All Of It

Zoe Dubno's debut novel  Happiness & Love evolves over one evening in downtown NY, as the protagonist in town for a funeral. She accepts an invitation to a dinner party and spends it eviscerating the 'beautiful people' who she once looked up to. One reviewer called it "a savage, whip-smart, and genuinely hilarious takedown of New York's culture production ecosystem."

Labor Day marked the deadline to complete the 2025 All Of It Summer Reading Challenge. Producer Jordan Lauf wraps up the Challenge, shares what readers enjoyed most this year, and shares some of your comments. Plus, calls from listeners who share the best book they read this summer.

Yesterday marked the quarterfinals of men and women's singles play at the US Open. Caitlin Thompson, founder of Racquet Media. discuses how the Grand Slam has gone so far, and look ahead to the semi-finals,

Actor André Holland and playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney previously worked together on the Oscar-winning film "Moonlight." Now, they've reunited for a revival of McCraney's 2005 play "The Brothers Size" about two brothers in the Deep South grappling with the aftermath of incarceration. Holland and McCraney join to discuss the play, which is running at The Shed through September 28th.

Jeremy Zucker's latest album Garden State takes New Jersey on the road. The NJ-born musician joins us in studio to play songs from his new LP, which finds him revisiting places and memories from his home state. He'll be playing at Brooklyn Steel on October 3.

A new comedy film follows the chaos that ensues between two lifelong friends after one sleeps with the other's wife. Director Michael Angelo Covino and his co-star and co-writer Kyle Marvin, who play husbands whose marriages are both on the rocks, join us to discuss the film "Splitsville" which is playing in theaters now.

A new thriller follows Lottie Jones, a retired serial killer, thought she left her life of crime behind but is forced to revisit her actions after details of her past resurface. Novelist Samantha Downing joins us to discuss her latest book, titled Too Old for This.

It can feel intimidating to host a dinner party, but cookbook author Dan Pelosi has a new guide to help you create a stress-free evening. His new cookbook is titled Let's Party: Recipes for Celebrating Every Day, and it includes complete menus for dinner parties of every kind. Plus, some great tips for decoration, prepping in advance, and more. Pelosi joins to discuss, and take calls from listeners. Pelosi will be speaking Tuesday night with Books Are Magic at St. Ann's in Brooklyn, at 7 pm.

[REBROADCAST FROM March 21, 2025] We speak to Nicholas Quah, critic for Vulture about the new series "Adolescence," which premiered on Netflix last week. The story follows a 13 year old boy arrested for the murder of a classmate and is told from different perspectives, including the cops, the family, the friends and mental health professionals. Each of the 4 episodes is shot in one take, giving it the feel of a play.

[REBROADCAST FROM May 7, 2025] The critically acclaimed second season of the Star Wars saga, 'Andor,' tells the backstory of the forming of the Rebel Alliance. Created by Tony Gilroy, it stars Stellan Skarsgard as the duplicitous rebel leader. Both Gilroy and Skarsgard join to discuss the show.

[REBROADCAST FROM April 14, 2025] The Emmy-winning Netflix series "Love on the Spectrum" dropped its Season 3 this past spring. The show follows different people with autism as they attempt to navigate the dating world and find love. The show's creators Cian O'Clery and Karina Holden discuss their approach to the series, and to autism representation. "Love on the Spectrum" is streaming now on Netflix.

[REBROADCAST FROM January 24, 2025] The hit series "Severance" is set in the near future where the distinction between work and life is extreme. After a three year hiatus, the show returned last week to glowing reviews. We're joined by actors Tramell Tillman, who plays the charming yet sinister Mr. Milchik, and Britt Lower, who plays Helly, to discuss the new season.

[REBROADCAST FROM May 5, 2025] Chilean novelist Isabel Allende discusses her latest novel, My Name is Emilia del Valle. The story follows a young journalist who becomes caught up in the Chilean Civil War.

[REBROADCAST FROM July 16, and August 7, 2025] "ta-da!" is a new off-Broadway production, featuring collection of stories and jokes presented in 80 minutes with 2,000 power point slides presented. Hear about it from performer Josh Sharp, who leads the show, and director Sam Pinkleton of "Oh, Mary!" Plus, Morgan Bassichis discusses working with Pinkleton on their show 'Can I Be Frank?,' about the life and work of gay comedian Frank Maya, who was one of the first openly gay comedians on network television before he died in 1995.

[REBROADCAST FROM March 4, 2025] Legal Scholar and poet Reginald Dwayne Betts has just released his latest poetry collection Doggerel, which explores humanity's relationship to "man's best friend" as a lens to interrogate racism, incarceration and masculinity. Betts will share some excerpts from the collection.

[REBROADCAST FROM April 16, 2025] Death comes for everyone. Registered Nurse and End of Life specialist Suzanne O'Brien believes we can make that time better. Her book, The Good Death, offers guidance for how caregivers can help their loved ones. It also offers practical advice on how to have a 'good death' so that everyone can be involved.

This week marks the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the natural disaster the devastated the city of New Orleans. To mark the anniversary, we are joined by Alisa Payne, producer and showrunner of the new Netflix docuseries "Katrina: Come Hell and High Water," which spotlights the stories of survivors. Plus, callers share their thoughts and memories of that time.

[REBROADCAST FROM June 5, 2025] The rock band The Beaches hit it big with their 2023 song "Blame Brett." Their new album, No Hard Feelings, drops on August 29. But ahead of the album release and their performance at Gov Ball, The Beaches perform songs from the new album live in our studio.

Legendary pianist and bandleader Eddie Palmieri died this month at his home in Hackensack. He was 88. Palmieri was celebrated for his innovations in jazz and Afro-Cuban rhythms, as well as using his music to speak out against injustice. Ed Morales is an author and journalist who recently wrote the article, "Eddie Palmieri's 13 Essential Songs and Albums," in The New York Times. Morales takes us on a journey through Palmieri's music and listeners share their favorite songs.

[REBROADCAST FROM April 16, 2025] Writer and director David Cronenberg's new film "The Shrouds" is partly inspired from the grief of losing his wife in recent years. The film follows a grieving businessman named Karsh who invents a way to connect with the dead. Cronenberg discusses, alongside actor Diane Kruger, who stars in the film. "The Shrouds" is now streaming on the Criterion Channel.

A new middle grade novel follows a 12-year-old Simi Singh's pursuit of a new place to call home and safety in the United States after leaving behind a life in Northern India. Author Ruchira Gupta, professor at New York University and founder of the anti-sex-trafficking organization, Apne Aap Women Worldwide, joins us to discuss her new book, titled The Freedom Seeker. 

A new film three longtime Brooklynites as they navigate love, loss, career and friendship as their neighborhoods change right in front of them. Director Rachel Holder joins us to discuss "Love, Brooklyn," a cinematic tribute to the beloved New York City borough alongside actor Nicole Beharie who stars in the film.

You know Christian McBride as the voice of NPR's Jazz Night in America, on top of his Grammy-award winning work as a bassist, composer, and bandleader. McBride returns to the show for a Listening Party of his latest project, Without Further Ado, Vol. 1, which finds Christian with his Big Band performing alongside featured artists like Samara Joy, Cécile McLorlin Salvant, and even Sting reunited with his Police bandmate Andy Summers. The album is out on August 29. You can also catch McBride performing at The Blue Note September 2-7.

Brooke Baldwin had the career of her dreams. She'd been a CNN anchor for more than a decade and one day she was let go. Her TED TALK and substack titled "UNRAVELING" talks about how to handle a shift in your life, and how sometimes you have to unravel what exists. She tells her story and takes listeners calls.

Peter Mendelsund is an author, graphic designer, artist, and the creative director of The Atlantic. And this year he has two new books out about human emotion. Exhibitionist: 1 Journal, 1 Depression, 100 Paintings is personal memoir, diary, and showcase of the art he created during a serious bout of depression in 2020. And his new novel Weepers is about a group of professional mourners living in a world gone numb. Mendelsund joins to discuss both books.

Musician and vocalist UMI returns to the show, this time for a Listening Party of her new album, people stories, which features songs about people in her life, from friends, fans, and her own self-reflection. She recorded a majority of the album in her home studio, and UMI reflects on her creative process and her recent album release show in Brooklyn.

Cookbook author Yasmin Khan discusses her latest cookbook, Sabzi: Vibrant Vegetarian Recipes, which features vegetarian dishes from the Middle East, Mediterranean, and South Asia.

Comedian Jeff Ross discusses his new one-man show, "Take a Banana For the Ride." It is running now on Broadway at the Nederlander Theater through September 28.

Audiences at the latest production of the Public Theater's Free Shakespeare in the Park this summer have been treated to a Delacorte Theater with an 85 million dollar makeover. The renovations mark the end of an era of the original Delacorte Theater, graced by both famous actors and raccoons over the years. Greg Young, co-host of the Bowery Boys podcast, discusses the history of the Delacorte Theater, and how the Free Shakespeare in the Park program first began with an unlikely friendship between founder Joe Papp and New York power broker Robert Moses. Plus, listeners share their memories of seeing shows at the old Delacorte.

The US Open is underway in Queens! Caitlin Thompson, founder of Racquet Magazine, previews the most exciting matchups of the Grand Slam, shares who she thinks might win, and talk about what it will take to beat Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. 

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the release of Born to Run, one of the seminal albums from Bruce Springsteen. Peter Ames Carlin discusses the album and his new book, Tonight in Jungleland: The Making of Born to Run.  

Singer, songwriter, and actor Moses Sumney discusses making his theatrical stage debut in "Twelfth Night" as part of Shakespeare in the Park. Sumney plays Feste, a jester who becomes involved in a mean-spirited prank. "Twelfth Night" is running at the Delacorte Theater through September 13.  

[REBROADCAST FROM April 21, 2025] Paste Magazine calls Valerie June "casually masterful, deceptively mellow." Her latest album Owls, Omens and Oracles is a celebration of joy and positivity in the face of adversity. June performs live in WNYC's studio five.

[REBROADCAST FROM February 3, 2025] A historical novel follows Jessie Redmon Fauset, a high school teacher from Washington, D.C who moves to Harlem to chase her lifelong dream of becoming an editor. However, a secret affair with her boss puts her dreams at risk. Author Victoria Christopher Murray  discusses Harlem Rhapsody.

[REBROADCAST FROM March 18, 2025] In a comedic drama film, stand-up comedian and actor John Leguizamo plays a man who finds himself in an unlikely friendship with a young woman searching for her estranged father on Facebook. The two of them just happen to have the same name: Bob Trevino.  Leguizamo and writer-director Tracie Laymon, who partly based the film on her own experience, joins us to discuss "Bob Trevino Likes It" which is now streaming on Hulu.

[REBROADCAST FROM June 6, 2025] A Netflix series called "Forever" follows two teen athletes in Los Angeles falling in love for the first time. The show's creator, Mara Brock Akil, discusses the series, and what went into adapting a Judy Blume novel for the screen.

[REBROADCAST FROM July 17, 2025] The new two-part documentary "Billy Joel: And So It Goes" provides an in-depth look into the life and career of America's beloved piano man. Co-director Susan Lacy discusses the film, which is streaming on HBO Max. Listeners weigh in with their favorite Billy Joel memories and performances. 

[REBROADCAST FROM January 8, 2025] Author Adam Ross draws on his experiences as a former child actor in his new novel, Playworld. The novel tells the story of Griffin, a 14-year-old sitcom star who finds himself caught in an inappropriate relationship with an adult woman in 1980s New York. 

[REBROADCAST FROM May 22, 2025] Indie rocker Briston Maroney performs songs from his new album, JIMMY. 

[REBROADCAST FROM February 26, 2025] Veteran Broadway costume designer Paul Tazewell won a Tony for his work on "Hamilton," and has worked on countless other stage musicals and plays. So he made the choice to bring the fashion from the beloved musical "Wicked" from stage to screen. He's nominated for an Oscar for Best Costume Design, and joined us fresh off his BAFTA win. This conversation is part of our annual Big Picture series, where we speak with Oscar nominees who worked behind the camera.  

[REBROADCAST FROM May 14, 2025] Celebrated poet and author Ocean Vuong discusses his new novel, The Emperor of Gladness. It follows the relationship between a young man and an elderly woman who meet after the man's suicide attempt. 

[REBROADCAST FROM April 28, 2025] As The Dogist, photographer Elias Weiss Friedman has won over millions of fans with his photos of dogs in New York and around the world. In a new book, titled This Dog Will Change Your Life, he shares stories about some of the dogs he's met, both as The Dogist and in his private life, and how those interactions have shaped him.  

[REBROADCAST FROM March 7, 2025] Before the 1985 Grammy Awards, no women had ever been nominated for Producer of the Year. Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman became the first as part of Prince and the Revolution, though still no woman has ever won the award. Wendy & Lisa discuss their career. And, hear a little bit from Susan Rogers, a veteran audio engineer who worked for years with Prince and on a number of Wendy & Lisa's albums. 

[REBROADCAST FROM February 20, 2025] Powerhouse country and Americana duo The War and Treaty join us live in the studio to perform songs from their brand new album, Plus One.