Ep. 101 - Hood Empathy & The Chicago Creative Wave ft. Isiah "ThoughtPoet" Veney

BrownTown shares space with frequent collaborator, Isiah
“ThoughtPoet” Veney, photographer, A&R, organizer, and
overall creative from Chicago's South Side. ThoughtPoet and
BrownTown unpack the Afro-futuristic and "hood empathetic" themes
of his photography work, his and SoapBox's collaboration in the
"One Million Experiments" film, lessons from the 2020 uprisings,
and more. What does community-building really look like in
Chicago's growing multidisciplinary creative scene when coupled
with abolitionist politics and possibilities? Here's their take.
Originally recorded October 25, 2023.


Transcriptions Available Here!


GUEST
Isiah “ThoughtPoet” Veney is a photographer, writer, A&R, and
creative director from the Chatham and Burnside area of Chicago.
While recently being named a Black history maker by the Chicago
Sun Times and ever since his highlighted works with Truestar
Magazine showcasing Chicago’s musical talent, he has been on a
mission to capture and express powerful opinions and perceptions
through imagery and writing. His #HeartMelanin portrait series
(since 2013), is a collection of emotions and snapshots of the
Black Chicago renaissance. He is also founder of the creative
agency Unsocial Aesthetics (site, IG) which helps artists with
their creative pursuits while also explaining the Black Chicago
origins connected to the scene. Follow him on Instagram and
Twitter!


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Mentioned Topics:


Ep. 95 - Home

Chicago Drill 'n' Activism

Black Chicago Renaissance (TRiiBE)

Love and Struggle Photos

#SadBoyEnergy (The Prelude) (Chicago Reader)

Testimonies from the Land: A photo essay (South Side Weekly)

Damon Williams’ "One Hundred Other Jobs" post

One Million Experiments (site, IG posts: 1, 2, 3, 4)

Ep. 13 - Chi DNA: Black History & Resistance in Chicago
ft. Kofi Ademola



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CREDITS: Intro song Chronic Chronicles by
Water & Farmabeats and outro song Smoke Anthem by
Stock Marley. Audio engineered by Kiera Battles. Episode photo by
Jansen B.


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