All Of It with Alison Stewart

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and author Quiara Alegría Hudes discusses her new novel, The White Hot. The novel is written in the form of a letter from a mother to her daughter, explaining why, for a brief period, she decided to leave. Hudes is speaking with Lin Manuel Miranda on November 11 at St. Ann's Church with Books Are Magic, and at Joe's Pub on November 24.

Our November Get Lit with All Of It book club selection is the novel Flashlight by Susan Choi. The novel is a finalist for the Booker Prize, and tells the story of a family reeling after the strange disappearance of their father and husband. Click here to find more information about our Get Lit event, and to find out how to borrow your e-copy courtesy of our partners at the New York Public Library.

November 12 kicks off the start of DOC NYC, a film festival dedicated to exclusively featuring documentary films. All month All Of It will spotlight documentaries featured in the festival. The festival's artistic director Jaie Leplante provides a preview of the exciting slate of films featured at this year's DOC NYC. The festival runs through November 30.

Alex Rodriguez was known as one of the best baseball players of his generation. But his career with the New York Yankees was mired in scandal, and he served a lengthy suspension from baseball for using performance enhancing drugs. ARod sits down to discuss his life and career in the new three-part documentary, "Alex vs. ARod." Director Gotham Chopra discusses the documentary, which airs Thursdays on HBO Max.

The new film "Sentimental Value" stars Renate Reinsve as Nora, a stage actor and the child of a famous and celebrated director, played by Stellan Skarsgård. Nora is semi-estranged from her father, but when she learns that he has written a film specifically for her, their relationship gets even more complicated. Reinsve discusses the film, which is in theaters now.

Laurie Metcalf stars as a sharp-tongued Aunt Sarah in the new Broadway family drama "Little Bear, Ridge Road." The show follows Sarah as she and her long-estranged nephew Ethan, played by Micah Stock re-connect over the sale of a family home, and the unraveling of that family's history. Metcalf, Stocck and playwright Samuel D. Hunter discuss the play.

In December 1974, the writer Linda Rosenkrantz recorded a conversation with the influential downtown photographer Peter Hujar, to hear how he spent a day over a 24 hour period. The tape of the conversation has been lost, but a transcript was recently discovered at The Morgan Library & Museum. The transcript has been adapted almost word for word in a new movie adaptation, "Peter Hujar's Day" starring Ben Whishaw playing Hujar and Rebecca Hall as Rosenkrantz. Director Ira Sachs talks about the film, which premieres in theaters on November 7.

The new play 'Queens' follows a group of women spanning multiple generations, living in an illegal basement apartment as they hustle for the American dream, until a young Ukrainian woman looking for her mother forces them to face the difficult choices they made to survive. Actors Anna Chlumsky and Marin Ireland talk about the show, alongside playwright Martyna Majok.

Filmmaker Noah Baumbach talks about his new coming-of-age dramedy "Jay Kelly," in which an internationally recognized actor, played by George Clooney, encroaches on his daughter's Eurotrip with the help of his "friend" and manager, played by Adam Sandler. The film opens in select theaters Nov. 14 and streams on Netflix Dec. 5.

All Of It producers Jordan Lauf, Luke Green and L. Malik Anderson all have big opinions about the acceptable cadence for autumn and winter holiday decorations. Do you have to wait until after Thanksgiving to get a Christmas tree? How long after Halloween is it OK to leave your spookies up? They, and listeners, share their Small Stakes, Big Opinions on the matter.

Gen Z loves "little treats," the routine of rewarding yourself with smaller, cheaper snacks throughout the day that provide little moments of joy. Nikita Richardson, editor in the Food section of The New York Times, discusses a new article her team has put together, "New York City Loves a Little Treat. Here Are Our 46 Favorites." She brings us inside "little treat culture" and listeners share their favorite "little treat" in New York.

Conflict zone photographer Lynsey Addario is the subject of a new documentary premiering on the National Geographic Channel tonight called "Love & War," about balancing her home life with her demanding and often dangerous career. She talks about her life and work.

Ariana DeBose talks about the tangled romances and French-inspired music of Stephen Schwartz and Joseph Stein's 1976 musical "The Bakers Wife," which is getting an off-Broadway revival at Classic Stage Company. DeBose stars in the titular role.

[REBROADCAST FROM September 19, 2025] The new FX series "The Lowdown" stars Ethan Hawke as an amateur sleuth who becomes obsessed with getting to the bottom of a mysterious death in Tulsa. The show's creator, writer, director, and executive producer Sterlin Harjo discusses the series, which aired its season finale yesterday.

A new, musical adaptation of Thornton Wilder's "The Skin Of Our Teeth" called "The Seat Of Our Pants" follows the existential dreads and absurdist twists of the 5,000-year old Antrobus family. Ethan Lipton adapted the show and wrote the music. He talks about the new musical, along with members of the cast. "The Seat Of Our Pants" is playing at The Public until Nov. 30.

Sociologist Gretchen Sisson has spent a decade interviewing women who gave up their parental rights. She discusses her new book, Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood.

New Jersey's new governor-elect is Mikie Sherrill. New York City's mayor-elect is Zohran Mamdani. Not to mention the ballot initiatives. WNYC/Gothamist reporters Liz Kim & Karen Yi recap Election Day, and listeners call in to react to the Election Night results.

Paste Magazine calls Hannah Frances's new album Nestled in Tangles one of "proggy, jazzy, natural abundance" that is "snared with familial trauma." She shares its story, explains its abundance, and plays live in our studio.

The latest novel from New York Times bestselling author Megha Majumdar, A Guardian and a Thief, follows an Indian mother whose plans to immigrate to the U.S. are stalled by the theft of her identification documents. Majumdar discusses the book.

Lily Allen is the latest musician to work out her private heartbreak in a public way. We talk about the music you want to listen to when you aren't okay, with Matthew Schnipper, the culture editor for WNYC and Gothamist. Hear some music, prepare your tissues tissues on air, and call in with your picks for best breakup songs.

The public bench has long been a staple of New York life, in the city's parks, waterfronts, cemeteries, or bus stops. But the New York City Bench may be disappearing, according to reporting from Anna Kodé, reporter for the Real Estate section of The New York Times, and author of the article, "The Slow Death of the New York City Public Bench." Kodé discusses what she found, and listeners share their favorite bench in the city to sit and scroll their phone, read a book, or ponder life's deepest questions.

In 2000, photographer Deborah Willis released her book, Reflections in Black: A History of Black Photographers - 1840 to the Present. Twenty five years later, Willis, who is also an NYU professor and Chair of the Department of Photography & Imaging at the Tisch School of the Arts, is releasing an updated anniversary edition of the book. Plus, Willis has also organized a companion exhibit, "Reflections in Black: A Reframing," on view at Tisch through December 21. Deborah Willis reflects on the anniversary and talks more about preserving Black photography is important.

Our Get Lit with All Of It October book club selection is the novel King of Ashes by thriller and crime writer S.A. Cosby. It follows a man named Roman Carruthers who returns home to a small town in Virginia to discover that his family is the crosshairs of a local gang. Cosby discusses the novel, live from our Get Lit event. Missed the event? Watch it in full here.

Testosterone treatments have been shown to increase sex drive in middle-aged women with low libido. But the FDA has not approved any such treatments, and doctors are reluctant to prescribe them. Susan Dominus, staff writer at the New York Times Magazine, shares her reporting on the subject, and talks about medical priorities and women's health.

America's fascination with true crime seems endless, from hit podcasts and documentaries to bestselling books and Netflix binges. But what’s behind our collective obsession with murder and mayhem? Matt DeLisi, a forensic consultant and Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Iowa State University, joins us to unpack the cultural, psychological, and even political reasons we’re drawn to stories about crime.

This weekend, Flushing Town Hall hosts MexFest, a Día de los Muertos celebration honoring those who have passed and those separated from loved ones through immigration. Artists and co-curators Xtian Ávila and Arantxa Araujo explore the holiday through a participatory altar, storytelling, and performances.

Once upon a midday talkshow, 'fore we hear Sean Carlson read Poe — Halloween tradition, you know, if you have tuned in before — hear about the works enduring, of bleak Edgar, dark and churning; how he set the tone for wording tales that chill us to the core. Dr. Amy Branam Armiento, former president of the Poe Studies Association for the USA and editor of the essay collection Poe and Women: Recognition and Revision, shares her scholarly insights on Edgar Allan Poe.

Reports of paranormal encounters are not uncommon in our area. A new series from New 12 called 'Haunted Tri-State' explores some of the most prominent nearby places that are known for spooky, unexplained experiences. Host Kristie Reeter, anchor/reporter for News12 The Bronx, discusses her experiences from the series. Plus, listeners share their local encounters with ghosts, apparitions and other visitations from the spirit world.

[REBROADCAST FROM June 25, 2025] Hear a celebration of Latin American jazz, with the Tony-winning band from Broadway's "Buena Vista Social Club." Music director and winner of the Tony for Best Orchestrations, Marco Paguia leads the band in this hourlong special in The Greene Space, with songs performed by actors Wesley Wray, Da’Von Moody, Mel Seme, Isa Antonetti and Sophia Ramos. Choreographers Justin Peck and Patricia Delgado also join to talk about their Tony-awarded work.

The new cast from Broadway's Hadestown joins Alison Stewart live in The Greene Space. Lead actors Morgan Dudley, Kurt Elling, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Paulo Szot, and Jack Wolfe perform songs from the show and discuss stepping into the principal roles of the long-running Broadway hit. This event is part of All Of It's Broadway on the Radio series.

A new coming-of-age film tells the story of a non-binary teenager who moves in with their sister after their parents kick them out of the home. Director Tommy Dorfman, who co-wrote the film, joins us alongside star Corey Fogelmanis to discuss the film, "I Wish You All The Best" which releases in theaters Friday, Nov. 7th.NOTE: Director Tommy Dorfman's pronouns are She/Her. Corey Fogelmanis's pronouns are He/ Him. He plays Ben whose pronouns are they/ them.

The New York Times calls pianist Hania Rani "a shooting star in a genre of pop-inflected minimalist music often referred to as neoclassical, or alt-classical." Next month, she'll release the new piano concerto, Non Fiction, which she previews at WNYC's studios.

The artist Uman has made a career making art inspired by her homeland of Somalia and other East African aesthetics, using rich colors and patterns inspired by textiles. This fall, her work will be on display in a solo exhibition at the Aldrich Museum, as well as in a solo exhibition at the Nicola Vassell Gallery. Uman discusses her art and career.

R&B, jazz and soul singer Ledisi started the year off with the spring release of The Crown, an album of original music. She's wrapping the year up with a new album in tribute to the Queen of the Blues, Dinah Washington, titled For Dinah. She plays some excerpts and talk about the new record for a Listening Party.

Criminal profiling is one of the most famous tools in our crime-fighting arsenal, and probably our least understood. In her new book, The Monsters We Make: Murder, Obsession, and the Rise of Criminal Profiling author Rachel Corbett writes about how it got its start in Victorian England, the first attempts by profilers to codify psychological patterns, and what profiling reveals, and what it obscures.

Radiohead's fourth studio album Kid A (released October 2, 2000) departed from the group's earlier releases, featuring more slippery, ambient electronic sounds. Rolling Stone called it the "weirdest hit album of that year, by a band poised to be the modern-rock Beatles, following the breakthrough of OK Computer." The magazine also named it the best album of 2000. It was Radiohead's first album to hit number one on Billboard. Steven Hyden, Uproxx cultural critic and author of the book, This Isn't Happening: Radiohead's "Kid A" and the Beginning of the 21st Century, discusses the album's legacy, and listeners call in to share what Kid A means to them.

30 years ago, The Drag Queens of New York: An Illustrated Field Guide was one of the first books from a major publisher to document the history of the city's drag scene. Howl! Arts has mounted a 30th anniversary exhibition of the book, curated in part by the book's author Julian Fleisher. Fleisher and celebrated playwright and drag queen Charles Busch talk about the history and new exhibition, and listeners share their connections to drag in NYC.

The new documentary film "The Alabama Solution" tells the story of a group incarcerated men in an Alabama prison who join together to attempt to expose the violent conditions they experienced at the hands of prison guards. Directors Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman discuss the film, which is streaming now on HBO Max.

The new film "Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere" follows Bruce Springsteen at a particular time in his life, as he was writing his album Nebraska. It's a unique take on the music biopic, a genre that has been mocked in films like "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story," but is also one of the most beloved and celebrated styles of filmmaking. Stephen Thompson, host, writer, and reviewer for NPR Music, joins to discuss his thoughts on "Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere" and share some of his favorite music biopics. Plus, listeners share their favorites.

The new Bruce Springsteen biopic starring Jeremy Allen White, "Deliver Me From Nowhere," released in theaters over the weekend. The film depicts the making of The Boss's 1982 album "Nebraska." Warren Zanes, author of Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen's 'Nebraska,' on which the film is based, discusses his thoughts on the film, and what he learned about "Nebraska" from his interviews with Springsteen for the book. Plus, listeners share their memories and stories associated with the album.

In his new solo show "Other," Tony Award-winning actor Ari'el Stachel explores the challenges of navigating his background as both an Arab American and a Jewish American. Stachel joins to discuss the show, which runs through December 6.

Photojournalist Brent Renaud became the first American on assignment to be killed while covering the war in Ukraine after he was shot by Russian forces in 2022. In the new documentary short "Armed Only With a Camera," Renaud's brother Craig Renaud puts together footage shot over Brent's career in combat zones to tell the story of his life and work. Craig talks about the film, along with producer Juan Arredondo, who was injured in the same attack that killed Brent. "Armed Only With a Camera" is streaming now on HBO Max.

Alison Shearer is a New York City-based saxophonist and composer. In October, she released her second album, In The Garden. Shearer performs live in our studio with her band, talks about the ideas behind the album and her relationship the saxophone, and her family connection to Civil Rights-era history: her father, John Shearer, was the second black staff photographer to work for Life magazine.

[REBROADCAST FROM Feb. 24, 2025] The latest production from playwright Bess Wohl blends the present and the past to examine the Women's Lib movement in the 1970s. "Liberation" stars Susannah Flood as Lizzie, a woman who, to better understand her mother's past, embodies her mother to witness how she started a consciousness raising group with other women in her Ohio community. One of those women is Celeste, played by Kristolyn Lloyd, a Radcliffe-educated student who has her own thoughts on what it means to achieve liberation. Wohl, Flood, and Lloyd discuss the show.

This weekend marks the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Erie Canal on October 25, 1825. The canal had a major impact on the economic and maritime power of New York City and State, and opened up global trade to the midwestern United States. Mark Ferrara, professor at SUNY Oneonta and author of the book, The Raging Erie: Life and Labor Along the Erie Canal, tells us more about the history of the Erie Canal and its legacy in New York.

While legendary guitarist Stevie Van Zandt isn't playing in the E-Street band with Bruce Springsteen, he heads the nonprofit TeachRock, which offers musical lesson plans to teachers at no cost. "Little Steven" talks about a new milestone the organization just reached and its plans for the future, and discusses the band's portrayal in "Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere," which hits theaters today.

The new NYC production of "Ragtime" is an epic portrait of American life in the early 20th century. Joshua Henry stars as Coalhouse Walker Jr., a celebrated pianist. Caissie Levy stars as Mother, a wealthy woman living in New Rochelle. And Brandon Uranowitz stars as Tateh, a poor Jewish immigrant from Latvia who arrives in America with his young daughter. For the first half of this conversation the three leads discuss their roles. Then, director Lear DeBessonet shares her approach to staging this massive and complex production, alongside actor Ben Levi Ross, who plays Younger Brother. "Ragtime" is running at Lincoln Center through January 4.

In the new Richard Linklater film "Blue Moon," Ethan Hawke stars as songwriter Lorenz Hart, who is struggling on the opening night of "Oklahoma!" written by his former partner Richard Rogers. Hawke discusses the role. "Blue Moon" is in theaters now.

In the new novel The Unveiling, a Black location scout is searching for the perfect spots to film a project about Shackleton's nightmare expedition. But soon she finds herself in a survival situation of her own. Author Quan Barry discusses the novel.

Every year, NPR organizes its Student Podcast Challenge, where it invites middle and high school students from around the country to submit a short podcast or reported piece. This year, a few of the finalists happened to be from our listening area. Teachers and students from Edgemont High School in Westchester, William Annin Middle School in Basking Ridge, NJ, and Mount Olive Middle School in Budd Lake, NJ, talk about their pieces and present a sample.