How BICAS bridges bicycles, art and community.

AZPM | By Mark McLemore

Published December 4, 2024 at 2:40 PM MST

illustration bicas art hero — People cycling, wrenching, playing, and relaxing in an illustration donated to the BICAS Art Auction. BICAS will auction the donated items on December 7th from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the BICAS shop.

Ittai wildcard tournament hero — Ittai Sopher standing with the contestants of "Jeopardy's" Champion Wildcard Tournament. The tournament is open to players who win between one and three games during the season. Sopher won the Champion Wildcard Tournament.

How BICAS bridges bicycles, art and community.

Featured on the December 5th, 2024 edition of ARIZONA SPOTLIGHT with host Mark McLemore:

Learn about an annual art auction event held by BICAS in Tucson – where food and music are also a part of the mix. BICAS is a non-profit bicycle recycling center that helps improve accessibility and independence in our community by making affordable two-wheeled transportation available to everyone.

bicas bike art hero — A combination of welding tools, bicycle parts, and steel scrap was used to create this bike sculpture. The sculpture was donated by Troy Neiman for the BICAS Art Auction. The auction is on December 7th from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the BICAS shop.

bicas antonio hero — BICAS Art Program Coordinator, Antonio Zepeda, in AZPM's studio. Antonio talked about BICAS mission in helping people learn how to fix their bikes and making biking more accessible.

bicas art auction flier unsized — BICAS will be hosting an art auction where they are selling donated art to support their mission to improve bike accessibility and independence for the Tucson community. The auction is on December 7th from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the BICAS shop.

What is it like to be a winner on “Jeopardy”? Mark talks to Ittai Sopher, a former AZPM and Arizona Spotlight production assistant, who put his knowledge to the test to win the classic game show twice. Find out about some of the unexpected perks of becoming a “Jeopardy” champion.

ittai and ken jeopardy hero — Ittai Sopher with the host of "Jeopardy!" Ken Jennings. Ittai played on the show four times including in "Jeopardy’s" Champion Wildcard Tournament.

ittai sopher 1 hero — Ittai Sopher playing on the game show "Jeopardy!".

Marquez Price, an author, poet and entrepreneur, shares an essay about his attempt to do a “digital detox”. Price chose to limit his screen time to the bare minimum, in an effort to reconnect with the world around him, and to re-engage fully in the relationships that matter the most. Marquez Price’s debut poetry collection was called “My Train Is On Schedule”, his latest book of essays is “Return of the Observer”, from LLC Teach 1 Publishing.

Marquez Price 2024 — Marquez Price is a multi-genre essayist and poet based out of Tucson.

Marquez Price book cover — Marquez Price's book of personal reflections, "Return of the Observer".

The Tucson non-profit Literacy Connects sponsors a group of performers and musicians called “Stories That Soar!”. They help young writers realize the power and potential of bringing their stories to life, for the stage, video, and radio. We are now presenting these stories on the first Thursday of every month here on Arizona Spotlight. "Stories That Soar!” returns with a collaboration between 2nd grade students who are exploring the meaning of some very potent emotions.

Aspiring student-age writers can submit their stories to The Magic Box Story Portal now!

AZILL Stories that Soar! hero — An important aspect of the Tucson non-profit Literacy Connects, "Stories That Soar!" wants aspiring school-age writers to realize the power and possibility of bringing their stories to life across all mediums.

Web page by Sophia Hammer.

Arizona Spotlight airs every Thursday at 8:30 am and 6:00 pm and every Friday at 8:00 pm on NPR 89.1 FM / 1550 AM. You can subscribe to our podcast on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, or the NPR App. See more from Arizona Spotlight.

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How BICAS bridges bicycles, art and community.