J Gip Turning Towards Rap to Save His Life and Tell "Psych Ward Stories"

Anxiety, Football and Thousands of Listens on Soundcloud

Entering Peg’s Glorified Ham n Eggs is a welcoming feeling, with the aroma of coffee and bacon that fills the atmosphere and the service that helps enlighten the time we spend there. One of those working there, as part of several jobs he holds, with a and larger than life bright personality, is Jordan Gipson, also a talented musician, but with a dark, difficult past.

“Summer 2019, two weeks after my birthday, my birthday is July 23,” Gipson said, “I went to Vegas and I came back from a trip. I was working at Peg’s and that’s when everything really hit me.”

Rewind a few years before, and it seems everything externally was fine, from sports to a new path in music.

Gipson was a football player during his time at Damonte Ranch High School and would go on to play college at the University of La Verne. Football was his biggest passion at the time until one day his roommate asked him if he wanted to get on a song with him. Gipson was a little skeptical as he had just rapped for fun and freestyled, but figured he might as well give it a try. 

Once the song they made was released, it ended up getting 14 thousand views on Soundcloud. 

“The more I got into music, the less football became my passion,” Gipson said. “I decided to quit football and move back to Reno and just started doing music.”  After some time of creating and crafting his own sound, like a drug, Gipson became an addict that couldn’t get enough of the doses of serotonin that music would give him.

“It’s like scoring a touchdown when you make a good song or are performing on stage,” Gipson said. “It’s that ultimate feeling that gives you satisfaction.”

Making music gave him an outlet to express himself creatively and therapeutically. Gipson was going through a battle that he didn’t know would wash over him and nearly drown his life and mind over the coming years. During his senior year of high school, Gipson had been dealing with depression and anxiety throughout the entire year. 

“I’d have anxiety attacks in class. There would be times I couldn’t get out of bed. There was times like that, but it was nothing compared to what I have now,” said Gipson.

A screengrab from some of his recent Instagram activity @jordan_javon

The Night is Always Darkest before Dawn

After just coming back from Vegas after his 2019 birthday and walking into work, Gipson felt good, but something was off. Something in his mind wasn’t all there. Now we all have come into work with a foggy or a light-headed mind, but something about this was strange. 

As Gipson is working these random, horrific thoughts keep coming in-and-out of his head. The thoughts are out of control, but Gipson didn’t understand why they were happening. He was hoping it was just a bad day. Throughout the day he couldn’t eat and would throw up everything that he tried to put down. He was very confused and scared at what was happening to him. 

When Gipson got home he was praying that he could just sleep it off and that everything would be better. However, when we awoke from what felt like a nightmare the day before, it was slowly coming to be his new harsh reality that he was going to face as the thoughts still remained in his head day after day. 

After a few days, things got worse as Gipson felt like his mind was transferring to another dimension. To the point where you can’t describe or show it to anybody who hasn’t seen this other world. This world creates terrible thoughts and illusions about our current reality. Gipson was thinking everyone could see this world and hear what was going on in his head. He thought everyone despised him and looked down on him, so much so that he thought they wanted him to take his life.

The pressure was weighing down on Gipson and was making him crumble like a rock that degrades to sand. At this point, he says he didn’t want to live life anymore.

Gipson grabbed his microphone cord as he thought it could represent a symbol for him and tied a noose around his neck in his closet. Before he decides to go through with it, he calls his best friend, Trever Schryer, to tell him he loves him and how much he has meant to him. A final goodbye to his lifelong childhood buddy.

As Gipson awaits his final seconds, he puts the cord around his neck, hopeless that life has anymore to offer and makes the final descent into ridding himself of all the pain and suffering. Gipson hangs there in the closet watching slowly as everything turns black. Watching as the happy and upbeat person that he was, fade away into an abyss.

Before he could see his final seconds one of his best friends, Ryan Riggle picks him up and intercepts his voyage to the afterlife as Riggle screams for his girlfriend to grab a knife to cut Gipson down. Riggle cuts Gipson down and throws him on the bed.

The Hospital Experience

Gipson is rushed to the hospital. He hasn’t slept for three days. He has had no food and no water. At this point his mind is still living in this other dimension, the dimension is known as psychosis. Psychosis is where people lose connection with reality and have hallucinations and delusions about everything.

Gipson lays there on the bed as his family is sitting next to him. They’re begging him to hold on for him and his family. They want him to think about the good times.

“While I’m thinking they’re saying think about the good times, in my mind, I’m thinking they want me to die,” Gipson said. “So, I’m like this is my mission right now.”

They made Gipson stay the night and as he was in the psychiatric unit, he found a pen. Without hesitation he started stabbing himself in the neck, about six or seven times until someone tackled him. As Gipson’s hands are covered in blood and there’s blood everywhere a bunch of workers grab him and put him in a bed. Gipson felt his life was fading away on that hospital bed, but the workers just put him to sleep where he was unconscious for three days. 

When he finally woke up, he still felt very psychotic to the point that when they were letting him walk around, Gipson tried to jump out of a window. Ultimately, he couldn’t break the glass as the glass acted as a backboard keeping him inbounds in the game of life. 

After a couple of days, the terror of this harsh reality still enveloped Gipson’s head, but his aunt was trying to help guide him out of it. His aunt offered a healthy perspective to Gipson because she also suffers from mental illness disorders. He says she helped him come out of his psychosis.

Once Gipson was feeling a little better he stayed in a little room at Saint Mary’s where there were four people watching him at all times whether he was showering, eating or sleeping. After a few days, when the hospital thought Gipson was doing better they released him and he went home. But when he thought this might’ve been the end of a scary movie, the opening credits hadn’t even started yet. 

The Rough Road that Follows After

“The next year was torture of intrusive thoughts, pain and suffering and depression,” Gipson said. “Not being able to leave [my] bed. Going job-to-job because I didn’t want to work because I was too scared to go outside. Hurting my family members because I’m in pain and a pain to deal with. And then it all caught up with me again.” 

Gipson had become addicted to a prescription drug called Ativan, which is kind of like Xanax. One day he decided to take 12 of them and wash them down with five Truly Hard Seltzers. He then drove to his friends house down the street and they could tell something was off. Gipson left the house after only being there for about five minutes. He has no memory of driving to and from his friend’s house. It wasn’t until he started texting his girlfriend at the time, Haley Beyer that someone noticed he wasn’t okay. Gipson was speaking gibberish and wasn’t making any sense, she got worried and headed straight over to his house.  

“I thought I was gonna die that day just because I took so many pills,” Gipson said. “I thought mixing it with the alcohol that I would just pass out.”

Gipson was rushed back again to the hospital for a night before being transferred to Reno Behavioral Healthcare Hospital.

After a week in that hospital, Gipson was released and returned home.

“I spent a week in a psych ward,” Gipson said. “I’m still doing pretty bad, but my friends, they want to move into a house. I’m living in my mom’s house at the time. My friends were like, ‘Jordan come move into this house with us. It’s gonna be good, it’ll get you better’... That house really helped me a lot just moving in with my friends.” 

“I got on the right medications. I found the right psychiatrist who truly knew what I was going through because a lot of psychiatrists, a lot of them were confused with what I was going through and thought I was a little crazy. When I found the right psychiatrist they told me that many people go through what I go through, I was very relieved. They put me on the right medications, so I think that was the first step.” 

The Journey Back

Gipson moved into the house in South Reno with some of his friends and ended up getting a job at MYNT dispensary where he packages marijuana. He said that the job helped improve his social skills. Ultimately, it was his relationship with his girlfriend, now ex-girlfriend, and mom that really helped.

“I just wanna shout out to my ex-girlfriend Haley,” Gipson said. “She was there every step of the way. Out of anybody, I appreciate her and my mom the most.”

After the suffering that Gipson endured over the course of the past two years, things started to trend upwards. He started going out more and expanding his social circle and he was on the right medication. Although he still struggles with his mental health, some days are better than others. He has no plan on ending his life as he has so much to live for and accomplish. 

Recently, Gipson, who goes by his rapper name, J Gip has been making and releasing a ton of music solo and with a group of his friends in a group called, Shift the Wave. Shift the Wave recently had a concert at Holland Project in December and are currently releasing a new song every Wednesday for the coming months. (Find their music here: linktr.ee/shiftthewave)

At the concert, Gipson got to perform his song, “Psych Ward Stories” for the first time. The song details his mental health struggles and tells the story of the time when he was at the psych ward. 

“It was very humbling,” Gipson said. “I have performed a lot, but I have never felt a type of emotion like when performing. I was holding back tears. I know people were listening to the story. My friends knew what I went through and I had my friends in their feels. Just sharing my story to so many people, it was hard for me to hold back the tears and emotions, but I’m so happy I did and I know I'm going to perform that song again to get my story out.” (The song is available on Apple Music and Spotify)

At the end of the day, Gipson loves creating music and expressing himself artistically. It is one of his best ways to cope with his mental health.

“The music man,” Gipson said. “I just kept making music throughout all of it…It just lets me get my emotions out and tell my story you know. So, I don’t have to hold it in and hold these thoughts in all the time. The music makes me express myself and makes me feel less crazy knowing I can put art into this or something back into the world. Maybe one day people will listen to down the road when I’m long gone and they’ll still feel like and be like ‘wow, like this really resonates with me’. I don’t think I would be here without the music.”

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours in English, Spanish. Learn more here.

Call 800-273-8255 for any urgent situation.

Reporting by Jaden Urban who is also a member of Shift the Wave

Entering the World of Our Local Spoken Word Collective

An Initiation at UNR

The first time I ever witnessed a spoken word poetry performance in person was in 2017, in one of my English classes at the University of Nevada, Reno. Under the harsh lights of a university classroom, a female student had come in to invite us to join Wolf Speaks UNR, a spoken word poetry club.

The poem she performed was from the point of view of Black mothers and their experiences in the United States. Her words gripped my heart, and tears welled up in my eyes. Each spoken word performance that I’ve seen since has touched me in the same way.

I didn’t know it then, but Wolf Speaks was associated with a larger organization called Spoken Views Collective. The next time I saw a performance would be at one of their events in November 2021.

The show was called Insomnia. It headlined the winner of Season 15 America’s Got Talent, Brandon Leake. Leake hosted a one man spoken word play with local poets as opening acts. These poets included SaMoura Horsley, a founding member of Wolf Speaks UNR; Jessie James Ziegler, an active member of the Spoken Views Collective, and Sana Sana, a local artist.

Each performer had their own topics that they spoke on. It ranged from growing up in the ever changing landscape of Northern Nevada to the experiences of people of color.

When a powerful line reached the audience, they would respond with snapping fingers or hums of appreciation. In the silent moments when a poet would pause, I could hear the sniffling of those moved to tears.

“I think it is healing,” Iain Watson, the founder and director of the Spoken Views Collective said in regards to spoken word. “When people share, I think it really opens up the idea that you’re not alone.”

Watson believes that sharing the vulnerabilities of your heart through poetry creates connections between the performer and their audience. 

“Sometimes you get into those dark spaces [in your mind] and … you find the shame in yourself. … But when people talk about those things, you’re like ‘Geez, I went through the same exact thing, and that person’s talking about it,” Iain Watson, the founder and director of the Spoken Views Collective, said.

The very beginnings of the collective

The collective wasn’t even a thought in his mind when Watson, and his co-founder Tony Walker started planning an event called Spoken Views in 2006.

“We were like hip hop artists- mainly rapping, but we also had a deep love for spoken word poetry,” Watson said. Inspired by Def Poetry Jam, and noticing the missing poetry scene in Reno, they started planning.

The event was held at Se7en Tea House and Bar on the commercial floor of Arlington Towers in 2007. The business has since closed, but Watson still remembers it fondly.

“They kind of offered us to do an open-mic there, or like a little performance,” Watson recalled. The event featured a mixture of poetry and music that he and his friends performed.

The event went well. Watson and a group of friends involved in poetry started building the collective from there.

“We were just kind of feeling the community out,” Watson said. They went into other venues to perform, and eventually decided to start hosting open-mics in different venues.

After hosting a few open-mics, the collective found a permanent home at The Holland Project.

“I almost want to say [we ended up at The Holland] eight to nine years ago because again, Facebook reminds me of this stuff,” Watson laughed.

There was a time when Watson was doing everything for the collective. He was in charge of promoting, opening the doors, and closing down venues.

“Unfortunately, the other founder hasn’t been involved in the collective for quite a while,” Watson said. He defined it as a falling out, but was hesitant to go into details. “I was doing every single thing for a few years,” Watson explained. “Until some people in the collective started stepping up.”

Watson has come to realize that his aspirations are bigger than he can manage. As an elementary school teacher, and caretaker to his father, he is learning to take a step back.

“I really came to a realization that I can’t rely on the poets to do other jobs, you know; because ultimately they’re doing what they’re doing with our collective because they love poetry,” Watson elaborated.

A Revolving Door of Poets and New Ideas

Watson wants to print a quarterly zine for the collective, and he’s inspired by bigger poetry communities in Los Angeles. “The collective is, you know, it’s really weird,” Watson said. “It’s a very big revolving door.”

While Watson wants the collective to grow, there comes a point when powerful poets in the collective leave, or some only stay involved for a year. “I believe it kind of- in a way- hurts us a little bit,” Watson said. He believes that those poets could make a big impact in the community, if the collective could get them into more venues.

Despite this, Watson is happy to see members who have been there from the beginning and newer members that want to be more involved. The Spoken Views Collective is currently attempting to reach out to high school students. In the past, they’ve worked with students who went on to create Wolf Speaks at the university.

“I really love to see that … people grow and then kind of create their own little facet, you know; but still under the Spoken Views umbrella,” Watson said.

One of Watson’s goals for the youth program is to send students to one of the biggest poetry slam youth competitions: Brave New Voices. They were able to send six students to one of their competitions in Washington D.C. in 2016.

“We finally got Reno on the map to do that,” Watson said. It was a huge undertaking for the collective and required hard work and an enormous amount of fundraising. “I think it really opens up avenues for students,” Watson said. Many students that the collective has worked with continue to write and perform poetry.

Including Horsley, Ming Li Wu went to Washington D.C. in 2016. Wu has performed at a TEDx event in Reno and had their poetry featured by the Harvard Ethnic Studies Coalition.

“They find their voice and they find the people that are [like-minded]. It creates like a family, you know,” Watson said. “I always call this, a family; the collective, a family.”

Our Town Reno reporting by Lynn Lazaro

James Carden, A Comedian on the Rebound With Warnings about Fentanyl

For James Carden, 35, his dark comedy sets in Reno have repeatedly been linked to heroin. Talking about heroin is part of his routine, and using was part of his “coping mechanism” until very recently.  Now he’s resolute in turning the corner, and being serious about warning others and the community of disturbing trends, including more and more deadly fentanyl blended into the highly addictive drug. 

Carden started using heroin as a teenager.  “I would just kind of, you know, go through life, like kind of coasting, like I would have some accomplishments and then relapse and like hit rock bottom again.”

He had gotten clean for a while, but as he started to get success in his comedy career out west from his previous base in Montana, he got really nervous and relapsed.  

In Reno, where he moved several years ago, he used to coordinate and host open mic nights, including at the Dead Ringer Analog Bar where he also bartended.

“I’ve just been pretty much all around here,” he told Our Town Reno during a recent interview. “It's really hard to get into like the Laugh Factory and stuff like that, but that would be an ultimate goal of mine to do that.”

But his heroin use, while he used it for material, ultimately got him fired and living on the streets, even before he was unemployed. Getting displaced and higher rents also led to his downward spiral. 

“I was just floating around it. I was kind of sleeping at my job, you know, sleeping on the couches there, being a problem, sleeping in people's cars or like RVs and stuff. When I first moved here, I moved to Center Street and then they tore down my house.”

In Reno, he explained it’s also harder and harder to buy heroin which isn’t mixed in with fentanyl, making it much more dangerous. Fentanyl infused product, he explained, is easier and cheaper to come by, but with huge risks. 

 “Generally a lot of people smoke heroin cause you can't die from smoking. I don't wanna say you can't, but generally, like that's not something that you have to be worried about when you're smoking, you know, you're probably more likely to die in the car crash to go get it before smoking it. But now like with fentanyl, they take fentanyl and then they'll take whatever you would cut with heroin, and so it seems like heroin, but it's not, it's very nefarious and more addicting and scary. I know a couple dealers that will tell you if it's fentanyl or not fentanyl in the beginning, they would do that. And now it's just, everybody's being very sneaky. They're not being honest with the drugs. It's really starting to kill people and like, you can die from it.”

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid also used for pain treatment. Most fentanyl overdoses are believed to be from illegally made fentanyl. According to local law enforcement officials, and statistics they’ve recently released, more than 200 people died of drug overdoses in northern Nevada last year, with over 50 of them due to fentanyl.

To save himself, Carden says he recently went through detox at Well Care. He says he realized his path was getting out of control.  “I started to just really lose everybody in my life and opportunities. I went from like, just like smoking to starting to inject, especially the fentanyl stuff. Like when you do that, you're gonna be dead. And I think, it just started to scare the people around me. I think if you're gonna have detox, you need to go somewhere like Well Care where you see how dark it is and what your future will hold if you continue.”

Along with being off heroin, his comedy career is now on the rebound, with an appearance coming up January 27th at Joe Comedy at the Polo Lounge. He’s off the streets, living with friends. “They've been helping me out because they can see the change that I'm making, as long as I'm just keeping my end of the bargain. I'm very lucky to have that.” 

He would also like to give back and help make Reno’s comedy scene become more inclusive. “A lot of people are kind of nervous about comedy and we need to just be like, hey, this is fun. And like, this would be a fun place to go. I would like to see, more of everybody, right, all demographics and content wise, I've been to shows where it's very misogynistic and I can see why women are kind of like, ‘oh, this sucks, this is uncomfortable.’”

He likes Reno but wouldn’t mind people being more supportive of each other rather than so competitive and negative. “Real friends, here, you can count 'em on one hand. People really need to just stop talking behind people’s backs and just really be supportive. I think everybody in Reno has an addiction or we wouldn't still be here. I mean, it's a 24-hour gambling town and I think we project a lot of our insecurities onto other people that we feel like are lower than us and that we always need somebody to kind of be better than, and I think we need to just realize we're all one.”

Our Town Reno reporting, January 2022

Hannah Hartley, with an Eye on the Hoop and Keeping our Environment Green

Home Means Nevada

At 5’11’’ freshman Hannah Hartley aims to make threes for the Nevada women’s basketball. But as eager as she is about basketball, it competes with how passionate she is about the environment, which she calls the most valuable resource. 

Hartley, born and raised in Reno, graduated from Galena High School in 2021. A three-sport athlete in high school, Hartley was most passionate about basketball and decided to pursue it in college. With multiple offers from Division II and III schools, Hartley made an easy decision to attend college in her hometown to play Division I basketball as a walk-on.

“Attending Nevada gave me the opportunity to play a sport I love for my hometown team and for a coaching staff that I love,” Hartley said during a recent interview with Our Town Reno.

Silver and blue runs deep in the Hartley family blood. Not only was the combination of athletics and academics a selling point for Hartley, but the familial ties also had an impact. Attending Nevada made Hartley a third-generation Nevada student following her grandmother, parents, two aunts, and uncle. Her father, Chad Hartley, served as Nevada’s associate athletic director for strategic communications from 2006 to 2021. 

Nevada is extremely important to my family,” Hartley said. “Much of my family attended the University and my parents both have close ties to the athletic department, which is one reason why playing here is so important to me. Being able to play at a school that has had such a big impact on my family means the world to me,” Hartley said. 

Hannah stands next to her parents, Chad and Shannon, at her high school graduation in 2021. Photo provided by: Hannah Hartley’s Instagram (@hannahhartley33)

Eager about the Environment 

Hartley is majoring in environmental studies with the hopes of pursuing a career as an environmental researcher. She chose this major as a chance to give back to the community that means so much to her. 

“Our environment is the most important resource we have and we must find ways to protect it as best as we can,” Hartley said. “I feel that I have a very strong connection to the Reno-Tahoe area, and I want to do what I can to protect it, and I feel that studying environmental science here is how I can begin to do that.” 

The outdoorsy aspect of Reno has always been of interest to Hartley, which is why it is so important to dedicate her major to the environment. What better place to do so than in the city that fueled her passion for the environment that surrounded her growing up.

“Attending Nevada gave me the opportunity to study the major I was most interested in,
Hartley said. “I am very happy that I get to study something that I am so passionate about, while playing the sport that I love.” 

Going, Going, Green 

The famous ‘Keep Tahoe Blue’ stickers that can be found on numerous car bumpers around the Reno-Tahoe area was a motivator to get Hartley involved with protecting the environment. 

“Growing up in Reno, I would always see Keep Tahoe Blue stickers,” Hartley said. “​​I feel like they have had an influence on why environmental science is so important for me.” 

Off the court, Hartley dedicates her time to volunteering for community clean-up projects around the area as well. 
“I have helped organize and participate in several park clean ups in the Reno area,” she detailed.  

Hartley attributes a lot of her passion for the environment with whom she spends time around the most. Growing up exploring the area influenced Hartley to pursue a degree that would allow her to protect the area she has always called home. 

“Since I was young, I would hike and spend lots of time outdoors with my family,” Hartley said. “Many of my friends and my parents' friends are passionate about protecting the Reno-Tahoe area. I feel like they have had an influence on why environmental science is so important for me and growing up around people who cared about the environment and want to protect it was very impactful for me.” 

Reporting by Cayley Dishion and Montana Lloyd shared with Our Town Reno

Dillon and Jessica, Turning Reno into a Hot Spot for Horror Films

Reno is not often considered a home to a vibrant film community. However, one production company Horror Nerd Productions, with almost a dozen films to their credit, is singlehandedly building an indie film community.

“I’ve always been a giant horror nerd,” said Dillon Brown, during a recent interview with Our Town Reno. Having studied English he is a published author but had always wanted to make a film. “I just went for it,” he told us.

Brown remembers his first film having numerous challenges. Notably, filming a scene with a prostitute and a large man on the university campus one afternoon, he forgot to let anyone know he would be there. Naturally, this scene raised eyebrows and eventually security showed up. “I actually didn’t even film a portion of the script because I was trying to get out of there as fast as possible,” Brown explained. He said it was an absolute nightmare. Which may be fitting for his chosen medium. 

The company he’s building has grown in the past four years, allowing Brown to bring on a producer. Jessica Grimaldo, another creative, helps with all things concerning scheduling, contacting filming locations, and most importantly, casting. 

“I’ve been to a few to a few different theaters where I’ve acted, come on as an instructor, and I’ve made a lot of connections,” said Grimaldo. She has been working in theatre for several years and explained that Reno is not only a great home to theatre, with many small venues, but an excellent place for up and coming actors and actresses. 

She uses her wide breadth of connections to help Brown keep his goal of using Nevada-based actors and resources in his films. “I think the art community is really special here in Reno considering our size,” Grimaldo said. She is excited that Horror Nerd can be a stepping stone for actors looking to make it to a larger screen. 

“Some of our leads have gotten other lead roles in other films...everyone is just getting a lot of exposure,” explained Grimaldo. 

Theater Backgrounds

Brown also comes from a theater background. His grandma worked extensively in theatre in the Bay Area and his uncle still works in the industry. “I always understood that making films or plays, it really is a family thing,” he explained. It is a large process that requires the coming together of so many people and elements. “Otherwise it doesn’t work.” This is why he reached out to Grimaldo, who is his wife’s cousin. He needed the help to take Horror Nerd Productions to the next level. 

“When Jessica got these group of actors together is when the sense of what I wanted to do with Nevada based stories really hit home,” said Brown. He went on to explain he has used actors from across northern Nevada in his films. “There is so much to tell about Nevada and a lot of the famous horror movies have taken place here.” 

Funding has always been his biggest challenge in producing films. But to him, it does not matter. 

“We know how to make them [films], we know we have fun making them,’ explained Brown. The budget does not shape the film for him and Jessica. The goal is to enjoy the process and create art.

The whole process though has still been a learning curve for both Brown and Grimaldo. From figuring out how to ask for help to writing contracts, it is a process that has helped grow the company into streaming films via online platforms. 

One film is now available on Wicked Horror TV and POV Horror, both accessible on ROKU or Firestick. Brown and Grimaldo are already working diligently on the sequel. They are taking their mistakes and learning how to improve the whole process. 

“The Devil’s Children [trailer above] is our biggest thing so far, it’s really the one that is going to put us on the map,” explained Brown. He said this film has more distribution than any of his other films and knows it will lead to more films down the road. Many of the actors have returned for the second film and the community being built around Horror Nerd is blossoming. Brown sees this growth with Grimaldo as his biggest success. He remains humble as a director and hopes he can be the catalyst for actors to go from hopes to careers via his films.

“I would love to see somebody we worked with all the sudden up on the big screen,” said Brown. 

Reporting for Our Town Reno by Richard Bednarski

Sara Rooker, Helping Herself and Others Go Through Hard Times with Comedy

Growing up, Sara Rooker says she had funny parents, and was alway into comedy and telling stories. As she got older, she had a friend, Aurora Singh, who began doing open mic nights and Sara became interested in doing it as well. Especially after going through a particularly rough breakup. 

Comedy is how Sara works through hard times in her life and she found real joy in sharing her stories and making people laugh. Her comedy is based on her real life experiences. She often talks about her experience as a member of the LGBTQA+ community as well as other experiences she encounters. Sara loves being able to represent both women and the LGBTQA+ community on the local comedy scene.

““I  think my initial desire to try comedy stemmed from the fact I was in a really sad place personally and the best way to cope with a lot of things was laughing at myself and the circumstances. It was extremely nerve wrecking and scary but you are so raw and clueless that you just keep trying and eventually it starts to go fine,” she told Our Town Reno. “Fine turns into fairly decent and decent turns into good. Not all the time, there are some people up at open mics who are not good, years later. I will say, the comedians in the scene immediately took me in and were pretty great to me. Stand up provides such a great community of friendships. I was instantly hooked on all of it and haven't looked back since,” Sara said.

 Sara performs a variety of shows at a variety of venues. Before COVID-19 she used to actively perform at The Reno Tahoe Comedy Club. Currently she actively performs at private parties, The Basement and out in Truckee, California at The Station. Two months ago Sara was originally going to perform in Nashville, Tennessee at the Comedy Bar. However, the Comedy Bar was sold and instead she was booked at Yazoo Brewery and Smoker’s Abbey instead, which still turned out to be an absolutely wonderful experience for her.

Of late, Sara Rooker has taken her comedy talents further away from her Reno base.

“Performing in Nashville was great. The people are so nice there! It is always interesting and can make you a little anxious to see how your material does in other parts of the country but I did well and connected with the audience and other comics,” Sara said.

Along with performing at shows she also has a podcast she hosts with fellow comedian Andrea B. called Same Problems. Same Problems is about the problems both of Sara and Andrea have experienced with dating and can be found on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

Reno’s comedy scene she says is a great base. Even if it’s still dominated by men and may not be as big as it once was, it survives and moves along.

“We have a lot of great comics who work super hard and are working hard to produce quality shows,” Sara said of the current trend. “Our scene has a great community of small business owners that support comedy and make sure there is always a place for live comedy in our city.”

During COVID-19 like many other facets of life, comedians' lives got put on an abrupt hold as live performances were no longer allowed for an extended period of time. However, as time passed and activites began to open up, shows started up again.

The Emerson, a bar located in Midtown was the first to allow comedic shows to begin again. Sara was very appreciative as she believed The Emerson was very supportive of  local comedians and wanted to bring shows back to lighten people's lives after such a rough year for us all.

Other small businesses began reaching out as well trying to book shows with local comedians in Reno making for a very supportive community. During the pandemic she tried some zoom comedy events but believes it just wasn’t the same as experiencing a crowd in person. 

Sara has been inspired by other female comedians but her own name is now in bright lights.

Sara is inspired by many female comedians such as Amy Wong, Beth Stelling, and Tig Notaro, but she finds most of her inspirations come from comedians she has met on the road who actively encourage other comedians to succeed.

Some more local comedians Sara was inspired by would be her two friends from Sacramento, Emma Haney and Becky Lynn who Sara says have always supported her from day one and have given her opportunities to expand her career. When Sara started out, comedians Andrea B. and Brooke Unger also took Sara under their wings and provided Sara with guidance and confidence.

Some of Sara’s most memorable moments would be opening for Kabir Singh, a comedian who was featured on America’s Got Talent, at the Cobb’s Comedy Club in San Francisco. Along with that experience, one of the most memorable moments would be opening for Kyle Kinane at Savage Henry’s, a venue in Humboldt, California. A comedian she also looks up to for inspiration, Kinane had his own streaming specials and also was featured on Jimmy Fallon's late night show. Kinane hand selected Sara for his show and Sara ended up receiving tons of positive feedback during the show and was really able to light up the crowd before his performance. Because of that performance she received a lot of future bookings due to the night being such a success. That show in particular was sold out and had a crowd of around five-hundred people. 

Sara's ultimate dream when it comes to her comedy is to be able to do it full time and gain her full income from bringing laughs. She’d also like to release her own EP on streaming platforms such as Spotify. 

Sara’s advice to future comedians is to get out there and do as many open mics as possible and keep working on your routine. Comedy comes with trial, error, and repetition as she believes it takes a while to find your comedic voice. Along with that she wants people to know to come into the scene with no expectations and understand you will bomb events but that is a part of the learning process and you can take those experiences and learn from them. 

“My advice to people wanting to try comedy, just get on stage as much as possible. it is muscle memory, you have to get as many reps as possible,” she said. “Write every day or as much as you can. It takes years to really figure out your ‘voice.’ People think stand up comedy is glamorous and it isn't (unless you're one of the few that make it big). You hardly make any money, I've driven hours through the night (in a blizzard) for 10 minutes of stage time in San Francisco and turned right back around to make it to work on time at 5am haha. I've done a dog's birthday parties with no microphone and more dogs than people in the audience. I have also performed at McQueen High School's Safe and Sober night for graduating seniors. That was definitely worse than the dog's birthday party. The point is, the grind sucks and the grind lasts for a decade plus and then maybe you never ‘make it,’ but if it is meant for you, you will fall in love with it and it will consume you. At that point, you just have to keep going because nothing else would ever make sense.”

Our Town Reno reporting by Carley Olson

Photographer Showcases Reno's Authentic and Thriving Skateboard Scene

Thanks to his older brother, 5 year-old Nick Felton was inspired by his sibling role model to get into skateboarding growing up in Fallon, Nevada. From the first moment he learned to skate, his feet have not strayed from his board since, and after being introduced to photography he has now transitioned into taking photos for some of Reno’s finest skateboarders. Slowly over time his passion eventually turned into a budding occupation as a documenter of a growing scene.

”My oldest brother was super into skateboarding when I was super little, and me and my middle brother always did what he was doing... type of deal,” Felton said. “I got a board I think when I was five, and I lived down the street from the skate park in Fallon. Before I knew it I was spending every day there after school, every weekend, it’d be like 9 to 5 at the skatepark.”

How he got into photography is its own separate answer. 

”When I started taking photos, it’s actually funny,” Felton said. “I signed up for an auto tech class and I got kicked out of it and the only other class I could take was photography, so I took photography and I ended up just enjoying shooting photos. I always wanted to be artistic and I always felt like that was my medium, you know, it just made sense.”

SInce then Felton has racked up quite the resume with his skateboarding shoots. He has been featured in several local magazines including Thrasher, which is one of the biggest skateboarding magazines that was started in 1981 by Eric Swenson and Fausto Vitello. He has even started his own local magazine, “Seven Ply Mag”. Currently, they don’t have any issues left to share, but you can check out their Instagram, @sevenplymag. 

“It’s a local ‘photozene’,” Felton explained. “It’s been about 30 to 40 photos each issue. We’ve done a couple and we have a few on the way and it’s basically just local skaters and then every issue we’ve featured a local artist that’s some way tied in with the skateboarding scene.”

That artist gets a lot of their work published on several pages of the magazine.

“We’re just trying to keep it all Reno based. The motto is ‘Let Local Roll’. It’s not anything we’re trying to make money off of, it’s just something when we’re older we can look back on it, almost like scrapbooks, but it’s photos in magazines that we did. It’s cool because there’s some younger kids that get really excited about it. It’s more of a fun thing to do than anything so there’s a way for me to have a portfolio and show this is what I can do.”

To make ends meet, Felton currently has a job doing photography for a real estate company, while he manages at Wild Garlic. He is working at Wild Garlic until he makes enough money to work full-time he says as a photographer. 

He sees continued growth in the local skateboarding scene, which could offer more opportunities as well.

”Reno is super cool and the scene is super cool. It’s like up and coming. This year we’ve had like people like Thrasher, that I know, is the first people from Reno that made it. Of our generation, it’s actually a coming up place and it’s like on the map now, is what everyone says, it’s on the map now. When I first moved to Reno, I came from Fallon, I didn’t have any friends and all of my friends that I’ve met are mostly from skateboarding.”

He says the Reno skate community supports each other with all their ventures.

“Everyone’s really motivated right now. A lot of people you’re gonna see come out of Reno doing goods things with skateboarding which is cool. It’s definitely in a good state now, it’s progressed. The owner of Classic Skate Shop, Eric Lantto, he does a lot for Reno skateboarding which is awesome.”

Felton himself has worked for Lantto as a photographer. He also wants to hit the road and branch out, to cast his photography wider and feel freer and discover more of the world.

”I would be in a van with a bunch of professional skateboarders taking photos with them and hopefully only being at home a couple weeks or months a year, always on the road. That’s the dream. I’ve done a couple of things very  small scale with that and I have a couple of friends that are pro and got on a couple of trips to Southern California and Vegas but nothing to the extent of traveling the world. Hopefully one point we’ll get there.”

Reporting by Jaden Urban and Makayla Hardy for Our Town Reno

My Experience Helping for a 1st Time with the Reno Burrito Project

On a recent Sunday, I joined the Reno Burrito Project to contribute service hours to my fraternity Tau Kappa Epsilon. I participated in their weekly effort to provide food and clothes to the unhoused.

With over 20 volunteers, the team quickly rolled and wrapped 540 burritos in under two hours for the community, while preparing fresh fruit, juice, soda, warm clothes, and even socks and underwear to make sure those in need are getting more than just a burrito. The project has been accepting donations of clothes, shoes, blankets, and other objects useful for our neighbors experiencing the harsh oncoming weather of Reno during our colder months.

The founder of the Reno Burrito Project, Blaize Abuntori, opens his home every week to people around the community looking to make a change. He says he has his volunteers that come every week, but that it actually relies on people like myself coming out for the first time. Blaze has been doing this for the community for over a year now and loves to see the support that people have for it. It started off by asking friends to help, now he can trust the community to show up and do their part. 

I didn’t realize how simple and easy it is to help out and make such a huge impact. I was having fun figuring out the best way to roll a burrito, talking with my peers, and just being in such a positive environment. Hearing other reasons for attending really inspired me to want to do more. This time I only could contribute my time, but in the future I would like to bring items that could be donated and snacks that can be given alongside the burritos.

1st Person Essay by UNR Student Evan Ferris

Local Accomplished Musician Muses on a Shifting Reno with Stagnant Pay, Rising Costs

Leaves whirled around the tables and chairs of the plaza at the West Street Market on a blustery fall afternoon. As the nearby restaurants began to prep their evening service, Jammal Tarkington took the time to speak about his experiences as a globetrotting musician, DJ, and music teacher while reflecting on what the music scene in Reno used to look like.

“When we were literally kids and didn’t know nothing, we were smart about a couple things,” Tarkington said as cars passed by on the street. He got his start in music at a young age as a bassoon player. It was not long before he discovered the magic of the saxophone. Through the help of his grandfather, who turned him onto jazz music, he started off on the alto sax in the seventh grade. Soon his teachers urged him to try the much larger baritone sax and this instrument is where he earned his chops as a musician. 

He came to the University of Nevada, Reno on a music scholarship and quickly fell into a band. “Our hotspot was the Wall,” he explained naming the bar just across campus on Virginia Street. “We would book gigs when we knew that there were football games, when we knew there were basketball games, that we knew were going to draw a crowd.” Tarkington attributes this as one of the reasons his career as a musician got off the ground. He remembers nights where the crowd was shoulder to shoulder and by 10 p.m. there was no room for anyone else inside. 

“I rarely see local bands around here that are actually being able to pull numbers like that,” he said.

Pay hasn’t changed much for musicians over the years, but the cost of living has. “Before the pandemic...when I was a freshman in college, $125 was a going rate to get to play a good jazz show,” he explained. “And that’s what it is today.” 

Tarkington remembers paying $600 a month for rent and now is baffled at the $2000 price tag he sees on places to live. This lack of affordable housing has left its mark on the music scene. 

“The support for arts and musicians has gone to the backburner,” he said. However he knows there are efforts in the community to get art back to where it was when he was younger. Programs like the Holland Project, ArtTown, and the Off Beat Music Festival are ways he sees people trying to reestablish support for local musicians and artists. 

“I think if we can find ways to support them to where that can be also an inspiration to them to be able to want to do this art,” explained Tarkington. As a music teacher, he passes on the torch to the younger generation cultivating this creative drive he found in the old jazz recordings his grandfather shared with him when he was a child in Stockton, California. 

“I was a big kid so I think they were like ‘give him the big horn,” explained Tarkington about how he transitioned from the alto saxophone to the baritone saxophone. “Once I actually started playing it, I loved it.” He remembers carrying the massive case several miles to and from school everyday. Tarkington’s grandfather seeded his love of jazz. Specifically, he remembers one album, a Gerry Mulligan live album from the early 1950s. The concert was recorded in his hometown and he asked his grandfather about the record. 

“He was like, ‘I was at that show,’” said Tarkington with a small laugh. “That drew me to having an understanding of where the instrument's progression has come.” Beyond his grandfather, Tarkington gave Gerry Mulligan credit for the musician he is today and his love of collecting albums and LPs. He considers himself almost an archaeologist of music.  Mulligan also known as Jeru, was a New York City jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger who died in 1996 after a long, illustrious, multi faceted career.

“I think musicians can try to be, not to say more original, but just more true to themselves,” explained Tarkington about the difference between the music scene of his youth and today. When he first started playing music professionally in college, he said he had no idea what he was doing as far as a local band. But this lack of experience allowed him and his bandmates to pull together a unique style of music that was their own and true to who they were as individuals. A bit of ska, a tad of punk, and a little jazz. This eclectic arrangement of styles was his first band, The Mudsharks. Despite this quirky approach to finding his style, he does wish he had someone to help set them on track with a distinct style. 

“Finding a voice that is you,” explained Tarkington, “so that you can dig into that is important.” It translates to when a musician goes in front of an audience. He has learned from his successful career, that this allows a musician or artist to create work that is truthful and relatable. Beyond that, he does feel there are not enough venues for musicians. 

“When I look at what’s going on in Reno, I think we can have some music halls,” he said. “Some venues that are specific to cultivating a thing for bands.” He mentioned the spot immediately behind us, the former music venue The Green Room. He used to be a bouncer for them as well as a musician. These kinds of venues that have fallen by the wayside gave roots to up and coming musicians. And they are few and far between in town nowadays. He remembers bands would come through, fifteen years ago, and make a few thousand dollars a night. 

“You can’t do that in Reno anymore,” he said. He thinks there should be many venues that support musicians with a solid sound system and sound person to help cultivate a connection between audience and musician.

While he looks forward to getting back to performing, he equally wants to go out and support local musicians. He is an avid fan of music and enjoys live shows nearly as much as performing. The pandemic has allowed him to focus on recording and getting the old band, Who Cares, back together. This band has had some of the greatest impact on the community in terms of a form of medicine. Tarkington told a story about how an individual used the music of Who Cares to get through some tough issues. This connection is something Tarkington feels is essential for musicians to distill into their music and is something he tries to accomplish with every note. 

“Maybe see ways to be supportive of music and arts in general,” said Tarkington about what the community can do for the local arts. “I like looking for the underdog.” He wants the community to do the same and get out, safely, and support the local music and arts community. 

Reporting by Richard Bednarski for Our Town Reno

Joshua Chang Makes a "Trust Your Power" Colin Kaepernick Mural at UNR

On the third floor of the Joe Crowley Student Union, Colin Kaepernick’s face can now be seen through The Multicultural Center’s glass walls. Soon it will include the quote by the former star Wolf Pack and NFL quarterback turned civil activist and 2017 GQ Citizen of the Year: “Trust Your Power.”

“You get a lot of resistance when speaking about your truth,” Joshua Chang, the UNR alumnus behind the mural project explained, as to how this quote is so impactful. “It’s almost like people want you to second guess what you’ve been struggling through.”

A student painted on an extra fist during The Multicultural Center’s recent community paint day. Photo taken by Joshua Chang with permission to use.

Chang hopes that the mural will be a reminder to others. “Trust what you can do as an individual,” he said.

“We’ve seen in history what one person can do,” Chang said, referencing Kaepernick who in the 2016 NFL preseason sat during the playing of the U.S. national anthem, rather than stand, to protest against police brutality, racial injustice, and oppression. The following week, and throughout the regular season, with millions watching on television, Kaepernick kneeled.

Chang’s work often focuses on inspiring and empowering others. He also feels the need to step up as an artist. In 2017, Chang and other students painted murals over swastikas that had defaced the Church of Fine Arts’ graffiti stairwell.

“That was kind of our call to action,” Chang remembers.

Joshua Chang stands in front of the then unfinished mural. Photo taken by Lynn Lazaro

“A lot of people in my life speak a lot through their actions,” Chang said. For him, if he isn’t following that example, he is being a silent bystander. “This [art] is my best form of activism.”

Throughout Chang’s high school career, he worked on murals with his brother. As a student of the Las Vegas Academy of Arts, Chang and his brother also painted murals for free for churches in San Diego and Reno.

“He’s the one who really got me started,” Chang said, referring to his brother. It was their way of connecting, and it was how his love for art began.

Upon entering UNR however, Chang chose to pursue engineering instead of continuing his education in art.

“I thought I could do it,” Chang said about his change in focus. “But I ended up just really missing [art].” Despite his yearning, Chang continued his education in engineering, and graduated earlier this year.

After graduating, Chang decided it was time to continue pursuing his artistic and activist passion.

Including the Kaepernick mural, Chang was involved in Kappa Phi Lambda’s art exhibition that celebrated Pan-Asian roots. After his work with The Multicultural Center is done, he hopes to work with an organization partnered with Black Wall Street Reno.

“You have to know your past to know where you’re going,” he said reflecting Kaepernick’s example.

Reporting and photos by Lynn Lazaro shared with Our Town Reno

Seniors in Service Pairing up Foster School Grandparents with Kids in Need

As Reno’s prices increase while wages remain low and stagnant, more and more growing pains are becoming apparent. Notably, nearly half of the 104 schools in the Washoe County School District are Title I, or so-called high poverty schools, to whom federal funds are distributed as determined by the number of students who qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Seniors in Service, a non-profit that addresses elderly loneliness, has been growing a program that places senior volunteers in area schools to provide companionship, mentoring, and a foster grandparent. It’s a generational win-win.

“In northern Nevada, we’ve been operating here since the seventies,” said Foster Grandparent Volunteer Coordinator Sheri Brown. She currently manages about 80 volunteers. The program gives an opportunity to senior citizens who are still interested in giving back to their community. “We have them paired up with children who can really use the extra help,” said Brown.

A lot of the volunteers visit elementary schools that are located in lower-income neighborhoods. Brown said she currently focuses most of her volunteers in Washoe County, with a handful in Lyon County, but ultimately, she wants this program to span the entire state. 

Volunteers spend anywhere between five and 40 hours a week engaging and mentoring students. “The mentoring aspect is a whole other thing,” Brown explained. This is where the foster grandparents get to listen, provide hugs and emotional support. “Be a positive role model for the kids,” explained Brown. 

While there are more female volunteers than men, Brown feels that her grandpas who do volunteer are very special and have a knack for relating to the younger male students. “I would love to have more volunteers, we can take as many as we can get,” she said. As the volunteer coordinator, Brown tries to pair the volunteers up with a location and students that best match their personality and location. She does not want to have them driving long distances and often works with the volunteers who prefer one school over another.

The program has evolved over the years. Volunteers used to primarily go into hospitals and mentor children through the process of being hospitalized. “We’ve gotten a lot of volunteers over the years but where we are now is not where I would like to be,” said Brown. The pandemic has taken a toll on volunteers. Brown said the program lost about ten volunteers since the pandemic began.  

Linda Peterson has been a volunteer as a foster grandparent for over ten years. She found the program through her church. Before the pandemic, Peterson would spend time with about 20 students and was eager to get back into the classroom again. 

“Try and get through the door without being hugged by all the students,” Peterson said is usually how her day begins at each school. She helps the teachers get ready to teach, the students prepare for the day, and she provides that one-on-one connection that is often lost in schools. 

Peterson said the most rewarding aspect of volunteering is the way the kids get into her heart and thoughts. She has nurtured and cultivated many long time friendships. “It makes my life worthwhile,” she said. 

Peterson encourages people to give it a try, to spend a day with a school foster grandparent. To see what it is like and the impact that can be made. “They’re little sponges and they just love you to pieces regardless of what’s going on,” she said. Her favorite activity is reading to them, followed by helping students navigate their math work. 

“I wish people would just take a chance and just brighten their life,” Peterson said. “This pandemic has taken away from my quality because I was not around the little people to help them to learn.”

Brown has learned the impact of the program also goes beyond the students and the foster grandparents themselves. “I just kept hearing so many stories of the volunteers telling me that their teacher would get into a slump and have a hard time,” she explained. “I realized how much the volunteers were cheerleaders for the teachers as well.” 

Reporting by Richard Bednarski for Our Town Reno

Ryeanna Iverly, on a Journey to Help Others Around the World

A Smile to Combat Many Pains

Coming out as a transgender was not easy for Ryeanna. Her first wife had died, she says, and her second wife did not accept her for who she is or rather came out to be. She accepted the rejection as she says it was not necessarily failure on her part. It was her creator, a higher power, who she feels helped her believe in herself and got her to survive times of failure and feelings of dejection. “It is difficult to separate rejection from the feeling of being elated to be myself”, she says.

Initially, she often felt like a movie star when she stepped out on local streets and often became conscious of people around her. Eventually, she got used to the stares. 

Ryeanna previously served in the Navy and earned an M.B.A degree before coming out as a woman. Currently she receives $144 in veteran’s disability assistance and gets food stamps as well. Her rent is paid for by HUD-VASH, a collaborative program between HUD and the Veteran’s Affairs departments, combining housing vouchers with supportive services to help veterans who have been homeless.

She also lives off the generosity of other people who help her fill her gas tank, or donate to her occasional GoFundMe fundraising efforts. She says she has also resorted to selling drugs or her body to be able to survive financially.

Ryeanna at a recent protest. Photo by Catherine Schofield.

Facing a Deluge of Threats

These aren’t her only challenges. Ryeanna says she receives death threats at laundromats from random men, gets thrown out of businesses due to her appearance, pulled out of bathrooms, and beaten up or even spat on at times. These difficult experiences have not deterred her spirit though. She says her faith has made her resilient and of the belief that the next person she meets will be more accepting of her. 

As a woman, she wants to be able to enjoy motherhood someday, she adds. She not only wants to bring up a child but wants to go through the natural process of childbirth. She is aware of her bodily limitations due to her anatomy but feels that that pain and possibility is the part of the gift of being a woman, something that she would love to experience in the future. 

Ryeanna has also been challenged with homelessness, including living out of a truck. She says she was homeless even before coming out. But even when parked in a quiet spot she says she was often threatened or woken up by police, told to move along. She’s dealt with depression and PTSD which has often made her suicidal. She remembers a particular tree by the Truckee River where she chose to hang herself but from which she was then saved by one of her acquaintances. She has often also turned to drugs to escape her battles.

Finding No Haven at the Shelter but with a Worldwide Dream

Going to the shelter has been a problem as well. Her genitalia, she explains, does not align with a woman and therefore she got singled out. She was not allowed to shower at the same time as others, she says. The shelters impose norms on people and somewhat restrict her and that is what creates “more resistance” she added. She says people who have a home are less scrutinized. 

She calls Reno an ‘art town’ and says that the houseless community has a lot of people who are very artistic. She herself wants to start a forum where she would be able to auction art for charity to be able to give back to people who are suffering or in need.

Her house is a small colorful spot filled with unicorns and rainbows, lights, and decorations. She sees unicorns as a symbol of goodness and hope. She even has a bowl named ‘unicorn food’ which she believes fills up magically for her unicorns while she is away. 

She donned a low back black dress and very high black heels as she allowed me into her space and showed me several flags she takes with her to the protest marches she goes to, where she has become a local fixture.

She is Ryeanna Jasiah Iverly: a transgender activist, with a dream to own a ship run by LGBTQIA+ crew that could be used to rescue LGBTQIA+ refugees from around the world and use money from the ship’s customers to help the less fortunate. A dream she believes is distant but could be true.

Reporting and Photos by Kingkini Sengupta for Our Town Reno

“Plants are resilient, and so are we”: Growth and Harvesting at the Hampton House Garden

Homemade Flower Power

After nearly nine months since its start, the Hampton House Garden has bloomed into a scene far beyond Our Town Reno’s last look at it. An introduction from April showed bare soil, empty plots, and the very beginning of seedlings being planted. Now, half a year later, Lily Baran’s backyard is a meeting place for the neighborhood to join in on the garden.

“It's so cool cause it's like a form of rest and a form of protest, that serves the community and myself in like a healthier way, you know.” Baran says. “You can’t always be fighting so ... it helps me like regulate what’s happening in my life cause a lot of the times with Stop the Sweeps or with like, I mean any protesting stuff, you get very like lost in what you’re doing …  it's just been a very nice way to like to ground myself.”

Coming home to her garden is part of what calms her down after hectic days. On the day of this interview, Baran had teamed up with her neighbors to help retrieve her neighbor’s car, which had been stolen. Despite her responsibilities and duties, and new job with the ACLUNV as a program associate, she still shows up for the people who need her help.

“It's a reflection of like how my well-being is also. Like if the garden’s looking good, I'm probably feeling good. If it's not, I’m probably not doing good. Like if you came here and the garden was dead, maybe I would probably be dead also.”

Bees, gifted to the Garden by Lily’s friend Jamie, help pollinate the plants. Photo by Rachel Jackson

Birds & Bees, Literally

Hampton House has become home to more than just plants since April. A hive of bees and two ducks later, the garden is literally buzzing. The ducks, gifted by friends who were moving, live towards the back of the garden, where the female lays an egg nearly every day.

The ducks live behind a gate that separates them from Champagne, Baran’s dog.

Baran invited the neighborhood children over to eat the first ripe watermelon of the season, one that the kids planted themselves. Photo by Rachel Jackson

Last Bites of Summer

Baran has invited her neighborhood into her own backyard through a partnership with the organization Black Wall Street. Of the three children who came over to try the fresh watermelon, they rated it as follows: 10/10, 10/10, and 44/10. Other parts of the watermelon went next door and across the street. She sent the kids (and myself) home with a bag full of fresh vegetables. 

Other than her own neighbors, Baran donates much of the food she produces to local food pantries, like the Biggest Little Free Pantry, near E 6th Street and Valley Road. Previously, Baran has used zucchini from the garden to bake 60 zucchini muffins to put in the pantry. 

The Biggest Little Free Pantry says, “FREE FOOD! TAKE WHAT YOU NEED, LEAVE WHAT YOU CAN!” Photo by Rachel Jackson

From Garden to Table

Though she has plans for the future, including getting more people involved with Hampton House and their own gardens, Baran has taken a liking to the fruits of her own labor. 

“It’s all positive, like nothing negative comes out of this, you know? What I mean and what the greatest part is that we are able to do things, like, that are separated from capitalism, which is so hard to do, right.” Baran said. “Like this morning, we were able to eat an omelet and like squash and tomatoes and all this stuff and this great breakfast and like never, a transaction never took place ... We don’t have to rely on the systems that were built for us, because they don’t work. And so it’s nice to have even the smallest bit of, um, rest bit from capitalism. Even if it’s just a duck egg and a tomato.”

Baran’s porch displays signs supporting campaigns for “Bee Friendly Reno” by Reno Food Systems and “Execute Justice, Not People!” by Death Penalty Action. Photo by Rachel Jackson

For the Future

Despite the time and effort put into the garden, Baran still hasn’t stopped the fight outside of her backyard. Over the summer, she spoke at the Stop the Sweeps protest, and gave her thoughts for the Our Town Reno podcast. The garden itself is partnered with Black Wall Street as well.  Updates can be found on Facebook or Instagram through @findartinlife or @hamptonhouseharden. Volunteer days for the garden are on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Reporting for Our Town Reno by Rachel Jackson

Ruby Jo, a "Nuwave Mayan," Showcasing Her Vulnerabilities and Strengths to Lift the Community

Ruby Barrientos, who goes by Ruby Jo, is a thirty-four year old artist, born and raised in Reno, Nevada, with parents from El Salvador with Mayan roots, considers her art work as “new age Mayan” or “Nuwave Mayan.”

“I channel my ancestors, as I'm a continuation of them,” Ruby told Our Town Reno in a recent interview. “My artwork is keeping their memory in the present so that they're not forgotten. I am the new generation, I am the new wave.”

With her art she wants to both share vulnerable parts of herself and keep her ancestry alive. Ruby says she always knew that she was interested in becoming an artist. In 2017, she displayed her artwork in her first solo art show and is now serving as the official Reno City Artist until June 2022.

Her artwork is now on display at the Metro Gallery in City Hall until Thanksgiving, and she is also curating an exhibition featuring work by visual storyteller Iyana Esters, and engaging with residents via public talks about her art.

Ruby works with a variety of different mediums to create her art such as acrylic paints, pens, and spray paints. She mostly sells original pieces of art on canvases but wants to work to expand her artwork collection into more accessible and various mediums like clothing and other commodities. 

Ruby says some of her biggest influences are the late pop artists Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, who was foundational in the neo-expressionism movement. Other artists she admires are Frida Kahlo, Picasso, and Salvadoran artist Fernando Llort.

Ruby is also part of the Reno Fine Arts Collective which works to promote and celebrate unique local artists. She’s also a member of Animarte Reno which is a primarily BIPOC artivist collective committed to accessible humanities-based programming for low-income communities and at-risk youth. Animarte Reno does art workshops for free for teens aged twelve to eighteen. They do both online and in person classes and hope to turn the organization into a non profit.

Her advice to young up and coming artists is to follow your passion and go for it. Try your best and don’t let others discourage you, just make your art.

“My advice, don't worry so much about what others are going to say about your work,” Ruby told Our Town Reno. “Do your best to focus on your artistic expression. It's the best way to evolve and learn about yourself and what you're wanting to convey. Hustle your way in. If one door says no, keep finding other doors for opportunities that say yes to sharing your work. And lastly, get involved with your community, not just the art community.”

Ruby thinks Reno’s art scene does lack some diversity which she hopes to change by showcasing her own artwork as well as supporting other artists of color. She wants the Reno art scene to be more diverse with inclusions for everyone. She also wants art to be more accessible to consumers and hopes Reno locals will pay more attention to Reno’s art scene. 

“The Reno Art community has been incredibly supportive. I think as a person of color the art scene felt a bit intimidating because there's not too many artists of color. I realized that there was a need for someone like me to have their work shown and to be engaged in the arts community, spaces, and venues. The community has been very supportive of me sharing my work and I believe it has made an impact on the community to have discussions about inclusion and diversity among the arts community,” she said.

Our Town Reno reporting by Carley Olson

Helping Seniors Combat Loneliness with Technology

Loneliness During and Beyond the Pandemic

Loneliness is a real concern for the elderly community in more normal times. When the pandemic began, life shifted to a virtual realm. But many seniors were behind the curve without the knowledge or technology to log-in and connect through an electronic device. More recently, this cabin fever and isolation have been exacerbated with the combined whammy of the Delta variant and endlessly smoky skies.

Seniors In Service, a local non-profit, has been using a grant to provide tablets to elderly people in need in our community, free of charge. Program Coordinator Hannah Sweeney recently graduated with a Master’s in social work from the University of Nevada, Reno, and has been running the program for about a year now.
“I think the world shifted so quickly to this virtual space,” explained Sweeney “and I think some folks don’t have that knowledge yet on how to attend doctor’s appointments virtually.”

She has heard stories about deep isolation throughout the elderly community, of people feeling disconnected from communities, and losing access to senior centers and community space. She believes this has drastic impacts on mental and physical health. 

”I just think that COVID-19 really exemplified that and put this heightened awareness about the isolated seniors,” explained Sweeney. She sees the benefits of the program expanding beyond the timeframe of the pandemic.   With proper access, and when they get better at navigating social media, many isolated seniors can create new connections and get help from mutual aid groups and others.

“We are distributing tablets to isolated seniors,” explained Sweeney. This program is focused on providing tablets to people who live alone and were forced to isolate themselves during the height of the pandemic. Since the program’s inception, Sweeney says they have passed out 815 tablets to seniors in the community.

“Saved” by a Tablet

Any Nevada resident over the age of 60 is eligible to apply for a tablet. The purpose of the tablets allow the elderly access to socialization in a virtual setting. In addition, people can access medical appointments via tele-health, shopping, and even setting up food deliveries. “Just really increasing the quality of life through the pandemic,” said Sweeney. 

The tablets offer a wide variety of connectivity to social, shopping, medical, and entertainment applications, all of which help fight off loneliness and the dread of isolation. 

“I had one woman and she mentioned that without the tablet she wouldn’t have been able to order food throughout the whole pandemic,” said Sweeney. It was her main source of nutrition for her body due to isolation. Sweeney remarked that the woman said the the tablet saved her.

However, as COVID cases and hospitalizations are both on the rise, Sweeney is worried about the program waning and losing funding. The initial funding came from the CARES Act passed last year, which flooded the economy with relief money. “Fingers crossed that there is a future,” said Sweeney. The organization applied for another grant to keep the program running. However, she does not know whether or not they have received it but remains hopeful as she has seen first hand the value the tablets bring to the community. 

Training and Empowerment Offered

Through the program, Sweeney also offers training on how to use the devices in various ways. The organization provides access to online resources as well as a guidebook to the tablet themselves. These hands-on instructions help overcome the frustration that technology is so apt at causing. “I also help train and I really like that aspect of the program,” said Sweeney

Additionally, the program was able to offer wireless internet stipends to those who needed it the most. Eligible seniors received a total of $120 deposited into their wireless account.

Moving forward, the program may be on the chopping block if it does not receive more funding, but lessons are being learned for future initiatives.

“I just think that it’s a very important program and that giving seniors and elders in our community that connection that they so desperately need is essential and empowering,” said Sweeney “and empowering our community as a whole.”

Our Town Reno reporting by Richard Bednarski

Reno's Now Monthly Communal Bike Night Brings Out the Best of Biggest Little City

The event is basically what you would expect. There are bikes, and it does take place in Reno, however, it is much more than just a bunch of people riding their bikes around town.

There is a lot of bicycle riding, but it is accompanied by any form of personal transportation you could imagine; one-wheels, electric/motorized scooters, unicycles, tandem bikes, double decker burning man bikes, and even a guy riding a Tommy Bahama beach chair strapped onto a one-wheel. The ride always starts in The Believe Plaza downtown and has a designated route, planned out by the three who organize the whole thing, and includes a stop where an event takes place. These events held at the assigned stopping point include bicycle jousting, dodgeball, or on a recent ride’s instance, a gigantic slip ‘n slide with bumping music.

The ride is much more than just biking around in a group, but organizers says sometimes there is too much fun going on.

 With the amount of fun that everyone has, it's clear to see why Reno Bike Night has gained such a large following, but many were left wondering why earlier this summer it went from a weekly event to a monthly one.

After attending the last ride, I was sure that the reason had to be run-ins with the police or with the city, but Hoops told me otherwise. “Eventually the novelty of it started to wear off and it just started to feel like work a little bit more,” he said. This combined with certain safety issues was enough for the three of them to consider spacing out the rides. Hoops added that there are a lot of attendees that are safety conscious, but the ones who weren’t were distressing.

“There’s close to 100 people with varying skill levels, so some people are really familiar with etiquette and for some people it was just exciting and fun, but they were riding on the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic,” Hoops said.

Due to these issues, they decided to regroup and make Reno Bike Night one monthly ride, occurring the last Wednesday of each month, instead of weekly rides. The idea was that this would give the three organizers more time to plan better routes and arrange better events that would take place at the stopping point. The longer amount of time between rides would hopefully also allow riders to make their personal transportation safer, as they advised all attendees to come prepared with things like bike lights.

It was clear at a recent bike night (the first one since the long break), that the event was deeply missed by riders. The Believe Plaza was packed with around 250 people, all accompanied by their personal set of wheels, bike lights and water guns (as requested by the event’s Instagram page). People were milling about and visiting with one another, with others zipping around on electric scooters and one wheels, doing wheelies on their bikes through the plaza, or attacking each other with squirt guns and water balloons. After the traditional round of laps around the inside of the plaza, the crowd set off on the designated route, with bystanders cheering and taking videos throughout the entire route in Midtown.

The long break did exactly what Hoops and his friends imagined: reinvigorated the riders and the event itself, encouraged people to come more prepared safety-wise, and left more time to plan out a fun route with a ridiculously fun event. There was virtually no one riding without lights and everyone was actively trying to stay in one pack for safety, all while having a great time together. 

It’s clear by the sheer number of attendees and the excitement wrapped up within, Reno Bike Night is here to stay, with the move from weekly to monthly having nothing but a positive effect. “What's cool is when we were doing it weekly last year, the only reason we cancelled rides was because of the smoke from the wildfires,” Hoops said. “We rode all through December, and there was this night where there was like six inches of snow and we had a huge snowball fight. So, it's gonna happen every single month, and it's gonna be something special.”

Reporting and Photos by Jayme Souza for Our Town Reno

Not Burning Man, But a Rogue Version Gets Ready for a Second Year Running

For the second year in a row, Burning Man will not be taking place in the Black Rock Desert, or at all – in any physical form at least. The official Burning Man organization will be offering a virtual version of the event, from August second to September 7th, much like last year where people will pay for a ticket online that allows them to digitally attend six separate “metaverses” from the comfort of their home.

With coronavirus still raging, not to mention persistent smoke in the area, this seems like a nice and safe option for a lot of burners, but for others not so much. This was the case last year as well with many burners, especially local, not buying into a virtual Burning Man, but instead celebrating in the Black Rock Desert all week long before Labor Day, just as they would have if the event took place, but without paying a penny to the Org. 

Before the Burning Man Org was created and they started putting up gates, fences and other infrastructure as well as requiring ticket purchase to enter, the weeklong event was very different from the organized one that younger burners are familiar with. This type of rogue party where just about anything and everything goes, is a reminder to the old burners of what Burning Man used to be. The event started in June 1986, on Baker Beach in San Francisco as a small function organized by Larry Harvey and Jerry James, but over the years became bigger and bigger, with a more corporate, money-driven feel.

Being fortunate enough to become part of one of the oldest official camps, I was able to hear about the epic party that Burning Man used to be. It still is a pretty epic party, but back in the day there were guns, fireworks and absolutely no rules or organization – and this is what last year’s rogue burn felt like. There were private jets strewn about the playa, with tents popped up underneath them, art cars crawling across the expanse of the Black Rock and everyone doing all the same stuff they would be doing at the real burn, but for free and with even more of an emphasis on radical self-reliance.

Everything about the rogue burn has piqued the interest of a lot of people, especially those who have always wanted to experience Burning Man but could never afford it or lost the ticket lottery every year. Even seasoned burners who were glad to have a year off last year are getting stir crazy and are making a point to go out to the rogue burn. All of this is setting up this year’s “Not Burning Man” to be a gigantic, lawless party in the desert. Could it set a new precedent?

The Washoe County’s Sheriff’s Office has warned of even more gnarly conditions than usual with prevalent smoke right now, lack of infrastructure such as bathrooms, little cell phone reception and the nearest trauma hospital more than three hours away.

Reporting and Photos by Jayme Souza for Our Town Reno

The Curious Case of Wysper and its Reverend Deewt

A performative non-religious religion has popped up in the Reno area with regular services that leave some people with more questions than answers. There’s also plenty of social media by conceptual artist Eric Brooks, sporting an impressive white beard of wisdom he’s been working on for months, to deepen the mystery.

The teachings of Wysper were uncovered by Brooks alter ego Reverend Jacob Earnest Deewt while investigating the long lost eponymous ancestral town of Deewt, and he is now exploring his spiritual leadership and sharing his vision for the future.

Deewt is a former Jehovah’s Witness from Idaho who was eventually excommunicated from the religion and his family. After being rejected, the Reverend set about on a mission to find himself and figure out a life outside of being a Witness. His journey eventually led him to find a passion in the arts, and a yearning to become a voice for the less fortunate and the overlooked. The Reverend is now using Wysper to further these passions through religious “episodes” and themed art shows.

“Wysper is a religion/philosophy…a church for the churchless,” Reverend Deewt explained to Our Town Reno recently. “There’s going to be a year with monthly sermons and events, which started in June with a town hall session at The Virgil.” Reverend Deewt said that The Virgil will be the home of Wysper, with sermons being held regularly there throughout the rest of the calendar year. He explained that these sermons include music, guest speakers and some sort of meaningful performance.

Would you like to burn down with this new religious irreligious leader?

Along with holding sermons usually biweekly instead of weekly, Wysper differs from normal religions in a number of ways. The primary teaching involves finding something laughable about every day, while shedding light on current social justice issues, rather than reflecting on ancient teachings. The Reverend gives abundance to his followers regularly and reinforces his sermons with positive messaging. In addition to the already lighthearted nature of the teachings, while still taking on serious topics, most sermons are accompanied with an offering of sustenance to partake in, like toast and otter pops to mimic the body and blood of Christ that other religions emulate in communion.

According to the Reverend, the church currently already has over 50 loyal followers in its congregation, but he is hoping to amass many more in the coming months. The Reverend encourages even those who are not members of the church to attend whatever event is being held, as he says any and all are always welcome.

Last month’s event took place on Sunday July 25th on the Truckee River in downtown Reno. The event was a spiritual cleansing and marriage to the Truckee River, where devoted followers and non-members alike were baptized by The Reverend. Before each baptism, The Reverend made each person vow to let go of the doubts in their lives and told them they would be married to the river, promising to cherish and care for her forevermore. Reverend Deewt’s wife, his mistresses and even a random passerby were among those who were led out into the river and submerged in the cleansing.  

Reverend Deewt is aiming to use his standing to bring light to certain social issues that plague our community through his sermons and performances, saying, “We’re going to tackle some pretty big social justice issues like child abuse, domestic violence, and the houseless situation.” He and his followers hope to eventually bring these issues to a larger audience like Reno City Council, in an attempt to make a difference in the community.

Our Town Reno Reporting and Photos by Jayme Souza

Flowering in Reno, a Photo Series

Reno is not only a city filled with gems like wonderful works of art that are publicly displayed around the city, or small locally owned businesses that sell the most creative objects and food. There’s something else hidden around Reno and that is a wide variety of plantlife. From gorgeous flowers to interesting leaves, If you look closely enough you can find a variety of plants and flowers that can be found around the city. From back alleys to parks, the plants that can be found around town can add a little sunlight to your day if you let them. Don’t forget to stop and admire some of the smaller joys of Reno.

Photos and 1st Person Essay by Carley Olson for Our Town Reno

Urban Roots, Growing Strong In its Second Decade Despite Many Challenges

Urban Roots, located right next door to Renown on the corner of Kietzke Lane and 2nd Street is a nonprofit that focuses on garden based education for our community here in Reno. Jenny Anguis, the Director of Development and Communications for Urban Roots, says a multitude of partnerships with local businesses, nonprofits, scholarship and grants programs, has made it a thriving program, despite the challenges of the pandemic and other setbacks.

Renown initially donated the current land, after a move from property closer to the Truckee River, because as Anguis put it, “they believe that food truly is medicine,” a motto that continues to drive the endeavor. Materials from the pergolas to the planter boxes and irrigation system have been donated by local businesses such as NV Energy, Dayton Valley Turf and Western Nevada Supply.

Kids camps it holds stress the importance of growing food and nurturing an understanding of where food comes from, while also focusing on teaching the significance of making more nutritious food that serves your body better than processed foods. 

Currently most of the educational camps and other educational opportunities onsite are specifically for school-aged children, with the farm offering daylong and weeklong camps with skilled and enthusiastic instructors.

Staff members and multiple volunteers show the kids every step of the gardening process, from planting seeds to harvesting vegetables. These camps do require payment to attend, seeing as they are one of the main revenue generating resources for the nonprofit, at least for the families who can afford it.

For those who cannot afford the camps, Anguis explained that’s where the many fundraising efforts put on by Urban Roots come in. Combined with other partnerships and donations, the fundraising allows for partial, half and full scholarships to those who qualify. “We never want to turn away somebody that can’t pay,” Anguis said.

Reaching for a Wider Range Despite Setbacks

The Development Director also wants to expand its learning opportunities to more age groups, also encompassing more of a “farm-to-table” educational structure.

“There’s this missing component, so they’re seeing where their food comes from and they’re tasting it and saying, ‘this is delicious, but what if we cooked this?’

Angius said that the vision for the farm is to continue doing what they have always done, and additionally give the campers and their families the option to round out the curriculum by offering some sort of cooking class to prepare the foods grown and harvested onsite. “We have been fundraising for a few years now to bring a teaching kitchen to the farm because that’s the missing piece. What if we had this space where families could come here, harvest some food and talk about why it's good for our bodies, and then make this meal together.”

Initial plans for a teaching kitchen were slowed down after the TerraOne organization run by Masih Madani, previously praised in local media and by local officials, didn’t follow through with a new shipping container setup, despite a six figure down payment. Madani has been embroiled with other local non profits. Urban Roots executive director Fayth Ross said in a video interview posted in June, “he stole our money.” We sent a message to Madani but didn’t immediately hear back. He has defended his innocence in other media accounts. Previously, local media and influential groups had highlighted him as an innovator with building solutions in affordability.

Still this setback hasn’t stopped other partnerships. The nonprofit has recently partnered with Hope Springs, the new transitional tiny homes compound to help people there. “We have a garden out there that we’ve helped them with and our educators are going out there and teaching the residents how to grow their own food, which is a life skill and then you don’t have to worry about purchasing it from a store,” Anguis said.

Rebounding from the Pandemic

Like all of us, Urban Roots was tested in other ways during the coronavirus pandemic. When places started to shutter last March, Urban Roots was quick to close their doors, first and foremost for the safety of their staff, volunteers, campers and their families. Anguis saw it as an opportunity to try new things to reach the people who were no longer able to get a hands-on education from the farm, including remote instruction.

“We were still here using this space to build these seasonal gardening kits, and we were doing virtual programming,” Angius said. “We were offering lots of virtual options for mom and dad to compliment the teaching they were doing at home, because a lot of parents were trying to juggle both being a working parent and a teaching parent.”

As of late, the farm has been trying to adhere to the loosening and still evolving coronavirus related restrictions, while keeping their visitors and staff safe as well as provide for the influx of children and families yearning for camps after a year of virtual learning, while also still striving and working toward the delayed teaching kitchen area.

Our Town Reno reporting and photos by Jayme Souza