All Of It with Alison Stewart

The New York Public Library has released its "Best Books of 2025" List, a comprehensive list that includes books for adults, teens, children and Spanish speakers. NYPL chief librarian Brian Bannon talks about some of the choices, how the books were selected and how readers can get them.

The new documentary "Street Smart: Lessons from a TV Icon" follows the life and career of Sonia Manzano, who spent decades playing Maria on "Sesame Street." Her role was a pivotal turning point for Latine representation on television. Director Ernie Bustamante joins to discuss the film, which is streaming online now as part of DOC NYC.

Actors Michael Urie and Grantham Coleman discuss starring in the new production of Shakespeare's "Richard II," which is set in 1980s Manhattan. "Richard II" is running at the Astor Place Theatre through December 14.

25 years ago this week, at the turn of the millennium, Eyrkah Badu released her second album, Mama's Gun. The album went certified platinum, and is considered to be one of the best in Badu's career. James Poyser is a keyboardist for The Roots, and one of Badu's closest collaborators who was in the studio with Erykah to make Mama's Gun. Poyser shares his memories of the album, and listeners share their memories of the music, in this installment of our Silver Liner Notes album anniversary series.

The Frick recently became the latest addition to a group of museums that have decided to ban photography in their galleries. Meanwhile, other museums seem to curate their exhibits for maximum play on social media. Should photos be banned in museums? Listeners discuss with Will Pavia, New York correspondent for The Times and the author of the piece "Inside the New York gallery that bans photography."

[REBROADCAST FROM Sept. 23, 2025] The new play "The Other Americans" was written by John Leguizamo, and stars Leguizamo as a laundromat owner in Queens who is grappling with secrets and trying to keep his business afloat. Things come to a head when his son, Nick, played by Trey Santiago-Hudson, returns from a stay at a mental health facility. Leguizamo and Santiago-Hudson discuss the play, which is running at the Public Theater through November 23.

Director Ivy Meeropol discusses her new documentary "Ask E. Jean," about E. Jean Carroll's decision to come forward with her accusation of sexual assault against President Donald Trump. "Ask E. Jean" screens on November 20 as part of DOC NYC, including a Q&A with Meeropol.

[REBROADCAST FROM Sept. 17, 2025] Grammy-award winning Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan has recently released a new album, Better Broken, the artist's first in 11 years. McLachlan shares excerpts from the album and reflects on her career, which includes being the founder of Lilith Fair. She's in town again to play the Beacon Theater tonight as part of her 'Better Broken' tour.

It's often said that "it takes a village." But with our social lives becoming more and more digital, it can take a special, concerted effort to make a village. So how do social cicles become support networks in the modern age? Family columnist Kathryn Jezer-Morton and journalist Rhaina Cohen, author of The Other Significant Others: Reimagining Life with Friendship at the Center, re-evaluate 'the village,' and what it means to lean on friends for more than just socializing.

Samin Nosrat's previous cookbook, Salt Fat Acid Heat, was a runaway success and ultimately became a Netflix show. But while she was shining professionally, Samin was struggling personally. In her much-anticipated second cookbook, Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love, she shares how food helped her reconnect with community.sparkling banana bread (Makes one 8 × 8-inch square)Packed with both mashed and whole bananas, this is my ideal banana bread. To maximize the ratio of the cinnamon-sugar topping to the moist, flavorful interior, I bake it in a cake pan. In the oven, the topping transforms into a sparkling crust that releases wave after wave of cinnamon aroma with each bite.For the banana bread1-1/2 cups (203g) all-purpose flour2 teaspoons (6g) kosher salt1 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon ground cinnamon1-1/4 cups (288g) well-mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas; see Note)3/4 packed cup (150g) dark brown sugar2⁄3 cup (140g) neutral oil1⁄3 cup (80g) buttermilk or sour cream, at room temperature1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract2 large eggs, at room temperatureFor the topping6 tablespoons granulated sugar1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt2 very ripe bananas, halved lengthwise• • •Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and preheat to 350°F. Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line with a parchment sling and spray the parchment.To make the banana bread, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, kosher salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.In a medium bowl, whisk together the mashed banana, brown sugar, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and eggs until evenly combined.Stir the banana mixture into the dry ingredients and mix to combine, making sure to incorporate all the dry flour at the bottom of the bowl.To make the topping, in a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar, cinnamon, and flaky salt.Pour the batter into the prepared pan and then let the pan drop from a height of 3 inches onto the countertop a couple times to release any air bubbles that might have gotten trapped inside the batter.Sprinkle the topping in a thick, even layer over the batter, then gently place the banana halves, cut-side up, atop the batter, cutting into pieces as needed to make them fit.Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted around the halved bananas emerges clean.Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. (Alternatively, leave the cake to cool in the pan and serve it directly from there.)Wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Earlier this year, New Orleans bounce legend Big Freedia released her first gospel album, Pressing Onward. She shares songs from the record, and talks about her musical process.

In the new film "Rental Family," Brendan Fraser stars as an American actor who finds a job acting out roles in the lives of strangers in Japan. Fraser and director HIKARI discuss the film, in theaters November 21.

Documentary filmmaker Karla Murthy talks about her new film "The Gas Station Attendant," a moving and intimate immigrant story about her father, told through their recorded phone calls and home videos. The film is featured at this year's DOC NYC film festival, with screenings on November 19 and 20, to be followed by a Q&A with Murthy, producer Rajal Pitroda, and executive producer DJ Rekha.

Member of the seminal band Cocteau Twins and co-founder of the record label Bella Union, Simon Raymonde reflects on both experiences, his relationship with his music industry father, and more in the new memoir, In One Ear: Cocteau Twins, Ivor Raymonde and Me.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Salamishah Tillet and ARTnews Senior Editor Alex Greenberger talk about the history of the Studio Museum after its grand re-opening nearly eight years after undergoing $300 million in renovations.

The new documentary "The Big Cheese" follows cheesemonger Adam Jay Moskowitz's hunt for an American protégé to bring home the top cheese prize at the Mondial du Fromage competition. Thusfar, no American cheesemongers have earned the honor. Director Sara Joe Wolansky discusses the film, which is screening as part of the DOC NYC film festival. On Wednesday, November 19, the 9:15 screening will be followed by a Q&A with Wolansky and film subject Adam Moskowitz.

In NYC's recent municipal elections, voters weighed in on 6 ballot measures. The measure with the most support at the ballot box tasks a city agency with creating and maintaining a singular digital map of NYC. What might be useful to include on such a map? Public bathrooms? Flood-prone intersections? Third spaces? Listeners call in to share their suggestions. Plus, Noel Hidalgo, founder of the civic software non-profit BetaNYC, and Steven Romalewski, founding director of CUNY Mapping Service at Center for Urban Research, share their insights on the value of interactive urban maps, open civic data and more about urban cartography for the digital age.

Sean Mason is a North Carolina-based composer and pianist who, after beginning his career in New York, decided to return home to discover a new creative path. So it's fitting that his new album is called A Breath of Fresh Air. The album is also accompanied by a short documentary film, photo essay, and video series. Mason discusses the inspiration behind the new album, and performs live ahead of his concert at Miller Theatre at Columbia University on November 15 at 7:30pm.

Filmmaker Elizabeth Lo talks about her new documentary "Mistress Dispeller," in which a woman hires a professional to break up her husband's affair. 'Mistress Dispeller' is featured at this year's DOC NYC festival.

Photographer Steve Schapiro was often at the scene. Schapiro photographed historical Civil Rights marches, public figures like Muhammad Ali, David Bowie, and Robert Kennedy, and was also called to photograph films like "Taxi Driver" and "The Godfather." Before Schapiro died in 2022 at the age of 88, he sat down for interviews to reflect on his life and career. The result of those interviews is a new documentary, "Steve Schapiro: Being Everywhere," in theaters November 14th and showing for a week at DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema. Director Maura Smith, who also happens to be Schapiro's wife, reflects on her husbands legacy with the camera.

The new book Unabridged: The Thrill of and Threat to the Modern Dictionary, tackles the history of the dictionary, dives into the process of choosing words to be included in the dictionary, and evaluates the value of the dictionary in our 21st century world. Author Stefan Fatsis discusses the book, out now.

"The Ecology of Quilts" is the current exhibition at the American Folk Art Museum. It examines the history of quilting through the lens of the industry's environmental impact and the growth of the textile industry as a whole. The museum's deputy director and exhibition curator Dr. Emelie Gevalt talks about the exhibit and listeners call in to share their connection to quilting.

A new exhibition at the MoMA celebrates the career of Cuban artist Wifredo Lam, an artist who helped push the boundaries of modernism. Curators Christophe Cherix and Beverly Adams join to discuss "Wifredo Lam: When I Don't Sleep, I Dream," up now through April 11 2026. Image credit: Wifredo Lam. La jungla (The Jungle), 1942-43. Oil and charcoal on paper mounted on canvas, 7’10 ¼” × 7’6 ½” (239.4 × 229.9 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York © Succession Wifredo Lam, ADAGP, Paris / ARS, New York 2025

Actors Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, one-time co-stars in "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure," have reunited on stage in Jamie Lloyd's production of "Waiting for Godot" on Broadway. They discuss the show, which is running now through January 4.

The new revival of Rajiv Joseph's play "Gruesome Playground Injuries" charts the lives and relationships of two childhood best friends, played by Tony winner Kara Young and "Succession" star Nicholas Braun. Joseph, Young, and Braun discuss the show, which is running at the Lucille Lortel Theatre through December 28.

[REBROADCAST FROM August 6, 2025] Rachael & Vilray perform in our studio from West of Broadway, their new album of original songs inspired by the American songbook, classic Broadway showtunes and West Coast jazz.

The new documentary "Santacon" tracks the growth of the phenomenon of drunken and delinquent Santas taking over New York City, and other cities and towns around the country. Director Seth Porges joins us to discuss the film, which has a world premiere at DOC NYC on Thursday, November 13.

Eat drink and be merry has a different meaning for those who are sober, especially during the holiday season. Cat Greenleaf, the original host of Talk Stoop, shares tips and mindsets as someone who has been sober for more than 10 years. Her new podcast Soberness investigates the challenges of sobriety in 2025.

Financial therapy sits at the intersection of psychology and money management, helping people not only understand what they spend, but why. Aja Evans is a financial therapist in private practice, the author of the book Feel Good Finance: Untangle Your Relationship with Money for Better Mental, Emotional, and Financial Well Being and the president of the Financial Therapy Association. She talks about what financial therapy is, how it works, and takes listeners' calls and questions.

[REBROADCAST FROM November 21, 2024] The new documentary, "Drop Dead City: New York on the Brink in 1975," tells the history of New York City's fiscal crisis in 1975. Directors Peter Yost and Michael Rohatyn discuss the film, which is closing out the DOC NYC film festival.

[REBROADCAST FROM October 27, 2025] Photo journalist 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 With Only a Camera," Renaud's brother Craig Renaud puts together footage shot over his career in combat zones to tell the story of his life and work. Craig Renaud discusses the film, along with producer Juan Arredondo who was with Arredondo was with Renaud when he was shot, and was injured in the attack. "Armed With Only a Camera" is streaming now on HBO Max.

[REBROADCAST FROM October 3, 2025] Director Kim A. Snyder discusses her new documentary called "The Librarians," which explores the role of libraries and the people who run them in today's politically fraught atmosphere. Focusing on librarians in Texas, responding to efforts to ban books about race and the LGBTQIA+ experience, the film illuminates a key angle in the conflict over access to information and art, and library patrons' so-called 'freedom to read.' Plus, New Jersey librarian Martha Hickson, who is featured in the film, shares her experiences and insights.

[REBROADCAST FROM April 8, 2025] The film "Warfare" draws directly on the memories of director Ray Mendoza, an Iraq war veteran and former Navy Seal who was a part of a mission that went very wrong. Co-directed with Alex Garland, "Warfare" presents a dramatized version of that mission. Mendoza and Garland discuss the film.

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.