Lumpen Radio

A conversation with Alex Chávez, Jaime Garza, and Peter “Maestro” Vale of Dos Santos celebrating their new album, Es Amor, their first full-length record in five years. 🎶Hosted by Stephanie Manriquez, the conversation explores the making of the album and the many ideas and sounds that move through it: love, migration, memory, family, resistance, dance, and community, as well as the balance between musical tradition and experimentation. 🪘🎙️ Recorded live on Sunday, August 23 at Nighthawk Chicago in Albany Park, the conversation also reflects on what it means to make music about love in this particular moment and how the meaning of Es Amor has evolved since the album was recorded.¿Qué es amor? ¿Qué aprendieron del amor? ❤️

Fourth Stop: What are the priorities for Subdistrict 7A?In Episode 5 of ’Round the Board, Cynthia Salgado speaks with Emma Lozano and Jesús Ayala Jr., the two candidates running to represent Subdistrict 7A on the Chicago Board of Education. The district includes parts of Pilsen, Little Village, the Near West Side, Medical District, Little Italy, West Loop, Chinatown, Archer Heights and Garfield Ridge.What experience and priorities should voters consider when choosing their representative?
 
This episode will also feature a number of testimonials from parents and students gathered in the past weeks where we can hear about their worries for their kids' education and the next Board of Education.
 

n this Lumpen Radio Special, host Cynthia Salgado speaks with community organizers: Sarah Tang (CBCAC Director of Programs), Hannah Dembosky (Bridgeport Environmentalists), Mary Lou Lopez (Bridgeport Alliance).They represent three of the many organizations and residents across Bridgeport, Chinatown and Armour Square who are raising their voices over Amtrak’s proposed 24/7 maintenance facility.Tune in to hear why residents are organizing, what an active rail yard could mean for families who call these neighborhoods home, and what questions remain about pollution, noise, traffic, air quality and meaningful community involvement.
 

📝 Returning to the airwaves tomorrow, Mario Smith is joined by Rey Wences (ICIRR) as they break down how Chicago’s immigrant support networks operate during active emergencies and what’s at stake in the 2026 legislative push in Springfield. ✊---Airs: Weekly on Tuesdays on WLPN-LP & HD-ONE Chicago 105.5 FM Lumpen Radio. 📢

 

On this episode, I’m talking with Chicago painter Megan Williamson!We’re talking about painting, imagination, the circus, changing your practice, and what it means to keep making after decades of doing this thing.Megan is a fascinating artist, and I’m excited to spend an hour with her.
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Airs: 2nd & 4th Saturdays at 2pm CST on WLPN-LP & HD-ONE Chicago 105.5 FM, lumpenradio.com, and the Lumpen mobile app

In this edition, listen to Xiao Faria Da Cunha [Kansas City, MO] of Third Pine Collective and Eleni Zaharopoulos [Detroit, MI] of The Institute for Diasporic Yearning and Longing (IDYL) speak about diasporic longing. Later on, Asia Horne-Morton [Grand Rapids, MI] speaks on their practice and experiences as they relate to Free Alchemy Studio.During the 2026 MdW Summit, attendees were encouraged to record their experiences in Lumpen Radio’s pop-up recording booth.
 

This episode includes audio from conversations with Chicago Printer’s Guild (@chicagoprintersguild) / Zine Mercado's (@zinemercado) Manny von Haynes and CHema Skandal! [Chicago, IL] speaking to Wesley Taylor [Detroit, MI] of Talking Dolls (@talkingdolls) about Midwestern diaspora. Manny and CHema also talk with Haley Steinkamp [Kalamazoo, MI] of the Void (@thevoidzoo) about zines!
 
The 2026 MdW Summit was held from June 22nd to the 27th in Detroit, MI. 300 artist organizers from over 150 platforms and projects around the Midwest (and some beyond) convened in the Boyer Campbell building to spark collaborations, share ideas, and make lasting connections.
 

The next stop on ’Round the Board takes us to Chicago’s Southwest Side. 🚌In Episode 4, Leslie Hurtado speaks with Yesenia López and Erika E. Díaz-Chávez, the candidates for Chicago Board of Education Subdistrict 7B, which includes parts of Archer Heights, Armour Square, Bridgeport, Brighton Park, Gage Park, the Lower West Side and West Elsdon. 📚The candidates discuss some of the biggest issues facing CPS and District 7B families: the district’s budget and school staffing, special education services, student safety, immigration enforcement near schools, and how the Board should hold CPS accountable.

Hear directly from both candidates as they discuss their priorities, records and approaches to the decisions that could shape classrooms and school communities across Chicago. 🌆
 

Entrelazadas - Segunda temporada:Ep. 1. El arte vivo de Sofía GabrielEn este episodio de Entrelazadas conversamos con la artista @sofiagc0 sobre el cuerpo como materia de creación y conocimiento. Sofía comparte su recorrido desde el ballet clásico, una práctica marcada por la disciplina, la repetición y la técnica, y reflexiona sobre el proceso de cuestionar y desaprender esas formas de relacionarse con el cuerpo para abrirse a maneras más libres y orgánicas de expresión.A lo largo de la conversación, nos preguntamos por la práctica artística del performance y lo que ocurre cuando el cuerpo es vehículo y espacio de creación. Hablamos también de migración, arraigo y comunidad, y de cómo el arte es un lenguaje que puede generar conexión social, especialmente en nuestro entorno en crisis.
 

On this two-part Lumpen Special, WILD YAMS, Alyssa Martinez sits down in conversation with artists Summer Coleman, Andrea Hill Fitzgerald, and Teni Odunsi to discuss the WILD YAMS SEED Residency and their current exhibition “Between Memory and Becoming: Manifestations of Black Motherhood” on view at Co-Prosperity August 14 - September 25 , 2026.