Hello, everyone… So it’s been quite some time since the last episode of Loitering. Some helpful information you should know to understand this current episode is that at the end of last year, I started teaching at Uncuffed, a podcast and audio journalism training program in California prisons. That work recently brought me and my colleagues (including several formerly incarcerated producers of Uncuffed) to Norway. More information about that when you listen to this episode! The person you’ll hear is Tommy Ross, who goes by Shakur, and it was recorded on June 16, 2022, in the lobby of Oslo’s Hotel Verdandi. Shakur wanted to send along some pictures for this episode, so here they are below. You’ll understand these moments when you listen. :)
Shakur and Ninna (who you’ll hear about during the episode) at the FedEx facility:
Shakur at the San Francisco International Airport:
Shakur running into Eli (who you’ll also hear about during this episode) in Amsterdam:
Some members of the Uncuffed team visiting Halden Prison in Norway:
Me, Ninna and Shakur at Oslo City Hall:
Shakur in Norway!
Shakur being interviewed by Angela (who you’ll also hear about during this episode) the morning after we recorded this interview:
If you’re looking to understand more about why Californians are interested in Norway’s prison system, have a listen/read to this piece from KQED (which features Isiah Daniels, who also has a cameo in this episode of Loitering)!
Some other updates from me: Earlier this year a piece I reported for the BBC World Service profiling the Ethiopian American writer Meron Hadero aired/published. You can have a listen to that here. And a piece I’d been working on for some time about caste in Silicon Valley came out in March and was featured in the April issue of WIRED magazine. You can read that here.
Loitering in Oslo With Tommy 'Shakur' Ross