In 1837, an angry mob raised in the City of Alton, Illinois finally killed abolitionist journalist Elijah Lovejoy after throwing three of his presses into the Mississippi. Upon his death, his fourth press joined them in the depths.
The tallest monument in Illinois now stands in Alton in honor of his contributions to the abolitionist movement and the American ideal of a free press.
We are here to honor his memory and avenge him. Alton may be the town that killed him, but he demanded his grave be made here. Since he decided Alton and its morals and people were worth his martyrdom, it deserves continued stewardship and vigilance.
Enter Sunken Press, a podcast created by local media enthusiasts and journalism junkies. Hosted by Cory Davenport, a local journalist with more than a decade of experience covering the region who was trained by a Pulitzer winner, Sunken Press wants to solve the world’s problems in our own backyard.
He is joined by Nicole Gory, a person with textured life experience involving homelessness, criminality, addiction, poverty, single motherhood, and other real issues facing many Americans whose perspectives fall through the cracks of mainstream journalism.
Join us as we ask tough questions, share our worldviews, and challenge any preconceived notions and biases we have regarding our community, our nation, our world, and how all of them fit together.
sunkenpress.substack.com (https://sunkenpress.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)
Jonathan Harms | Skateboarding Before It Was Cool (Again)
Jonathan Harms gives us a full history lesson on skateboarding — from its earliest days in the 1960s, riding clay wheels while barefoot, to the revolution sparked by surf culture, drained swimming pools, and backyard halfpipes.
We talk about how skateboarding exploded in the ’70s, nearly disappeared in the early ’80s, and found new life through DIY culture, magazines like Thrasher, and later mainstream moments that helped push it back into public view. Jonathan walks us through the early skateparks in the St. Louis area and shares what cities get right (and wrong) when building skateparks today.
Decades after first stepping on a board, Jonathan reinvented himself as an elite slalom racer, competing nationally and internationally against some of the best in the discipline. Along the way, he’s documented the culture he loves, with his skate photography appearing in print magazines. He’s still in it, racing through cones, traveling to competitions, and preserving the scene through his lens.
This episode is local history, skate history, and cultural history all rolled into one.
Click here for the full version on YouTube. (https://youtu.be/LiEp_7_7KSE)
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For more information:
https://www.instagram.com/jbh_stl
https://www.instagram.com/khvt.official
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Mentioned in this episode:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059725
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6794450
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0362487
https://www.instagram.com/alteredskatesofamerica
https://www.facebook.com/dsmskatepark
https://www.konaskatepark.com
https://skateboardinghalloffame.org
https://www.facebook.com/TonyHawk/videos/1015605357631469
https://www.pbs.org/video/living-st-louis-skate-park
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sunkenpress.substack.com (https://sunkenpress.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
14 Feb 2026
Kaylin Gauthier | Turning Nature’s Strangest Things into Something Beautiful
Barber, artist, and bug lady Kaylin Gauthier (River City Oddities) joins us to talk about how she builds her intricate dioramas using ethical insect sourcing, antique glass, and locally foraged materials. She’s also a barber at Anderson’s Classic Barbershop in Alton, which somehow leads to stories about a monkey’s haircut and why exotic animals should absolutely not be in salons. We also get into the founding of Bluff City Bazaar, remembrance jewelry, mushroom foraging, driftwood baking, and the strange and supportive world of oddities artists. Also, Cory eats dog ashes.
This one goes everywhere, but at its core, it’s about creativity, community, and carving out space for weird art in Southern Illinois.
Find Kaylin’s work at Bluff City Bazaar (Alton), Grafton Art Gallery, Grumpy Grizzly (Grafton), Mother Murphy’s (Normal, IL), It’s Raining Zen (Alton), and lots of pop-ups at vendor markets.
Click here for the full version on YouTube. (https://youtu.be/YWy78f8aNcc)
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For more information:
https://www.facebook.com/river.city.oddities
https://www.instagram.com/river.city.oddities
https://www.andersonsclassicbarbershop.com
https://www.instagram.com/andersonsclassic
https://www.facebook.com/andersonsclassicalton
https://www.facebook.com/andersonsonstate
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Mentioned in this episode:
https://www.facebook.com/bluffcitybazaar
https://www.facebook.com/hypeoftype
https://www.facebook.com/growcreateinspire
https://www.facebook.com/radcliffsradthrifts
https://www.facebook.com/ShakeRagStudio
https://www.youtube.com/@HamiltonMorris
https://www.youtube.com/@grant_harting
https://www.facebook.com/audubonriverlands
https://www.facebook.com/miltonschoolhouse
photo credit to https://www.facebook.com/helloimtoriii
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https://ko-fi.com/sunkenpress
https://sunkenpress.threadless.com
https://sunkenpresspodcast.com
https://www.facebook.com/sunkenpresspodcast
https://www.youtube.com/@sunkenpresspodcast
https://www.patreon.com/sunkenpress
Get full access to Sunken Press at sunkenpress.substack.com/subscribe (https://sunkenpress.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)
7 Feb 2026
CyRhen Smith | Finding Beauty in the Dark (and Making It Wearable)
CyRhen Smith (Glam Trash Zodiac) has been part of Alton’s art scene for over a decade, moving through mediums like painting and wire-wrap jewelry pieces while building an aesthetic that's as beautiful as it is weird. We talk about what “goth” really means to her and what is and isn't goth. We discuss how intersectionality affects the Alton art scene, the ebb and flow of creativity, and her life as a surprise parent in a polycule.
Click here for the full version on YouTube. (https://youtu.be/Zld-4FuPzd8)
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For more information:
https://www.glamtrashzodiac.com
https://www.facebook.com/glamtrashzodiac
https://www.instagram.com/glamtrashzodiac
https://www.facebook.com/bluffcitybazaar
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Mentioned in this episode:
https://www.facebook.com/warmsodamagazine
https://www.facebook.com/jacobyarts
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https://ko-fi.com/sunkenpress
https://sunkenpress.threadless.com
https://sunkenpresspodcast.com
https://www.facebook.com/sunkenpresspodcast
https://www.youtube.com/@sunkenpresspodcast
https://www.patreon.com/sunkenpress
Get full access to Sunken Press at sunkenpress.substack.com/subscribe (https://sunkenpress.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)
Who has been a guest on Sunken Press
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Holly Kim
Dylan Blaha
Troy Taylor
Kyle Armentrout-Steward
Mike Lemons
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
125,953
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 65 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
84
Social presence
0
YouTube
82
Engagement
32
Contact Sunken Press
Guest appearances
Books guests
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