Podcasts about wamc

We came, we saw, we talked! Vox Pop went on location to Defazio's at 216 for an hour of chat with Rocco DeFazio, his son Matt and daughter Elizabeth... plus 60 of our closest Vox Pop friends. A splendid time was had by all.

WAMC's Jazz Host Bill McCann will tell us about the latest season for 'A Place for Jazz' and Jazz Happenings around the region in the coming weeks.

This week, Thom Francis welcomes poet, writer, and long time local open mic host R.M. Engelhardt, who read his poems, with accompaniment by Will Nivens, at The Linda on August 8, 2021. +++++ In the summer of 2021, as venues were re-opening to in-person performances post pandemic, poets and spoken word artists were invited to share their work and the stage with some of the area's best musicians at The Linda, WAMC's Performing Arts Center, in Albany. On August 8, poet R.M. Engelhardt kicked off an amazing evening of poetry and music headlined by The Dust Bowl Faeries. Engelhardt read is poetry with accompaniment by guitarist Will Nivens. R.M. Engelhardt is an American poet, writer, and author who lives in Upstate NY. His work often explores themes of love, loss, and social commentary, and he has published several collections of poetry and short stories. Engelhardt's writing style is known for its lyricism, intensity, and emotional depth, and he has been praised for his unique voice and perspective. He has also been involved in various artistic collaborations and performances, and has read his work at numerous venues and events. His work has been published by such journals as Retort, Red Fez, Rusty Truck, Sure! The Charles Bukowski Newsletter, Thunder Sandwich, Fashion For Collapse, 2nd Avenue, The Angry Poet, Black Noise, Winedrunk Sidewalk, Full of Crow, The Outlaw Poetry Network, The Rye Whiskey Review, Fishbowl Poetry Press, The Black Shamrock, Trailer Park Quarterly, Spillwords, Dumpster Fire Press, Punk Noir Magazine & in many others.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are:Robert Brigham - Professor of History and International Relations on the Shirley Ecker Boskey Chair at Vassar College. Catherine Tan - Associate Professor in the department of sociology at Vassar College. Larissa Phillips - Founder and director of the Volunteer Literacy Project and columnist for The Free Press. Justin Patch - Associate Professor of Music at Vassar College. With special appearance from WAMC's Live Show, Newscast, and Podcast Editor Diane DeVore.

Our Summer road trip took host Ray Graf to the Saratoga Automobile Museum for a broadcast recording of Vox Pop's audience favorite, The Car Show. Ray was joined by our Vox Pop Car Show pit crew: Car Show regular Barber and Fricke Automotive's Gordon Fricke, former Ford technician and motorcycle enthusiast Don McCabe, and Proctors CEO and Volkswagen collector Philip Morris talked shop about everything on wheels, and answered your questions about everything automotive as part of the live in-person audience.

Ralph welcomes sportswriter Dave Zirin to talk about his new book, "The People's Historian: The Outsized Life of Howard Zinn." Then Ralph speaks to labor activist Gene Bruskin about their upcoming Labor Day event at Busboys and Poets in DC, "Galvanizing Labor Day for a Workers' Compact."Dave Zirin is the sports editor for The Nation, a columnist for the Progressive, and the author of eight books on the politics of sports, including What's My Name, Fool?: Sports and Resistance in the United States and A People's History of Sports in the United States. His new book is The People's Historian: The Outsized Life of Howard Zinn.There's a despondency that exists now, I believe, among people who are also very angry about the state of our politics. And the thing that Howard always insisted upon—he was an activist who happened to be a historian, not a historian who was an activist. And that doesn't denigrate his incredible skills as a historian, it just says where his priorities were in his time on this planet. And one of the things that Howard believed so strongly is that the movements themselves needed to have a strong sense of history. The movements needed to know that we live in a time of great ups and downs.Dave ZirinPeople did step up to create the Zinn Education Project. And every book event I'm doing, I'm showing up with copies of their materials and they usually have somebody on the ground doing the organizing at the event. And at the very least, we're helping it be a little bit sticky. You know what I'm saying? Like, it's not just a book event. It's not just celebrating Howard. But it's also something that allows us to be able to make it matter in a way that it otherwise would not—because it's not just about selling books, it really is about building a movement.Dave ZirinGene Bruskin is a veteran of the labor movement as a local union president, an organizer, and campaign coordinator for numerous local and national unions. He has done extensive international labor solidarity work, including with Iraqi workers and unions, and is a founder of US Labor Against the War.What we're breaking through here now (and partly this has been the definition of this resistance movement) it's workers versus billionaires. And I think the labor movement in general coming out of World War II has been captured by this mythology that “What's good for General Electric is good for the nation.” And the more the economy “prospers,” the more it's good for everybody. And it turns out that that's not really the case, because we don't have that kind of equality. And also what's in the national interest in terms of our foreign policy is not in the interest of the average working class person. A lot of that stuff is being challenged and reversed—not enough, but it's forcing some of the more moderate forces to the left, just as we're seeing in some of these Senate and House elections.Gene BruskinI think this is a really important moment for Labor Day because Labor Day, among other things, is generally the kickoff for whatever elections are happening in November. And it's going to be that on steroids this year. But I think the important thing is that, of course, we want to throw out a bunch of these Neanderthal Republicans in the House and Senate. But it's not just a matter of restoring a Democratic majority in the House and Senate. The question is: to what end? And what is on the agenda of a Democratic-majority Congress at this minute? What is the vision that we have for our future that we have to be fighting for? … We have to change this whole climate so that people have some kind of hope, some kind of vision for what we want and what we deserve. And the same old, same old, whether it's a Democratic Congress or not, is not acceptable anymore.Gene BruskinGalvanizing Labor Day for a Workers' Compact (Sep 7, 2026 2:00 pm ET): Busboys and Poets and Ralph Nader present Galvanizing Labor Day for a Workers' Compact, a discussion of how unions can maximize the impact of Labor Day to mobilize workers and voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections and afterwards. (Event is in-person @ Busboys and Poets 14th & V + Livestreamed. Free and open to all, but registration is required.)News 9/4/26* Our top story this week is the neo-colonial oil extraction deal that has been struck between the Trump administration and the government of Delcy Rodríguez in Venezuela. This government has been running the country under the barrel of a gun since Trump sent Delta Force to kidnap President Nicolás Maduro from his home in the Bolivarian Republic in January. According to the BBC, the new deal “grants a US-led company 100-year concessions over 17 oilfields in Venezuela, amounting to a staggering 65 billion barrels of crude,” or over one-fifth of the country's proven oil reserves. The White House has released a fact sheet, stating that much of the new extraction will be conducted by North American Blue Energy Partners (Nabep), and that the U.S. government will have “veto power over the appointment of any member of the board of directors, and a majority of Nabep's board of directors must be US citizens.” The announcement of this deal drew scorn from a wide variety of sources. These range from Trump's former special representative on Venezuela and Iran, Elliott Abrams who called the deal “terrible” and sees it as Rodríguez “simply complying with the demands she's getting from Washington,” to Rafael Ramírez, who served as the head of the state-run energy firm, PDVSA, and as the oil minister under former President Hugo Chávez, who is quoted saying the deal “hands over [the oil] and opens the doors to a new colonialism of the United States.”* In more outrageous foreign policy news, Reuters reports the Trump administration has designated the United Kingdom-based pro-Palestine activist group Palestine Action a ”terrorist organization,” part of the administration's “campaign to crack down on left-wing groups” using post-9/11 anti-terrorism laws. The United Nations has decried this move, with the UN's human rights office chief Volker Turk calling it a “disproportionate and unnecessary ⁠restriction on the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association as well as the right ​to participate in public affairs,” adding that the “expansive use ​of the term ‘terrorism' has been documented to have a chilling effect on civic space.” The UK has sought to bring the legal hammer down on Palestine Action, though these efforts have been somewhat stymied by the courts. Sarah McLaughlin, senior scholar of global expression at free speech group Foundation for Individual Rights and Free Expression (FIRE), ​said that the US “must reject that censorship - not import it.” Reuters notes that “Israel's foreign ministry welcomed the designation.”* This is not the only case wherein the Trump administration has gone to extreme lengths to punish pro-Palestine activism. California District Judge Noel Wise highlighted this in her recent decision, excoriating the State Department and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for their attempts to deport noncitizens over protected speech. This ruling, stemming from a lawsuit filed by FIRE, “centred on how the second Trump administration revoked visas and detained international students studying in the US after they engaged in pro-Palestinian advocacy.” Judge Wise stated in her decision that “in the United States, freedom of speech belongs to the people..It is not the government's to take.” She added that the strength of our democracy is “diminished when members of our society — citizens and noncitizens alike — must self-censor and ‘behave' or suffer the government's retaliation.” Mahmoud Khalil, the most prominent victim of the administration's policy of seeking to deport activists they want to silence, applauded the decision, saying “No one should fear speaking up for Palestine.” This from Al Jazeera.* Our final Palestine-related story for this week takes us to Hollywood, where prominent actor and activist Mark Ruffalo's recent comments in opposition to the Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros. merger, related to Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison's ties to his father's software company Oracle, have been cynically branded as “antisemitic tropes.” According to the LA Times, Ruffalo shared a clip of Safra Catz, Oracle's former CEO and a current Paramount board member speaking at an Israeli-American Council National Summit conference, where she said that “she couldn't discuss Oracle's work with Israel's military, but ‘we have some profoundly scary technology at Oracle and we wanted to make sure that it was available' to Israel,” after October 7th. Paramount's lawyers quickly sought to smear Ruffalo with the charge of antisemitism, including by deploying their allies in pro-Israel groups like the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Anti-Defamation League. In response, over 150 Jewish filmmakers, academics, writers and even rabbis, signed an open letter which reads, in part, “Pointing out the crucial connections between what is happening in Gaza and what is happening in Hollywood is the exact opposite of antisemitism. It is, for us, the very essence of Jewish ethical duty.”* In other news, NBC reports the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled Friday that “federal commodities-trading law does not preempt Nevada's gambling law as to the regulation of placing wagers on sports.” This piece notes that the 3-0 ruling marks the prediction markets industry's most significant legal setback yet and sets up a showdown at the Supreme Court, since the Third Circuit has already ruled that New Jersey cannot regulate Kalshi. The Trump administration has sought to keep regulation of betting markets under the jurisdiction of the federal body known as the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Notably, the commission, usually composed of five appointees, currently boasts only one single member: Michael S. Selig. Selig is extremely friendly to the prediction market industry and has sought to stave off state-level regulation by arguing for federal preemption.* Kalshi has been in the news for other reasons as well, namely for its attempts to self-regulate. For one, the Wall Street Journal reports that Kalshi issued its first ever lifetime ban this week, to none other than former Congressman and notorious grifter George Santos. This ban was precipitated by Santos' making over $17,000 by “placing bets on his attendance at President Trump's State of the Union address.” Kalshi adds that they issued a $71,356 fine to Santos. For his part, Santos tweeted “Hey @Kalshi thanks for the lifetime ban from your gambling platform…Let's see how much longer you guys are around for.” Newsweek reports that at the same time, Kalshi fined and suspended North Carolina Republican congressional candidate Laurie Buckhout for betting on her own race. Buckhout dismissed her bet as a “dumb mistake” and joked that her “career as a Kalshi trader was short-lived.” Buckhout is running against incumbent Congressman Don Davis in a newly-redrawn district engineered to favor Republicans, but polling shows a tight race. If Buckhout narrowly loses, many will point to this “dumb mistake” as a key reason why.* Another legal battle is unfolding in New York City, where landlords are challenging Mayor Zohran Mamdani's rent freeze for rent-stabilized tenants. PIX11 reports that the suit, originally filed in Staten Island but now moved to Manhattan, centers on complaints from landlords that the decision by the rent guidelines board (RGB) to keep rents flat on one and two-year lease renewals for NYC's million rent-stabilized apartments was “predetermined and illegal.” They argue that the board “cherry-picked data and was packed with supporters of Mayor…Mamdani's campaign promise to freeze rents,” while the Mamdani administration maintains that the board is an “independent body and considers both tenant and landlord concerns.” The mayoral administration will defend the decision in court, while the Legal Aid Society and Legal Services NYC have filed a request for the court to dismiss the suit entirely. An article in POLITICO from earlier this month reports that the plaintiffs in this suit hope to bring this case all the way to the US Supreme Court.* Our final stories this week take us back to the campaign trail. First up, Alaska Public Media is out with a report about a “chain of political maneuvers in the governor's race,” kicked off by former Anchorage mayor Tom Begich's “decision to step down to give fellow Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins a better shot at winning.” Kreiss-Tomkins finished first in the August primary, followed by Begich in second place and two Republicans in third and fourth respectively. Under Alaska election law, the top four finishers advance to the general election. This piece recounts how Begich's withdrawal sent shockwaves through the Republican candidate field. With Begich out, “Republican Treg Taylor moved into the fourth spot. But on Sunday, Taylor called for [fellow Republicans Bernadette] Wilson and [Dave] Bronson to consolidate their campaigns and pledged to endorse a combined Republican ticket. In a statement, Taylor urged Republicans to unite behind a single candidate, to counter Kreiss-Tompkins.” While fascinating for political junkies, many have observed that the maneuvers on display here and in Alaska's Senate race seem to undercut many of the arguments in favor of ranked-choice voting, with more effort being put into confusing voters or seeking to induce so-called “ballot exhaustion” rather than facilitating a more enlightened civil discourse.* Our final two stories cover the Massachusetts primaries held this Tuesday. The topline, as Semafor reports, is that incumbents swept their primaries in a stark reversal of the insurgent trend in Democratic primaries this cycle. The most notable of these was the crushing victory of 80-year-old incumbent Senator Ed Markey over his 47-year-old challenger, Congressman Seth Moulton. Markey won with approximately two-thirds of the vote. This piece notes that Moulton, younger but running to Markey's right, was never able to establish the “generational change” dynamic he wanted in this race, as “progressives and LGBTQ rights groups rallied behind…[Senator Markey].” On this latter point, Moulton was roundly criticized by Democratic voters, even in his own district, for “scapegoating” transgender people in the wake of the 2024 election. Reporter Dave Weigel adds a coda to this piece: “The subtext of Markey ‘26 was that he would be a reliable progressive vote for whatever the movement wanted for six more years, and then Ayanna Pressley could come in and replace him. Pressley campaigned [with] Markey, starred in ads; [and] at rallies he gushed about how she was the ‘north star' and if you wanted to know what the right side of an issue was, it was the side she was on.”* Finally, with all of that said, the pro-incumbent wave in Massachusetts did cut both ways. Progressive challengers to moderate Democrat incumbents fell short in the state's eighth congressional district – reelecting Congressman Stephen Lynch for a 14th term over progressive voting rights advocate Patrick Roath. Meanwhile, in the first district, WAMC reports Congressman Richie Neal, a longtime scourge of progressives, fended off a primary challenge from teacher Jeromie Whalen in his bid for a 20th term in the House – though Whalen, a political newcomer, won an impressive 46% of the vote. Neal will however face the formidable independent candidate Nadia Milleron in the general election. Milleron won nearly 40% of the vote against Neal in 2024; perhaps, if she wins over enough of Whalen's primary supporters, she can pull out a victory in November.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

Few films have captured the work, responsibility, and power of investigative journalism as vividly as 'All the President's Men.' Released in 1976 and directed by Alan Pakula, the film stars Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman, as Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, whose painstaking investigation of the Watergate break-in helped uncover a political scandal that ultimately led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon.Based on Woodward and Bernstein's book, the film received eight Academy Award nominations, it won four Oscars. Fifty years later, it remains a landmark portrait of journalism, of cultivating sources, verifying facts, confronting powerful institutions, and following a story wherever it leads. The Library of Congress added the film to the National Film Registry in 2010.Last weekend WAMC and the Crandell Theatre in Chatham teamed up for a special screening of all the president's men, followed by a conversation about the film and the current state of journalism and investigative reporting. It was a full house, and our panel brought together four people with very different perspectives on the press, politics, and public life.

This week, Thom Francis welcomes poet Alina Pleskova, who shared her work at a spoken word event sponsored by the Hudson Valley Writers Guild, Trailer Park Quarterly, and Hobo Camp Review at The Linda on August 5, 2023. +++++ Alina Pleskova is a poet, editor, and Moscow-born immigrant turned proud Philadelphian. Her first full-length collection, Toska, is now available from Deep Vellum. She co-edits bedfellows magazine and is a 2020 and 2022 Leeway Foundation grant awardee, as well as the author of the chapbook, What Urge Will Save Us (Spooky Girlfriend Press, 2017). Her writing has appeared in American Poetry Review, swamp pink, Peach Mag, the tiny, and elsewhere. On August 5, 2023, Alina was one of the poets who, along with Rebecca Schumejda, Kenning JP Garcia, Erren Geraud Kelly, and Victorio Reyes Asili, shared their work at The Linda, WAMC's Performing Arts Studio, as part of a night of poetry and spoken word presented by the Hudson Valley Writers Guild and online literary journals Hobo Camp Review, and Trailer Park Quarterly. That night, Alina read from her recent collection of poetry, Toska. According to Deep Vellum, her publisher's website, the title of the book derives from “the Russian word which denotes a melancholic longing without a singular cause, longing for a better world than the late-stage capitalist hell we live in,”. Local poet Dan Wilcox wrote on his blog about the reading, "She is clearly the center of her poems, but in the sense of a person surrounded by images in the world, as opposed to some self-absorbed philosophical ponderings; an example would be her poem “I Forgot What I Returned For” about being in an airport on her birthday. I particularly liked this line from one of her poems: “I want the class war to start, but everyone is too tired.”" To learn more about this year's reading featuring poets from the Hudson Valley Writers Guild, Trailer Park Quarterly, and Hobo Camp Review, visit hvwg.org.

Monday 17th August 2026 We're joined by friend of the show, Ella Eastaugh from Frontrunner Physiotherapy as we preview the big dance - Transcend Trails this Saturday. Ella chats about her rehab and return to running following a couple of setbacks, Simon shares his reflections following some niggles, Vici ticks another week in the lead up to this week's Transcend team relay and City to Surf later this month, and Chris shares his final preparations before the 65km. In local results we had the Christmas Island Marathon with friends of the show Bryan Lip and Ash Ritto Ritson, and very close to home we had the WAMC Lake Gwelup Run that had the 5km and 10km distances. The latest on the WA Women's Track Night, a Potential 5K race organised by Josh Tighe and Vlad Ixel, and callout for Perth Running Festival pacers by the WAMC round off this week's Vici's Verbalisations. Jamie Back, Carl Harrison and a Jesse Chambers update feature in this week's Weapons of WARP.   Jesse Chambers Fundraising Page for Cure Brain Cancer Foundation: https://fundraise.curebraincancer.org.au/fundraisers/jessechambers/31-in-31  Reach out and connect! Instagram: @warunningpod Email: warunningpodcast@gmail.com  Strava: https://www.strava.com/clubs/WARP

Physician and acclaimed novelist Daniel Mason has a gift for finding the extraordinary in everyday life. His new novel, 'Country People,' follows a young family whose move to rural Vermont becomes an unexpected journey into folklore, community, and imagination.Daniel Mason is our guest on this week's Book Show – this afternoon at 3, Thursday night at 8 and online at wamc.org. In this preview of the program, we talk with Daniel Mason about the book and reactions from early readers – including the question for the author, “do you listen to WAMC?”

Truth and Justice for Palestine is hosting a People's Roundtable on July 26th in Albany to discuss current events relating to Palestine and beyond and to draw attention to the lopsided nature of media reporting including on WAMC's Roundtable program. The group says that the Roundtable hosted thirteen US and Israeli military affiliated voices for every one independent middle east expert and that they have only one person of color for every twelve white guests. The event will be moderated by author, feminist icon and former Albany Common Council member Barbara Smith and panelists include, journalist Eduardo Rodriguez Santiago, public historian Lacey Wilson and tenant organizer Canyon Ryan. Moses Nagel spoke with Barbara Smith and Lacey Wilson to learn more about the event. More info can be found @TJ4Pcoalition.

Vox Pop's Ray Graf hosted a special Vox Pop Gardening Show On-The-Roadshow event at the Landis Arboretum in Esperance, New York on April 22nd, 2026. A splendid time was had by all! Our popular Vox Pop Gardening Show headed out on the road to take root at the Landis Arboretum on Earth Day. Ray and the gardening show all-stars looked at your odd plants, fielded your most fertile questions, and dished the dirt with our agricultural experts.

We welcome back Dr. Hida Nierenburg, director of Headache Medicine at Vassar Brothers Medical Center. WAMC's Ray Graf hosts.

Monday 15th June 2026 Simon and Vici are joined by the President of the WA Marathon Club - Kim Vivian to talk about the club's beginnings to where it is now as Australia's largest running club organising some of the biggest events in the WA Running Calendar.  Kim is also a World Athletics Level A certified course measurer, so we delve into the principles and steps behind certifying a course, how to become one, the inaccuracies of GPS, and being treated like a rockstar with security detail in Southeast Asia.  We recap the Wadjemup Rottnest Festival that included some last-minute course tweaks by Kim and Ray Lampard and Michael Carroll taking out the Todd Ingraham Trophy and running the most smiley 2:37 marathon. In other local results, Nancy helps us recap the Cape to Cape Ultra Marathon, as the Kunnunurra Half Marathon. We have two tickets to giveaway for the upcoming Backroads Gravel Run, and Big Kev, Jayme from the Last Person Standing competition, Rob Goyen and Stu Caufield, and WAMC member Gary Harris feature in our Weapons of WARP.   Reach out and connect! Instagram: @warunningpod Email: warunningpodcast@gmail.com  Strava: https://www.strava.com/clubs/WARP

Thom Francis welcomes poet, author, and artist Elizabeth Gordon who shared her work at the Year in Review event at The Linda, WAMC's Performing Arts Center in Albany on December 17, 2022. +++++ Since 2021, the Hudson Valley Writers Guild has hosted the Year in Review poetry event to highlight the poets and writers in the area while looking back at the year that was. In 2022, I was joined on stage by five other local writers for the second annual Year in Review at the Linda, WAMC's Performing Arts Studio. Today we are going to hear from one of those writers - poet, author, educator, and artist Elizabeth Gordon. Elizabeth K. Gordon is a college literature instructor based in Cohoes, New York, and the author of two books: Love Cohoes and Walk with Us. A pioneer in the local poetry scene, she was a member of the Capital District's first slam team, the Nitty Gritty Slam, representing them at the National Poetry Slam and the Women of the World Poetry Slam (WOWPS). Later, she competed at WOWPS on behalf of New York City's Urbana Slam. Beyond performing, Elizabeth has served as a writing coach and mentor, most recently guiding Troy's Café Euphoria slam team. In addition to her literary work, she is also a painter specializing in abstract art. Local poet Dan Wilcox wrote on his blog about the reading: “Elizabeth Gordon, otherwise known on the Slam circuit as Elizag, not surprisingly brought the performance level up a few more notches with her pieces of radical social engagement, such as her opening piece beginning “It was the Summer tuna cost less than cat food…” & a meditation on shopping with her younger self. She too had a poem about her cellphone, & another an “Ode to My Painting Pants,” followed by the linking alliteration of a poem on Putin. She ended with a poem from memory in her best Slam performance style, “A Hiding Place,” on the shooting at a gay bar in Orlando.”

Today is the last day of the producer of The Roundtable Sarah LaDuke. She has worked at WAMC for 20 years and worked on the Roundtable for 18. Her career at WAMC has been amazing and extensive. She has done countless interviews with organizations, artists, musicians, Broadway stars, authors, and the list goes on. She also worked hard behind the scenes to make The Roundtable run smoothy all these years.She will be sorely missed, but her history and career at the station will live forever.

Today, on the Hudson Mohawk Magazine, First, Mark Dunlea reports on an attempted ICE arrest of immigration workers with Columbia County Sanctuary Movement. Then, we hear part 3 of Marsha Lazarus's conversation with musician and composer David Amram. Later on, hear an interview Moses Nagel did with two UAlbany students about challenges Asian students face on campus. After that, it is time for Albany Comedy Corner. This week Tyler Artis talks with Terrence Green about his upcoming LGBTQ+ show. Finally, Thom Francis welcomes Alyssa Michelle to the stage for the Hudson Valley Writers Guild 2022 Year in Review event at The Linda, WAMC's Performing Arts Studio, in Albany. Hosts: Sina Baslia Hickey and Caelan McPherson Engineer: Caelan McPherson

It's my preview of the most anticipated movies of Summer 2026 on WAMC-FM. For the text of this commentary, visit the Jackson Murphy page on WAMC.org. (Aired May 19, 2026)

This week, Thom Francis welcomes poet and wildlife rehabilitator J. Lester Allen to the stage for a reading at The Linda, WAMC's Performing Arts Studio, on July 27 2022. +++++ J. Lester Allen was one of 11 poets who shared their work as part of a two-night event series presented by the Hudson Valley Writers Guild, Hobo Camp Review, and Trailer Park Quarterly that took place in both Troy and Albany. J. Lester Allen is an American writer and poet. Originally hailing from the Central Pennsylvania region, he currently calls the waterfall rich holler of Ludlowville, NY home. He published his first collection of poems, The Days Carnivore, in 2008 and has since published three other collections of poetry and short stories, most notably This Is a Land of Wolves Now (Kung Fu Treachery 2019). A fourth collection, Beyond The Wounded Horizon, a split effort with fellow poet James H. Duncan, is also available on Alpine Ghost Press. Allen's poetry covers topics from growing up with his brother and single dad, friends who have passed, and why there might be a raccoon in his apartment.

Fatimah Gilliam is an author, lawyer, consultant, WAMC panelist, and founder of the Azara Group where she works on issues of leadership, equity, and organizational culture. Her new book 'Race Rules: What Your Black Friend Won't Tell You' tackles the everyday assumptions, comments, and behaviors that often shape cross-racial interactions in America. Drawing from personal experience and professional insight Gilliam explores everything from microaggressions and white privilege to the hidden social codes that can quietly damage relationships and workplaces. Rather than focusing only on theory the book offers practical guidance for readers hoping to better understand race, challenge misconception, and engage more honestly across differences.

At our most recent WAMC on the Road event with CulinaryArts@SPAC – the featured cookbook was ‘Heartland Masala: An Indian Cookbook from an American Kitchen.'‘Heartland Masala' presents recipes from Indian cooking instructor Jyoti Mukharji with cultural and historical essays by her son Auyon Mukharji – folk musician and member of the band ‘Darlingside.'

This week, Thom Francis welcomes poet, artist, and musician Matthew Klane to the mic. Matthew read poems at the first Year in Review spoken word event at The Linda, WAMC's Performing Arts Studio, on December 17, 2021. +++++ At the end of 2021, coming out of the pandemic, there were a lot of stories to tell. Albany Poets (soon to be merged with the Hudson Valley Writers Guild) invited eight local poets to perform on The Linda stage in front of their first live poetry show in over a year. The Year in Review was an incredible evening of poetry, art, and community. Matthew Klane was one of the poets who read his work at the event. Matthew is co-editor at Flim Forum Press. His books include Canyons (w/ James Belflower, Flimb Press 2016), Che (Stockport Flats 2013) and B (Stockport Flats 2008). An e-chapbook from Of the Day is online at Delete Press, an e-book My is online at Fence Digital, and a chapbook Poetical Sketches is available from The Magnificent Field. He currently lives and writes in Albany, NY. You can find out more about Matthew at his website matthewklane.com.

Dr. Jessica B. Harris is a renowned culinary historian, James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame winner, and star of the Netflix docuseries ‘High on the Hog.' Her latest book is ‘Braided Heritage: Recipes and Stories on the Origin of American Cuisine.' Joe Donahue spoke with her in a WAMC on the Road and CulinaryArts@SPAC event in Saratoga Springs, New York in March.

'Diamond Fever!' is a bit of a departure from Steve Sheinkin's other books and is perfect for emerging readers. Both shorter and faster paced, it also features an engaging mixture of prose and comics from renowned illustrator Jon Chad. With these additions, readers will fully immerse themselves in the Great Diamond Hoax of 1872, a time full of deception, fortune, and greed.Steve Sheinkin and Jon Chad will be at Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga for a talk and signing about 'Diamond Fever' on Monday, May 18, 2026, at 6:00pm. northshire.com. You're listening to the RT on WAMC.

On March 22, WAMC On the Road presented a special conversation at historic Caffè Lena in Saratoga Springs, New York. A panel of experts attempted to answer the question “Does music matter?” (spoiler: Yes, it does.) by exploring topics surrounding music as a path to healing, empathy and health.Lead by WAMC's Southern Adirondack Bureau Chief Aaron Shellow-Lavine, the participants were Caffè Lena Executive Director Sarah Craig, Associate Professor in the Psychology Department and Neuroscience Program at Skidmore College Dr. Dominique Vuvan, and folk-musician and educator Dan Berggren.

This week, Thom Francis welcomes D. Colin. On August 12, 2021, she performed at The Linda, WAMC's Performing Arts Studio for an evening of music and poetry with local singer/songwriter Caity Gallagher. +++++ In our area, we are very fortunate to have a multidisciplinary artist of Haitian descent whose work spans poetry, visual art, and theater with the talent of D. Colin. She is the author of the collection of poetry Dreaming in Kreyol and the playwright behind Simone: A One-Woman Show and Psalm 91: Releasing Religion. As a teaching artist and curator, she creates spaces for storytelling and healing. D's work has been showcased all over the world in publications, performances, and exhibitions. Her mantra is simple - Be inspired. Then inspire. 

Today, on the Hudson Mohawk Magazine, First, Mark Dunlea takes us to the Albany Capitol where rallies for climate, immigration, taxing the rich, and health care took place. Then, we hear excerpts from the Saratoga City Council meeting where various attendees spoke about the homelessness ordinance. Later on, Melissa Bromley interviews Jillian Hermansky about her masters research on the subject of community radio. After that, we talk comedy with Tyler Artis and Brad Monkell who are both performing at Mojo's Cafe on Wednesday March 25, one of the last shows taking place at the cafe before it closes. Finally, Thom Francis spotlights D. Colin's poetry performance at The Linda, WAMC's Performing Arts Studio in 2021. Co-hosts: Doug Bierend and Sina Basila Hickey (also engineer)

Skidmore College pundit Beau Breslin says that while we may not yet be in a Constitutional Crisis, the Constitution is clearly broken, and we are watching Supreme Court rulings dismantle many of the programs and institutions built up over the past 60 years.Beau Breslin is the Joseph C. Palamountain Chair in Government at Skidmore College. He has written three books, including the award-winning A Constitution for the Living: Imagining How Five Generations of Americans Would Rewrite the Nation's Fundamental Law. He is a regular on WAMC's Roundtable and has appeared on C-SPAN, The Thomas Jefferson Hour, Listening to America, Consider the Constitution, and elsewhere. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Pennsylvania. From 2011-2018, he was Skidmore's Dean of the Faculty.

We welcome back Kizzy Williams-Francisco of Allie B's to discuss soul food, southern cooking, and answer your cooking questions. WAMC's Ray Graf hosts.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Joseph Palamountain Jr. Chair in Government at Skidmore College Beau Breslin, Tetherless World Professor of Computer, Web and Cognitive Sciences at RPI Jim Hendler, and Former Vice President for Editorial Development at the New York Press Association Judy Patrick.This is an abbreviated panel that is taking place during WAMC's February Fund Drive.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are The Ulster County Comptroller and the former president and CEO of the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley March Gallagher, a grants analyst based in Albany Emily Honen, and Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute Robert Pondiscio.This is an abbreviated panel that is taking place during WAMC's February Fund Drive.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are public policy and communications expert Theresa Bourgeois, Semi-retired, Editor at large/columnist/editorial writer, Times Union Jay Jochnowitz, and newly former Mayor of the City of Albany Kathy Sheehan.This is an abbreviated panel that is taking place during WAMC's February Fund Drive.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Executive Vice President and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Bard College and Director for the Center for Civic Engagement &Professor of Political Studies Jonathan Becker, Senior Fellow, Bard Center for Civic Engagement Jim Ketterer, and Political Consultant Libby Post.This is an abbreviated panel that is taking place during WAMC's February Fund Drive.

We welcome back SUNY physics professor Dr. Kevin Knuth for another of our regular discussions about UFO... or UAP as some now call them. We'll talk about the latest sightings, scientific research and take your calls. WAMC's Ray Graf hosts.

Last month, WAMC on the Road presented an evening of conversation centered on the state of journalism, democracy, and upholding our First Amendment Rights at Gallery 40 in Poughkeepsie, New York. Joe Donahue moderated and the panelists were WAMC's CEO & President Sarah Gilbert, Executive Producer of “The New Yorker Radio Hour” David Krasnow, Founder of “The Daily Catch” Emily Sachar and Editor of “The Times Union” Casey Seiler.

Ozoz Sokoh is a culinary anthropologist, food historian, and author of the new cook book “Chop Chop: Cooking the Foods of Nigeria” (Artisan, 2025). In the tradition of Julia Child's “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” and Madhur Jaffrey's “An Invitation to Indian Cooking,” “Chop Chop” offers both a cultural history and a hands-on introduction to the flavors of Nigeria.We spoke with Ozoz in a CulinaryArts@SPAC and WAMC on the Road event in Saratoga Springs, New York on November 15. At the event, we were all treated to authentic Nigerian dishes including a goat pepper soup, chin chin, puff puff, jollof rice, and more prepared by Keobi Restaurant of Albany, New York.

Susan Orlean's latest, “Joyride,” is a memoir of finding her creative calling and purpose that invites to approach life with wonder, curiosity, and an irrepressible sense of delight. She will be in conversation with Joe Donahue at Skidmore College on 11/17 in an event presented by Northshire Bookstore and WAMC on the Road.

What better way to honor and enjoy all the holidays of a year than to toast each one with a fabulous new cocktail - mocktail?"Extremely Happy Holidays: Wildly Creative New Cocktails to Uplift and Enchant Through A Full Year Of Holiday Chaos" is a new book by Devin McEwan features art by (his mother) Sandra Boynton.Joe Donahue will be in conversation with McEwan and Boynton in a special Oblong Books and WAMC On the Road at The White Hart Inn in Salisbury, CT on November 12 at 6:30 p.m.

*Content Warning: Institutional child abuse, body-image abuse, disordered eating, attack therapy, cultic abuse, grooming, medical trauma, death, alcohol use disorder, psychological and physical trauma, child labor, distressing themes.  *Free + Confidential Resources + Safety Tips:  somethingwaswrong.com/resources    Snag your ticket for the live Home for the Holidays event here: https://events.humanitix.com/swwxtgi  Check out our brand new SWW Sticker Shop!: https://brokencyclemedia.com/sticker-shop  *SWW S23 Theme Song & Artwork:  The S24 cover art is by the Amazing Sara Stewart Follow Something Was Wrong: Website: somethingwaswrong.com  IG: instagram.com/somethingwaswrongpodcast TikTok: tiktok.com/@somethingwaswrongpodcast  Follow Tiffany Reese: Website: tiffanyreese.me  IG: instagram.com/lookieboo *Sources  “DeSisto School.” Unsilenced, www.unsilenced.org/program-archive/us-programs/massachusetts/desisto-school/ “Exhibits in Desisto Investigation.” Scribd, Scribd, www.scribd.com/document/324581177/Exhibits-in-DeSisto-Investigation “Off-Broadway's Inappropriate Extends Again to Jan. 30.” Playbill, Playbill, 2 Dec. 2021, playbill.com/article/off-broadways-inappropriate-extends-again-to-jan-30-com-86238 Radio, WAMC Northeast Public. “Controversial School for Troubled Teens to Close.” WAMC, 16 Feb. 2012, www.wamc.org/new-york-news/2004-04-13/controversial-school-for-troubled-teens-to-close Secretary of Labor, Plaintiff, Appellee, V. A. Michael Desisto, Defendant, Appellee,the Desisto Schools, Inc., Defendant, Appellant.Elizabeth Dole, Secretary of Labor, Plaintiff, Appellant, V. A. Michael Desisto, et al., Defendants, Appellees, 929 f.2d 789 (1st Cir. 1991) :: Justia, law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/929/789/124165/

This Saturday, October 25, Hudson Hall presents a special preview performance of “What is Your Hand in This?,” a new collaboration between acclaimed baritone Davóne Tines and early music band Ruckus.The performance will be broadcast live as part of WAMC's On the Road series.

Named one of the Top 20 Guitarists of All Time by Rolling Stone, Richard Thompson is one of the world's most critically acclaimed and prolific songwriters. In addition to his beloved catalog and in addition to many other honors - Thompson has received Lifetime Achievement Awards for Songwriting on both sides of the Atlantic.He'll be in the WAMC region early next month, playing The Bardavon in Poughkeepsie, New York on November 7 and Stone Church in Brattleboro, Vermont on November 8.Will Hermes is a regular contributor to NPR, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and Pitchfork. He's the author of “Love Goes to Buildings on Fire” and “Lou Reed: The King of New York.” His substack of music writing is at newmusicoldmusic.substack.com.Hermes spoke with Richard Thompson for WAMC.

The Hannah Arendt Center's 17th annual fall conference on JOY: Loving the World in Dark Times on the campus of Bard College in Annandale. The conference offers a crucial lens for finding meaning and connection amidst today's fractured world. Bringing together notable speakers with diverse narratives and insights the conference is a timely exploration of joy as a powerful force, and a vital conversation around fostering resilience.Our first guests are President of Bard College Leon Botstein and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and the Humanities of Bard College Roger Berkowitz.

The Hannah Arendt Center offers student fellowships for administration support, the Courage to Be Program, media and communications, and for the new Bard Leadership Program.We've assembled a number of students to discuss their thoughts on the JOY conference and the world.

As a solo artist and a founding member of Animal Collective, Noah Lennox has been making adventurous, generation-defining music for a quarter-century as Panda Bear. His newest album, “Sinister Grift” – his first solo record since 2019's “Buoys,” came out in February of this year on British indie label Domino.Panda Bear is playing Woodsist Festival at Arrowood Farms in Accord, New York and he spoke with Will Hermes for WAMC.

New York Rep. Paul Tonko of the 20th district speaks with WAMC's Ian Pickus on the Congressional Corner on June 26, 2025.

Joe Donahue is joined by WAMC's Pat Bradley and NCPR's Cara Chapman and Emily Russell to set the scene for this WAMC on The Road broadcast from The High Peaks Resort in Lake Placid, New York. They also preview the Adirondack Roundtable panel conversations that will air on both WAMC and NCPR later in the show.

WAMC's Joe Donahue and Pat Bradley and NCPR's Cara Chapman explore the challenges and opportunities facing the Adirondack Park from cross-border trade and tourism with Canada, as tariffs and a trade war have caused tensions on both sides.

WAMC's Joe Donahue and Pat Bradley and NCPR's Emily Russell explore demographic and livelihood challenges facing Adirondackers - including an aging population and a workforce struggling to find affordable housing.

Singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco is renowned for her outspoken politics, staunch feminism, and commitment to activism. Since 1989, she's released more than 20 records, and championed the work of other artists on her Righteous Babe label. She's on a summer tour with Hurray for the Riff Raff and she spoke with Will Hermes for WAMC.

The senate approved a rescission package of cuts to NPR and PBS along with foreign aid. LaFontaine Oliver, president and CEO and executive chair of the board of New York Public Radio, and Sarah Gilbert, president and CEO of WAMC, Northeast Public Radio, talk about what comes next, both for larger stations like WNYC and smaller and more rural public radio stations.