Clifton Culture: Recent Episodes
Clifton Culture
From the Emory Wheel, this is Clifton Culture – an arts podcast aimed at spotlighting student artists of all kinds, discovering how they create at Emory and what inspires them on campus and beyond. We’re diving into Emory’s vibrant arts and culture scene to bring you exciting conversations with writers, musicians, performers and more.
In this episode of Clifton Culture, hosts Oli Turner (25C) and Dashiel Tao Harris (25C) talk to Zikora Mbadugha (25C) and Cyreema Marshall (25C) about their joint-produced series Reality Check. Reality Check follows two young black girls coming of age at their predominantly white university. The two explain their vision for the show and producing it in context of the Emory community. They also dive into their inspirations, their favorite movies and how they’ve brought the series to life.
Alongside co-producing with Cyreema and starring in Reality Check, Zikora recently booked a co-star role in an upcoming pilot for FX, and regularly auditions for roles in major streaming platforms. Cyreema is majoring in Film & Media and Philosophy at Emory, and serves as director and scriptwriter for the show.
You can find Reality Check on Youtube and on Instagram @realitychecktheseries.
In this episode of Clifton Culture, Oli Turner (25C) welcomes new host Dashiel Tao Harris (25C) to the mic as they interview former Arts & Entertainment Editor and Clifton Culture host Eythen Anthony (23C). Eythen has been involved in The Wheel for the majority of their time at Emory, so for our final episode of the season, we wanted to give them time to reflect on their journey with The Wheel and Clifton Culture. Along the way, they discuss comedy, punk shows and how this whole podcast got started.
It would also be impossible to talk to Eythen without exploring their impact on the arts scene at Emory beyond The Wheel, particularly their involvement in many Theater Emory projects (including Brittany Approximately which runs through April 16th, 2023). As Eythen discusses their evolving interest in writing and theater, they also explore the value of art on Emory’s campus and to their life.
In this episode of Clifton Culture, Oli Turner (25C) welcomes new host Dashiel Tao Harris (25C) to the mic as they interview former Arts and Entertainment Editor and Clifton Culture host Eythen Anthony (23C). Eythen has been involved in The Wheel for the majority of their time at Emory, so, for our final episode of the season, we wanted to give them time to reflect on their journey with The Emory Wheel and Clifton Culture. Along the way, they discuss comedy, punk shows and how this whole podcast got started.
It would also be impossible to talk to Eythen without exploring their impact on the arts scene at Emory beyond the Wheel, particularly their involvement in many Theater Emory projects (including Brittany Approximately which runs through April 16th, 2023). As Eythen discusses their evolving interest in writing and theater, they also explore the value of art on Emory’s campus and to their life.
In this episode of Clifton Culture, hosts Eythen Anthony (23C) and Oli Turner (25C) talk to Farida Salam (24C), the founder and designer of the fashion brand BYFARIDA. Salam discusses her approach to fashion and exploration of sustainability within the art. Together, they also dive into other avenues of Emory’s fashion scene, from altKey to students’ perspectives on current and future fashion predictions.
Alongside handling the creative process for her brand, Salam also manages the business aspects and costume designing for Theater Emory. Amidst her work, she details how to find individuality, confidence and authenticity in one’s craft.
Salam’s pieces can be found on @byfaridaaa on Instagram and are available at her website.
In this episode of Clifton Culture, hosts Eythen Anthony (23C) and Oli Turner (25C) talk to three playwrights showcasing their work in Lenaia, Emory's student-written, student-run playwriting festival. The playwrights, Nivi Nimmagadda (23C), Susan Li (24C) and Dylan Malloy (23Ox) discuss the common threads between their plays and the experience of preparing for Lenaia.
Nimmagadda’s play “THE BECHDEL TEST” is a surreal exploration of womanhood that transcends time and uses fast food chains to examine the protagonist’s relationship with men. Li’s play “Love as Our Mythos” is a story about queer love infused with Chinese myths and literature. Malloy’s play “Robin, Robin” is an ecodrama that examines the ramifications of global warming through a theatrical lens.
The Lenaia Playwriting Festival, featuring these and eight other plays, will take place on Feb. 5 and 6 in the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, with shows at 2 and 7:30 p.m. on Sunday and 7:30 p.m. on Monday. Tickets are free and information is available at @lenaiafest on Instagram.
At just five and two, Koan Roy-Meighoo (25C) and Kheyal Roy-Meighoo (23C) began making music together in their family band, The Lollipops. In this week’s episode of Clifton Culture, hosts Eythen Anthony (23C) and Oli Turner (25C) talk to the Roy-Meighoo siblings about the collaborative process and using art to create social change.
Since their early creative debuts, they’ve both furthered their own artistic careers — Koan is an organizer who writes and performs multiple musical genres and plays in local venues, while Kheyal has become a highly successful animator, recently winning a Disney Women in Film award for her film My Bunny’s Story.
In our second episode of Clifton Culture, hosts Eythen Anthony (23C) and Oli Turner (25C) talk to We Are Damselflys, a punk southeast emo band based out of Atlanta, Ga. The band is comprised of guitarists Chris Gadomski (23C) and Sawyer Gray (22C), bassist Elliot Reardon, and drummer Foster Mosden (22B), with all members also contributing lyrically and vocally. The members talk about their origins, practicing in a church, the meaning behind their first demo songs and juggling their first live performance in Atlanta.
In the premier episode of Clifton Culture, hosts Eythen Anthony (23C) and Oli Turner (25C) talk to Mads Gordon (24C), a poet from Thomasville, Ga. Gordon shares some of their poetry, and we chat about the future of promoting creative work, the space between art and life and the role that Southern identity plays in their writing.
Gordon's art explores themes of devotion, loss, and a rural working class. A third year at Emory University studying poetry and religion, Madeline can be found exploring the urban forests of Atlanta or exploring the DIY music scene with their friends. Read more of Gordon’s work at @thingsishouldremember on Instagram. They plan to release a physical zine under the same name in early 2023.
Listen and subscribe to Clifton Culture wherever you get podcasts!
From the Emory Wheel, this is Clifton Culture – an arts podcast aimed at spotlighting student artists of all kinds, discovering how they create at Emory and what inspires them on campus and beyond. Next week, on Oct. 5, we're releasing our first episode with poet and Emory College junior Mads Gordon. Subscribe to hear our deep dives into Emory’s vibrant arts and culture scene to bring you exciting conversations with writers, musicians, performers and more.