The Talk of Troy

A clarinet professor at Troy University is working to bring the instrument the respect it deserves through Clarinet Day. Producer Jack Anderson has the story. And, over Spring Break, Troy University fraternity Alpha Tau Omega recently held their annual charity event Walk Hard. That’s a 128.3-mile trek across two states! Producer Chris Ahlf reports.

Comedians don’t usually headline the International Arts Center, but currently there’s an exhibit on display that might make you think they do. The artist, Winfred Hawkins, blends dark humor with digital art and works on canvas. TROY Public Radio’s Chris Ahlf paints the full picture. And, bird is the word this week! Thanks to restoration efforts at the arboretum, more than eight miles of trails have been cleared out, an outdoor classroom has been installed, and two new bridges have been built. And that’s just pecking the surface, as Producer Brendan Bryan reports.

Producer Chris Ahlf sits down with Winfred Hawkins, the artist behind the new exhibition, "Comedian". It earns its title by balancing dark humor with social commentary.

This week, we'll check in with Troy University's student journalists, who recently visited Selma to cover the 59th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. We'll also find out how TROY celebrated International Women's Day.

Last weekend, Troy University hosted the Southeastern Journalism Conference, or SEJC. And, former Troy Public Radio producers won awards! Also, the main campus library has hosted the English Honor Society's annual African American read-in.

TROY Public Radio recently launched two new podcasts, and this week, we’re taking you behind the scenes of both.

Troy University’s Department of Theatre and Dance is staging its first narrative dance show in several years: Chaos, the story of how it all began. This is specifically the version from Greek myth. But, there’s a modern twist. Producer Chris Ahlf has the tale. And a new Miss Troy University has been crowned. The competition is about more than just looks; it opens opportunities for contestants, as Producer Ariyid Hightower reports.

Troy University recently held its annual leadership conference dedicated to the late Civil Rights Legend John Lewis. The goal is to encourage people from different cultural backgrounds to collaborate and get into good trouble, as Producer Ariyid Hightower reports. And last week, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited Lockheed Martin’s weapons manufacturing plant in TROY, almost two years after the War in Ukraine began. And Troy University journalism students were on the scene, as Producer Brendan Bryan tells us.

Producer Chris Ahlf reports on a generous donation presented by Neil Patrick Harris and Ira Glass. And shoreline erosion means the Pointe-au-Chene tribe is losing land... but two Troy University professors have joined a team creating a solution. Producer Brendan Bryan reports.

Cheers echoed on TROY’s main campus last December as the Trojans took home a Sunbelt Championship for the second year in a row. And some fans took home a souvenir, as Producer Jack Anderson reports. And, thanks to a $150,000 grant, The Rosa Parks Museum on Troy University’s Montgomery campus has reopened with brand new technology! The goal is to give visitors a look at history in a new light... and on new screens! Producer Ariyid Hightower has the story.

A Troy University professor has just released his debut novel! The thriller is centered around a trial involving forbidden romance. Producer Jack Anderson has the story. And, last week, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey visited TROY's main campus to celebrate broadband expansion in the wiregrass region... and across the state! Producer Brendan Bryan connects us to the story.

This year’s Sounds of the Season is set during a 1940s Holiday radio show complete with a missing star singer, a swinging jazz band, and a grumpy boss, as producer Brendan Bryan reports. And, earlier this month, the Remember Love Recovery Project collaborated with TROY’s International Arts Center to create a way for people to share experiences about addiction disorder and the road to recovery. Producer PJ Heath brings us to the heart of the story.

SAMLA was the word for two Troy students and their professor. SAMLA stands for South Atlantic Modern Language Association and the conference they attended in Atlanta was a great first professional opportunity, as producer Brendan Bryan reports. And, every year on the day after Thanksgiving, the oral history project Storycorps holds its National Day of Listening. In 2019, Troy Public Radio partnered with International Programs at Troy University to record Storycorps interviews with individuals from other countries about their experience with American holidays and those from their own country. Producer PJ Heath reports.

Earlier this year, TROY Public Radio launched the podcast “Alabama Aloud.” The audiobook-style podcast gives new life to classic short stories from famous authors like Truman Capote and F. Scott Fitzgerald. And it highlights regional writers, as Producer Emily Mosier reports. And, TROY’s Hall School of Journalism and Communication recently held the annual intramural speech tournament. Students across the main campus had a chance to shine, as Producer PJ Heath reports.

This week, we visit Troy University's arboretum to learn about the techniques our ancestors used to create fire. And, we go behind the scenes of the new play, The Diviners, about a young boy with a terrible fear of water but an extraordinary talent to find it.

Today is Halloween, so River Region artist Lisa Harrison visits the studio to talk with In Focus host Carolyn Hutcheson about her fiber art portraits of black cats, dogs, plants and houses. The various textures make her portraits uncannily realistic.

As October draws to a close, that can only mean... two things: Halloween... and TROYapalooza, Troy University’s annual Fall celebration! There was rock climbing, live performances, free food, and more! And we revisit the four-faced clock commemorating Jack Hawkins Jr.'s 34 years as chancellor of Troy University.

With the help of Troy University's Small Business Development Center, two brothers have a business that's as hot as their sauce! And, we stop the presses to bring you a look at the history of The Tropolitan student newspaper.

Troy University's International Arts Center was buzzing last Thursday with the reception of “From the Hive”. The new exhibit explores the cultural evolution of the symbol of the ‘goddess’ as PJ Heath reports. Veterans Memorial Stadium was built for a mere $65,000, which was big money in 1950. In its first years of existence the stadium seated 5,000 Trojan fans. Today, it can hold six times that number.

Libraries across the country are marking banned book week with a variety of activities, and Troy is no exception. This week, Troy University Libraries held a number of special events and Producer Jackson Tucker went to one of them. And, Troy University students and graduates were recently selected to compete in the Mentone Film Festival in Southern California. The diverse range of entries includes short films, music videos, and a PSA, as Jaelanne Thomas reports.