Want to know what’s coming up next week?
Monday: Obama supporters may be justifiably horrified by the racism that’s been incited by the McCain campaign. But what about the potshots aimed at Sarah Palin? Richard Harwood says we are all in this together and nobody gets to higher ground unless we all hold ourselves accountable.
Tuesday: British geography teacher Daniel Raven-Ellison had an idea: choose a city, walk across it, and take a photograph every eight steps. He’s done it now in London, Mumbai, and Mexico City. He calls his project “Urban Earth.”
Wednesday: Raphael Kadushin, the editor of a new anthology of gay travel writing called Big Trips, says gays make the best travel writers because they don’t get sidetracked by tourism trivia but focus instead of the stuff that counts: love, adventure, and a new sense of place.
Thursday: Well, I expect to be preparing all week for this one: The New York Times recently profiled Alaa al Aswany, the Egyptian journalist who is also the world’s best-selling Arab-language novelist. His new novel, Chicago, is set in The Windy City with a cast of American and Arab characters “achingly human.”
Friday: (thank God) Marcella Hazan, the duenna of Italian cooking who single-handedly introduced Americans to Italian regional cooking, swore she would never write another book, but she couldn’t help herself. Borrowing from Fellini, it’s called simply Amarcord: Marcella Remembers. Don’t miss it.
Jean
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Oct 13-17 Programs
My Pick of the Week: Go figure, but I have to admit that the most fun I had on the radio this week was with John Nichols who is an absolute wizard as a pitching partner. He managed to build so much momentum during yesterday’s program that, after setting an arbitrary goal of 50 calls, actually generated 74! By the end of the hour, we had raised altogether over $4000 which I didn’t think was possible. So thank you so much, all of you, for making Thursday a banner pledge day for Here on Earth.
We have an indigenous theme going next week:
Monday: Columbus Day, not such a big deal here in the Midwest, but a huge deal in New York where I grew up among Italian-Americans. Since coming to Wisconsin I have become sensitized to the way Native Americans think about Columbus Day, much like a Jew who discovers the Palestinian word for “The Catastrophe.” So we’re going to focus the program around the theme of Indigenous Intelligence and talk with the director of the film Whaledreamers, about an Australian aboriginal tribe fighting for its right to existence.
Tuesday: Uwen Akpan is a Jesuit priest from Nigeria who won a prestigious award for his first collection of short stories, Say You’re One of Them, which he completed while working on his MFA in creative writing at the University of Michigan.
Wednesday: Mami Wata (pidgin English for Mother Water) A major exhibit celebrating African water spirits is opening soon at the Chazen Museum of Art in Madison, honoring the essential sacred nature of water. We’ll talk with UW-Madison Professor of African Art Henry Drewell, curator and sailor.
Thursday: The gifted modern nomad Stephanie Elizondo Griest (Where in the World is Stephanie?) stopped her wanderings long enough to write a probing memoir titled Mexican Enough: My Life Between the Borderlines. She’s coming to Wisconsin to take part in next week’s Book Festival and she joins live on the air today at 3:00.
Friday: We’re working on a program with Chris Fair, a political analyst and the author of the intriguing (cook?) book, Cuisines of the Axis of Evil and Other Irritating States: A Dinner Party Approach to International Relations.
As Bugs Bunny says, That’s all, Folks!
Jean
We have an indigenous theme going next week:
Monday: Columbus Day, not such a big deal here in the Midwest, but a huge deal in New York where I grew up among Italian-Americans. Since coming to Wisconsin I have become sensitized to the way Native Americans think about Columbus Day, much like a Jew who discovers the Palestinian word for “The Catastrophe.” So we’re going to focus the program around the theme of Indigenous Intelligence and talk with the director of the film Whaledreamers, about an Australian aboriginal tribe fighting for its right to existence.
Tuesday: Uwen Akpan is a Jesuit priest from Nigeria who won a prestigious award for his first collection of short stories, Say You’re One of Them, which he completed while working on his MFA in creative writing at the University of Michigan.
Wednesday: Mami Wata (pidgin English for Mother Water) A major exhibit celebrating African water spirits is opening soon at the Chazen Museum of Art in Madison, honoring the essential sacred nature of water. We’ll talk with UW-Madison Professor of African Art Henry Drewell, curator and sailor.
Thursday: The gifted modern nomad Stephanie Elizondo Griest (Where in the World is Stephanie?) stopped her wanderings long enough to write a probing memoir titled Mexican Enough: My Life Between the Borderlines. She’s coming to Wisconsin to take part in next week’s Book Festival and she joins live on the air today at 3:00.
Friday: We’re working on a program with Chris Fair, a political analyst and the author of the intriguing (cook?) book, Cuisines of the Axis of Evil and Other Irritating States: A Dinner Party Approach to International Relations.
As Bugs Bunny says, That’s all, Folks!
Jean
Friday, October 03, 2008
Oct 6-10 Programs
Friday, October 3, 2008
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, as the saying goes. The gift this week is that only two out of our five programs will be devoted to soliciting your support for WPR during this Fall Membership Drive. So if you’re as grateful for that reprieve, as I am, and you enjoy Here On Earth, especially when the programming is uninterrupted, how about a show of gratitude by pledging your support on line at wpr.org or calling in a pledge to 888- 202-2552. We are oh so grateful for your support.
Monday: Creationism Goes Global: Is creationism contagious? For years, this peculiarly American movement seemed to be contained within our borders. But in the last several years, creationism had become a global phenomenon, as readily exportable as hip-hop and bluejeans. Science historian Ron Numbers joins us along with WPR’s Steve Paulson who just returned from a trip to Turkey, one of the country’s where creationism is taking hold.
Tuesday: Refusing to be Enemies: Twelve women living in Ann Arbor, Michigan – 6 of them Arabs and the other 6 Jews – manage to accomplish together what world leaders have thus far failed to do: make peace across the great divide.
Wednesday: Monique and the Mango Rains: Years ago, when we first launched Here on Earth, we did a program with Kris Holloway, a Peace Corps volunteer whose assignment in Mali led to an extraordinary friendship with a midwife named Monique. Ironically, after Kris came back home, Monique died in childbirth, but that wasn’t the end of the story. Kris joins us with an update.
Thursday: John Nichols: A Global Perspective on the US Presidential Election.
Friday: Will Allen, ex basketball star turned urban farmer, joins to talk about Growing Power, his urban farm in downtown Milwaukee and what he plans to do with his MacArthur genius grant.
Don’t touch that dial! And don’t forget to pledge to WPR – wpr.org.
Thank you Thank you Thank you!
Jean
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, as the saying goes. The gift this week is that only two out of our five programs will be devoted to soliciting your support for WPR during this Fall Membership Drive. So if you’re as grateful for that reprieve, as I am, and you enjoy Here On Earth, especially when the programming is uninterrupted, how about a show of gratitude by pledging your support on line at wpr.org or calling in a pledge to 888- 202-2552. We are oh so grateful for your support.
Monday: Creationism Goes Global: Is creationism contagious? For years, this peculiarly American movement seemed to be contained within our borders. But in the last several years, creationism had become a global phenomenon, as readily exportable as hip-hop and bluejeans. Science historian Ron Numbers joins us along with WPR’s Steve Paulson who just returned from a trip to Turkey, one of the country’s where creationism is taking hold.
Tuesday: Refusing to be Enemies: Twelve women living in Ann Arbor, Michigan – 6 of them Arabs and the other 6 Jews – manage to accomplish together what world leaders have thus far failed to do: make peace across the great divide.
Wednesday: Monique and the Mango Rains: Years ago, when we first launched Here on Earth, we did a program with Kris Holloway, a Peace Corps volunteer whose assignment in Mali led to an extraordinary friendship with a midwife named Monique. Ironically, after Kris came back home, Monique died in childbirth, but that wasn’t the end of the story. Kris joins us with an update.
Thursday: John Nichols: A Global Perspective on the US Presidential Election.
Friday: Will Allen, ex basketball star turned urban farmer, joins to talk about Growing Power, his urban farm in downtown Milwaukee and what he plans to do with his MacArthur genius grant.
Don’t touch that dial! And don’t forget to pledge to WPR – wpr.org.
Thank you Thank you Thank you!
Jean
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Sept 29 - Oct 3 Programs
It’s been a challenging and eventful week: If you didn’t get a chance to listen to “Heavy Metal Islam,” the first program in our new series, Inside Islam: Dialogues and Debates, please check it out and let us know what you think. We’re producing this series in a whole new way, asking for direct feedback and help in shaping it through our interactive blog: insideislam.wisc.edu.Our October Membership Drive begins this week but before you start groaning, here’s the good news: Here on Earth gets a reprieve. We will only be actively pitching your support in three out of eight hours. Mercy.
Here’s the line-up:
Monday: WHEN JUDGES MAKE FOREIGN POLICY, Noah Feldman describes the sharp rift in the US Supreme Court that has emerged since 9/11 on international law. The justices, writes Feldman, “are doing as much as anyone to shape America's fortunes in an age of global terror and economic turmoil.”
Tuesday: Hooman Majd, born in Tehran and grandson of an ayatollah, serves as translator for Iranian President Ahmadinejad. He unravels the conundrums of his native country in his book The Ayatollah Begs to Differ.
Wednesday: The Sugar Creek Morland Project: An Anglo-American mission of friendship and understanding uniting children who share a common language but are separated by an ocean. Verona, Wisconsin meets Ipswich, England.
Thursday: Refusing to be Enemies: Twelve women living in Ann Arbor, Michigan – 6 of them Arabs and the other 6 Jews – manage to accomplish together what world leaders have thus far failed to do: make peace across the great divide.
Friday: We’re trying to get Will Allen, ex basketball star turned urban farmer to join us on the air to talk about Growing Power and what he plans to do with his MacArthur genius grant.
N.B. We could really use your help in lining up some great food programs with an international focus in the coming weeks. Mushrooms? Truffles?
Jean
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Sept 22-26 Programs
BIG BANNER NEWS OF THE WEEK: HERE ON EARTH LAUNCHES BLOCKBUSTER NEW MEDIA SERIES: INSIDE ISLAM Starts this Thursday, Sept. 25!
Monday: You won't want to miss this one either: For this year’s Fall Equinox Poetry Circle of the Air Molly Peacock has chosen a really edgy poem written by the Russian poet Osip Mandelstam in 1918, on the heels of the Bolshevik Revolution. Very hard-hitting; has much to say about our own sense of sturm und drang in this highly pivotal political year. Check out the poem on our website: www.hereonearth.org.
Tuesday: We discovered a true Here-on-Earthian in Jon Miller, Executive Producer of the NPR series "Worlds of Difference," and "Think Global," the 2005 Public Radio Collaboration on globalization.
Wednesday: Daughters of India: A program that will make you reassess your impressions of Indian women, not as victims of repression, but as spirited and self-empowered professionals competing in a male society, entering the marketplace, and breaking with centuries-old traditions.
Thursday: You've heard tales of the Mujahababes, and the Girls of Riyadh on Here on Earth. Now get ready for Heavy Metal Islam! This premier program in our year-long new media series we’re producing with UW-Madison Global Studies, (and lots of help from our friends– check out our blog: insideislam.wisc.edu) features scholar/musician Mark Levine who jams with Moroccan bands, members of a heavy metal Bagdad band, and Allah only knows who else.
Food Friday: The Big Apple Family and what we all owe to the bears!
It wouldn't be worth doing any of this without you!
Please join us with your ears, minds, and hearts wide open.
Thanks so much,
Jean
Monday: You won't want to miss this one either: For this year’s Fall Equinox Poetry Circle of the Air Molly Peacock has chosen a really edgy poem written by the Russian poet Osip Mandelstam in 1918, on the heels of the Bolshevik Revolution. Very hard-hitting; has much to say about our own sense of sturm und drang in this highly pivotal political year. Check out the poem on our website: www.hereonearth.org.
Tuesday: We discovered a true Here-on-Earthian in Jon Miller, Executive Producer of the NPR series "Worlds of Difference," and "Think Global," the 2005 Public Radio Collaboration on globalization.
Wednesday: Daughters of India: A program that will make you reassess your impressions of Indian women, not as victims of repression, but as spirited and self-empowered professionals competing in a male society, entering the marketplace, and breaking with centuries-old traditions.
Thursday: You've heard tales of the Mujahababes, and the Girls of Riyadh on Here on Earth. Now get ready for Heavy Metal Islam! This premier program in our year-long new media series we’re producing with UW-Madison Global Studies, (and lots of help from our friends– check out our blog: insideislam.wisc.edu) features scholar/musician Mark Levine who jams with Moroccan bands, members of a heavy metal Bagdad band, and Allah only knows who else.
Food Friday: The Big Apple Family and what we all owe to the bears!
It wouldn't be worth doing any of this without you!
Please join us with your ears, minds, and hearts wide open.
Thanks so much,
Jean
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Sept 15-19 Programs
Hello Here-on-Earthlings!
I hope you have listened to our program on last Thursday about Nation Beat. They are such a joyful band to listen to that all of us in the studio were clapping and dancing with them. Pure fun.
Jean is coming back on Monday and we have prepared the following programs for the next week.
Monday: Being Young and Arab in America. How does it feel to be a problem? W.E.B. Du Bois first posed this question in his classic, The Souls of Black Folk, and now, over a century later, Moustafa Bayoumi explores the same question through the first-hand accounts of seven young Arab and Muslim Americans.
Tuesday: Field Guide to the British. Sarah Lyall is a London correspondent for the New York Times who has written in the words of critic Malcolm Gladstone, "an exquisite, hilarious, and devastating dissection of the British psyche."
Wednesday: Prescription for Survival. 87-year old Dr. Bernard Lown is a cardiologist who invented the defibrillator before cofounding the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War for which he won the Nobel Peace Prize. He joins us to talk about his Prescription for Survival.
Thursday: Beatrice's Goat is a children's book that tells the story of a little girl growing in Uganda too poor to go to school. The gift of a goat named Luck changed her life. Beatrice is now working on her masters degree at the Clinton School for Public Service in Arkansas.
Friday: We are still looking for a food program. Any suggestions?
Lisa Bu
Web Producer
Here on Earth
I hope you have listened to our program on last Thursday about Nation Beat. They are such a joyful band to listen to that all of us in the studio were clapping and dancing with them. Pure fun.
Jean is coming back on Monday and we have prepared the following programs for the next week.
Monday: Being Young and Arab in America. How does it feel to be a problem? W.E.B. Du Bois first posed this question in his classic, The Souls of Black Folk, and now, over a century later, Moustafa Bayoumi explores the same question through the first-hand accounts of seven young Arab and Muslim Americans.
Tuesday: Field Guide to the British. Sarah Lyall is a London correspondent for the New York Times who has written in the words of critic Malcolm Gladstone, "an exquisite, hilarious, and devastating dissection of the British psyche."
Wednesday: Prescription for Survival. 87-year old Dr. Bernard Lown is a cardiologist who invented the defibrillator before cofounding the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War for which he won the Nobel Peace Prize. He joins us to talk about his Prescription for Survival.
Thursday: Beatrice's Goat is a children's book that tells the story of a little girl growing in Uganda too poor to go to school. The gift of a goat named Luck changed her life. Beatrice is now working on her masters degree at the Clinton School for Public Service in Arkansas.
Friday: We are still looking for a food program. Any suggestions?
Lisa Bu
Web Producer
Here on Earth
Friday, September 05, 2008
Sept 8-12 Programs
Dear Here-on-Earthlings,
Here on Earth: Radio Without Borders is a program that was conceived to show who we humans are at our best, and how much we have in common. We set out when we began five years ago in a spirit of adventure and delight to explore other cultures, increase our understanding of our interconnectedness, and bind the world a little closer together. This in the wake of 9/11. So you can imagine how pleased we were this year to be named the recipient of a grant from the Social Sciences Research Council to produce a series of programs called Inside Islam: Dialogues and Debates.
The first program in the series will be broadcast on Thursday, September 25. It will feature Mark Levine, author of Heavy Metal Islam, and explore heavy metal bands in Iraq, Iran, Morocco, and other parts of the Muslim world. Apart from the fact that the project suits our mission so well, we’re excited about it because we get to experiment with a whole new way of producing radio that has the potential to expand our impact and grow our audience. So we’re asking you for input. Watch for information on our Inside Islam blog which should go online within a week.
While we’re waiting to get up and running, and while I’m out of town this week, we’re offering two encore programs we think will get you primed:
Monday: Salman Rushdie talks about his latest novel and gets huffy when I ask him about his relationship with Islam.
Tuesday: Former NPR reporter-turned-activist Sarah Chayes reports on her latest trials and misadventures as the head of a start-up cottage industry making soaps and perfumes in Kandahar, Afghanistan, a notorious Taliban stronghold. Brave woman.
Wednesday: They call him the Jimi Hendrix of India, but that’s only part of the story. Today at 3:00, enjoy a live performance by Prasanna, an electric guitarist who deftly combines rock, jazz and classic Indian carnatic music into a sound all his own. We’ll feature him in advance to his performance this weekend at the UW-Madison World Music Festival.
Thursday: We’re also working on a show with Syrian jazz singer Gaida Hinnawi. She’s also slated to play the World Music Festival, but if things go according to plan, you’ll get to hear her Here on Earth first. When Lori Skelton, subbing for me last month, introduced Gaida’s mix of New York jazz cool with Middle Eastern dynamics she had our blog bursting with comments like “who was that?!?” and “where can I get her CD?”
Friday: Calling all beer lovers! Okay, you’ve already tried matching wine with food, but how about beer? Omnivore Caryl Owens will try anything. Join her for this special Food Friday.
I’ll be back on Monday, September 15, with Moustafa Bayoumi, author of How Does It Feel To Be A Problem: Being Young and Arab in America. He’s one of the featured writers in this year’s Madison Book Festival.
Caio! Y’all come back now, heah?
Jean
Here on Earth: Radio Without Borders is a program that was conceived to show who we humans are at our best, and how much we have in common. We set out when we began five years ago in a spirit of adventure and delight to explore other cultures, increase our understanding of our interconnectedness, and bind the world a little closer together. This in the wake of 9/11. So you can imagine how pleased we were this year to be named the recipient of a grant from the Social Sciences Research Council to produce a series of programs called Inside Islam: Dialogues and Debates.
The first program in the series will be broadcast on Thursday, September 25. It will feature Mark Levine, author of Heavy Metal Islam, and explore heavy metal bands in Iraq, Iran, Morocco, and other parts of the Muslim world. Apart from the fact that the project suits our mission so well, we’re excited about it because we get to experiment with a whole new way of producing radio that has the potential to expand our impact and grow our audience. So we’re asking you for input. Watch for information on our Inside Islam blog which should go online within a week.
While we’re waiting to get up and running, and while I’m out of town this week, we’re offering two encore programs we think will get you primed:
Monday: Salman Rushdie talks about his latest novel and gets huffy when I ask him about his relationship with Islam.
Tuesday: Former NPR reporter-turned-activist Sarah Chayes reports on her latest trials and misadventures as the head of a start-up cottage industry making soaps and perfumes in Kandahar, Afghanistan, a notorious Taliban stronghold. Brave woman.
Wednesday: They call him the Jimi Hendrix of India, but that’s only part of the story. Today at 3:00, enjoy a live performance by Prasanna, an electric guitarist who deftly combines rock, jazz and classic Indian carnatic music into a sound all his own. We’ll feature him in advance to his performance this weekend at the UW-Madison World Music Festival.
Thursday: We’re also working on a show with Syrian jazz singer Gaida Hinnawi. She’s also slated to play the World Music Festival, but if things go according to plan, you’ll get to hear her Here on Earth first. When Lori Skelton, subbing for me last month, introduced Gaida’s mix of New York jazz cool with Middle Eastern dynamics she had our blog bursting with comments like “who was that?!?” and “where can I get her CD?”
Friday: Calling all beer lovers! Okay, you’ve already tried matching wine with food, but how about beer? Omnivore Caryl Owens will try anything. Join her for this special Food Friday.
I’ll be back on Monday, September 15, with Moustafa Bayoumi, author of How Does It Feel To Be A Problem: Being Young and Arab in America. He’s one of the featured writers in this year’s Madison Book Festival.
Caio! Y’all come back now, heah?
Jean
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Here on Earth's Inside Islam Series
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
We're about to launch an exciting new interactive series called Inside Islam. This is a year-long pioneer project we're producing in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Global Studies Center and with funding from the Social Sciences Research Council in New York. Not only does it have the potential to change the way most Americans think about Muslims and Islam, but also the way we Here-on-Earthians think about radio and produce our program!
Let me be specific: A few weeks ago, as part of the preparation for our launch, the Here on Earth team took part in a two-day seminar/workshop on social networking. Not only did the presenters, Sue Schardt and Mary McGrath, teach us how to use some nifty new tools, but more importantly, they opened our minds to the great benefits of getting all of you more actively involved in the process. Open up the gates, they said...there's nothing to be afraid of, and everything to be gained. Hmmm...I had to think about that for a while. This is my baby, after all. Was I really ready to hand it over to day care?
What does all this mean, exactly? Bottom line: we're asking you, our listeners, to partner with us in producing this experimental series. How can you do that? By going to our blog: insideislam.wisc.edu and posting your thoughts, your contacts, your ideas; stories that you've heard; issues you think we should tackle; people we should interview. The first program in the series will focus on Islamic Heavy Metal bands. (You may have heard Mark Levine, author of Heavy Metal Islam interviewed on Talk of the Nation. It will be broadcast on Thursday, September 25, but we're hoping you won't wait until then to let us hear from you. Touched you last.
We're about to launch an exciting new interactive series called Inside Islam. This is a year-long pioneer project we're producing in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Global Studies Center and with funding from the Social Sciences Research Council in New York. Not only does it have the potential to change the way most Americans think about Muslims and Islam, but also the way we Here-on-Earthians think about radio and produce our program!
Let me be specific: A few weeks ago, as part of the preparation for our launch, the Here on Earth team took part in a two-day seminar/workshop on social networking. Not only did the presenters, Sue Schardt and Mary McGrath, teach us how to use some nifty new tools, but more importantly, they opened our minds to the great benefits of getting all of you more actively involved in the process. Open up the gates, they said...there's nothing to be afraid of, and everything to be gained. Hmmm...I had to think about that for a while. This is my baby, after all. Was I really ready to hand it over to day care?
What does all this mean, exactly? Bottom line: we're asking you, our listeners, to partner with us in producing this experimental series. How can you do that? By going to our blog: insideislam.wisc.edu and posting your thoughts, your contacts, your ideas; stories that you've heard; issues you think we should tackle; people we should interview. The first program in the series will focus on Islamic Heavy Metal bands. (You may have heard Mark Levine, author of Heavy Metal Islam interviewed on Talk of the Nation. It will be broadcast on Thursday, September 25, but we're hoping you won't wait until then to let us hear from you. Touched you last.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Sept 1-5 Programs
Dear Here-on-Earthlings,
My pick of the week was last Monday’s show with John Luther Adams, the solitary composer who is endlessly inspired by Alaska. The best way to listen to his cosmic soundscapes is alone in your car, as I was last Saturday while driving to Fond du Lac, or on headphones. I’m going to try listening to his CD In the White Silence meditating. It’s music that makes me feel as if I have whole chains of mountains rising inside me.
We have a short week coming up after Labor Day, and some surprises in store for you:
Monday, Labor Day: While you’re grilling those brats, you can be listening to one of the Here on Earth team’s favorite summer shows: The Sound of Dub with reggae master and poet Kwame Dawes.
Tuesday: Diversity on the Runway: With New York City’s fashion week just around the corner, we decided to do a program prompted by the phenomenal success of the July issue of Vogue Italia which featured all black models and sold out in the United States.
Wednesday: Although her work was once criticized as “pseudoscience”, Monica Turner was just named a MacArthur Fellow for her tremendous contributions to the pioneer field of landscape ecology.
Thursday: Descending the Dragon: (Can we really do a program about Vietnam without talking once about the war?) We’re working on a program with National Geographic adventurer and author Jon Bowermaster who set out to discover a new Vietnam by kayaking along its coast in an unprecedented 800 mile voyage. (Not yet confirmed)
Friday: Bless the Garlic! The Egyptians worshiped it, the Greeks detested it, the Romans ate it with delight. Garlic, with its unique odor, qualities, and folklore, belongs to a league of its own among foods. Melissa Clark’s family is obsessed with garlic, even tried to make garlic ice cream. I'll talk to her, a food writer for the New York Times.
Jean
My pick of the week was last Monday’s show with John Luther Adams, the solitary composer who is endlessly inspired by Alaska. The best way to listen to his cosmic soundscapes is alone in your car, as I was last Saturday while driving to Fond du Lac, or on headphones. I’m going to try listening to his CD In the White Silence meditating. It’s music that makes me feel as if I have whole chains of mountains rising inside me.
We have a short week coming up after Labor Day, and some surprises in store for you:
Monday, Labor Day: While you’re grilling those brats, you can be listening to one of the Here on Earth team’s favorite summer shows: The Sound of Dub with reggae master and poet Kwame Dawes.
Tuesday: Diversity on the Runway: With New York City’s fashion week just around the corner, we decided to do a program prompted by the phenomenal success of the July issue of Vogue Italia which featured all black models and sold out in the United States.
Wednesday: Although her work was once criticized as “pseudoscience”, Monica Turner was just named a MacArthur Fellow for her tremendous contributions to the pioneer field of landscape ecology.
Thursday: Descending the Dragon: (Can we really do a program about Vietnam without talking once about the war?) We’re working on a program with National Geographic adventurer and author Jon Bowermaster who set out to discover a new Vietnam by kayaking along its coast in an unprecedented 800 mile voyage. (Not yet confirmed)
Friday: Bless the Garlic! The Egyptians worshiped it, the Greeks detested it, the Romans ate it with delight. Garlic, with its unique odor, qualities, and folklore, belongs to a league of its own among foods. Melissa Clark’s family is obsessed with garlic, even tried to make garlic ice cream. I'll talk to her, a food writer for the New York Times.
Jean
Friday, August 22, 2008
Aug 25-29 Programs
Hi Guys,
Hope you caught the show on The Girls of Riyadh. I had no idea what was going on behind those black abayas.
Here’s what’s in store for next week – and by the way, we still could use some help booking Food Friday.
Monday: What would Alaska sound like if it were a symphony? Composer John Luther Adams creates music inspired by the Alaskan landscape. Glacial cool?
Tuesday: Sometimes it really is All In The Family. Sadia Shepard, a young Indian American filmmaker, grew up in a Muslim/ Christian household made even more complicated by the revelation that her Pakistani grandmother was actually Jewish! So let’s see – that makes her a Jewish Christian Muslim Hindu, right? Her parents tell her, “You choose.”
Wednesday: Did the Beijing Olympics change your mind about China? Let us know before Wednesday and we can use your comments to lead off this show. Guests are two NPR reporters, one who was willing to get up for us at 4:30am in Beijing. Send comments to hereonearth@wpr.org; or post them on my blog, or the brand new The Blog Without Borders. You’ll find a link to it on the front page of www.hereonearth.org. Better yet, leave your comments at our Here on Earth hotline: 608- 890-0269. Very cool.
Thursday: Neal Karlen makes a command second appearance, this time to talk about the way Yiddish has been used in movies. A great end of summer HoE program. Your reward for hanging in there with us.
And once again we have no Food Friday program booked yet, although Carmen is working on Comfort Food for Breakups.
Thanks for all your help, especially you, Kevin, for suggesting the cheese makers.
This Open Sourcing stuff is really fun. I’m only sorry it took me so long to get the hang of it.
Ciao,
Jean
Hope you caught the show on The Girls of Riyadh. I had no idea what was going on behind those black abayas.
Here’s what’s in store for next week – and by the way, we still could use some help booking Food Friday.
Monday: What would Alaska sound like if it were a symphony? Composer John Luther Adams creates music inspired by the Alaskan landscape. Glacial cool?
Tuesday: Sometimes it really is All In The Family. Sadia Shepard, a young Indian American filmmaker, grew up in a Muslim/ Christian household made even more complicated by the revelation that her Pakistani grandmother was actually Jewish! So let’s see – that makes her a Jewish Christian Muslim Hindu, right? Her parents tell her, “You choose.”
Wednesday: Did the Beijing Olympics change your mind about China? Let us know before Wednesday and we can use your comments to lead off this show. Guests are two NPR reporters, one who was willing to get up for us at 4:30am in Beijing. Send comments to hereonearth@wpr.org; or post them on my blog, or the brand new The Blog Without Borders. You’ll find a link to it on the front page of www.hereonearth.org. Better yet, leave your comments at our Here on Earth hotline: 608- 890-0269. Very cool.
Thursday: Neal Karlen makes a command second appearance, this time to talk about the way Yiddish has been used in movies. A great end of summer HoE program. Your reward for hanging in there with us.
And once again we have no Food Friday program booked yet, although Carmen is working on Comfort Food for Breakups.
Thanks for all your help, especially you, Kevin, for suggesting the cheese makers.
This Open Sourcing stuff is really fun. I’m only sorry it took me so long to get the hang of it.
Ciao,
Jean
Thursday, August 21, 2008
The Girls of Riyadh or Sex and the Saudi
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Today's show with Rajaa Alsanea, the twenty-something author of The Girls of Riyadh who might turn out to be the Betty Friedan of Saudi Arabia, was really eye-opening. Who knew what goes on behind those veils? I was fascinated by the fleeting remark she made about Saudi Arabia being basically a society made up of Bedouin tribes that got rich all of a sudden and hasn't yet had the time to rid itself of its tribal ways. She reminded me of my own immigrant background, growing up in an Old-World southern Italian family only one generation removed from hanging out the sheets to prove the bride is a virgin. What also struck me was how earnest she was, speaking her truth out of a clear sense of social responsibility, quite in contrast with that saucy devil-may-care narrator of hers.
Today's program provides the perfect opportunity to introduce an upcoming Here on Earth new media series we're all really excited about. It's called Inside Islam: Dialogues and Debates, and the first program - Heavy Metal Islam - will be broadcast on Thursday, September 25. Mark Levine, a scholar/musician who wrote the book by the same name, will be the primary guest, but we're hoping to get a lot of other voices - preferably Muslim -into the program and we're hoping for help from our friends. All suggestions and ideas for how to make this program and its successors really hot are most welcome.
Today's show with Rajaa Alsanea, the twenty-something author of The Girls of Riyadh who might turn out to be the Betty Friedan of Saudi Arabia, was really eye-opening. Who knew what goes on behind those veils? I was fascinated by the fleeting remark she made about Saudi Arabia being basically a society made up of Bedouin tribes that got rich all of a sudden and hasn't yet had the time to rid itself of its tribal ways. She reminded me of my own immigrant background, growing up in an Old-World southern Italian family only one generation removed from hanging out the sheets to prove the bride is a virgin. What also struck me was how earnest she was, speaking her truth out of a clear sense of social responsibility, quite in contrast with that saucy devil-may-care narrator of hers.
Today's program provides the perfect opportunity to introduce an upcoming Here on Earth new media series we're all really excited about. It's called Inside Islam: Dialogues and Debates, and the first program - Heavy Metal Islam - will be broadcast on Thursday, September 25. Mark Levine, a scholar/musician who wrote the book by the same name, will be the primary guest, but we're hoping to get a lot of other voices - preferably Muslim -into the program and we're hoping for help from our friends. All suggestions and ideas for how to make this program and its successors really hot are most welcome.
A Day in the Life of Your Local Cheese Maker
Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008
Thanks to Kevin who responded to my call for help on this week's Food Friday, we're going to be doing a program about local cheese-making with two of the best in the trade - Felix Thalhammer (Capri cheese) and Mary Falk (LoveTree Farm) way up in Grant County where she has to chase the wolves away from her sheep. Odd thing is all three of the Wisconsin cheese makers we contacted either have injuries or are ailing - hazards of the trade - we'll pursue that theme tomorrow. And thanks, Kevin! Looks like this blog stuff is actually working, now that I've caught on to it. Anybody else out there with suggestions for food topics with an international twist, by all means, keep those cards and letters coming.
Thanks to Kevin who responded to my call for help on this week's Food Friday, we're going to be doing a program about local cheese-making with two of the best in the trade - Felix Thalhammer (Capri cheese) and Mary Falk (LoveTree Farm) way up in Grant County where she has to chase the wolves away from her sheep. Odd thing is all three of the Wisconsin cheese makers we contacted either have injuries or are ailing - hazards of the trade - we'll pursue that theme tomorrow. And thanks, Kevin! Looks like this blog stuff is actually working, now that I've caught on to it. Anybody else out there with suggestions for food topics with an international twist, by all means, keep those cards and letters coming.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Driving Across the Sahara
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Jeroen Van Bergeijk's hair raising road trip across the Sahara (My Mercedes is Not For Sale) reminded me of the time back in 1971 when I traveled with my first husband through the Tunisian desert in an old but trusty VW bug with a hired driver. This was the real Sahara and the dunes were huge blank mountains that rose up all around us on both sides. The little car's engine was full of sand that rattled around and around inside. There were two little girls way up high on the crest of one of the dunes, watching for the first sign of us as we drove into their village. The second they spied the car, they raced each other down the steep side of the dune and came right up to the car window, holding up their dolls for us to see. The dolls were wrapped in layers of dark red cloth scraps. They each had big breasts, but no faces, just like the little girls' Bedouin mothers. The bodies of the dolls stood out against the Sahara, but their blank faces blended right in. I still have both those dolls. I keep them on one of the shelves in my library bookcase. Here's a poem I wrote about them called "Bedouin..."
She climbed the far side of the dune,
a dot
above a curving line. Then
sudden as a shout she came running, the
small breath rattling like seeds in her lungs.
She held a doll in the car window,
a clutch of shreds begged
from her mother: coconut-hard breasts,
a bit of tin, a red
bandana. But my mind stopped at the face -
a featureless white patch she held
against the eyeless
Sahara - I watched it fade
drop back
empty
into Allah.
Jeroen Van Bergeijk's hair raising road trip across the Sahara (My Mercedes is Not For Sale) reminded me of the time back in 1971 when I traveled with my first husband through the Tunisian desert in an old but trusty VW bug with a hired driver. This was the real Sahara and the dunes were huge blank mountains that rose up all around us on both sides. The little car's engine was full of sand that rattled around and around inside. There were two little girls way up high on the crest of one of the dunes, watching for the first sign of us as we drove into their village. The second they spied the car, they raced each other down the steep side of the dune and came right up to the car window, holding up their dolls for us to see. The dolls were wrapped in layers of dark red cloth scraps. They each had big breasts, but no faces, just like the little girls' Bedouin mothers. The bodies of the dolls stood out against the Sahara, but their blank faces blended right in. I still have both those dolls. I keep them on one of the shelves in my library bookcase. Here's a poem I wrote about them called "Bedouin..."
She climbed the far side of the dune,
a dot
above a curving line. Then
sudden as a shout she came running, the
small breath rattling like seeds in her lungs.
She held a doll in the car window,
a clutch of shreds begged
from her mother: coconut-hard breasts,
a bit of tin, a red
bandana. But my mind stopped at the face -
a featureless white patch she held
against the eyeless
Sahara - I watched it fade
drop back
empty
into Allah.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Aug 18-22 Programs
Hi Guys,
The truth is it's damn hard to program the show in the last half of August –- nothing happening, everybody on vacation, and the mattresses are on the march. But we've managed, nonetheless, to come up with a week’s worth of programs –- almost. For some strange reason, the Food Friday programs which are usually the easiest to book are drawing blanks lately. We'd love to have your suggestions on international cuisines, new food trends, great cooks, unusual cookbooks, memorable kitchen stories, characters, etc. Send your ideas to hereonearth@wpr.org, or post them on my blog, or on our new producers’ blog. And thank you!
Monday: WERN music host Lori Skelton fills in for me on Monday with a preview of the upcoming World Music Festival (UW-Madison, Sept. 12-14)
Tuesday: The last time John Nichols was on the show he made my jaw drop by suggesting that we do a program about What Bush Got Right. Lo and behold it shows up on the cover of this month’s Newsweek. John gives it a spin by talking about the ways in which Obama and McCain are each likely to follow in Bush’s footsteps.
Wednesday: Now this is a hairbrained idea: Buy a beat up Mercedes and drive it through the Sahara to see what you can get for it on the Third World used car market. But that’s exactly what an allegedly really smart Dutchman set out to do. It’s one of the strangest road trips you’ll ever hear about: From Amsterdam to Ouagadougou -- My Mercedes is (Not) For Sale by Jeroen Van Bergeik.
Thursday: Joe’s been working on a wrap-up program about the Olympics: Here’s the question for the week: Did the Beijing Olympics change your mind about China? How would you rate it as a PR campaign?
Friday: Help! Help! Calling all foodies! Our cupboard of food ideas is bare, and that’s a shame with all this glorious harvest produce pouring into the market.
I’ll be spending the weekend in Aspen, attending a memorial service for a very dear friend.
Adios,
Jean
The truth is it's damn hard to program the show in the last half of August –- nothing happening, everybody on vacation, and the mattresses are on the march. But we've managed, nonetheless, to come up with a week’s worth of programs –- almost. For some strange reason, the Food Friday programs which are usually the easiest to book are drawing blanks lately. We'd love to have your suggestions on international cuisines, new food trends, great cooks, unusual cookbooks, memorable kitchen stories, characters, etc. Send your ideas to hereonearth@wpr.org, or post them on my blog, or on our new producers’ blog. And thank you!
Monday: WERN music host Lori Skelton fills in for me on Monday with a preview of the upcoming World Music Festival (UW-Madison, Sept. 12-14)
Tuesday: The last time John Nichols was on the show he made my jaw drop by suggesting that we do a program about What Bush Got Right. Lo and behold it shows up on the cover of this month’s Newsweek. John gives it a spin by talking about the ways in which Obama and McCain are each likely to follow in Bush’s footsteps.
Wednesday: Now this is a hairbrained idea: Buy a beat up Mercedes and drive it through the Sahara to see what you can get for it on the Third World used car market. But that’s exactly what an allegedly really smart Dutchman set out to do. It’s one of the strangest road trips you’ll ever hear about: From Amsterdam to Ouagadougou -- My Mercedes is (Not) For Sale by Jeroen Van Bergeik.
Thursday: Joe’s been working on a wrap-up program about the Olympics: Here’s the question for the week: Did the Beijing Olympics change your mind about China? How would you rate it as a PR campaign?
Friday: Help! Help! Calling all foodies! Our cupboard of food ideas is bare, and that’s a shame with all this glorious harvest produce pouring into the market.
I’ll be spending the weekend in Aspen, attending a memorial service for a very dear friend.
Adios,
Jean
Friday, August 15, 2008
What Just Hit Us
Friday, August 15, 2008 (oh my goodness, it's the Feast of the Assumption!)
Okay, okay, I've been a lousy blogger. I admit it. But all that's about to change. It took two crackshot media consultants and a tw0-day workshop on social networking to get me to see the light. Sue Schardt and Mary McGrath arrived in Madison on Tuesday and hit the ground running and we're not exactly sure what just hit us. But here I am blogging about blogging, plus as of yesterday every member of the Here on Earth production team has a Facebook page, plus a page for the show, plus we've been Twittered, and just this morning Joe created a really spiffy Here on Earth - the Blog Without Borders complete with video. Check it out! All this in the span of three days!
Okay, okay, I've been a lousy blogger. I admit it. But all that's about to change. It took two crackshot media consultants and a tw0-day workshop on social networking to get me to see the light. Sue Schardt and Mary McGrath arrived in Madison on Tuesday and hit the ground running and we're not exactly sure what just hit us. But here I am blogging about blogging, plus as of yesterday every member of the Here on Earth production team has a Facebook page, plus a page for the show, plus we've been Twittered, and just this morning Joe created a really spiffy Here on Earth - the Blog Without Borders complete with video. Check it out! All this in the span of three days!
That's Sue of SchardtMEDIA to the right.
P.S. The purpose of all this is to get you guys to help us produce the show. I'm not kidding.
P.S. The purpose of all this is to get you guys to help us produce the show. I'm not kidding.
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Aug 11-15 Programs
Dear Friends,
This will be an interesting week. The Here on Earth team is about to about to make the leap into cyberspace! On Wednesday and Thursday we’ll be attending a training seminar that will teach us how to use social networking and other new media tools (Twitter, Face Book, MySpace, etc.) to extend the reach of the program and build an interactive global community. Since I don’t really know anything about all this, we thought we’d start with a program about it on Monday. Lisa found an expert in Australia…
Monday: Mark Pesce, one of the early pioneers in virtual reality, is an expert on the future of technology and the author of The Human Network: Sharing, Knowledge and Power in the 21st Century.
Tuesday: I spent last weekend at the Harwood Institute for Public Innovators in the gorgeous Columbia River Gorge on the border of Washington and Oregon. There I met an extraordinary man -- Jerry White -- who lost his leg from a land mine explosion while camping in Israel 20 years ago. Now he’s the director of Survivorcorps, an organization that works to rehabilitate and empower people all over the world who are victims of the consequences of war. He’s a happy guy, and he loves his work. You may have seen him interviewed recently on Good Morning America.
Wednesday: While we’re in training this week, you’ve be enjoying listening to the incomparable Satish Kumar talk about his walks on the wild side.
Thursday: An American couple with six figure salaries chucks it all to sail into the Wild Blue Yonder and sends back Notes from Patagonia.
Friday: Any ideas? We could use a little help from our friends on a great mid-August food show. Send your suggestions to hereonearth@wpr.org.
And now, on to OutSourcifying!
Jean
This will be an interesting week. The Here on Earth team is about to about to make the leap into cyberspace! On Wednesday and Thursday we’ll be attending a training seminar that will teach us how to use social networking and other new media tools (Twitter, Face Book, MySpace, etc.) to extend the reach of the program and build an interactive global community. Since I don’t really know anything about all this, we thought we’d start with a program about it on Monday. Lisa found an expert in Australia…
Monday: Mark Pesce, one of the early pioneers in virtual reality, is an expert on the future of technology and the author of The Human Network: Sharing, Knowledge and Power in the 21st Century.
Tuesday: I spent last weekend at the Harwood Institute for Public Innovators in the gorgeous Columbia River Gorge on the border of Washington and Oregon. There I met an extraordinary man -- Jerry White -- who lost his leg from a land mine explosion while camping in Israel 20 years ago. Now he’s the director of Survivorcorps, an organization that works to rehabilitate and empower people all over the world who are victims of the consequences of war. He’s a happy guy, and he loves his work. You may have seen him interviewed recently on Good Morning America.
Wednesday: While we’re in training this week, you’ve be enjoying listening to the incomparable Satish Kumar talk about his walks on the wild side.
Thursday: An American couple with six figure salaries chucks it all to sail into the Wild Blue Yonder and sends back Notes from Patagonia.
Friday: Any ideas? We could use a little help from our friends on a great mid-August food show. Send your suggestions to hereonearth@wpr.org.
And now, on to OutSourcifying!
Jean
Friday, August 01, 2008
Aug 4-8 Programs
Dear Friends and Fans,
Monday: Remote Area Medical: Get ready for the wild and wooly world of Stan Brock, who was once seen wrestling an anaconda on ABC’s Wild Kingdom! Now he flies portable medical clinics and teams of volunteer doctors to set up portable medical clinics in third world countries including, and guess which country just joined his list – the United States! Next stop? Tennesee.
Tuesday: Capoeira! Five centuries ago, slaves from West Africa who ended up in Brazil practiced capoeira as a martial art, a game, and a way to keep their native cultures alive. Since then it’s been spreading like a fever through the forests of Brazil, and landing in places as distant as Berkeley, California and Madison, Wisconsin. But as capoeira gets farther and farther from home, is it still recognizable?
Wednesday: After decades of harassment, there are signs that transgender communities in India and Cuba are finally getting accepted. India has a transgendered TV talk show host, and in Cuba, gender reassignment surgeries are being routinely performed. Progress? You decide.
Thursday: Tuna! Richard Ellis, author of The Book of Sharks, introduces us to a fish that can weigh in at 1500 pounds and speed up to 55 miles per hour - an Atlantic northern bluefin can travel from New England to the Mediterranean, then turn around and swim back; one of the biggest, fastest, and most highly evolved marine animals now hovering on the brink of extinction. I once visited a tuna museum in Sardinia and marveled.
Friday: In honor of the start of the Beijing Olympics, we are working on a program about Chinese eating.
I’ll be spending the weekend on the Columbia River in Washington with fellows from Richard Harwood’s Institute for Public Innovation. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Jean
Monday: Remote Area Medical: Get ready for the wild and wooly world of Stan Brock, who was once seen wrestling an anaconda on ABC’s Wild Kingdom! Now he flies portable medical clinics and teams of volunteer doctors to set up portable medical clinics in third world countries including, and guess which country just joined his list – the United States! Next stop? Tennesee.
Tuesday: Capoeira! Five centuries ago, slaves from West Africa who ended up in Brazil practiced capoeira as a martial art, a game, and a way to keep their native cultures alive. Since then it’s been spreading like a fever through the forests of Brazil, and landing in places as distant as Berkeley, California and Madison, Wisconsin. But as capoeira gets farther and farther from home, is it still recognizable?
Wednesday: After decades of harassment, there are signs that transgender communities in India and Cuba are finally getting accepted. India has a transgendered TV talk show host, and in Cuba, gender reassignment surgeries are being routinely performed. Progress? You decide.
Thursday: Tuna! Richard Ellis, author of The Book of Sharks, introduces us to a fish that can weigh in at 1500 pounds and speed up to 55 miles per hour - an Atlantic northern bluefin can travel from New England to the Mediterranean, then turn around and swim back; one of the biggest, fastest, and most highly evolved marine animals now hovering on the brink of extinction. I once visited a tuna museum in Sardinia and marveled.
Friday: In honor of the start of the Beijing Olympics, we are working on a program about Chinese eating.
I’ll be spending the weekend on the Columbia River in Washington with fellows from Richard Harwood’s Institute for Public Innovation. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Jean
Friday, July 25, 2008
July 28 - Aug 1 Programs
Dear Friends,
We’re closing in on the last week in July – alas! The older we get, the faster summer flies by. But what better time to bring you a program about HOW TO COOK AT THE SOUTH POLE? (don’t miss this week’s Food Friday)
Also, if you happened to miss today’s program on The Natural Step: The Science of Sustainability, you’ll want to check it out. One of the best holistic systems approaches to sustainability I’ve come across. David Cook, the Chief Exec of TNS International, helped me understand how all our problems, from gas prices to lay-offs, are interconnected, and how initiatives as diverse as composting and rain gardens all contribute to the solution. We touched on so many things – from politics to business to government, weaving it all together.
Here’s the line-up for the coming week:
Monday: Barack Obama’s International Tour: Some are hailing it a global victory lap; others say it was a big mistake. John Nichols weighs in and we may have a journalist from Deutsche Welle joining us as well.
Tuesday: When Elizabeth Pisani is asked what she does for a living, she replies, “sex and drugs”. As an epidemiologist who has studied AIDS for the past fourteen years, she knows her stuff. Elizabeth Pisani joins us to talk about international AIDS prevention and her new book, The Wisdom of Whores: Bureaucrats, Brothels, and the Business of AIDS.
Wednesday: Books That Open the World: We had so much fun talking about great summer reads for kids, we thought why not do the same thing for grown-ups? So we invited NPR’s Alan Cheuse to join us with his list of new favorites.
Thursday: If you take a look at the U.S.’s first Olympics in St. Louis in 1904, you’ll find a lot of the same rhetoric being used in Beijing today. According to Susan Brownell, who has lifelong experience in Chinese sports as an athlete and anthropologist, the Chinese government is using the Olympics as a model to build a fair and powerful nation. Will the Olympics change China?
Friday: Cooking in the Coldest Place on Earth: Forget the cookbooks and the recipes, you have to be really creative to cook at the South Pole where ingredients take at least a week to thaw and foods like pasta turn to instant mush.
Good stuff, huh?
We’ve added a new occasional Thursday feature, by the way: The Here on Earth Mailbag, with content provided exclusively by you. Didn’t get a chance to be on the air? Send your comments to hereonearth@wpr.org or call 1-608-890-0269, and you get a second chance.
Jean
We’re closing in on the last week in July – alas! The older we get, the faster summer flies by. But what better time to bring you a program about HOW TO COOK AT THE SOUTH POLE? (don’t miss this week’s Food Friday)
Also, if you happened to miss today’s program on The Natural Step: The Science of Sustainability, you’ll want to check it out. One of the best holistic systems approaches to sustainability I’ve come across. David Cook, the Chief Exec of TNS International, helped me understand how all our problems, from gas prices to lay-offs, are interconnected, and how initiatives as diverse as composting and rain gardens all contribute to the solution. We touched on so many things – from politics to business to government, weaving it all together.
Here’s the line-up for the coming week:
Monday: Barack Obama’s International Tour: Some are hailing it a global victory lap; others say it was a big mistake. John Nichols weighs in and we may have a journalist from Deutsche Welle joining us as well.
Tuesday: When Elizabeth Pisani is asked what she does for a living, she replies, “sex and drugs”. As an epidemiologist who has studied AIDS for the past fourteen years, she knows her stuff. Elizabeth Pisani joins us to talk about international AIDS prevention and her new book, The Wisdom of Whores: Bureaucrats, Brothels, and the Business of AIDS.
Wednesday: Books That Open the World: We had so much fun talking about great summer reads for kids, we thought why not do the same thing for grown-ups? So we invited NPR’s Alan Cheuse to join us with his list of new favorites.
Thursday: If you take a look at the U.S.’s first Olympics in St. Louis in 1904, you’ll find a lot of the same rhetoric being used in Beijing today. According to Susan Brownell, who has lifelong experience in Chinese sports as an athlete and anthropologist, the Chinese government is using the Olympics as a model to build a fair and powerful nation. Will the Olympics change China?
Friday: Cooking in the Coldest Place on Earth: Forget the cookbooks and the recipes, you have to be really creative to cook at the South Pole where ingredients take at least a week to thaw and foods like pasta turn to instant mush.
Good stuff, huh?
We’ve added a new occasional Thursday feature, by the way: The Here on Earth Mailbag, with content provided exclusively by you. Didn’t get a chance to be on the air? Send your comments to hereonearth@wpr.org or call 1-608-890-0269, and you get a second chance.
Jean
Friday, July 18, 2008
July 21-25 Programs
Salve, Amici!
Here’s what’s coming up this week on Here on Earth:
Monday: Samuel Johnson once said that patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel. With Democrats and Republicans waging a war of words over which candidate is the true patriot, how do you weigh in? Join us for what promises to be a lively discussion about the nature of patriotism and its place in this year’s presidential election.
Tuesday: Imagine an American summer camp where no one speaks English and you can’t either. Welcome to the world of language camps, where traditional activities like canoeing and hiking are conducted completely in Spanish, Chinese, or even Arabic. We'll be joined by Donna Clementi of the Concordia Language Villages, and a new camp in the Fox Valleys of Wisconsin.
Wednesday: Life is good for Binti, a young girl living in Malawi. She has a role on a radio play and goes to a prestigious school. But when her father dies of AIDS and she’s sent to live with resentful relatives, Binti has to find a way to remake her life. You might recognize this plot from The Heaven Shop, the latest book from Canada’s award-winning children’s author, Deborah Ellis.
Thursday: “I don’t believe the solutions…will come from the left or the right…They will come from islands of people with integrity who want to do something.” So said the founder of The Natural Step, a program for sustainability based on the laws of thermodynamics that was founded by Swedish scientist Karl-Henrik Robert. Followers include Whistler, BC, IKEA, and groups in Eugene, Oregon, and Madison, Wisconsin.
Friday: In order to save an endangered species, you have to eat it! Or so says the coalition of groups behind Renewing America’s Food Traditions, a project committed to restoring the unique foods of North America as elements of living cultures and regional cuisines.
Think Woody: That’s all, Folks!
Jean
Here’s what’s coming up this week on Here on Earth:
Monday: Samuel Johnson once said that patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel. With Democrats and Republicans waging a war of words over which candidate is the true patriot, how do you weigh in? Join us for what promises to be a lively discussion about the nature of patriotism and its place in this year’s presidential election.
Tuesday: Imagine an American summer camp where no one speaks English and you can’t either. Welcome to the world of language camps, where traditional activities like canoeing and hiking are conducted completely in Spanish, Chinese, or even Arabic. We'll be joined by Donna Clementi of the Concordia Language Villages, and a new camp in the Fox Valleys of Wisconsin.
Wednesday: Life is good for Binti, a young girl living in Malawi. She has a role on a radio play and goes to a prestigious school. But when her father dies of AIDS and she’s sent to live with resentful relatives, Binti has to find a way to remake her life. You might recognize this plot from The Heaven Shop, the latest book from Canada’s award-winning children’s author, Deborah Ellis.
Thursday: “I don’t believe the solutions…will come from the left or the right…They will come from islands of people with integrity who want to do something.” So said the founder of The Natural Step, a program for sustainability based on the laws of thermodynamics that was founded by Swedish scientist Karl-Henrik Robert. Followers include Whistler, BC, IKEA, and groups in Eugene, Oregon, and Madison, Wisconsin.
Friday: In order to save an endangered species, you have to eat it! Or so says the coalition of groups behind Renewing America’s Food Traditions, a project committed to restoring the unique foods of North America as elements of living cultures and regional cuisines.
Think Woody: That’s all, Folks!
Jean
Sunday, July 13, 2008
July 14-18 Programs
Dear Here-on-Earthians:
Here’s the line-up for next week:
Monday:When Africa Goes Pop: One of the rising movements in American indie-rock comes out of West Africa. Obscure recordings from the seventies are suddenly flying off the shelves, finding new fans in record stores and on-line. So why are white hipsters listening to old school African fun? If you like music, this will be a fun show to listen to (produced by Joe Hardtke, our musician/drummer/tech guy).
Tuesday: The ex-director of the Royal Geographical Society and expert on all matters Amazonian – John Hemming, author of Tree of Rivers: The Story of the Amazon, regales us with stories of the river’s amazing and tangled history. He knows whereof he speaks – this guy’s done it all: gotten hopelessly lost, contracted malaria, hacked trails through dense rainforest.
Wednesday: Kids Read: In this first post-Harry Potter summer, are you looking for good books for your children? We have some great recommendations. They’re not only fun, but also give young minds an early start on becoming a world citizen.
Thursday: Gregorian Chant Hits the Top of the British Pop Chart: In a quiet monastery deep in the Vienna woods a group of Benedictine monks have become pop stars since their album shot to #7 this spring. What prompted them to get into the music business? And what’s behind the sudden popularity of this ancient style of sacred chant?
Friday: How the California wine industry trumped France: In 1976, the wine world was stunned when red and white wines from unknown California vintners beat out established French wines in a blind tasting. Today, California and France stand at the forefront of a global interest in wine production and consumption. What has happened since the “Judgement of Paris?” Uncork a favorite bottle and listen in as guest host Lori Skelton and author George M. Taber explore the many pleasures to be found between Napa Valley and Bordeaux.
My Pick of Last Week: Thursday with Salman Rushdie; Friday with Adam Gollner and The Fruit Hunters. What’s your?
Thanks for listening and stay tuned!
Jean
Here’s the line-up for next week:
Monday:When Africa Goes Pop: One of the rising movements in American indie-rock comes out of West Africa. Obscure recordings from the seventies are suddenly flying off the shelves, finding new fans in record stores and on-line. So why are white hipsters listening to old school African fun? If you like music, this will be a fun show to listen to (produced by Joe Hardtke, our musician/drummer/tech guy).
Tuesday: The ex-director of the Royal Geographical Society and expert on all matters Amazonian – John Hemming, author of Tree of Rivers: The Story of the Amazon, regales us with stories of the river’s amazing and tangled history. He knows whereof he speaks – this guy’s done it all: gotten hopelessly lost, contracted malaria, hacked trails through dense rainforest.
Wednesday: Kids Read: In this first post-Harry Potter summer, are you looking for good books for your children? We have some great recommendations. They’re not only fun, but also give young minds an early start on becoming a world citizen.
Thursday: Gregorian Chant Hits the Top of the British Pop Chart: In a quiet monastery deep in the Vienna woods a group of Benedictine monks have become pop stars since their album shot to #7 this spring. What prompted them to get into the music business? And what’s behind the sudden popularity of this ancient style of sacred chant?
Friday: How the California wine industry trumped France: In 1976, the wine world was stunned when red and white wines from unknown California vintners beat out established French wines in a blind tasting. Today, California and France stand at the forefront of a global interest in wine production and consumption. What has happened since the “Judgement of Paris?” Uncork a favorite bottle and listen in as guest host Lori Skelton and author George M. Taber explore the many pleasures to be found between Napa Valley and Bordeaux.
My Pick of Last Week: Thursday with Salman Rushdie; Friday with Adam Gollner and The Fruit Hunters. What’s your?
Thanks for listening and stay tuned!
Jean
Sunday, July 06, 2008
July 7-11 Programs
Dear Here-on-Earthians,
Salman Rushdie is coming to Madison this week. He'll be giving a reading at Border's West on Friday at 7:00pm. But if you can't make it, you can talk with him directly Thursday at 3:00 on Here on Earth! Here's what else we've got in store for you this week:
Monday: Muhaja Babes: Meet the New Middle East -– Young, Sexy and Devout: veiled young women in the Middle East who combine traditional piety with a secular sensibility, wearing tight bluejeans with their headscarves, following pop stars and religious leaders with equal devotion. Guest: Allegra Stratton former BBC producer.
Tuesday: Human: The Science Behind What Makes Us Unique: According to Michael S. Gazzaniga -– one of the world's leading neuroscientists -– language, memory, emotion and perception determine the difference.
Wednesday: We're hoping to reschedule Guantanamo Bay Diary. We promised you this program last week but got it back on the docket. It was Google that got Mahvish Khan to Gitmo. Then a student of the University of Miami School of Law and native speaker of Pashto, Mahvish was the perfect candidate to work as a translator for Guantánamo Bay detainees. But she could never have anticipated the stories that she would hear on her trips down to Cuba.
Thursday is Salman Rushdie Day. His latest book is a historical novel that goes back and forth between 16th century Florence and the hedonistic Mughal capital of India. But we'll try to get him to talk about sex and Satan as well.
Friday: Ever tasted a cloudberry, an ice cream bean, or a peanut butter fruit? From the apple orchards of Washington to the forests of Bali and beyond, Adam Gollner, author of The Fruit Hunters, traveled the globe in search of its most delicious and exotic fruits.
Have a great week!
Jean
Salman Rushdie is coming to Madison this week. He'll be giving a reading at Border's West on Friday at 7:00pm. But if you can't make it, you can talk with him directly Thursday at 3:00 on Here on Earth! Here's what else we've got in store for you this week:
Monday: Muhaja Babes: Meet the New Middle East -– Young, Sexy and Devout: veiled young women in the Middle East who combine traditional piety with a secular sensibility, wearing tight bluejeans with their headscarves, following pop stars and religious leaders with equal devotion. Guest: Allegra Stratton former BBC producer.
Tuesday: Human: The Science Behind What Makes Us Unique: According to Michael S. Gazzaniga -– one of the world's leading neuroscientists -– language, memory, emotion and perception determine the difference.
Wednesday: We're hoping to reschedule Guantanamo Bay Diary. We promised you this program last week but got it back on the docket. It was Google that got Mahvish Khan to Gitmo. Then a student of the University of Miami School of Law and native speaker of Pashto, Mahvish was the perfect candidate to work as a translator for Guantánamo Bay detainees. But she could never have anticipated the stories that she would hear on her trips down to Cuba.
Thursday is Salman Rushdie Day. His latest book is a historical novel that goes back and forth between 16th century Florence and the hedonistic Mughal capital of India. But we'll try to get him to talk about sex and Satan as well.
Friday: Ever tasted a cloudberry, an ice cream bean, or a peanut butter fruit? From the apple orchards of Washington to the forests of Bali and beyond, Adam Gollner, author of The Fruit Hunters, traveled the globe in search of its most delicious and exotic fruits.
Have a great week!
Jean
Sunday, June 29, 2008
June 30 - July 4 Programs
Dear Hereonearthlings,
Jean is coming back on air on Monday. We have missed her because the office sounds too quiet without her presence and laughter. Here's what we have lined up for her next week:
Monday: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore: An Environmental Success Story. Since 1970 the lands and waters of Lake Superior's Apostle Islands have been protected by the federal government as the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, thanks to Gaylord Nelson, father of Earth Day. But thirty-five years ago, people said this could never happen.
Tuesday: Canada Apologizes to its Native Peoples for its Boarding School Policy, following Australia's example. So what about us?
Wednesday: Jean talks to Valzhyna Mort, a young Belarusian poet who is a rising star in the international poetry world.
Thursday: For an insider perspective on what goes on inside Gitmo, join us for: My Guantanamo Diary. An Afghan translator gets into Guantanamo and manages by stealth to record a number of candid interviews with Afghan detainees.
Friday: How has German "hamburg steak" evolved into hamburgers, an American icon? Jean and her guest trace how the hamburger has gone from a little-known, greasy-spoon treat sold at fairs and carnivals to a mass-produced mammoth that is almost omnipresent across the globe.
Last, some improvement on our website over the past two "quiet" weeks: First, I have created a RSS news feed to allow you to receive latest program update automatically from your news feed reader such as Bloglines. Second, there are so many ways to listen to our program (on-air, online, MP3, podcast, streaming) and to contact us (phone, email, IM, Facebook) that it could become confusing. Now a new "how to listen" and "contact" page should help you sort out your options. If you have other ideas on how to improve our web site, please send them in from our "Comments" web page. I would love to hear about them.
Thanks. Cheers.
Lisa Bu
Web Producer
Here on Earth: Radio Without Borders
Wisconsin Public Radio
Jean is coming back on air on Monday. We have missed her because the office sounds too quiet without her presence and laughter. Here's what we have lined up for her next week:
Monday: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore: An Environmental Success Story. Since 1970 the lands and waters of Lake Superior's Apostle Islands have been protected by the federal government as the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, thanks to Gaylord Nelson, father of Earth Day. But thirty-five years ago, people said this could never happen.
Tuesday: Canada Apologizes to its Native Peoples for its Boarding School Policy, following Australia's example. So what about us?
Wednesday: Jean talks to Valzhyna Mort, a young Belarusian poet who is a rising star in the international poetry world.
Thursday: For an insider perspective on what goes on inside Gitmo, join us for: My Guantanamo Diary. An Afghan translator gets into Guantanamo and manages by stealth to record a number of candid interviews with Afghan detainees.
Friday: How has German "hamburg steak" evolved into hamburgers, an American icon? Jean and her guest trace how the hamburger has gone from a little-known, greasy-spoon treat sold at fairs and carnivals to a mass-produced mammoth that is almost omnipresent across the globe.
Last, some improvement on our website over the past two "quiet" weeks: First, I have created a RSS news feed to allow you to receive latest program update automatically from your news feed reader such as Bloglines. Second, there are so many ways to listen to our program (on-air, online, MP3, podcast, streaming) and to contact us (phone, email, IM, Facebook) that it could become confusing. Now a new "how to listen" and "contact" page should help you sort out your options. If you have other ideas on how to improve our web site, please send them in from our "Comments" web page. I would love to hear about them.
Thanks. Cheers.
Lisa Bu
Web Producer
Here on Earth: Radio Without Borders
Wisconsin Public Radio
Saturday, June 14, 2008
June 16-27 Programs
Dear Friends,
Hail, and Farewell, at least for a couple of weeks while I’ll be on vacation with my family. Since love is lovelier the second time around, we hope you’ll enjoy listening to some of our best Here on Earth programs from the past year. We made our choices based in part on your comments and responses. I’ll be back in the saddle on Monday, June 30, starting with a program about the extraordinary transformation that Lake Superior’s Apostle Islands have undergone since being declared a national wilderness preserve.
WEEK ONE
WEEK TWO
Jean
Hail, and Farewell, at least for a couple of weeks while I’ll be on vacation with my family. Since love is lovelier the second time around, we hope you’ll enjoy listening to some of our best Here on Earth programs from the past year. We made our choices based in part on your comments and responses. I’ll be back in the saddle on Monday, June 30, starting with a program about the extraordinary transformation that Lake Superior’s Apostle Islands have undergone since being declared a national wilderness preserve.
WEEK ONE
- June 16th - (repeat from 4/23/07) – Is Peace A Dirty Word?
- June 17th - (repeat from 1/29/08) – The Dead Beat: The Art of Obituaries
- June 18th - (repeat from 4/11/08) – Lila Downs’ Ranchero Music
- June 19th - (repeat from 6/21/07) – Poetry Circle of the Air: Maxine Kumin (featuring the Excrement Poem)
- June 20th - (repeat from 5/25/07) – How to Pick a Peach
WEEK TWO
- June 23rd - (repeat from 3/25/08) – Young America and the Middle East (featuring Jewish-American journalist Gideon Yago and Iranian-American Reza Aslan)
- June 24th - (repeat from 7/16/07) – The World Without Us
- June 25th - (repeat from 5/21/08) - Street Cries from Around the World (starring the ever-amazing Annie Zanzillotto)
- June 26th - (repeat from 8/23/07) – Edith Piaf and the Street Singers of Paris
- June 27th - (repeat from 3/21/08) – Yerba Mate
Jean
Saturday, June 07, 2008
June 9-13 Programs
Dear Friends,
Here’s what’s in the line-up for Here on Earth programs next week:
Monday: My Cousin the Saint: This is a new twist on geneology and the search for roots: Justin Catanoso was a typically lapsed American Catholic when he discovered that his late cousin was about to be canonized by Pope John Paul II. Now, you have to understand what drew me to this topic: I lost a long-standing debate with my husband over the issue of whether the Pope has the right to make saints when my position was completely compromised by, of all people, – the Pope himself! Plus, Justin happened to come from a family in Calabria, my paternal homeland.
Tuesday: In his new book, A Thousand Hills, Stephen Kinzer tells the astonishing story of how Paul Kagame, the president of Rwanda, seized power in his genocide-shattered country and brought about one of the most successful revolutions of the modern era. I hope he doesn’t leave out the role of the women.
Wednesday: Who Owns Antiquities? Should they be returned to the countries where they were found? Museum directors say no, but countries such as Italy, Greece, Turkey, and China are all clamoring for their return, and have passed laws against their future export. We’ll talk with James Cuno, director of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Thursday: One of New York City’s most venerable institutions, The Center for Traditional Music and Dance, just held a festival and put out a CD in honor of its 40th anniversary. Starting with Balkan immigrants in the Bronx, the Center now spans traditions from all over the globe, bringing age-old enemies side by side on the same stage. Talk about diversity!
Friday: What kind of diet reduces miles rather than calories? Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon’s 100-Mile Diet, which has taken off as a new way to think – and eat – locally. We’ll talk with Alisa about the challenge she and James set for themselves: to eat only food produced within 100 miles of their British Columbian apartment for one year. Can eating locally really help save the planet?
Sayonara,
Jean
Here’s what’s in the line-up for Here on Earth programs next week:
Monday: My Cousin the Saint: This is a new twist on geneology and the search for roots: Justin Catanoso was a typically lapsed American Catholic when he discovered that his late cousin was about to be canonized by Pope John Paul II. Now, you have to understand what drew me to this topic: I lost a long-standing debate with my husband over the issue of whether the Pope has the right to make saints when my position was completely compromised by, of all people, – the Pope himself! Plus, Justin happened to come from a family in Calabria, my paternal homeland.
Tuesday: In his new book, A Thousand Hills, Stephen Kinzer tells the astonishing story of how Paul Kagame, the president of Rwanda, seized power in his genocide-shattered country and brought about one of the most successful revolutions of the modern era. I hope he doesn’t leave out the role of the women.
Wednesday: Who Owns Antiquities? Should they be returned to the countries where they were found? Museum directors say no, but countries such as Italy, Greece, Turkey, and China are all clamoring for their return, and have passed laws against their future export. We’ll talk with James Cuno, director of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Thursday: One of New York City’s most venerable institutions, The Center for Traditional Music and Dance, just held a festival and put out a CD in honor of its 40th anniversary. Starting with Balkan immigrants in the Bronx, the Center now spans traditions from all over the globe, bringing age-old enemies side by side on the same stage. Talk about diversity!
Friday: What kind of diet reduces miles rather than calories? Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon’s 100-Mile Diet, which has taken off as a new way to think – and eat – locally. We’ll talk with Alisa about the challenge she and James set for themselves: to eat only food produced within 100 miles of their British Columbian apartment for one year. Can eating locally really help save the planet?
Sayonara,
Jean
Saturday, May 31, 2008
June 2-6 Programs
Hello Friends, Thursday has rolled around once again and it’s time to let you in on what the Here on Earth team has in store for you this coming week:
Monday: China’s Earthquake Generation: Our mission, as you know, is to deliver good news whenever we can, so we tend to stay shy of stories about natural disasters. But when we began hearing that in the aftermath of China’s earthquake, hundreds of students had lined up to donate blood and supplies while others went to the earthquake zone, traveling more than 1,000 miles to distribute aid, we knew we had a Here on Earth story.
Tuesday: Green Collar Jobs: What are they and where are they? John Foley, the director of SAGE, the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment, joins us to talk about green economics.
Wednesday:Hardcore Zen: The story of a punk whose lifelong quest for truth led him through a path from the aggressive beats of hardcore punk music to the monster movie studios in Tokyo to a temple where he discovered Zen Buddhism. Brad Warner is a Zen monk, a musician, a filmmaker, and the author of Hardcore Zen: Punk Rock, Monster Movies, and the Truth about Reality.
Thursday: We’ve heard that The Daily Show is where young Americans get their news. But is it the same in the UK? What about Australia? And should every news story be turned into a joke?
Friday: It’s not Valentine’s Day, but who cares? Any day is a good day to talk about Chocolate: Chocolatier Gail Ambrosius has been all over Central and Latin America, visiting cocoa growers. It’s a little like going to the vineyard before you make the wine.
It’s been a long week. I’m out’a here!
Jean
Monday: China’s Earthquake Generation: Our mission, as you know, is to deliver good news whenever we can, so we tend to stay shy of stories about natural disasters. But when we began hearing that in the aftermath of China’s earthquake, hundreds of students had lined up to donate blood and supplies while others went to the earthquake zone, traveling more than 1,000 miles to distribute aid, we knew we had a Here on Earth story.
Tuesday: Green Collar Jobs: What are they and where are they? John Foley, the director of SAGE, the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment, joins us to talk about green economics.
Wednesday:Hardcore Zen: The story of a punk whose lifelong quest for truth led him through a path from the aggressive beats of hardcore punk music to the monster movie studios in Tokyo to a temple where he discovered Zen Buddhism. Brad Warner is a Zen monk, a musician, a filmmaker, and the author of Hardcore Zen: Punk Rock, Monster Movies, and the Truth about Reality.
Thursday: We’ve heard that The Daily Show is where young Americans get their news. But is it the same in the UK? What about Australia? And should every news story be turned into a joke?
Friday: It’s not Valentine’s Day, but who cares? Any day is a good day to talk about Chocolate: Chocolatier Gail Ambrosius has been all over Central and Latin America, visiting cocoa growers. It’s a little like going to the vineyard before you make the wine.
It’s been a long week. I’m out’a here!
Jean
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Mafalda
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
You may have been surprised and delighted, as I was, to hear a promo for this Thursday's Here on Earth program broadcast in Spanish in a sweet little girl's voice. That was Constanza Serrani (a.k.a. Liborio - she changed her name), our student producer from Argentina who convinced us to do a program about Mafalda, the influential Argentine comic strip that features a six-year-old wunderkind famous for her witty political quips and ironic observations about life. The comic strip is intended for an adult audience, a little like Peanuts' Charlie Brown, and its popularity has spread throughout Europe and even into China. Isn't it about time we Americans were introduced? I hope you'll be listening tomorrow and let us know what you think.
Also, we're adding a new weekly feature to our programming: A Here on Earth Mailbag. Beginning next Monday, June 2, I'll be reading some listener comments from the previous week's programs. We figure it's one way to keep you listening through the end of the hour, and of letting you know that we really do read them and want more, more more!
You may have been surprised and delighted, as I was, to hear a promo for this Thursday's Here on Earth program broadcast in Spanish in a sweet little girl's voice. That was Constanza Serrani (a.k.a. Liborio - she changed her name), our student producer from Argentina who convinced us to do a program about Mafalda, the influential Argentine comic strip that features a six-year-old wunderkind famous for her witty political quips and ironic observations about life. The comic strip is intended for an adult audience, a little like Peanuts' Charlie Brown, and its popularity has spread throughout Europe and even into China. Isn't it about time we Americans were introduced? I hope you'll be listening tomorrow and let us know what you think.
Also, we're adding a new weekly feature to our programming: A Here on Earth Mailbag. Beginning next Monday, June 2, I'll be reading some listener comments from the previous week's programs. We figure it's one way to keep you listening through the end of the hour, and of letting you know that we really do read them and want more, more more!
Friday, May 23, 2008
Hi Everybody!
Here ‘s what’s coming up on Here on Earth the last week in May:
Monday, Memorial Day: Naples vs. the Nazis: we explore a long-kept secret left over from the last world war: how the Neapolitans fought a guerilla war against the Nazis during World War I, with John Domini, the author of a memoir in progress: Cooking the Octopus: Discovering Naples, My Father, and Myself.
Tuesday: The Garbage Warrior: Michael Reynolds builds houses out of garbage -- literally. He's the subject of The Garbage Warrior, a documentary about his adventures building what he calls "earthships", off-grid sustainable communities made out of beer cans, old tires, and plastic bottles. We'll talk with director, Oliver Hodge, and the Garbage Warrior himself.
Wednesday: American Universities Go Overseas: From Kuwait to Singapore, American universities are expanding. At Kean University, plans for a campus in China are underway. At the University of Washington, a program in Abu Dhabi teaches recent UAE graduates the skills they need to make it in the contemporary workforce. Guests: Kean University President Dawood Farahi; University of Washington program coordinator Marisa Nickle.
Thursday: Mafalda: a comic strip for adults from Argentina, it features a five-year-old girl named Mafalda who is deeply concerned about humanity, world peace, and the current state of society. Written and drawn by the Argentine cartoonist Quino, Mafalda is a huge hit all over Latin America, Europe, and elsewhere, with ambitions to take on the US next.
Friday: “All you need is love. And wine. And beer. And food”, that’s the motto for the next festival of food and music at the University of Gastronomical Sciences in Pollenzo, Italy, an institution dedicated exclusively to the study of food where nobody ever touches a pot.
Have a great Memorial Day weekend!
Jean
Here ‘s what’s coming up on Here on Earth the last week in May:
Monday, Memorial Day: Naples vs. the Nazis: we explore a long-kept secret left over from the last world war: how the Neapolitans fought a guerilla war against the Nazis during World War I, with John Domini, the author of a memoir in progress: Cooking the Octopus: Discovering Naples, My Father, and Myself.
Tuesday: The Garbage Warrior: Michael Reynolds builds houses out of garbage -- literally. He's the subject of The Garbage Warrior, a documentary about his adventures building what he calls "earthships", off-grid sustainable communities made out of beer cans, old tires, and plastic bottles. We'll talk with director, Oliver Hodge, and the Garbage Warrior himself.
Wednesday: American Universities Go Overseas: From Kuwait to Singapore, American universities are expanding. At Kean University, plans for a campus in China are underway. At the University of Washington, a program in Abu Dhabi teaches recent UAE graduates the skills they need to make it in the contemporary workforce. Guests: Kean University President Dawood Farahi; University of Washington program coordinator Marisa Nickle.
Thursday: Mafalda: a comic strip for adults from Argentina, it features a five-year-old girl named Mafalda who is deeply concerned about humanity, world peace, and the current state of society. Written and drawn by the Argentine cartoonist Quino, Mafalda is a huge hit all over Latin America, Europe, and elsewhere, with ambitions to take on the US next.
Friday: “All you need is love. And wine. And beer. And food”, that’s the motto for the next festival of food and music at the University of Gastronomical Sciences in Pollenzo, Italy, an institution dedicated exclusively to the study of food where nobody ever touches a pot.
Have a great Memorial Day weekend!
Jean
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Street Cries
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
I just did one of the best Here on Earth programs ever, thanks to the wizardry of poet/performance artist Annie Lanzilotto and her sidekick, singer/songwriter DePree. Street Cries! Who would have thought that a program about something as commonplace, raw, vulgar, and oh so not midwestern could evoke such a soulful response! We had some wonderful sound lined up from Annie's collection of street cries from all over the world to use in the program, but what callers spontaneously supplied was even better - a garbanzo seller from India, peanut and hot dog vendors at a ballgame, a Vietnamese fish vendor, even an Egyptian hawking cotton candy in Arabic - and so many callers recreating these soul cries right on the air! It was what God intended a talk show should be. The poet in me, the street hawker, rose to the occasion, and Joe Hardtke, our engineer, was just as thrilled. Now, why can't we do that more often? Any ideas?
I just did one of the best Here on Earth programs ever, thanks to the wizardry of poet/performance artist Annie Lanzilotto and her sidekick, singer/songwriter DePree. Street Cries! Who would have thought that a program about something as commonplace, raw, vulgar, and oh so not midwestern could evoke such a soulful response! We had some wonderful sound lined up from Annie's collection of street cries from all over the world to use in the program, but what callers spontaneously supplied was even better - a garbanzo seller from India, peanut and hot dog vendors at a ballgame, a Vietnamese fish vendor, even an Egyptian hawking cotton candy in Arabic - and so many callers recreating these soul cries right on the air! It was what God intended a talk show should be. The poet in me, the street hawker, rose to the occasion, and Joe Hardtke, our engineer, was just as thrilled. Now, why can't we do that more often? Any ideas?
Friday, May 16, 2008
May 19-23 Programs
Dear Here-on-Earthlings,
Here's what's coming up on Here on Earth:
Monday: Colin Tudge, a BBC commentator and the author of 14 books on farming, food, and ecology, argues in Feeding People is Easy, that we can solve the global food crisis by reverting to small farming practices.
Tuesday: Meet two heroic women who have transformed their war trauma into a force for truth and healing.
Wednesday: We are still working on it.
Thursday: People all over the world read and write science fiction. What do they have in common? Jean Feraca talks with a science fiction buff participating in this year's International Science Fiction Conference in Madison, Wisconsin.
Friday: Whad'a they have that we ain't got? Barry Levinson, the founder of the Mustard Museum in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin, reports on his recent mustard-tasting tour of Dijon, France.
Have a great weekend!
Jean
Here's what's coming up on Here on Earth:
Monday: Colin Tudge, a BBC commentator and the author of 14 books on farming, food, and ecology, argues in Feeding People is Easy, that we can solve the global food crisis by reverting to small farming practices.
Tuesday: Meet two heroic women who have transformed their war trauma into a force for truth and healing.
Wednesday: We are still working on it.
Thursday: People all over the world read and write science fiction. What do they have in common? Jean Feraca talks with a science fiction buff participating in this year's International Science Fiction Conference in Madison, Wisconsin.
Friday: Whad'a they have that we ain't got? Barry Levinson, the founder of the Mustard Museum in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin, reports on his recent mustard-tasting tour of Dijon, France.
Have a great weekend!
Jean
Friday, May 09, 2008
May 12-16 Programs
Dahlings, (And by the way, didn’t you love Neal Kernan’s take on Yiddish? Who knew?)
We have a stellar line-up stacked up for you this week – I’m almost sorry I won’t be here for most of it. I’ll be hosting Monday’s program on The Counterfeiters, then heading west for a romp in the California wine country. Veronica Rueckert will be lighting up the airwaves in my place.
Monday: If you haven’t yet seen this year’s Best Foreign Film, The Counterfeiters, you’ve missed a great film experience. It’s the story of a Jewish master counterfeiter who gets sent to Auschwitz where the Nazis force him to head up a counterfeiting operation to help them win the war. It’s based on a true story, and we’ll be talking with Lawrence Malkin who wrote the book behind the movie, Krueger’s Men. I think the movie might still playing at Sundance.
Tuesday: The Man Who Loved China. Simon Winchester, the bestselling author of The Professor and the Madman, brings to life the extraordinary story of Joseph Needham, the brilliant Cambridge scientist who unlocked the most closely held secrets of China, its long and astonishing history of invention and technology Here is a tale of what makes men, nations, and, indeed, mankind itself great—related by one of the world's inimitable storytellers.
Wednesday: When in Rome, do as the Romans. But what if you can't figure out what the Romans are doing? Wednesday we'll crack the code on international culture and tradition with the author of the book Going Dutch in Beijing.
Thursday: A Feminist Version of the Qur’an? The Qur'an is said to be untranslatable, and has so far been the domain of male translators. This hour we'll meet the woman who's tackling the Qur'an with a translation highlighting messages of inclusiveness and tolerance. (The Sublime Qur'an translated by Laleh Bakhtiar, a celebrated scholar of Sufism, a writer, translator, and the only woman to have translated The Qur'an.)
Friday: Remember Paris by Pastry? It was one of our favorite programs last spring, worthy, we thought, of another go. Sink your teeth into the sweets of Paris patisseries as we follow a metro stop guide to pastry shops and the deliciousness of April in Paris with Joyce Slayton Mitchell.
And yes, how sweet it is, this Mother’s Day stuff, these apple blossoms and lilacs, this chardonnay…
See ya…
Jean
We have a stellar line-up stacked up for you this week – I’m almost sorry I won’t be here for most of it. I’ll be hosting Monday’s program on The Counterfeiters, then heading west for a romp in the California wine country. Veronica Rueckert will be lighting up the airwaves in my place.
Monday: If you haven’t yet seen this year’s Best Foreign Film, The Counterfeiters, you’ve missed a great film experience. It’s the story of a Jewish master counterfeiter who gets sent to Auschwitz where the Nazis force him to head up a counterfeiting operation to help them win the war. It’s based on a true story, and we’ll be talking with Lawrence Malkin who wrote the book behind the movie, Krueger’s Men. I think the movie might still playing at Sundance.
Tuesday: The Man Who Loved China. Simon Winchester, the bestselling author of The Professor and the Madman, brings to life the extraordinary story of Joseph Needham, the brilliant Cambridge scientist who unlocked the most closely held secrets of China, its long and astonishing history of invention and technology Here is a tale of what makes men, nations, and, indeed, mankind itself great—related by one of the world's inimitable storytellers.
Wednesday: When in Rome, do as the Romans. But what if you can't figure out what the Romans are doing? Wednesday we'll crack the code on international culture and tradition with the author of the book Going Dutch in Beijing.
Thursday: A Feminist Version of the Qur’an? The Qur'an is said to be untranslatable, and has so far been the domain of male translators. This hour we'll meet the woman who's tackling the Qur'an with a translation highlighting messages of inclusiveness and tolerance. (The Sublime Qur'an translated by Laleh Bakhtiar, a celebrated scholar of Sufism, a writer, translator, and the only woman to have translated The Qur'an.)
Friday: Remember Paris by Pastry? It was one of our favorite programs last spring, worthy, we thought, of another go. Sink your teeth into the sweets of Paris patisseries as we follow a metro stop guide to pastry shops and the deliciousness of April in Paris with Joyce Slayton Mitchell.
And yes, how sweet it is, this Mother’s Day stuff, these apple blossoms and lilacs, this chardonnay…
See ya…
Jean
Sunday, May 04, 2008
May 5-9 Programs
Hi Folks!
First off, I apologize for not getting the bulletin out last week, but I hope you enjoyed our live remote from Conserve School up in Land o’ Lakes last Wednesday as much as I did. I was sick as a dog, but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Glorious setting in the north woods, great kids that make you feel like there’s hope for the world after all, and amazing teachers like Jeff Rennicke whose story about how he teaches Jack London’s “How to Start a Fire,” was worth the five hour trip.
Here’s what’s in the mix for this coming week:
Monday: Bananas! Have you ever wondered why bananas are so cheap? Since I married a man who grew up in Venezuela, my banana consciousness has been raised, and we’ve both been waiting a long time for a book like Peter Chapman’s Bananas: How the United Fruit Company Shaped the World. It’s an expose of one of the world’s most controversial multinational corporations.
Tuesday: The Story of Yiddish: a gutter language, and an unlikely survivor of the ages, not unlike the Jews themselves, told by Neal Karlen, staff writer for Newsweek and Rolling Stone and a contributor to the New York Times.
Wednesday: 27 Gumballs: an entrepreneurial microfinance scheme created by a group of clever Stanford students who are turning gumballs into cash for the working poor.
Thursday: John Nichols weighs in on the global food crisis.
Friday: What am I eating.com? When I was in China a few years ago I met a delightful English woman named Suzy Oakes, a world traveler who has eaten the most amazing things all over the world, and created a website to catalog them with 61,000 entries in 256 languages, including Black Foot!
Oh yes, and thank you so much for supporting WPR!
Jean
First off, I apologize for not getting the bulletin out last week, but I hope you enjoyed our live remote from Conserve School up in Land o’ Lakes last Wednesday as much as I did. I was sick as a dog, but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Glorious setting in the north woods, great kids that make you feel like there’s hope for the world after all, and amazing teachers like Jeff Rennicke whose story about how he teaches Jack London’s “How to Start a Fire,” was worth the five hour trip.
Here’s what’s in the mix for this coming week:
Monday: Bananas! Have you ever wondered why bananas are so cheap? Since I married a man who grew up in Venezuela, my banana consciousness has been raised, and we’ve both been waiting a long time for a book like Peter Chapman’s Bananas: How the United Fruit Company Shaped the World. It’s an expose of one of the world’s most controversial multinational corporations.
Tuesday: The Story of Yiddish: a gutter language, and an unlikely survivor of the ages, not unlike the Jews themselves, told by Neal Karlen, staff writer for Newsweek and Rolling Stone and a contributor to the New York Times.
Wednesday: 27 Gumballs: an entrepreneurial microfinance scheme created by a group of clever Stanford students who are turning gumballs into cash for the working poor.
Thursday: John Nichols weighs in on the global food crisis.
Friday: What am I eating.com? When I was in China a few years ago I met a delightful English woman named Suzy Oakes, a world traveler who has eaten the most amazing things all over the world, and created a website to catalog them with 61,000 entries in 256 languages, including Black Foot!
Oh yes, and thank you so much for supporting WPR!
Jean
Friday, April 18, 2008
April 18-25 Programs
Hello Here-on-Earthlings!
I’m heading north again this weekend. Randall Davidson and I will be at the Aaron Bohrod Gallery at UW-Fox Valley for a reception and reading this Friday as part of the Fox Valley Literary Festival. Then it’s off to our studios in Green Bay to do a Here on Earth program on sturgeon caviar, and after that I head south again to Wisconsin Rapids to read on Saturday at the Prairie Chicken Festival, although I’ve never written anything about prairie chickens.
Here’s what’s coming up this week on Here on Earth:
Monday: Chasing the Olympic Torch: 37 arrested in London, chaos in Paris, and Free Tibet banners flying from the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s been a wild ride for the Olympic Torch, and it’s far from over. Should we boycott the games? Joe says this one promises to be “a firecracker.”
Tuesday: Maronite, Coptic, Armenian Orthodox: As we head into Holy Week in the Eastern Orthodox Church, we sample some of the riches of the Eastern Christian liturgies with Andrew Krivak, a former Jesuit, and the author of A Long Retreat.
Wednesday: Here on Earth travels north to celebrate Earth Day at Conserve School in Land O’ Lakes, Wisconsin. Our theme: Growing Up Wild: Connecting Kids with the Great Outdoors.
Thursday: The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama: In an age of irony and irreverence, we still have a desire to believe. No one taps into our longing more than the Dalai Lama. Celebrated travel writer Pico Iyer talks about why the Dalai Lama matters and what lies ahead for the spiritual leader, globe trotter and simple monk.
Friday: Did you ever pull up a weed from your garden and think "Hey, that looks good enough to eat!" From dandelions to chickweed to grape leaves, learn how to forage the roadsides and fields with Wildman Steve Brill, America's Best-Known Forager.
I’m out a here!
Jean
I’m heading north again this weekend. Randall Davidson and I will be at the Aaron Bohrod Gallery at UW-Fox Valley for a reception and reading this Friday as part of the Fox Valley Literary Festival. Then it’s off to our studios in Green Bay to do a Here on Earth program on sturgeon caviar, and after that I head south again to Wisconsin Rapids to read on Saturday at the Prairie Chicken Festival, although I’ve never written anything about prairie chickens.
Here’s what’s coming up this week on Here on Earth:
Monday: Chasing the Olympic Torch: 37 arrested in London, chaos in Paris, and Free Tibet banners flying from the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s been a wild ride for the Olympic Torch, and it’s far from over. Should we boycott the games? Joe says this one promises to be “a firecracker.”
Tuesday: Maronite, Coptic, Armenian Orthodox: As we head into Holy Week in the Eastern Orthodox Church, we sample some of the riches of the Eastern Christian liturgies with Andrew Krivak, a former Jesuit, and the author of A Long Retreat.
Wednesday: Here on Earth travels north to celebrate Earth Day at Conserve School in Land O’ Lakes, Wisconsin. Our theme: Growing Up Wild: Connecting Kids with the Great Outdoors.
Thursday: The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama: In an age of irony and irreverence, we still have a desire to believe. No one taps into our longing more than the Dalai Lama. Celebrated travel writer Pico Iyer talks about why the Dalai Lama matters and what lies ahead for the spiritual leader, globe trotter and simple monk.
Friday: Did you ever pull up a weed from your garden and think "Hey, that looks good enough to eat!" From dandelions to chickweed to grape leaves, learn how to forage the roadsides and fields with Wildman Steve Brill, America's Best-Known Forager.
I’m out a here!
Jean
Friday, April 11, 2008
April 14-17 Programs
Cari Amici!
Here’s what’s coming up on Here on Earth:
Monday: Israel’s Dilemma in Palestine and the One State Solution: For an unflinching analysis of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with an equally bold and unflinching solution, join me with London-based Palestinian physician, Dr. Ghadi Karmi, a 1948 refugee from Jerusalem, the author of Married to Another Man: Israel’s Dilemma in Palestine.
Tuesday: For a whale of a story, we take a look at the international whaling industry: Who hunts them? Who eats them? How many are left?
Wednesday: You don’t have to become a monk to live like one. The BBC recently broadcast a television special that chronicled the adventure of a group of laymen who set out to live the monastic life.
Thursday: Many of us were captivated by the images of three protestors who crawled up the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco this week in support of a Free Tibet. We’re in touch with the organization that sponsored them, and hope to follow up on the waves of protests that are plaguing the Olympic Torch on its journey from Athens to Beijing.
Friday: I’ll be in Green Bay today with colleague and fellow writer Randall Davidson to take part in the first annual Fox Cities Literary Festival. We’ll be in Menasha at the Aaron Bohrad Gallery for a reception and readings. After that, I’ll be whisked away to our studios in Green Bay to host a Friday Here on Earth food program about Caviar. Would you know what to do with 50 pounds of sturgeon eggs? Betsy Krizenesky does!
Have a great weekend!
Jean
Here’s what’s coming up on Here on Earth:
Monday: Israel’s Dilemma in Palestine and the One State Solution: For an unflinching analysis of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with an equally bold and unflinching solution, join me with London-based Palestinian physician, Dr. Ghadi Karmi, a 1948 refugee from Jerusalem, the author of Married to Another Man: Israel’s Dilemma in Palestine.
Tuesday: For a whale of a story, we take a look at the international whaling industry: Who hunts them? Who eats them? How many are left?
Wednesday: You don’t have to become a monk to live like one. The BBC recently broadcast a television special that chronicled the adventure of a group of laymen who set out to live the monastic life.
Thursday: Many of us were captivated by the images of three protestors who crawled up the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco this week in support of a Free Tibet. We’re in touch with the organization that sponsored them, and hope to follow up on the waves of protests that are plaguing the Olympic Torch on its journey from Athens to Beijing.
Friday: I’ll be in Green Bay today with colleague and fellow writer Randall Davidson to take part in the first annual Fox Cities Literary Festival. We’ll be in Menasha at the Aaron Bohrad Gallery for a reception and readings. After that, I’ll be whisked away to our studios in Green Bay to host a Friday Here on Earth food program about Caviar. Would you know what to do with 50 pounds of sturgeon eggs? Betsy Krizenesky does!
Have a great weekend!
Jean
Friday, April 04, 2008
Ciao Amici!
Without intending it, we have lined up an almost completely Hispanic week on Here on Earth, with the exception of one Australian theologian!
Here’s how it shakes out:
Monday: Fermat’s Room: A scary Spanish film featured in this weekend’s Wisconsin Film Festival, and this year’s choice for World Cinema Day, Fermat’s Room has an intriguing premise straight out of The Pit and the Pendulum: 4 mathematicians locked in a shrinking red room that will crush them to death if they don’t solve the problem! Talk about pressure!
Tuesday: Juan Felipe Herrera, a multi-talented writer/performer whose many works focus on the politics of immigration and identity issues in the Latino community. His latest book is 187 Reasons Mexicanos Can’t Cross the Border.
Wednesday: Isabel Allende talks about her latest memoir, The Sum of Our Days, a passionate and inspiring look at the life of the Allende family held together by the resolute matriarch – Isabel herself - after the tragic loss of Paula, her daughter.
Thursday: Michael Morwood, the controversial Christian theologian, author of Is Jesus God and Tomorrow’s Catholic is in the midst of a rare US tour. We’ll catch him as he flies by.
Friday: We break stride with our Food Friday tradition today to welcome the star of the 2005 Madison World Music Festival, Lila Downs, back to Madison. The daughter of a Mixtec cabaret singer, Downs has been touring internationally performing native Mesoamerican music in Mixtec, Zapotec and Maya. She was featured in the movie Frida. You’ll love her if you don’t already.
What a week! You come too and make it really special.
Jean
Without intending it, we have lined up an almost completely Hispanic week on Here on Earth, with the exception of one Australian theologian!
Here’s how it shakes out:
Monday: Fermat’s Room: A scary Spanish film featured in this weekend’s Wisconsin Film Festival, and this year’s choice for World Cinema Day, Fermat’s Room has an intriguing premise straight out of The Pit and the Pendulum: 4 mathematicians locked in a shrinking red room that will crush them to death if they don’t solve the problem! Talk about pressure!
Tuesday: Juan Felipe Herrera, a multi-talented writer/performer whose many works focus on the politics of immigration and identity issues in the Latino community. His latest book is 187 Reasons Mexicanos Can’t Cross the Border.
Wednesday: Isabel Allende talks about her latest memoir, The Sum of Our Days, a passionate and inspiring look at the life of the Allende family held together by the resolute matriarch – Isabel herself - after the tragic loss of Paula, her daughter.
Thursday: Michael Morwood, the controversial Christian theologian, author of Is Jesus God and Tomorrow’s Catholic is in the midst of a rare US tour. We’ll catch him as he flies by.
Friday: We break stride with our Food Friday tradition today to welcome the star of the 2005 Madison World Music Festival, Lila Downs, back to Madison. The daughter of a Mixtec cabaret singer, Downs has been touring internationally performing native Mesoamerican music in Mixtec, Zapotec and Maya. She was featured in the movie Frida. You’ll love her if you don’t already.
What a week! You come too and make it really special.
Jean
Sunday, March 30, 2008
March 31-April 4 Programs
Dear Here-on-Earthlings,
Before launching into the line-up for next week, I just want to thank all of you who've been calling in to make our programming come alive this week. I particularly enjoyed your contributions to Thursday’s conversation "Against Happiness" and "Tastes Like Cuba," Friday’s food show.
We’ll start next week with two programs about education:
Monday: They listen to heavy metal, don’t have much homework, dye their hair and waste hours online, so…..American educators are trying to figure out What Makes Finnish Kids So Smart?
Tuesday: A Sustainable Education: Parker Palmer says American higher education gives people the skills to manipulate the world but very little in the way of self-knowledge. We’ve teamed him up with the director of the Schumacher School in the UK where people attend seminars in ecological and spirituality.
Wednesday: In progress: We’re working with the BBC on a program about the Tibetan struggle for independence.
Thursday: Isabel Allende joins us to talk about her latest book, The Sum of Our Days, a sequel to her elegiac memoir about her daughter, Paula. “We lived as a tribe, Chilean style; we were almost always together” she tells us, writing about her close-knit family.
Friday: To celebrate the start of National Poetry Month, we’ll mix in a little poetry with our Friday food program this week: Jewish-American poet Barbara Goldberg just won the Felix Pollak Award for her latest collection, The Royal Baker’s Daughter. Her poems read like “A Gourmand’s Prayer” – dumplings, head-cheese, pickled beets, mutton and leeks - all this food and I’m starving.
I’m heading north this weekend. I’ll be reading from I Hear Voices and signing books at The Loft in Green Bay at 6:00 on Saturday, and at LaDeDa Books in Manitowoc at 2:00 on Sunday. I’m hoping I’ll see some of you there!
Jean
Before launching into the line-up for next week, I just want to thank all of you who've been calling in to make our programming come alive this week. I particularly enjoyed your contributions to Thursday’s conversation "Against Happiness" and "Tastes Like Cuba," Friday’s food show.
We’ll start next week with two programs about education:
Monday: They listen to heavy metal, don’t have much homework, dye their hair and waste hours online, so…..American educators are trying to figure out What Makes Finnish Kids So Smart?
Tuesday: A Sustainable Education: Parker Palmer says American higher education gives people the skills to manipulate the world but very little in the way of self-knowledge. We’ve teamed him up with the director of the Schumacher School in the UK where people attend seminars in ecological and spirituality.
Wednesday: In progress: We’re working with the BBC on a program about the Tibetan struggle for independence.
Thursday: Isabel Allende joins us to talk about her latest book, The Sum of Our Days, a sequel to her elegiac memoir about her daughter, Paula. “We lived as a tribe, Chilean style; we were almost always together” she tells us, writing about her close-knit family.
Friday: To celebrate the start of National Poetry Month, we’ll mix in a little poetry with our Friday food program this week: Jewish-American poet Barbara Goldberg just won the Felix Pollak Award for her latest collection, The Royal Baker’s Daughter. Her poems read like “A Gourmand’s Prayer” – dumplings, head-cheese, pickled beets, mutton and leeks - all this food and I’m starving.
I’m heading north this weekend. I’ll be reading from I Hear Voices and signing books at The Loft in Green Bay at 6:00 on Saturday, and at LaDeDa Books in Manitowoc at 2:00 on Sunday. I’m hoping I’ll see some of you there!
Jean
Friday, March 21, 2008
March 24-28 Programs
Happy Spring Here-on-Earthlings!
I’m happy to be back in the radio saddle after hiking the deserts of Death Valley and performing with No. #2 son Dominick at The Strand in New York City.
Here’s what to look forward to next week:
Monday: Want to know how to live longer? A longevity study pinpoints three isolated communities – in Okinawa, Sardinia, and Linda Loma, California – that seem to have figured it out.
Tuesday: An Iranian and a Jew get together to talk about Middle East politics, religion and society. Reza Aslan, a young Iranian American fiction writer with degrees in Religious Studies, has been traveling with Gideon Yago, his Jewish counterpart. The two are part of this year’s UW Distinguished Lecture Series.
Wednesday: Direct from Kazakhstan: Roksonaki! Kazakhstan’s most experimental folk-rock band. We’ll hear the band play live and talk with director Ruslan Kara, who pioneered arrangements that combine ancient Kazakh instrumentation with contemporary rock and jazz.
Thursday: Sick of all these insufferable exhortations on how to be happy, happy, happy? You’ll find what Eric Wilson has to say about the American obsession with the pursuit of happiness refreshing. He’s the author of Against Happiness: In Praise of Melancholy.
Friday: Tastes Like Cuba: Esteemed playwright Eduardo Machado tells his life story – from his childhood in Cuba during the revolution to his life in America – through the culinary memories of his homeland. Kudos to Carmen Jackson who worked her charms to get Machado on Here on Earth.
Thanks for lending your ears!
Jean
I’m happy to be back in the radio saddle after hiking the deserts of Death Valley and performing with No. #2 son Dominick at The Strand in New York City.
Here’s what to look forward to next week:
Monday: Want to know how to live longer? A longevity study pinpoints three isolated communities – in Okinawa, Sardinia, and Linda Loma, California – that seem to have figured it out.
Tuesday: An Iranian and a Jew get together to talk about Middle East politics, religion and society. Reza Aslan, a young Iranian American fiction writer with degrees in Religious Studies, has been traveling with Gideon Yago, his Jewish counterpart. The two are part of this year’s UW Distinguished Lecture Series.
Wednesday: Direct from Kazakhstan: Roksonaki! Kazakhstan’s most experimental folk-rock band. We’ll hear the band play live and talk with director Ruslan Kara, who pioneered arrangements that combine ancient Kazakh instrumentation with contemporary rock and jazz.
Thursday: Sick of all these insufferable exhortations on how to be happy, happy, happy? You’ll find what Eric Wilson has to say about the American obsession with the pursuit of happiness refreshing. He’s the author of Against Happiness: In Praise of Melancholy.
Friday: Tastes Like Cuba: Esteemed playwright Eduardo Machado tells his life story – from his childhood in Cuba during the revolution to his life in America – through the culinary memories of his homeland. Kudos to Carmen Jackson who worked her charms to get Machado on Here on Earth.
Thanks for lending your ears!
Jean
Friday, March 14, 2008
March 17-21 Programs
Hi, all!
Thank goodness the spring is in the air. And thank goodness Jean is coming back from vacation on Monday. Sorry that we had to shuffle and cancel some programs this week. Next week should be much smoother.
Monday: Robert Gard, the founder and director of the Wisconsin Idea Theater, published a seminal work called "Grassroots Theater" which has just been translated into Japanese. Jean Feraca will talk with the translator and find out why community development through the arts is suddenly such a hot topic in
Tuesday: You think you know what’s in the Bible? Think again! In a re-configured Manga Bible, Jesus has come as a Samurai.
Wednesday: Here on Earth celebrates Persian New Year with a program about Shiraz: Ancient City of Wine and Song.
Thursday: March 30 is Vincent Van Gogh's birthday. He was named after an older brother, and infant who died. The haunting story of being named for the other, dead brother, is the subject of a beautiful, rich poem by Northern Irish poet Kate Newman. Jean Feraca and Molly Peacock will discuss the Van Gogh poem and others that have a quality of spring light, the light of the equinox.
Friday: Jean Feraca and her guests discuss why yerba mate, an ancient tea-like beverage consumed mainly in
Have a great weekend!
--Lisa Bu
Web Producer
Here on Earth
Friday, March 07, 2008
March 10-14 Programs
Dear Hereonearthlings (Better!),
I'm on vacation this week, leaving the program in the capable reins of Lori Skelton and Veronica Rueckert.
Monday: Psycho-Spiritual Healing: Once you have faced a physical trauma, how do you mend the mind and the spirit? Dr. Charika Marasinghe of
Tuesday: For the last two millennia human beings have fought the most over religions. And the winner is ...? According to the guest this hour, historians may one day look back on the next few decades, not as yet another era when religious conflicts enveloped countries and blew apart established societies, but as the era when secularization took over the world.
Wednesday: We’re trying to book Eric Wilson, author of "Against Happiness: In Praise of Melancholy," or the writer/director of “
Thursday: A writer uses her favorite examples from languages dead, difficult, and just plain made-up to reveal how language study is the ticket to traveling the world without leaving the comforts of home.
Friday: A native Parisian and passionate explorer of the city’s food scene, Clotilde Dusoulier takes us on a mouthwatering tour of the best restaurants, markets, and shops in
Have a good one!
Jean
Monday, March 03, 2008
March 3-7 Programs
Dear Friends,
It's March! Matso Marzo is how they say it in Italy -– Crazy March. But freakishishness in the weather is fine with me as long as we get some puddles. Speaking of crazy, you might be tempted to think we've gone off the deep end by starting this week with Toilet Talk, but…
Monday: Green urinals, unisex toilets, toilets shaped like soccer balls, fireflies and a baby grand piano. We even found a $4.8 million dollar toilet covered in gold in Hong Kong. Move over Kohler! The Restroom Revolution is coming from "The Far East."
Tuesday: Olympic Athletes Muscle in on Darfur: Getting ready for this summer's Olympics in Beijing, Olympic athletes have been pressuring China to influence the government of Sudan to halt the genocide in Darfur, and it seems to be working. We'll talk with American speedskater Joey Cheek, the founder of "Team Darfur," and Jerry Fowler, chief of "Save Darfur."
Wednesday: "Taxi to the Dark Side," a film about American torture, just won this year's Oscar for Best Documentary. We'll talk with Alfred McCoy (A Question of Torture) who served as a consultant to the film, and Marnia Lazreg (Torture and the Twilight of Empire), who traces the roots of the Bush administration's use of psychological torture back to the Algerian War.
Thursday: Is sailing around the world high on your Bucket List? Beth Leonard, author of Blue Horizons, which just won the 2007 National Outdoor Book Award, shares insights that have come from a deeply felt and fully-lived life circumnavigating the globe on a sailboat, not just once, but twice. She joins us from Patagonia!
Friday: Tapas, Mezze, Sushi. Is "gnoshing" our way through dinner about to displace the great American entrée? How other dining traditions are influencing the way restaurants plan our meals. Join us for a food fight, when Caryl Owens makes her debut hosting this Foodie Friday on Here on Earth.
With the blessings of the gods, I'll be on vacation by the end of the week.
Have a good one!
Jean
It's March! Matso Marzo is how they say it in Italy -– Crazy March. But freakishishness in the weather is fine with me as long as we get some puddles. Speaking of crazy, you might be tempted to think we've gone off the deep end by starting this week with Toilet Talk, but…
Monday: Green urinals, unisex toilets, toilets shaped like soccer balls, fireflies and a baby grand piano. We even found a $4.8 million dollar toilet covered in gold in Hong Kong. Move over Kohler! The Restroom Revolution is coming from "The Far East."
Tuesday: Olympic Athletes Muscle in on Darfur: Getting ready for this summer's Olympics in Beijing, Olympic athletes have been pressuring China to influence the government of Sudan to halt the genocide in Darfur, and it seems to be working. We'll talk with American speedskater Joey Cheek, the founder of "Team Darfur," and Jerry Fowler, chief of "Save Darfur."
Wednesday: "Taxi to the Dark Side," a film about American torture, just won this year's Oscar for Best Documentary. We'll talk with Alfred McCoy (A Question of Torture) who served as a consultant to the film, and Marnia Lazreg (Torture and the Twilight of Empire), who traces the roots of the Bush administration's use of psychological torture back to the Algerian War.
Thursday: Is sailing around the world high on your Bucket List? Beth Leonard, author of Blue Horizons, which just won the 2007 National Outdoor Book Award, shares insights that have come from a deeply felt and fully-lived life circumnavigating the globe on a sailboat, not just once, but twice. She joins us from Patagonia!
Friday: Tapas, Mezze, Sushi. Is "gnoshing" our way through dinner about to displace the great American entrée? How other dining traditions are influencing the way restaurants plan our meals. Join us for a food fight, when Caryl Owens makes her debut hosting this Foodie Friday on Here on Earth.
With the blessings of the gods, I'll be on vacation by the end of the week.
Have a good one!
Jean
Friday, February 29, 2008
The Dancer and the Thief
Friday, February 29, 2008
My "Pick of the Week" goes to Thursday's program with Chilean novelist, Antonio Skarmeta. Every time I started getting academic, using words like "feminist," or raising questions like, "So you reminded Chileans of who they really are" - he always responded by bringing the conversation back to earth, saying "No, not so pretentious..." or "That's too intellectual for me..." He reminded me in this way of Fellini who used to throw his hands up in the air in exasperation at critics and journalists who were forever asking him about "the meaning" of his work.
There are great characters in The Dancer and the Thief, and what I liked best was the way Skarmeta expressed real delight in following his them around Santiago, discovering the surprises life throws at them and what they will do next, exactly the same joy that he grants his reader. It made me realize that a novel is something that is truly alive, that it unfolds as it's being written, unpredictably, just like life. My favorite moment in the program was when he became semi-convulsed remembering the chapter wherein Angel quizzes Victoria on her exam questions while making love to her.
The only thing that bothers me is that, almost invariably, when I host programs that are based on newly translated novels like The Dancer and the Thief which hardly anybody has ever heard of, nobody calls. So, is there any way to remedy that? It's wonderful to share the joy of discovering and introducing listeners to new literature from other countries, but I can't help feeling that a talk show that fails to attract callers is a failed talk show. Any comments, or ideas?
My "Pick of the Week" goes to Thursday's program with Chilean novelist, Antonio Skarmeta. Every time I started getting academic, using words like "feminist," or raising questions like, "So you reminded Chileans of who they really are" - he always responded by bringing the conversation back to earth, saying "No, not so pretentious..." or "That's too intellectual for me..." He reminded me in this way of Fellini who used to throw his hands up in the air in exasperation at critics and journalists who were forever asking him about "the meaning" of his work.
There are great characters in The Dancer and the Thief, and what I liked best was the way Skarmeta expressed real delight in following his them around Santiago, discovering the surprises life throws at them and what they will do next, exactly the same joy that he grants his reader. It made me realize that a novel is something that is truly alive, that it unfolds as it's being written, unpredictably, just like life. My favorite moment in the program was when he became semi-convulsed remembering the chapter wherein Angel quizzes Victoria on her exam questions while making love to her.
The only thing that bothers me is that, almost invariably, when I host programs that are based on newly translated novels like The Dancer and the Thief which hardly anybody has ever heard of, nobody calls. So, is there any way to remedy that? It's wonderful to share the joy of discovering and introducing listeners to new literature from other countries, but I can't help feeling that a talk show that fails to attract callers is a failed talk show. Any comments, or ideas?
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Feb 25-29 Programs
Dear Friends,
Just in case you noticed, Here on Earth's entire schedule for last week got scotched or scrambled, all except for Wednesday's program about the Turkish Ban on Head Scarves. We'll hope for better luck this week:
Monday: Ever wonder what it's like to fly the friendly skies over Africa and India? We'll get the skinny from Patrick Smith, who writes a wonderful column, "Ask the Pilot," for Salon.com.
Tuesday: If you're against hope, don't listen to this program! We'll talk with seasoned reporter John Parker who actually wrote an article called "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" for The Economist, detailing the evidence indicating that the world, unexpectedly, is becoming a prosperous and more peaceful place.
Wednesday: Jesus as a Samurai? The Bible re-configured as a Japanese cartoon.
Thursday: I recently spent a delightful Sunday during one of the worst storms of the season buried in The Dancer and the Thief, a bestselling new novel by the great Chilean writer, Antonio Skarmeta, who gave us Il Postino. The plot is set in post-Pinochet's Santiago and revolves around a cast of underworld characters who alternately horrify and charm you.
Friday: The Fortune Cookie Chronicles. You thought fortune cookies were Chinese, right? Think again.
I'm off to Philadelphia for a family reunion this weekend. But I'm sorry I'll miss seeing you at the Open House on Sunday.
Jean
Just in case you noticed, Here on Earth's entire schedule for last week got scotched or scrambled, all except for Wednesday's program about the Turkish Ban on Head Scarves. We'll hope for better luck this week:
Monday: Ever wonder what it's like to fly the friendly skies over Africa and India? We'll get the skinny from Patrick Smith, who writes a wonderful column, "Ask the Pilot," for Salon.com.
Tuesday: If you're against hope, don't listen to this program! We'll talk with seasoned reporter John Parker who actually wrote an article called "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" for The Economist, detailing the evidence indicating that the world, unexpectedly, is becoming a prosperous and more peaceful place.
Wednesday: Jesus as a Samurai? The Bible re-configured as a Japanese cartoon.
Thursday: I recently spent a delightful Sunday during one of the worst storms of the season buried in The Dancer and the Thief, a bestselling new novel by the great Chilean writer, Antonio Skarmeta, who gave us Il Postino. The plot is set in post-Pinochet's Santiago and revolves around a cast of underworld characters who alternately horrify and charm you.
Friday: The Fortune Cookie Chronicles. You thought fortune cookies were Chinese, right? Think again.
I'm off to Philadelphia for a family reunion this weekend. But I'm sorry I'll miss seeing you at the Open House on Sunday.
Jean
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Feb 18-22 Shows
Dear Hereonearthians,
Salve! And yes, thank God it's over. Thank you all for your support, and let's all look forward to Here on Earth the way God intended it.
Monday: Joe Hardtke scored a big one for us in getting Iranian exile Marjane Satrapi to join us at the start of her American tour to talk about the huge success of Persepolis, her graphic novel, now an animated film (currently at Sundance in Madison) nominated for Best Animated Feature at this year's Academy Awards. (Feb. 24)
Tuesday: We've just learned that Steven Spielberg is boycotting this year's Olympic Games in support of Darfur and to protest China's support of the government of Sudan. We think it might be the start of a boycott movement and we're working to find the right guests. Any ideas out there?
Wednesday: Turkish Head Scarves. Many Turkish women are devout Muslims who are clamoring for the right to wear their head scarves in public buildings, a practice Turkey's traditionally secular government disallows. (It's the reverse of what you'd expect) Will the new Islamist government reverse the law? And does this portend a swing to Islamic conservatism for secular Turkey?
Thursday: Latin America: The Forgotten Continent. Michael Reid argues in his book that in spite of Latin America's struggles to create fairer communities, making it one of the world's most prosperous laboratories for democracy, it remains The Forgotten Continent.
Friday: What is the origin of the fortune cookie? Los Angeles and San Francisco both lay claim to it. Chinese and Japanese restaurants both offer them. But is it only American after all? This hour we crack open the fortune cookie.
We need each other to get through February. Please stay plugged in, and check out my blog entry, "Broccoli Rape for Breakfast."
Jean
Salve! And yes, thank God it's over. Thank you all for your support, and let's all look forward to Here on Earth the way God intended it.
Monday: Joe Hardtke scored a big one for us in getting Iranian exile Marjane Satrapi to join us at the start of her American tour to talk about the huge success of Persepolis, her graphic novel, now an animated film (currently at Sundance in Madison) nominated for Best Animated Feature at this year's Academy Awards. (Feb. 24)
Tuesday: We've just learned that Steven Spielberg is boycotting this year's Olympic Games in support of Darfur and to protest China's support of the government of Sudan. We think it might be the start of a boycott movement and we're working to find the right guests. Any ideas out there?
Wednesday: Turkish Head Scarves. Many Turkish women are devout Muslims who are clamoring for the right to wear their head scarves in public buildings, a practice Turkey's traditionally secular government disallows. (It's the reverse of what you'd expect) Will the new Islamist government reverse the law? And does this portend a swing to Islamic conservatism for secular Turkey?
Thursday: Latin America: The Forgotten Continent. Michael Reid argues in his book that in spite of Latin America's struggles to create fairer communities, making it one of the world's most prosperous laboratories for democracy, it remains The Forgotten Continent.
Friday: What is the origin of the fortune cookie? Los Angeles and San Francisco both lay claim to it. Chinese and Japanese restaurants both offer them. But is it only American after all? This hour we crack open the fortune cookie.
We need each other to get through February. Please stay plugged in, and check out my blog entry, "Broccoli Rape for Breakfast."
Jean
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Broccoli di Rape for Breakfast
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
We Italian Americans have a special fondness for broccoli di rape, a bitter green vegetable that, like arugula, has started showing up regularly in some American supermarkets in the last several years. Who eats it besides us, I wonder? It is one of those foods, like rice to the Japanese, or lutefisk to the Norwegians, that carries identity. We take a perverse delight in relishing it, because we think it belongs to us and to nobody else. There are jokes about it, because it induces fatulence; and there is even a poem written about it by an Italian American woman named Rosella I met the last time I was in New York. She has perfected the art of steaming it with olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and caramelized onions.
So I had it for breakfast this morning, thinking of Rosella, who makes it better than I do. There was a bunch of it, and not much else in the refrigerator, and it had started to turn yellow. Wasting a bunch of broccoli di rabe is a sin for an Italian American, and I'm trying to avoid sinning during Lent.
So I stood there at the kitchen counter and ate the whole thing with my hands right out of the pot, stripping the delicate leaves from the limp green stems, relishing the oil as it annointed my lips and mouth, enjoying the sting of the hot pepper flakes, and the crunch of the fibers between my teeth. I thought of Annie Lanzilotto and her search in downtown New York for a lunch that "would honor her ancestors."I thought too of St Teresa of Avila who said, when she was caught wolfing down roasted quails all by herself in the convent's refectory, without apology,"When I pray, I pray, and when I eat quail, I eat quail." Later in the morning as the bitter taste kept coming back to me, I remembered these lines from a poem by Stephen Crane, ..."ah, it is good, because it is bitter, and because it is my heart."
I am not in the habit of eating broccoli di rape for breakfast. Why did I do so this morning? Because I suffer from the winter cold and I needed something to kick my heart up, to assert my identity, my ancestry, my perverse lineage. And it worked.
We Italian Americans have a special fondness for broccoli di rape, a bitter green vegetable that, like arugula, has started showing up regularly in some American supermarkets in the last several years. Who eats it besides us, I wonder? It is one of those foods, like rice to the Japanese, or lutefisk to the Norwegians, that carries identity. We take a perverse delight in relishing it, because we think it belongs to us and to nobody else. There are jokes about it, because it induces fatulence; and there is even a poem written about it by an Italian American woman named Rosella I met the last time I was in New York. She has perfected the art of steaming it with olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and caramelized onions.
So I had it for breakfast this morning, thinking of Rosella, who makes it better than I do. There was a bunch of it, and not much else in the refrigerator, and it had started to turn yellow. Wasting a bunch of broccoli di rabe is a sin for an Italian American, and I'm trying to avoid sinning during Lent.
So I stood there at the kitchen counter and ate the whole thing with my hands right out of the pot, stripping the delicate leaves from the limp green stems, relishing the oil as it annointed my lips and mouth, enjoying the sting of the hot pepper flakes, and the crunch of the fibers between my teeth. I thought of Annie Lanzilotto and her search in downtown New York for a lunch that "would honor her ancestors."I thought too of St Teresa of Avila who said, when she was caught wolfing down roasted quails all by herself in the convent's refectory, without apology,"When I pray, I pray, and when I eat quail, I eat quail." Later in the morning as the bitter taste kept coming back to me, I remembered these lines from a poem by Stephen Crane, ..."ah, it is good, because it is bitter, and because it is my heart."
I am not in the habit of eating broccoli di rape for breakfast. Why did I do so this morning? Because I suffer from the winter cold and I needed something to kick my heart up, to assert my identity, my ancestry, my perverse lineage. And it worked.
Friday, February 08, 2008
Feb 11-15 Programs
Dear Friends,
It’s always a challenge to come up with programming that represents us at our best and is likely to inspire your support during pledge drives. If you have ay suggestions for future drives, we’d love to hear from you. Please send your ideas to hereonearth@wpr.org.
Here’s what’s coming up:
Monday: It’s the Bob and John Show: John Nichols and Bob McChesney team up to talk about how the 2008 presidential race is being covered in international media, and which presidential candidate is most likely to restore our tarnished image.
Tuesday: Just in time for the Wisconsin Primary, the editors of The Rough Guide have come up with a new, totally updated Rough Guide to Climate Change that includes an expanded “What You Can Do” section and profiles of each candidate’s position on global warming. We’ll gladly send you a copy in return for a modest pledge of support.
Wednesday: Where in the World is Stephanie? We catch up with Stephanie Griest, our ever-ebullient wandering modern nomad just as she returns from a trip to
Thursday: For a special Valentine’s Day program, what could be better than a bouquet of some of the world’s best love poems.
Friday: Hot Plants for Hot Pants! Find out if there really is such a thing as a Spanish fly when we talk with an ethnobotanist whose specialty is aphrodisiacs.
Pray for us!
Jean
Friday, February 01, 2008
With The Wine Guyz
Friday, February 1, 2008
I had a terrific time in La Crosse last weekend. First off, meeting Cajun Tim Hall was worth the trip in itself. Accomplished cook, raconteur, and all around great guy, Tim was born in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana and knows the bayous and by-ways of his native state like a muskrat knows his swamp, which would have been obvious to anyone who was listening to Here on Earth last Friday. Tim and his wife Carol showed off their southern hospitality on Friday night, serving us a marvelous Cajun meal. My my, but that chicken and andouille sausage was out of this world - so lip-smacking I had to have two helpings. And that was only the second course.
Tim was such a big hit we invited him to come back again this Friday when we'll be featuring his cookbook, Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez, and DVD as a pledge premium. And he's also agreed to host a WPR Cajun Barbeque which will be held at Larry Meillor's bayou in June.
Saturday noon I arrived at The Wine Guyz, which is right across from The Pump House in La Crosse and adjacent to Piggy's, following the weekend's theme. The Wine Guyz turned out to be the perfect place for me to read from "Get Thee to a Winery," the third chapter in my book, I Hear Voices, which flips back and forth between the time I spent in St. Benedict's Monastery and the California wine country. Dan, the owner of The Wine Guyz, another perfect host, handed me a glass of Writer's Block zinfandel halfway through the reading which added immeasureably to the whole gestalt. The best thing was, everybody there seemed to enjoy themselves quite as much as I did!
There will be more readings coming up at various venues throughout the state in the next several months. Look for postings on our website.
I had a terrific time in La Crosse last weekend. First off, meeting Cajun Tim Hall was worth the trip in itself. Accomplished cook, raconteur, and all around great guy, Tim was born in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana and knows the bayous and by-ways of his native state like a muskrat knows his swamp, which would have been obvious to anyone who was listening to Here on Earth last Friday. Tim and his wife Carol showed off their southern hospitality on Friday night, serving us a marvelous Cajun meal. My my, but that chicken and andouille sausage was out of this world - so lip-smacking I had to have two helpings. And that was only the second course.
Tim was such a big hit we invited him to come back again this Friday when we'll be featuring his cookbook, Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez, and DVD as a pledge premium. And he's also agreed to host a WPR Cajun Barbeque which will be held at Larry Meillor's bayou in June.
Saturday noon I arrived at The Wine Guyz, which is right across from The Pump House in La Crosse and adjacent to Piggy's, following the weekend's theme. The Wine Guyz turned out to be the perfect place for me to read from "Get Thee to a Winery," the third chapter in my book, I Hear Voices, which flips back and forth between the time I spent in St. Benedict's Monastery and the California wine country. Dan, the owner of The Wine Guyz, another perfect host, handed me a glass of Writer's Block zinfandel halfway through the reading which added immeasureably to the whole gestalt. The best thing was, everybody there seemed to enjoy themselves quite as much as I did! 
There will be more readings coming up at various venues throughout the state in the next several months. Look for postings on our website.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
