happening on Nassau with Vane, Eleanor, Jack, Max and Anne. This episode also has a lot of non-gratuitous sex.Music: www.bensound.com

The hits keep coming! Ned continues his reign of chaos in Eleanor's Nassau while Max, Anne and Jack's relationships complicate. Meanwhile, Silver and Flint race against time to reclaim their rightful positions on the crew of the Walrus. We love all of it.Music: www.bensound.com

Season 2 is here, and has new characters, locations and mysteries. Flint and Silver get some quality friendship time, Anne and Max's relationship status changes to "it's complicated", and we meet a new monster in Ned Low. Music: www.bensound.com

Spoiler warning for the story of Treasure Island!Before moving on to season 2, we take a deep dive into the themes and characters of Treasure Island from the POV of a first time viewer. If you are watching Black Sails with no knowledge of Treasure Island and want to keep it that way, skip this one.Music: www.bensound.com…

We discuss the epic season one finale with our friend and treasure island expert Ned. We talk about the fate of Gates and Flint's relationship, the season one arcs of Eleanor and Max, and who John Silver is revealing himself to really be.Music: www.bensound.com

Flint's mission gains clarity as everything else starts to crumble. We talk about Randall v Silver, the ramifications of last episode on Gates and the crew, and Vane's rebirth.Music: www.bensound.com

Billy goes overboard, but we still love Flint. Eleanor and Anne oversee a mafia style execution. We talk about the nature of truth as dictated by the pirate leaders, how awesome Anne is, and more.Music: www.bensound.com

Eleanor takes a huge step to strike out on her own while the pirates are finally at sea! We talk about the theatrics and horrors of this battle, Ann's approach to bulls$%t, and Eleanor's profound power over the island. Music: www.bensound.com

The pirates take a break from Nassau to do their chores under Billy's leadership, and tensions escalate. We talk about Eleanor's plan to secure guns for the pirates, Flint's decision to act on Silver's words, and the inevitability of these stories. Also, Betsy's star turn.Music: www.bensound.com

We learn more about the "witch" who has a spell on Flint, Jack's plan to get back in with his crew, and how much power Eleanor really has. We also talk about the types of love we see between characters, pirate accords, and the roles of leadership inside a pirate crew.Music: www.bensound.com

We discuss episode two, where things get more political and more… domestic? Eleanor and Max reach a critical impasse. Silver continues to improvise. Chelsea and Louis contemplate questions like “Why would a pirate want or bury treasure?” “Why does our big bad pirate have a house?” “What or who is this all really for?”Music: www.bensound.com…

We're ready to talk about the very first episode of the series. Which characters get great introductions, which ones not so much? What war is Flint talking about? Why does that awful "blackbeard" scene exist? Why does John Silver have TWO legs?!Music: www.bensound.com

We explain why we love Black Sails and think you might, too.Music: www.bensound.com

Paris: Centres (Season Finale) by Jessica MyersJessica Myers

It will come as no surprise to you that Paris, a city that is roughly two thousand years old, has had many plans for urban utopias. Utopias of morality, technology, health, and much more. Plans for the aristocracy, for the poor, for police, for immigrants and on and on. But one person’s utopia can be another person’s nightmare depending on who you …

This episode will focus not just on the identities of people but of places. We’ll be talking about the way that Paris is divided through years of history, politics and design. Cities have significant physical and psychic borders that create local bias and affinities. Paris is no different.Jessica Myers

Last episode we talked about “French hipsters” or bobos and the anxiety about being perceived as one. This episode we’ll be expanding our ideas about how people want to be perceived in public space. The stereotype of Parisians being stylish and glamorous trendsetters is nothing new. But the more you get to know the city the more you see how style c…

Bobo means bourgeois-bohème; a left leaning, culture loving elite. Kind of the French version of the hipster. Someone of or joining a more comfortable class who likes to dabble in the cultural spaces of the working class and/or ethnic groups. The bobo like the hipster is the boogieman of gentrification. No one wants to be bobo and yet we see them e…

Paris: Communautarisme (Community) by Jessica MyersJessica Myers

Does a good social mix create greater security for urban residents? This episode we're talking mixité or diversity. How does it affect public space socially and politically in the Parisian region.Jessica Myers

Welcome back! This is the first episode of Here There Be Dragons season 2. This season we're listening to Parisians tell their stories of fear and identity in the city of lights. You might remember the horrifying news we’ve heard from Paris as terrorist attacks rocked the city. Three attacks in the past two years. The one on November 13th 2015 left…

Here There Be Dragons Podcast: On the Series Welcome to Here There Be Dragons, a podcast about safety and identity in cities. For this show I spoke to seven New York natives from all over the city and for the past two months you’ve heard their stories and experiences. This is the final episode where I’ll talk about making the show and listener resp…

Here There Be Dragons Podcast: New Yorkers reflect on the Bronx Welcome to Here There Be Dragons, a podcast about safety and identity in cities. I spoke to seven New York natives from all over the city about their stories and experiences. This is the 5th episode of the series being released weekly on CoLab Radio. In this episode we hear New Yorkers…

Here There Be Dragons Podcast: New Yorkers Reflect on Harlem Welcome to Here There Be Dragons, a podcast about safety and identity in cities. I spoke to seven New York natives from all over the city about their stories and experiences. This is the 4th of the series being released weekly on CoLab Radio. In this episode we hear New Yorkers’ reflectio…

Here There Be Dragons Podcast: New Yorkers Respond to ViolenceWelcome to the first episode of Here There Be Dragons, a podcast exploring safety and identity in cities. I spoke to seven New York natives from all over the city about their stories and experiences. The episodes that follow will be released weekly on CoLab Radio over the next 2 months. …

Here There Be Dragons Podcast: New Yorkers Discuss Public HousingWelcome to the third episode of Here There Be Dragons, a podcast about safety and identity in cities. I spoke to seven New York natives from all over the city about their stories and experiences. The six episodes that follow will be released weekly on CoLab Radio. In the third episode…

Here There Be Dragons Podcast: New Yorkers Respond to GentrificationWelcome to the second episode of Here There Be Dragons, a podcast about safety and identity in cities. I spoke to seven New York natives from all over the city about their stories and experiences. The episodes that follow will be released weekly on CoLab Radio over the next 2 month…