A therapist plumbs his own psychology by creating artistic collages, a Central American kitchen staff cooks the menu at a Peruvian chicken restaurant, a general store sells everything from microwaves to original artwork, a neighborhood handyman

Eastern Ave, East to Highland, part 2: Do What You Do for the Love of it

Oct 23rd, 2019 25m 45s

In this episode: The perfectly nice lady behind one of the most menacing overdubs in television history, the tireless purveyor of Baltimore’s most famous pizza, two barbers who’ve paid their dues to learn their trade, the operators of a make-it

Eastern Ave, East to Highland, part 1: Pebble in a Pond

Oct 10th, 2019 28m 55s

Stories from a Dominican barbershop, a tattoo parlor, a lawyer’s office, a coffee counter, and a collaborative arts hub, all neighbors in the melting pot that is Eastern Avenue in Baltimore’s Highlandtown neighborhood.See omnystudio.com/listene

1600 Sulgrave Ave, part 2: Second Nature

Sep 26th, 2019 26m 53s

We visit Baltimore Clayworks, where artist Sam Wallace teaches a pottery technique he learned as a kid in Jamaica. We talk with the crew at The Mount Washington Tavern about romance, oyster shucking, and a major fire that put the place out of b

1600 Sulgrave Ave, part 1: Actually, I’ve become myself

Sep 11th, 2019 24m 53s

This North Baltimore neighborhood is just inside the city line, but it’s got the cloistered feel of an affluent suburban hamlet.\u160\uHigh-end consignment boutiques, beauty salons, and restaurants bring well-heeled locals to Sulgrave Avenue in

West Oakland, Lower Bottoms, part 2: The World We Live In

Aug 27th, 2019 29m 26s

Our listening tour of West Oakland’s Lower Bottoms continues as we meet the volunteers at a local food pantry, a street ball legend known as ‘the greatest player never to make the NBA,’ a transplant from Compton who’s become a wilderness surviv

West Oakland, Lower Bottoms, part 1: Self-Determination

Aug 14th, 2019 36m 47s

West Oakland’s Lower Bottoms neighborhood is home to the historical headquarters of the Black Panther party. It’s also one train stop away from San Francisco, and escalating real-estate prices are quickly changing the character of the neighborh

Compliments to the Chef

Jul 30th, 2019 28m 59s

One of the great bonuses of documenting Baltimore is that we happen across lots of incredible kitchens. This episode is our love letter to all the hard-working cooks behind the pots and pans and fryers and grills in those kitchens, to the food

Parenthood

Jul 16th, 2019 30m 26s

An older couple inherits two unexpected sons, an ex-offender regains custody of his daughter, an entrepreneurial mom teaches business smarts to her child, recovering addicts try to stay clean for their kids, and a son takes over for his father

Out of the Docks, part 2: Close Quarters, Wide Horizons

Jul 3rd, 2019 32m 53s

Do you have any privacy when you live on a sailboat with another couple? What happens when you try to raise kids on a motor yacht? How does it test a marriage when you share a small space? What do you sacrifice to live on a boat? What do you ga

Out of the Docks, part 1: Life Aboard

Jun 20th, 2019 44m 55s

From minimalist millennials to well-off retirees, some 300 people live year-round on floating homes in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Their vessels range from small sailboats to luxury motor yachts, and their offbeat stories are captured beautifully

Hollins Market, part 2: The Beautiful Side of Ugly

Jun 4th, 2019 27m 30s

Locals call Hollins Market ‘The Gem of Baltimore,’ and while the lines of customers used to wind around the block, more than half the stalls are now empty. Hollins Market vendors talk about the past and present of Baltimore’s oldest city market

Seoul, South Korea: Inspire Citizens

May 21st, 2019 23m 3s

Out of the Blocks teamed up with the education activists at Inspire Citizens to spend a week at Seoul Foreign School, working with students on empathy and active listening. The week culminated in a global youth media conference, when 150 middle

Hollins Market, part 1: I’ve Been That Kid

May 7th, 2019 23m 45s

In Southwest Baltimore’s Hollins Market neighborhood, a barber survives a shooting and goes back to work the next day; two young artists support each other in life, love, and business; a clothing entrepreneur talks about the power of style; a p

Chicago, North Lawndale, part 2: Every Day, I Politic

Apr 24th, 2019 46m 19s

Neighborhood elders take it upon themselves to step between warring gang members, a mother-daughter duo produces a DIY feature film about gun violence, a restorative justice mediator helps lawbreakers to repair the harm they’ve caused, and a be

Chicago, North Lawndale, part 1: Tears Watering Flowers

Apr 9th, 2019 37m 31s

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lived in North Lawndale on Chicago’s West Side in 1966, and he galvanized the neighborhood in a campaign against redlining and housing discrimination.\u160\uTwo years later, he was assassinated. In the wake of his dea

Introducing Theo

Mar 25th, 2019 22m 21s

Theo Hill drives a truck for a living. On the job, he often catches *Out of the Blocks *on his radio. One day, he got inspired to call us with an idea. He asked, “Would you guys would like to help me make a podcast of my own, a podcast about ad

700 Fallsway: Masterpiece in the Mire

Mar 12th, 2019 35m 46s

One man spent more than half his life in prison. Another fled his country to avoid religious persecution and ended up on the street. One was left to live alone at age 12. One relapsed after 18 years clean. And one carries the burden of a lost s

Working behind the Wall: Conversations with Jailers

Feb 26th, 2019 18m 14s

If you heard the last episode of the podcast, you’ll remember we spent some time on the block where the release door of the Baltimore Jail lets out onto the street. We met some guys who’d been locked up in the jail multiple times, we talked a l

300 E Eager St: I'm Fighting for Me

Feb 12th, 2019 22m 58s

The release door of the Baltimore City Jail opens out onto this otherwise abandoned block, empty except for the presence of a mobile medical office that posts up there 5 days a week. The PCARE Van, as it’s known, is operated by the non-profit B

Pine Ridge Reservation, part 2: One Heart, One Mind, One Prayer

Jan 29th, 2019 38m 25s

Our collaboration with Arlo Iron Cloud ----amp; KILI Radio continues this episode, as we travel through the Pine Ridge Reservation and visit with an Oglala Sioux Tribal Vice President, an historian at Oglala Lakota College, a pair of Pine Ridge

Pine Ridge Reservation, part 1: Meeting a Prayer Halfway

Jan 15th, 2019 43m 50s

We team up with Arlo Iron Cloud of KILI Radio, Voice of the Lakota Nation, for this listening tour of The Pine Ridge Reservation, a 50 by 100 mile stretch of land in South Dakota that's home to the Oglala Lakota people. In this episode, we meet

Pennsylvania Avenue, part 3: It Still Gets Still

Dec 31st, 2018 25m 47s

In its prime, Pennsylvania Avenue was the black entertainment hub of Baltimore, but there’s a whole generation that doesn’t know about that heyday. The Jubilee Arts program aims to bridge the gap. We meet Jade Davis of Jubilee Arts, who teaches

Pennsylvania Avenue, part 2: Born in a Tornado

Dec 18th, 2018 25m 45s

In this episode, businesses survive against the economic odds on the 1800 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, where local entrepreneurs have established their niches with fashion boutiques, discount variety stores, jewelry shops, hair salons, and car

Pennsylvania Avenue, part 1: Resurrection Intersection

Dec 4th, 2018 26m 4s

In 2015, circling helicopter footage showed West Baltimore in chaos. In the wake of the death of Freddie Gray, buildings burned, protesters and looters alike filled the streets, and entire neighborhoods were cordoned off by armored police and t