May 10, 2013

Earlier this week, Charles Ramsey of Cleveland, Ohio rescued three women and a six year old who had been held captive by his neighbor for a decade. But it was the interview Ramsey gave to a reporter on the scene that day that made him an internet sensation. Within hours, he was trending on Twitter and the subject of numerous autotune creations.

But Ramsey's two minute interview (and the later released call he placed to 911) grew into a larger examination of race, class and the media. The stories of the abducted women have rightfully taken center stage, but questions about Ramsey's introduction to the world media remain. This week on Basic Black, what can we learn from Charles Ramsey?


Our panel:
- Callie Crossley, host of Under The Radar, 89.7 WGBH Radio
- Peniel Joseph, professor of history, Tufts University
- Phillip Martin, senior reporter, WGBH Radio
- Kim McLarin, author, Divorce Dog: Men, Motherhood, and Midlife
- Michael Jeffries, assistant professor of American Studies, Wellesley College

May 17, 2013

In the headlines this week: a discussion of the Boston mayor's race and how communities of color are poised to make their coalitions heard. Also, this is not the first time the IRS has come under fire for targeting political activity; we'll take a look at the IRS, the NAACP and the black church.


Panelists:
- Callie Crossley, host, Under the Radar, 89.7 WGBH Radio
- Kim McLarin, author, Divorce Dog: Men, Motherhood and Midlife
- Phillip Martin, senior reporter, 89.7 WGBH Radio
- Kevin Peterson, executive director, The New Democracy Coalition
- Kenneth Cooper, editor, The Trotter Review, Trotter Institute, UMass Boston

May 24, 2013

President Barack Obama's address to the graduates of Morehouse College last week drew criticism and praise, not only for what he said but also for how he said it. Was he talking down to the graduates in pressing for personal responsibility? Does he whip out the "preacher" cadence for black audiences only? As graduates of HBCU's and other institutions go out into the world, what is the most useful message they need to hear?


Panelists:
- Latoyia Edwards, anchor, New England Cable News
- Kim McLarin, author, Divorce Dog: Men, Motherhood and Midlife
- Phillip Martin, senior reporter, 89.7 WGBH Radio
- Peniel Joseph, professor of history, Tufts University


(Photo: Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

May 8, 2015 This week Basic Black opens with a follow-up look at the events in Baltimore with a conversation about black leadership and variations on the “blue wall of silence.” Later in the show: as tensions in Baltimore increased, it was the White House Correspondents Dinner which included a few jokes on the state of race relations, that took center stage in many media outlets; and just after the state of emergency in Baltimore was lifted, the comedy duo Key and Peele premiered a sketch called “Negrotown”… we ask, when is the right time for satire?


Panelists:
- Latoyia Edwards, Anchor, New England Cable News
- Phillip Martin, Senior Reporter, WGBH News
- Kim McLarin, Associate Professor of Writing, Literature, and Publishing, Emerson College
- Peniel Joseph, Professor of History, Tufts University
- Emmett G. Price III, Associate Professor of Music, Northeastern University and author of The Black Church and Hip Hop Culture


Photo: (Left) Scene from “Negrotown” Key & Peele, Comedy Central. (Right) Protesters demonstrate as a curfew imposed in the aftermath of rioting following Monday's funeral for Freddie Gray goes into effect Friday, May 1, 2015, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

​​This done, see that you take no longer days, But send the midwife presently to me. -Aaron Titus Andronicus        Act IV, scene ii      Line 166 Let's be clear here. The 'this done' that the speaker is referring to is the burying of the body of the nurse he just killed. And the reason he...

Today, we received this message from the leadership of the Shakespeare Association of America. It's intended for the Shakespeare theatre members of SAA, but has farther reaching implications so we felt it was important to share on our blog and elsewhere. --------------- American members of the SAA have the chance to make a diffe...

 Shakespeare has been my frequent companion for almost fifty years, during which time I have studied his works in school, read them for pleasure, attended hundreds of performances, watched dozens of film versions of the plays, and spent many hours listening to audio productions during morning and afternoon commutes. And for the past twenty yea...

Introducing Battle For Denmark: The timeless tale of Hamlet is now told through vlog format as we follow Horatio and Hamlet's story of corruption, revenge, friendship, and a plastic skeleton. Horatio (Hailey Buck), as the social media intern for the Claudius campaign, decides to start a campaign vlog to publicize the campaign, but soon gets high ja...

shearch.me is a free Progressive Web App that searches Shakespeare's plays, poems and sonnets including locations and stage directions. It's quick, works on desktop or mobile, and it uses the wonderful PlayShakespeare texts. Because it's a Progressive Web App, you can use it like a website (just go to shearch.me in a web browser) or you can add it ...

One recurring objection to the recent social media trend of joking about the frequency of men thinking about the...

Shakespeare’s Globe’s Richard III, directed by Elle While, is an entertaining, poignant, and timely rendition of a history play...

Shakespeare in Clark Park celebrates its 20th season with a light-hearted and musically-inclined As You Like It. Set in...

The Hedgerow Theatre teams up with Mauckingbird Theatre Company, auteurs of “innovative, affordable, gay-themed theater,” for their production of...

Attending a production of Macbeth may require one to have mental preparation—to face multiple murders with dark schemes guided...

In 1703, only a century and change after Shakespeare wrote Much Ado About Nothing, the first houses were built...

The production of Hamlet by the Denver Center for the Performing Arts Theatre Company is fairly traditional. There are...

When The Winter’s Tale was first staged in the early 17th Century, Shakespeare wrote his most infamous stage direction...

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, produced by the Great Lakes Theater in repertoire with the musical Into the Woods, is...

Brady chats with NYT columnist and Dartmouth political scientist Brendan Nyhan about this week's avalanche of political ads. Then, two seasoned primary watchers weigh in on the celebrities (and non-celebrities) candidates call upon in the primary's waning weeks. Finally, a public radio host who's interviewed hundreds of primary candidates shares her strategy to get them to open up. #FITN #2016 #Politics

In this week's episode we get into the primary free-for-all, from three towns that all want to be the first to vote first in the nation; to the dozens of lesser-known names on the primary ballot and what exactly they're doing there. #Politics #2016

Brady runs down this week's smack talk from the trail, seeks help for his addiction to polls, and finds out why candidates flipped pancakes in Manchester. Plus, why is one of Donald Trump's Town Captains voting for Rand Paul? #FITN #NHPrimary #2016

The candidates are all in Iowa stumping for caucus votes, but Brady is here to round up the latest primary news, like whether TV debates are having a bigger effect on the primary than old-school retail politics. Plus: what Donald Trump rallies have in common with arena rock concerts or screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and campaign voicemails magically transformed into garbled emails!

This primary's days are numbered - and we've got what you need to get ready for Tuesday. Primary expert Dante Scala tells Brady why the first-in-the-nation vote can break your heart, yet keep you coming back for more. Plus, how New Hampshire is and isn't like the rest of the country. And a hero public radio reporter saves a First in the Nation landmark.

Brady didn’t get much sleep, but he’s all over dissecting the action that unfolded in Tuesday’s New Hampshire Republican Primary. A rundown of the three words that defined the day, a deeper look at the politics that ran the race, a glimpse into the future, and favorite reporter moments from the 2016 trail. Stay tuned for the Democratic edition wrap-up episode!

Brady still hasn't gotten any sleep, but he’s all over dissecting the action that unfolded in Tuesday’s New Hampshire Democratic Primary. A rundown of the three words that defined the day, a deeper look at the politics that ran the race, and favorite reporter moments from the 2016 trail. If you missed it, check out our Republican edition wrap-up episode!

In a small New Hampshire community two sisters, Henrietta and Jane, grow up under the shadow of a folk tale about the ruins of a house near their own. The house, more than a century earlier, was the home of a family of five who, legend has it, were transformed into coyotes.

For many kids, middle school is a fraught time. Friendships are forged and broken; bodies begin to change in sometimes uncomfortable ways. For Zenobia July, starting middle school is far more complicated than it is for most of her peers.

Imagine there's a virus living inside you. This virus is harmless. Most of the time. But then, something causes it to change and it could kill you unless you take one dose of a powerful drug. Now imagine there is a critical shortage of this drug. This is the scary scenario at the heart of the debut novel by Hanover resident and Dartmouth professor Charles Wheelan. It's called The Rationing, but this isn't a book about a disease. It's a political satire about how the United States government handles the unfolding public health crisis. Personalities clash. Political ambitions get in the way of productive discussion. Fake News opportunists muddy the waters and foreign countries take advantage of a vulnerable United States. Charles Wheelan joined NHPR's Peter Biello to talk about his new book.

Freeman Colby was a young schoolteacher from New Hampshire who joined the Union Army during the American Civil War. For the first nine months, Colby kept detailed notes of his service and wrote to his family members. Marek Bennett of Henniker drew on these rich resources for his graphic novel, The Civil War Diary of Freeman Colby. In that volume, Bennett stuck close to Colby's exact language. Recently, he's published Volume II, in which he takes some liberties and draws on new sources for inspiration. NHPR's Peter Biello sat down with Marek Bennett to talk about Volume II.

Miriam Levine's new collection of poetry is, as she describes it, a book about loss and consolation. In Saving Daylight, poems recall small moments: a chance meeting outside a theater, an encounter with a mosquito, watching a harmless spider walk across someone's hair. Levine lives in Concord for part of the year, and she sat down with NHPR's All Things Considered Host Peter Biello to chat about her new collection.

In Jennifer Militello's debut memoir, Knock Wood, time moves in more than one direction. The relationship between cause and effect is upended as Militello explores her memories of illicit love, domestic violence and dangerous influences. Militello, is the author of several books of poetry, and she teaches at New England College. She sat down with All Things Considered host Peter Biello to talk about her new book.

For much of human history, human beings have waged war against each other. In the new novel by Marko Kloos, that tendency to wage war remains as strong as ever more than a thousand years into the future. Aftershocks is an adventure story as well as a portrait of a technologically-advanced civilization struggling to maintain the peace after a devastating war. Kloos spoke with NHPR’s Peter Biello.

This week marked the launch of the second annual edition of The People's Book, a collection of literary works and visual art created by New Hampshire writers and artists.

When Joe Hill launched his career as a writer, he didn't want anyone to know about his famous writer parents, Stephen and Tabitha King. Rather than ride their coattails, he wanted to find success on his own—thus the pen name, Joe Hill.

Writer Stacia Tolman worked for many years as a high school English teacher at a private school in New Hampshire’s Monadnock region.

Novelist Alex Myers came out as transgender in the mid-90s, when society's understanding of what it means to be transgender was less clear than it is today.

If you've ever been on a college campus or a public park, you may have seen desire lines. Those are those well-worn paths carved by travelers who, for whatever reason, preferred a route that diverged from the ones carefully cured in concrete by city or campus planners.

When New Hampshire author John Brighton was six years old, his family bought a lakeside farm in Washington, a small town in New Hampshire's Sullivan County.

When Cindy Copeland was in seventh grade in the early 1970s, an English teacher encouraged her to become a writer. Shortly after that, the Keene resident landed an internship as a “cub reporter” with a local journalist, following her to public meetings and learning how question people powerful people—most of them men. And Cindy did all this while navigating the tricky minefield of fraught friendships, cliques, and bullying that so often characterize life in junior high.

Alexandria Peary is New Hampshire’s new poet laureate, and she’s ramping up her work as the state’s official advocate for poetry and the literary arts more broadly. As part of her work as poet laureate, she’s been reading work sent to her by New Hampshire poets.

One day, while hiking in the Georgia mountains, a couple finds the bones of a human body buried many years ago. The discovery prompts a search for answers: why was this person killed? Who did it? And how many more bodies are hidden in these hills?

In Concord-native Meredith Tate’s new novel, a young woman is kidnapped after a drug deal goes badly. To summon help, she has an out-of-body experience. Her quest to give her sister clues about where she is and how she got there serves as the central action of the book, which is called The Last Confession of Autumn Casterly. Tate spoke about it with NHPR's Peter Biello.

The history of school desegregation in America has long been centered around the southern United States.

With Disney's reboot of The Lion King hitting theaters, does the original still hold up all these years later? In this episode, the team revisits an epic tale of class, land rights, and destiny... and critiques the landscapes, animals, and themes that so many 90's kids grew up watching. And once again, Jimmy defends the reputation of hyenas.

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A first look at Patient Zero, a series we'll be putting out next month! Hosted by Outside/In's Taylor Quimby. Sweet new theme by Ty Gibbons.

First episode drops mid-August!  Find more at patientzeropodcast.com.

When you're fighting off a cold or flu, it's easy to imagine the battle is being waged solely inside the confines of your body. 

But in order to spread, pathogens rely on nearly every aspect of our shared societies. Food and drink, social customs, our proximity to animals, urban design, income inequality: The science of epidemiology connects them all. 

Patient Zero investigates the spaces where people and pathogens collide. It is a story about Lyme disease, but it is also a story about uncertainty, and what to do in the face of it. 

A perfect carrier of disease. A race underneath your skin. The part we know, before we get to the parts we don't.

Click hereto donate $20 and get ad-free episodes of Patient Zero a week early and bonus content. 

When it feels like doctors have closed the door to establishment medicine, another set of doors open. These doors lead to dubious providers, and untested treatments.

Click hereto donate $20 and get ad-free episodes of Patient Zero a week early and bonus content. 

Last year, two people were attacked by sharks on Cape Cod, and one died. The result has been a  media frenzy that really you have to see to believe.

Find more Outside/In at outsideinradio.org

When most of us heard about the "insect apocalypse" we were worried. When producer Jimmy Gutierrez heard it, he thought "this is great." Today he takes a journey in which he tries to learn to appreciate our many-legged companions.

Want to read a transcript or support the podcast? Check out our website.