The Scoop on “Ice Cream Social,” the Student-Run Podcast on WLUW

Imani Warren isn’t afraid to say what she thinks.

Her WLUW-run podcast, “Ice Cream Social,” is a whirlpool of phrases. Warren ushers listeners in with a music, one thing lyric-heavy, similar to rap or hip-hop. She follows up the music with a brief poem and will get proper to the meat of every episode — the dialog.

“I’m a really vocal individual, I all the time say what’s on my thoughts, I’ve many phrases to select from,” Warren, a 19-year-old first-year environmental research main, stated. “For me to do what I do at Loyola is for me to exist.”

She’s no stranger to public talking. Warren was on her highschool’s yearbook crew, participated in musicals, led her grade as class president and gave sermons at church.

The inception of “Ice Cream Social” is rooted in a childhood reminiscence of Warren’s: her math class had multiplication events and each right reply meant an addition to her construction-paper ice cream sundae.

One visitor, first-year legal justice main Nakearia Cunningham, stated she appreciates Warren’s signature heat, particularly as somebody who’s “shy.”

“I’ve by no means been on something like that earlier than, however with Imani, she’s very comforting and laidback,” Cunningham, 19, stated. “She’s simple to speak to and speak with.”

Her speak present started with WLUW, the Loyola student-run radio station, when she proposed the thought of a podcast highlighting marginalized teams of individuals. After getting the gig, Warren aimed to create — in her opinion — the right podcast format.

“It’s onerous for me to see myself as an artist,” Warren stated. “All I’m doing is speaking.”

Warren talks about a variety of subjects: navigating friendships, microaggressions on campus, pet love and poisonous masculinity have all taken middle stage throughout on-air conversations. And regardless of the present airing on the Loyola radio station, “Ice Cream Social” doesn’t draw back from criticizing the college.

She stated the one factor she will’t do along with her podcast is swear on-air, however she nonetheless uploads episodes with specific content material to Spotify. One episode uploaded solely to Spotify, titled “The Loyola Challenge is Racist,” mentioned the eponymous documentary concerning the built-in 1963 Loyola Ramblers crew.

“In fact, [Loyola] is racist, however in my expertise, racism will exist wherever I am going,” Warren stated. “I wouldn’t say being at Loyola as a girl of shade is tougher than, actually, wherever else. I’m nonetheless going to battle towards the injustices, since you ought to critique the locations that you simply love, nonetheless… that is all I’ve ever skilled.”

Race — particularly Blackness — is crucial to “Ice Cream Social.” Warren stated she brings her personal experiences as a Black girl to the desk, shining in her music decisions and poetry influences. She stated she chooses from tons of of poems she’s written when crafting every episode.

Warren cites Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston as her main inspirations, particularly the rhyme schemes, patterns and subject material every author dealt with. She grew up in St. Louis and stated she was in a desegregation program all through center college.

This system, the Voluntary Interdistrict Alternative Company, enrolls college students in predominantly Black districts in predominantly white colleges. Warren stated her mom participated in the identical program within the Nineteen Nineties.

“Persons are like, ‘Is that also a factor? ‘And I’m like, ‘Sure, very a lot.’ It’s not over,” Warren stated.

She facilities conversations about race, gender, and psychological well being on-air. The February twentieth episode, “Catholicism Makes Me Clear,” targeted on Spanish conquistadors, machismo, and the way these ideas affect Catholic girls in the present day.

Warren stated she has quite a bit in retailer for the way forward for “Ice Cream Social.” She stated she desires the podcast to develop into a full-time dedication. One upcoming episode will embody conversations with an ex-partner. One other will revolve round Warren’s sister and their mom, the latter of whom she hasn’t spoken with for years.

Warren is open about her personal psychological well being struggles, and stated she was recognized with borderline character dysfunction. She stated the dysfunction difficult her relationship along with her mom.

“I’ve little or no management over my feelings,” she stated. “I need the podcast to point out the wide selection of feelings I expertise. I’m all the time attempting to be higher.”

She stated she’s writing a e book of poetry, with every part specializing in a unique symptom of borderline character dysfunction. For instance, one poem revolves across the concern of abandonment.

Visitor Jada David stated she hopes the podcast serves as a spot to speak with and study from others, particularly about social points similar to microaggressions.

“The atmosphere undoubtedly felt much less like a podcast and extra like a recorded dialog between associates about ongoing subjects in our lives,” David, a 19-year-old first-year nursing main, stated. “We’re in lively dialogue with our friends once we converse on the present.”

The podcast airs each Sunday at 6 p.m. on WLUW, 88.7 FM, and streams on Spotify.

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