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Writer Jane Mushabac has been following the enticing call of the Judeo-Spanish language known as Ladino throughout her life.

The Sephardic Jews developed the language after they were expelled from Spain in 1492. As they traveled and formed communities around the globe, their Spanish language became enriched with influences from French, Italian, Arabic, Hebrew and Turkish.

Mushabac's family came from Turkey and settled in New York. As with many immigrants, the adults wanted the children to be "American" and speak English, but the elders sometimes spoke in a language they didn't want the children to understand.

Jane Mushabac grew up hearing Ladino in "outbursts" and songs. As the years went by, her interest in the Judeo-Spanish language deepened and she learned to speak, read and write in Ladino.

Jane created New York Ladino Day in 2018, hosted by the American Sephardi Foundation. Since 2020, she has been co-curator of the event with Bryan Kirschen, an associate professor of Spanish and linguistics at Binghamton University.

This episode of "The Age of Being Real" features audio recordings from the 8th annual New York Ladino Day in February 2025, where Jane's radio play "Mazal Bueno: A Portrait in Song of the Spanish Jews” was presented with narration by Broadway actor Julie Benko and Ladino songs performed by the Western Wind Vocal Ensemble.

The episode also includes recordings from April 2025 interviews at Mushabac's home in Manhattan and during her walk in the Riverside Park area of Manhattan that brings to life her short story, "Song." That work of fiction is a love story set in the neighborhood during the pandemic.

Mushabac, 81, has been honored with many awards, including fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Mellon Foundation, a 2024 Pushcart Prize nomination, and an international Leapfrog Press award for her novel, “His Hundred Years, A Tale.” Her radio play, “Mazal Bueno: A Portrait in Song of the Spanish Jews,” was commissioned for an NPR broadcast in 1992 to mark the 500th anniversary of the Jews’ expulsion from Spain.

Mushabac is an emerita professor of English at New York City College of Technology. She earned a bachelor's degree from Cornell University, a master's degree from Harvard and a PhD from the City University of New York.

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Music for The Age of Being Real is "Kites Over the Ocean" by the Kentucky Standard Band from their album "Angels of Mercy."
The Age of Being Real is created by writer and audio producer Rhonda J. Miller.

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Nashville native Lorenzo Washington is on a mission to reignite the musical and cultural spirit of Jefferson Street. In its golden days, Jefferson Street was lined with clubs that hosted luminaries like Ray Charles, Etta James, Little Richard and Jimi Hendrix.

Jefferson Street was the beating heart of North Nashville’s thriving Black music community from the 1940s to the early 1960s. The neighborhood had shops, hotels, restaurants, colleges, churches and all the businesses that support the daily lives of residents.

That heart was broken when Interstate 40 cut through North Nashville in the late 1960s.

To begin to revive that broken heart, Lorenzo Washington built a state-of-the-art recording studio in a former boarding house in 2010. His goal is to give local musicians the resources to develop their talent and hopefully, break out into a larger audience.

The community donated hundreds of photos and memorabilia, along with two pianos from well-known local musicians who had passed away.

The ground floor of building became a museum and then expanded to include a small performance space.

Washington is determined to defy the devastation of Interstate 40 and its buzz of traffic that runs along the back parking lot of the building.

The Jefferson Street Sound Museum is the foundation that’s intended to rebuild a culture of music in North Nashville, one open mic at a time on the first Monday of the month.

The recording studio on the second floor is the beacon that Washington hopes will give talented people the resoures to pursue their musical dreams.

Eighty-two-year-old Lorenzo Washington is a lifelong entrepreneur who has been a partner in several recording studios in Nashville.

Music is his most beloved venture, a path that began when he was teenager driving a musician friend to the clubs in North Nashville.

Washington started a cleaning business more than 30 years ago that’s helped finance the music projects. His first business with his brother was a barbecue pit. And this entrepreneur who keeps putting energy into varied ventures once helped manage a boxer who competed around the world.

Lorenzo Washington has been recognized for building on the musical roots of North Nashville that blossomed with jazz, blues and R&B during its golden era. He’s worked with partners to produce disco and other types of music and once owned a record store.

The Blues Foundation in Memphis recently honored Lorenzo Washington with its “Keeping the Blues Alive” award for creating the Jefferson Street Sound Museum with its recording studio and events to showcase young musicians.

Washington says he’s thankful that he’s blessed with physical and mental health. In his book, Rising Above: The Lorenzo Washington Story, published in 2021, he says, “This is where God has got me now. He blessed me with the duties of preserving a legacy, the legacy of all these great musicians and artists who have been a part of Jefferson Street in Nashville, Tennessee. That’s what God has assigned me to do, and I’m determined to do the best I can on this assignment.”

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Music for The Age of Being Real is "Kites Over the Ocean" by the Kentucky Standard Band from their album "Angels of Mercy."
The Age of Being Real is created by writer and audio producer Rhonda J. Miller.

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The Nashville cottage that houses the Family Barber Shop is constantly buzzing as 63-year-old Patty Stelmaszak adds the finishing touches for a continuous stream of customers.

The barber’s cheerful energy keeps her stepping on and off a wooden wine crate she brought from her first shop in San Diego’s Ocean Beach.

Her business model is simple. Cash only. Affordable, quality haircuts delivered with lively conversation and compassion.

Word around Nashville is that she’s especially welcoming to those who may be undergoing treatment at nearby Vanderbilt University Medical Center or other area hospitals.

On one breezy day with clear blue sky, Stelmaszak plugged in an extension cord and gave Jim Devillez, who was in a wheelchair due to a leg injury, a haircut just outside the door of her shop. That's just something she does sometimes to make life a little easier for those with mobility issues who might need a little extra dose of kindness.

She has a guiding ideal on what she offers college students, young professionals and older adults when they arrive for a haircut: “I want this to be the best 15 minutes of their day.”

On the home front, Stelmaszak and her husband, Jerry, a teacher, have had a long line of dogs.

“You can never go wrong with dogs,” says Stelmaszak. “I have a yellow lab and a blue tick coon hound. I’ve had two greyhounds from the racetracks, one from Birmingham, one from Florida. I’ve had a Weimaraner. I’ve had a boxer. I’ve had a black lab. I’ve had a Chesapeake Bay retriever. I’ve had a chocolate lab. Had a kind of a mixed thing. Dogs are the best thing ever.”

Dogs are right up there with the enjoyment of working in her bustling little barber shop, which she says, “…is the best job ever.”

Support the show

Music for The Age of Being Real is "Kites Over the Ocean" by the Kentucky Standard Band from their album "Angels of Mercy."
The Age of Being Real is created by writer and audio producer Rhonda J. Miller.