My first guest of Season Two is Aubrey Barnes, also known as Mister Aubs.

I wish I could nominate him for Rock Island’s Poet Laureate.

Aubrey is a nationally recognized poet, writer, and educator from Rock Island, and the founder of Young Lions Roar — a youth-centered arts and empowerment collective that uses poetry, performance, and creative writing as tools for liberation, healing, and social change.

Aubrey is also a co-creator of THE HALF, a powerful stage production developed with Curtis Lewis through Journey Live Productions. The play examines life on 14½ Street in Rock Island, exploring memory, place, identity, and what it means to grow up — and stay — in a neighborhood that holds both pain and pride.

I invited Aubrey on after reading his poem Rock Island Sounds Like. The opening lines reference the sound of the descendant trains — the very sound this podcast is named for — and I knew immediately I wanted to sit down with him.

In this conversation, we talk about poetry and creativity, education, mental health, politics, policing in America, and what it means to remain human inside complicated systems. It’s expansive, honest, and grounding — exactly the tone I want this season to hold.

You can learn more about Aubrey and his work at misteraubs.com, and I hope you’ll take the time to check it out.

Rock Island Line is produced by me, Annika O’Melia. Theme music is Different Times by Jett Everill.

You can find past episodes, writing, and more about the project at www.rockislandline.com

Thanks for listening — and I’ll see you down the line.