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Finding joy and purpose in turbulent times

Disrupted 5 Year Anniversary at Gateway College in New Haven Connecticut on January 29, 2026. This milestone event explored what it meant to find joy and purpose in turbulent times and how storytelling, connection, and community can help us get there. On the guest panel was Erik Clemons, CEO of Connecticut Center for Arts and Technology and Ryan Parker, Educator, activist, hip hop artist, poet and author who works to reimagine what school looks, sounds and feels like through a justice lens.
Ayannah Brown
/
Connecticut Public
Disrupted 5 Year Anniversary at Gateway College in New Haven Connecticut on January 29, 2026. This milestone event explored what it meant to find joy and purpose in turbulent times and how storytelling, connection, and community can help us get there. On the guest panel was Erik Clemons, CEO of Connecticut Center for Arts and Technology and Ryan Parker, Educator, activist, hip hop artist, poet and author who works to reimagine what school looks, sounds and feels like through a justice lens.

Disrupted recently reached a milestone— five years on the air. We celebrated with a live event that included a panel discussion on “Finding Joy and Purpose in Turbulent Times.” Panelists Erik Clemons and Ryan Parker opened up about the duality between joy and turbulence in their lives, and Ryan gave us a stirring performance of his poetry.

GUESTS:

  • Erik Clemons: CEO and President of ConnCORP (Connecticut Community Outreach Revitalization Program) and ConnCAT (Connecticut Center for Arts and Technology). ConnCAT offers job training and youth programs, while ConnCORP is dedicated to economic development in New Haven
  • Ryan Parker: educator, poet and activist. He’s a certified mama’s boy and chocolate chip cookie lover. He works as an educational consultant and has spent more than two decades teaching. He was Poet Laureate of Manchester from 2019 to 2023. He helped create Project Happyvism, which includes a song and a children's book. His upcoming projects include a healing retreat in the Azores and an educational children's program with episodes set to release at the end of February.

Disrupted is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Kevin Chang Barnum is a producer for Connecticut Public Radio’s weekly show Disrupted. Kevin grew up in Connecticut and started his radio work at his graduate university’s radio station, KUCI. He has also worked for HRN, a network of food and beverage podcasts.
Dr. Khalilah L. Brown-Dean is an award-winning scholar at Wesleyan University, author, and host of 'Disrupted' on Connecticut Public.
Erica McIntosh is Senior Regional Editor for Southern Connecticut. Erica was born and raised in Connecticut.
Robyn Doyon-Aitken is the Deputy Director of Audio Storytelling and Talk Shows
Meg Fitzgerald is the senior manager of projects and radio programming.

Funding provided by:
The Connecticut Office of Film, Television and Digital Media

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