The Frack Talk Marcellus Shale Water Project

From New York to Los Angeles and in-between, the Talker Team generously contributes their skills, along with numerous others to support Trailer Talk’ s Frack Talk Marcellus Shale Water Project in this collaboration about fracking, a living archive about community, grassroots organizing, protest, debate, extreme fossil fuel extraction, sustainability, water resources  and the environment.

Grab a seat and join us at the table!

Sabrina Artel, Creator, Producer, Curator and Host

Sabrina began her hybrid multi-media, radio and performance journalism project Trailer Talk in 2003. Her radio show, Sabrina Artel’s Trailer Talk broadcasts weekly on community and public radio stations in California, New York and Pennsylvania, in addition to being available as podcasts on the web. She was born into the Barnet/Eagle Ford Shale regions of Texas, grew up on Monterey Shale of Los Angeles and currently lives on the Marcellus Shale in Liberty, NY in the Sullivan County Catskills. She began Trailer Talk’s Frack Talk Marcellus Shale Water Project (The Frack Talk Shale Project for short) when landmen came knocking on neighbors doors and letters started arriving throughout her community. The project continues to expand as the issue has gone from being in her backyard to all of our front yards throughout the country and globally. Sabrina has continued to invite people to the literal kitchen table of the trailer or the symbolic one for conversation, debate and action to deal with this serious issue.

Deborah Attoinese, Video Production and Direction

Deborah is a freelance filmmaker and photographer who lives adjacent to the USA’s largest urban oil field in Inglewood/Baldwin Hills in Los Angeles, Ca. Her support of Trailer Talk’s Frack Talk Shale Project includes video direction with a focus on fracking issues of L.A. and California. To find out more about Deborah and her other projects, please visit www.deborahattoinese.com.

John Bachman, Web Design, Site Production and Social Media Interactivity

John has collaborated with Sabrina on her radio production before the talking trailer was a glint in Sabrina’s eye. He is from Indiana, the birthplace of the BeeLine camper and still the USA’s trailer capital. He has contributed in numerous ways since Trailer Talk’s birth in 2003 and continues to envision the project as it grows. He is a Renaissance mastermind, with a life that includes community radio at WJFF Radio Catskill and as an organic farmer in the Delaware River Basin of PA. He lives in the Sullivan County Catskills and oversees the expansion of the on-line communications of the Frack Talk Shale Project living archive and numerous other technical aspects of the project. To find out what John does when he’s not sustaining us at the computer please visit, www.willowwisporganic.com.

Colleen Boland, Field Recording and Photography, Southern Tier Support

Born and raised in Corning, New York, Colleen has been an important resource for information about the Southern tier of NY that has been targeted for potential fracking as stated by Governor Cuomo. Her tireless recordings of upstate protests and community are an incredible resource to the project as the anti-fracking grassroots movement builds in the Tier.  Her perspective is invaluable. It includes her years as a White House administrator, as a U.S. Air Force Retired (includes 4 years active U.S. Army) and as a fundraiser.  When she’s not braving the ice and snow to document a protest, rally, hearing or vigil in upstate NY, Colleen spends her time strategizing for Ghar Situ Mutu in Katmandu, Nepal, a home for abandoned children, a skills training center for destitute women. www.gharsitamutu.com.

Whitney Henry-Lester, Web, Production and Editing

Whitney and Sabrina met at a community radio auction through friends because of a shared interest in audio stories. Whitney grew up in the Sullivan County Catskills and has been assisting with various aspects of Trailer Talk and the fracking project for the last five years. Whitney joined up with Storycorps as an on-site facilitator continuing her connection to mobile media and adds her increasing production skills to the project. In addition to a shared love of the Catskill Mountains, Sabrina and Whitney are obsessed with breakfast (and eating). To find out more about Whitney, please visit, www.bluecheesehighways.wordpress.com.

Emily Lane, Video Production and Direction

Emily Lane is a lifetime Arkansan who shares the stories of her community with the project as an added perspective to the nationwide fracking issues we face. She is a community activist and educator uses the medium of film to share stories. She is making a feature length documentary about the natural gas industry and fracking in Arkansas. The film is in post-production and is expected to be released in the spring of 2013. Currently she serves as Assistant Director of ArkansasFracking.org and as a Board Member for Faulkner County Citizens Advisory Group.

Brandi Merolla, Photography

Brandi has lived in the Delaware River Basin of upstate NY since 1989. She was born and raised in NYC so her roots in New York are deep as is her concern for her beloved state in the face of fracking. Her photos continue to tell the story of what it is like to live on top of Marcellus Shale and we are excited to have her photography as part of this project. In addition she is a photographer who poses and shoots vintage figurines to tell stories and we dream of a display narrative with the BeeLine. To find out about her 3D displays visit, www.scenesfromtheattic.com.

Van Morrow, Transcriptions

Van joined the Talker family during the early days of Sabrina’s radio production sharing his incredible transcriptions that bring featured audio shows to the page. Thanks to his skills the interview/conversations can travel into other realms of storytelling and be shared. When Van is not under headphones transcribing with Type Right, you can see him directing the Mountain Tones Community Band marching down one of our Main Streets in the Sullivan County Catskills.  Or perhaps, knitting, embroidering and silk screening original designs out of his storefront in Livingston Manor, NY at www.mountainbearcrafts.com.

Debra Thomas, Administrative, Research, CD Graphic Design and Research

Debra has been working with Trailer Talk since the beginning. Her resourcefulness and skills provide packaging of materials and organization of the archives. She lives in White Sulphur Springs in the Sullivan County Catskills and her enthusiasm keeps our wheels turning.

Jon-Jon Thomas, Trailer Guardian

Jon Jon has been the consistent guardian of the little BeeLine trailer ensuring that she is road worthy and ready to receive guests at the portable kitchen table.  He has been enabled the trailer to make long and short trips, even ensuring our safety crossing the country.