Around Cincinnati

For his final segment on Around Cincinnati, John Kiesewetter pays a visit to the Rosemary Clooney House in Augusta, Kentucky. After touring the house for the first time since it opened, he speaks with one of the owners, former Miss America Heather French Henry , who opened the museum with her husband, about some of the classic pieces that are on display and how she wound up opening the museum. Lee Hay produced one of her most popular specials about the Kentucky native called Rosemary Clooney: Big Band Singer in 2013.

One of Cincinnati Public Radio’s most ardent fans and biggest supporters is also one of the city’s most talented musicians. Michael Chertock is the pianist for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra , conductor of the Blue Ash Montgomery Symphony Orchestra , and chair of the music department at the UC College-Conservatory of Music . For her final profile for Around Cincinnati, Anne Arenstein has a wide-ranging conversation with Maestro Chertock about his career and how he found his way to Cincinnati.

Around Cincinnati’s longtime theatre contributor, Rick Pender, chose one of the region’s most talented and in-demand actors for his final segment. Bruce Cromer is perhaps best-known to local audiences as either Bob Cratchit or Ebenezer Scrooge in the Playhouse in the Park ’s annual production of “A Christmas Carol,” but he has performed on most of the other stages in town, plus had a key role in the locally-filmed movie “Dark Waters”; and is an esteemed professor at Wright State University . Bruce Cromer has been a previous guest on Around Cincinnati, including in 2014, talking about “The Iliad” accompanied by director Michael Haney .

For the final segment of Around Cincinnati’s 15-year run, Brian O’Donnell is joined by musicians Karin Berquist and Linford Detweiler , also known as Over the Rhine . They talk about how they are dealing the pandemic and the shuttering of live music venues, cancelling their shows and tours; their Nowhere Else Festival that will, hopefully, happen again in 2021; and the time they’ve spent on their victory garden and renovating a barn.

As Around Cincinnati winds down its 15-year run, we want to share one of our shining moments. In 2007, local theatre writer and longtime contributor Rick Pender arranged an interview with Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim . Rick has written extensively about the composer for years, including an upcoming, in-depth biography.

For her final contribution to Around Cincinnati, our literary contributor Kelly Blewett has a conversation with her friend, former co-worker, and bestselling author, Liz Johnson. She just released A Dazzler of Diamonds , the final novel in her Georgia Coast Romance series.

Local Latin musician and organizer Nicholas Radina is with Brian O’Donnell to talk about the pause needed for his Salsa on the Square summer concerts on Fountain Square, his current project featuring Puerto Rican Cuarto instrument, and a book about the history of Cincinnati Latin music.

Barbara Gray concludes her Around Cincinnati book segments by interviewing bestselling author, Louise Penny . She provides a preview of her latest novel in the Inspector Gamache series, this one called All The Devils Are Here , scheduled for release on September 1.

Lee Hay's favorite Around Cincinnati interview over the years is the acclaimed designer Todd Oldham ' s 2006 interview of his mentor and friend, celebrated artist Charley Harper , in our studio.

A song from one of Around Cincinnati’s favorites, the late Katie Reider . Trusted Eyes is from her CD, Wonder .

Our friend and contributor David Delegator shares some of his pandemic reading list. Many of the books can be found at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton Count y .

Her voice is familiar to longtime listeners of WEBN or WNKU, and for many, was the first female rock jock most locals ever heard. She’s The Real Mary Peale and she’s with her former co-worker, Elaine Diehl, to talk about her long career and share some fun anecdotes.

Author Julia Koets , who holds a doctorate from the University of Cincinnati, released The Rib Joint: A Memoir in Essays this past November. She joins our contributor (and former classmate) Kelly Blewitt to talk about growing up and coming of age in the South.

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted local arts organizations, big and small. The Cincinnati Arts Association , manager of Music Hall and the Aronoff Center, has been dealing with two shuttered facilities since March. The CAA’s Van Ackerman joins Jim Stump via Zoom to detail what the organization is doing to stay afloat and what the future may hold.

Local author Sara Bennett Wealer has just released her latest YA novel, Now & When , a romantic tale featuring a mysterious website. Barbara Gray welcomes her to Around Cincinnati for a conversation about the story and the characters in her new novel.

A poem from Pauletta Hansel called “Our Words: Cincinnati, April 2017,” written when she was Poet Laureate for Cincinnati.

Small businesses, like record stores, have been severely impacted by the ongoing pandemic, so how are they surviving? Darren Blase from Shake It Records in Northside joins Brian O’Donnell to talk about how his shop is doing and the changes to Record Store Day .

Downtown’s Christ Church Cathedral dedicated a new C.B. Fisk organ in their Centennial Cathedral in 2018. To learn more about this very special instrument, our Alexander Watson recently spoke with Dr. Michael Unger , Professor of Organ and Harpsichord at UC, and David Pike , head tonalist from C. B. Fisk Organ Builders.

We revisit Dr. Herbert Woodward Martin ’s poem, Mississippi Poplars , from his collection The Shape of Regret , which he shared with us for Martin Luther King Jr. Day earlier this year.

For three decades, the women of the musical trio Raison d’Etre have been sharing their talents in coffee and wine shops, local festivals, libraries, theatres, classrooms and more. Joining Elaine Diehl to celebrate their 30 th anniversary are Roberta Schultz , Violet Webster , and Vickie Ellis .

Danny Frazier is one of the area’s favorite country singers, and he’s just dropped a new album. He spends some time with our Elaine Diehl to talk about his life, career, and the new Nobody Knows Where I Am .

Local poet Sherry Cook Stanforth recites her poem My Mother’s Dulcimer from her book, Drone String .

Matt Rollings is a Grammy Award-winning American composer, musician and record producer. His latest release, Mosaic , features a duet with bluegrass superstar Alison Krauss called Stay . The video for the song features the work of local photographer Michael Wilson and his son, videographer Henry Wilson . The Wilsons talk about their involvement on this project in this conversation with Brian O’Donnell.

While most theatres have gone dark during the pandemic, CAST (Commonwealth Artists Student Theatre) has found a unique way to present its summer musical, Newsies , featuring students from 27 local high schools. Artistic Director Jason Burgess and Executive Director Amy Burgess join Rick Pender to explain the drive-in live theatre they’ll present in the Coney Island parking lot.

Lebanon, Ohio resident Karen Ansberry co-founded the educational book series Picture-Perfect Science for elementary school teachers to use in classrooms to help students “learn to read and read to learn.” She joins Barbara Gray to talk about the series and her latest release, Nature Did It First: Engineering Through Biomimicry .

Get ready for some great local jazz on Thursday, July 16 when the Cincinnati Public Schools Jazz Academy livestreams a performance from the Kennedy Heights Arts Center. CPS Arts Curriculum Manager and Director of the Jazz Academy Dr. Isidore Rudnick arranges and conducts and joins Elaine Diehl for more details on the performance. To view, visit the CPS YouTube page.

Musician, CCM faculty, and owner of Monastery Studio, Ric Hordinski is staying busy through the pandemic, plus his photojournalist daughter has gained the family an international fan base. He joins Elaine Diehl to talk music in our current world and the “life in the time of COVID” feature his daughter Madeline, an Ohio University student, did for the BBC.

In the late 1970’s, Al Levy , then a college student, and a friend started playing guitar and banjo on the Washington State Ferry MV Kaleetan on their way to Port Townsend. In time, their fame grew, and the legend of the Ferryboat Musicians began. Now a practicing therapist, Al Levy has written about the experience and joins contributor Alexander Watson to talk about Blue Water Bluegrass: The Ferryboat Musicians .

Douglas Abrams achieved acclaim for his bestselling book, The Book of Joy , which was a firsthand account of a meeting between Archbishop Desmond Tutu and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Now, in this time of worldwide unrest, he’s sharing his thoughts from moderating that legendary discussion in this conversation with our Ron Esposito.

The Carnegie in Covington has, like most art venues, has been closed since the pandemic began in March. However, they are making plans to reopen with new rules, limited ticket sales, and other necessary adaptations. The Carnegie’s theatre director, Maggie Perrino , previews their new season and the adjustments they’ve made with Anne Arenstein.

Miami University Professor TaraShea Nesbit has released her newest novel, a historical suspense tale set in the early days of the Plymouth, Massachusetts colony. She safely joins our Barbara Gray to talk about Beheld .

County singer & club owner Bobby Mackey has a lot to celebrate these days. Along with 50 years in the music business, he tells Elaine Diehl about the upcoming reopening of his popular Wilder, Kentucky music venue.

The Queen City Opera is part of a summertime collaboration with the Nancy and David Wolf Holocaust and Humanity Center, the MYCincinnati Youth Orchestra, and the Price Hill Creative Community Festival. Queen City Opera’s Isaac Selya explains to Anne Arenstein that, as the young musicians learn more about the holocaust, they will join with his singers to record the Dies Irae from Verdi’s Requiem.

The Mountain Minor is a film that explores how eastern Kentuckians who migrated to the Cincinnati area brought their unique music with them. Lee Hay welcomes to the studio some of the people involved in the production: writer/director Dale Farmer and local musicians Ma Crow and Mike Oberst from the band, The Tillers. The film will air on KET public television on Friday, July 24 at 9 p.m.

Two generations worth of Appalachian heartbreak and resolve is the basis for Shiner , the debut novel from Amy Jo Burns . She’s with our Barbara Gray to talk about the women and stories she brings to life in Shiner .

Book Review: Roberta Schultz reviews the latest from Valerie Trouet, Tree Story: The History of the World Written in Rings.

In advance of the release of "Backstage," a double live album recorded at Shipley’s in 1979, we bring you the crowd favorite “Amaretta” by the popular Cincinnati band, Wheels .

Our friend Katie Laur talks about her friendship with the Grammy-winning singer/songwriter John Hartford (“Gentle on My Mind”) in this installment of Memories From the Hills of Home .

On this Father’s Day, local poet Marcus Whalbring recites his poem “My Dad Called to Ask Why” from his collection, How to Draw Fire .

The pandemic can’t keep rock and roll down forever. Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is ready to reopen, with certain restrictions, so Elaine Diehl welcomes the Hall’s President & CEO Greg Harris back to Around Cincinnati.

Cincinnati’s own Bootsy Collins has just released a new song to support the work of MusiCares. “Stars” features an all-star collaboration with American philosopher Dr. Cornel West, drummer Steve Jordan, banjo legend Béla Fleck, and featuring EmiSunshine and Olvido Ruiz. Elaine Diehl finds out more from the Rock Hall icon and shares the song.

The accomplishments of 19 th century engineer John A. Roebling outspan his renown for the Brooklyn Bridge and its predecessor, our own Roebling Suspension Bridge. There’s a new biography called Engineering America: The Life and Times of John A. Roebling , and our John Kiesewetter recently spoke with the author, Richard Haw .

Manifest Drawing Center in Walnut Hills and has been able to maintain many of their classes online through the pandemic, and at the same time, expanded their reach throughout the states and around the globe. Founder and Executive Director Jason Franz joins Anne Arenstein to talk about Manifest’s programming and plans for reopening.

Connie Schultz is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, formerly with the Cleveland Plain Dealer, who has just released her first novel. She joins Barbara Gray via Zoom to talk about The Daughters of Erietown .

Book Review: Kelly Blewett reviews Timothy Egan’s A Pilgrimage to Eternity: From Canterbury to Rome in Search of a Faith.

Around Cincinnati contributor Roberta Schultz has just released her latest poetry chapbook. She joins our Barbara Gray for a conversation about the poems in Touchstones .

Have you visited the new Art Climb yet? Jill Dunne , Director of Marketing and Communications for the Cincinnati Art Museum , shares the information about this public art project and what adornments are yet to come in this conversation with Anne Arenstein.

Walter Thompson-Hernandez , a writer for the New York Times, has returned to his home area of Southern California for a fascinating new book about urban cowboys in one of the most notorious cities in the U.S. He’s with our contributor Yemi Oyediran to talk about to his book, The Compton Cowboys : The New Generation of Cowboys in America's Urban Heartland .

On Around Cincinnati , our literary contributor Kelly Blewett reviews Ibram X. Kendi’ s book, How To Be An Antiracist .

Now that we’re into the early part of June, what is the status of the Cincinnati Parks and what events and activities are they hosting this month? Lou Sand , a region manager for the Parks, joins Elaine Diehl with a full update.

We share the song Infinite Sky from local trio Peaceful Sorrow .