All Of It with Alison Stewart

On the 5th anniversary of the COVID pandemic, we look at how it shaped the world we know today. Did you take up a new hobby, find a passion, meet your soulmate or just learn something about yourself? What lessons or what growth did you experience? We speak with writer and comedian Josh Gondelman and take listener calls.

In 1983, artist and DJ Michael Stewart was beaten and choked by New York City Transit Authority police after allegedly spray painting in the 14th Street subway station. After 13 days in a coma, he died in Bellevue Hospital. The new book from writer Elon Green seeks to share more about Stewart's life in New York, and explores the aftermath of his brutal death. The book is called The Man Nobody Killed: Life, Death, and Art in Michael Stewart's New York.

4 Non Blondes vocalist and Songwriters Hall of Famer Linda Perry is one of a handful of women nominated for the Grammy for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical which has never been awarded to a woman. Perry is also the co-founder of EqualizeHer, an organization aimed at addressing gender inequality in the music industry. She joins us for another installment of our March series, Equalizers: Women in Music Production.

Note: There were audio issues at the beginning of this conversation, which were resolved by the 5 minute mark. The Hulu series “Paradise” follows the twists, turns and mysteries in the wake of a president’s murder. Emmy-winner Julianne Nicholson plays the world’s wealthiest self-made woman, Samantha ‘Sinatra’ Redmond, who has gained control and influence amid chaos. Nicholson reflects on the series for an All Of It Watch Party, and listeners share their thoughts about the show.

Our March Get Lit with All Of It book club selection is the novel Mothers and Sons by Adam Haslett. The story follows an NYC-based asylum lawyer who is forced to confront a violent night from his past that left him estranged from his mother for 20 years. Haslett joins us for a preview conversation ahead of our April 2nd Get Lit event. Click here to borrow the book and grab your free tickets!

[REBROADCAST FROM Sep 18, 2024] Writer Sandy Frazier spent fifteen years walking around the Bronx, getting to know the borough, its history, and its people. His book based on those walks is called, Paradise Bronx: The Life and Times of New York’s Greatest Borough, which is a finalist for the 2025 Gotham Book Prize.

Everyone needs to give a speech at some point in their life, and every speech can benefit from some humor. But trying to write a funny speech is a dangerous game. Veteran comedy writers Carol Leifer ("Seinfeld," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Hacks") and Rick Mitchell ("The Ellen DeGeneres Show") have written a new book, How to Write a Funny Speech: for a Wedding, Bar Mitzvah, Graduation & Every Other Event You Didn't Want to Go to in the First Place. They discuss the ins and outs of comedy in speeches, and how to strike the right balance.

Actors Christian Slater, Calista Flockhart, and Cooper Hoffman discuss playing members of the Tate family in the current revival of the 1977 Sam Shepard play "Curse of the Starving Class." Slater plays Weston Tate, a destructive alcoholic. Flockhart plays his wife, Ella, who is hoping to sell the family's property to make ends meet. Hoffman plays their son, Wesley, who is left to pick up the pieces. "Curse of the Starving Class" runs at the Pershing Square Signature Center through April 6.

On the 5th anniversary of the COVID pandemic, we reflect on how the crisis shaped the world we know today. We speak with New York Times writer Jessica Grose about the virus' impact on workplaces and attitudes about essential work and the value of labor. Plus, listeners call in to share how their work lives have changed as a result of the pandemic.

On the 5th anniversary of the COVID pandemic, we look at how it shaped the world we know today. Vox writer Allie Volpe talks about how the virus affected relationships from dating to friendships. Plus, listeners share how their relationships changed throughout the crisis.

Carla Fernandez lost her father to cancer the same year she turned 21, and subsequently hosted a dinner party for some friends who’d also experienced loss at a young age. This gathering launched a global community and support group for those navigating grief, from which she has learned the lessons distilled in her new book, Renegade Grief: A Guide to the Wild Ride of Life After Loss.

Eric Adjepong is a Ghanaian-American, native New Yorker, "Top Chef" finalist, and author of the new cookbook, Ghana to the World. He talks about the unique flavors and traditions of Ghanaian cuisine, and how to make, among other dishes, the perfect jollof rice.

Musician and producer Paula Cole won Best New Artist at the Grammys in 1998, and that year, was nominated in the rest of the “Big Four” categories (Best Album, Song and Record of the Year). She also made history as the first woman nominated for Producer of the Year without a male collaborator. Cole talks about her career and approach to music as part of the Women's History Month series Equalizers: Women In Music Production.

A new memoir from Amazon’s principal accessibility researcher and MacArthur fellow Joshua Miele recounts how the acid attack that blinded and scarred him as a child led to a career at the intersection of design, technology, and accessibility. Miele talks about his life, his work and his book Connecting Dots: A Blind Life.

Five years ago this month, the pandemic arrived in New York. The city declared a state of emergency, and began a series of shutdowns. We'll mark this anniversary on the show all week long, and today we want to know: what are your memories of the start of the shutdown? WNYC/Gothamist reporter Arun Venugopal talks about his experiences reporting during this time, and listeners call in to reflect on the beginning of the pandemic.

Lauren Christy co-founded the writing/production trio The Matrix, whose work on Avril Lavigne's debut album earned the group their Producer Of The Year Grammy nominations. Christy is the first of only three women nominated for POTY in the 21st century. Christy is featured in today's installment of the Women's History Month series, Equalizers: Women In Music Production.

We set our clocks forward over the weekend for Daylight Saving Time, affecting our circadian rhythms. Lynne Peeples, scientist and author of the book, The Inner Clock: Living in Sync with Our Circadian Rhythms, talks about ways to improve sleep by understanding our bodies and environment.

Grammy award-winning vocalist and producer Bilal and Grammy-winning jazz bassist esperanza spalding shared the stage at our February Get Lit with All Of It book club event for a one-of-a-kind collaborative performance.

Imani Perry discusses her new book, Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People, which looks at Black American history by examining the significance of the color blue. Perry discussed the book at our sold-out February Get Lit with All Of It book club event. We present these highlights.

In the new film "Eephus," a recreational baseball league in Massachusetts comes together to play one last game before their baseball diamond is razed to make room for a new school. Writer and director Carson Lund talks about the film, which is in select NYC theaters (IFC Center, and Film at Lincoln Center) today.

Before the 1985 Grammy Awards, no women had ever been nominated for Producer of the Year. Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman became the first as part of Prince and the Revolution, though still no woman has ever won the award. Wendy & Lisa discuss their career as part of our series Equalizers: Women in Music Production. Plus, Susan Rogers, a veteran audio engineer who worked for years with Prince and on a number of Wendy & Lisa's albums, will share some tales from the studio.

Musician and photographer Julian Lennon new exhibition, “Reminiscence” explores themes such as humanity, nature, and interconnectedness. The show opens today, and will be showing at Fremin Gallery through Sunday, April 6th.

Actor Betty Gilpin talks about taking over for Cole Escola as the lead of the hit Broadway farce “Oh, Mary!” which follows the exploits of Mary Todd Lincoln, left alone in the White House to dream of being a cabaret performer, while her husband Abe is away tending to the men on the front lines of the Civil War.

The new novel Mutual Interest is set in New York City during the Gilded Age. Author Olivia Wolfgang-Smith discusses the story, which follows three queer soap manufacturers who re-think society’s ideas of “partnership” around their own romantic and business interests.

Based on Tony Hillerman's novels, the AMC thriller series "Dark Winds" returns March 9 with its third season, in which Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn and his loyal deputy Bernadette investigate a case of two missing boys and a possible human trafficking operation. Zahn McClarnon, who stars as Leaphorn alongside Jessica Matten as Bernadette and Kiowa Gordon as Jim Chee, preview the show’s upcoming season, and discuss what it means to be a part of the series’s largely Native American cast.

Over the past decade, the Brooklyn Public Library has hosted a late-night event that’s part-performance and part-pop-up third space. Night At The Library, which will run at BPL’s main branch at 10 Grand Army Plz from 7 p.m. Saturday night to 2 a.m. According to the event’s website, this year’s theme is “The Sky Above Brooklyn –The Philosophy of the Sublime,” through which organizers aim to demonstrate that “the reality we experience is only a small part of a much bigger picture.” Adwoa Adusei, manager of BPL’s Library for Arts and Culture, explains how the evening’s programs will speak to that theme.

In their 15 years on the scene, Spotify has reshaped the way that people listen to music. A new book explores what the streaming company did to get so powerful, and how it is continuing to alter the music landscape, often in ways that disadvantage the artists it claims to support. Journalist Liz Pelly discusses the reporting from her book, Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist. Liz Pelly will be in conversation with WNYC's John Schaefer at the New York Public Library's Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library on March 11.

A new exhibition called “Carmen Winant: My Mother and Eye” presents 35mm photographs of the artist’s 2001 trip from Philadelphia to Los Angeles in collage alongside the frames of Super 8 footage Winant’s mother captured during her 1969 trip from Los Angeles to Niagara Falls. Photographer and archival artist Carmen Winant talks about using images as an inter-generational bridge, and what it means to be displaying those images on bus stop shelters around New York, Chicago and Boston. The exhibition is on view through Sunday, April 6. Click here to see the NYC viewing locations.

A new three-floor exhibition of art, historical artifacts, and archival records shows how New York City’s path to becoming a global financial and cultural hub was shaped by its role in maritime commerce. South Street Seaport Museum president Capt. Jonathan Boulware and director of collections and exhibitions Martina Caruso preview “Maritime City,” which opens Wednesday, March 12

The latest book from Russell Shorto explores the historical conflict between the Dutch and the English over the island of Manhattan, as well as the story of the indigenous people who had long occupied the land as it was being contested by the two European nations. Shorto shares his insights from Taking Manhattan: The Extraordinary Events That Created New York and Shaped America.

Bronx-born activist and poet Roya Marsh discusses her second collection of poems, titled savings time which tackles themes like police brutality, urban gentrification and queer identity. Marsh discusses her latest work, a follow up to her first collection, dayliGht, which was nominated for the 2021 Lambda Literary Award for Poetry.

Legal Scholar and poet Reginald Dwayne Betts has just released his latest poetry collection Doggerel, which explores humanity's relationship to "man's best friend," as a lens to interrogate racism, incarceration and masculinity. Betts will share some excerpts from the collection.

The Brooklyn-based Tables of Contents hosts events that feature a menu inspired by books, from classics like To Kill A Mockingbird, to newer releases like Marlon James’ Black Leopard Red Wolf. Chef Evan Hanczor, founder of Tables of Contents, talks about his career, ToC’s new ‘community cookbook,’ and how food can help connect us to literature.

Today we launch our Women's History Month series, Equalizers: Women in Music Production, featuring interviews with women who work behind the scenes of the music industry as audio technicians and producers. The Grammys have never awarded a woman Producer of the Year and only a handful have ever been nominated. Alissia was nominated this year, making her only the third woman in the 21st century to make the shortlist. To kick off our series, Alissia talks about her approach to producing music.

What tea is the best? Is loose leaf better than tea bags? How long should we steep for? Is boiling, or almost-boiling water best? What teas call for a splash of milk, or a drizzle of honey? Michael Harney, master tea buyer, blender, and vice president of Harney & Sons, shares his exper-TEAS. Plus, listeners ask questions and share their preferences about tea.

Oscar-fanatic Louis Virtel, co-host of the “Keep It” podcast, recaps all the surprises and exciting moments from this year's Academy Awards, the capstone to a very unpredictable awards season. Plus, listeners share their reactions to Sunday’s red carpet coverage and awards ceremonies.

[REBROADCAST from February 5, 2025] It was costume designer Linda Muir's job to dress 19th century German aristocrats, rural nuns, and one very thirsty vampire in the film "Nosferatu." She discusses her Oscar-nominated work to bring director Robert Eggers' vision to life.Follow along with us during Sunday's Academy Awards on our Instagram (@AllOfItWNYC), and click here to print out and play All Of It Oscar's Bingo.

[REBROADCAST from February 4, 2025] "The Brutalist" cinematographer and Oscar nominee Lol Crawley shot on VistaVision, a technology rarely used today in Hollywood. Crawley discusses his work, and how camera hardware, light and color can be an important part of storytelling. Follow along with us during Sunday's Academy Awards on our Instagram (@AllOfItWNYC), and click here to print out and play All Of It Oscar's Bingo.

[REBROADCAST from February 18, 2025] As part of filming the "Wicked" screen adaptation, the actors performed on practical constructed sets, from Shiz University to Emerald City. Oscar-nominated production designer Nathan Crowley discusses his vision for designing the world of "Wicked."Follow along with us during Sunday's Academy Awards on our Instagram (@AllOfItWNYC), and click here to print out and play All Of It Oscar's Bingo.

[REBROADCAST from February 13, 2025] The body-horror film "The Substance" is nominated for five Academy Awards, including for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. Makeup artist Pierre-Olivier Persin discusses what went into Demi Moore's on-screen transformation from the stunning Elizabeth Sparkle into a different person altogether.Follow along with us during Sunday's Academy Awards on our Instagram (@AllOfItWNYC), and click here to print out and play All Of It Oscar's Bingo.

[REBROADCAST from February 7, 2025] The film "Conclave" turns the selection of the next Pope into a dramatic tale of secrets, lies, and intrigue. Film editor Nick Emerson discusses his work on the movie, which has earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Editing.Follow along with us during Sunday's Academy Awards on our Instagram (@AllOfItWNYC), and click here to print out and play All Of It Oscar's Bingo.

[REBROADCAST from February 6, 2025] Dressing gladiators, emperors, senators, and schemers in Ancient Rome for "Gladiator II" was no small task for the Oscar-nominated costume designers Janty Yates, who won the 2001 Academy Award for her work on the original "Gladiator," and David Crossman, who worked on the military film's costumes. They discuss the research, artistry and character implications of their work. Follow along with us during Sunday's Academy Awards on our Instagram (@AllOfItWNYC), and click here to print out and play All Of It Oscar's Bingo.

In the new novel Junie, a young enslaved woman, consumed by grief at her sister's death, manages to wake her sister's ghost from the grave. The ghost pushes Junie to discover terrifying secrets about life on the Bellereine Plantation in Alabama. Author Erin Crosby Eckstine discusses her book as part of our Debut Day celebrating debut novels.

[REBROADCAST FROM January 23, 2024] In the debut novel from poet Kaveh Akbar, Martyr!, a man who has lost everything becomes obsessed with the idea of becoming a martyr, until he meets a dying woman who has decided to spend her final days talking to people at the Brooklyn Museum.

In Loca, best friends Sal and Charo navigate life, love, and migration in 1990s New York. Author Alejandro Heredia discusses his debut novel, exploring identity, friendship, and the complexities of growing up in a new city.

A new novel follows a young woman named Vi who finds a strange blob, and manages to shape it into her dream man with unforeseen consequences. Author Maggie Su discusses her book, Blob: A Love Story, as part of our Debut Day celebrating debut novels.

In writer Ada Calhoun's debut novel, a happily-married woman finds herself with a new crush after her husband suggests they open their marriage. Calhoun joins us to discuss Crush: A Novel, as part of our day celebrating debut novels.

A new exhibition at The Center for Brooklyn History traces Brooklyn's ties to slavery by presenting artwork and archival material from its special collections. Dominique Jean-Louis, chief historian of the Brooklyn Public Library, discusses the show and how the material connects to Brooklyn's present day. Trace/s: Family History Research and the Legacy of Slavery in Brooklyn is on view through August 30.

Veteran Broadway costume designer Paul Tazewell won a Tony for his work on "Hamilton," and has worked on countless other stage musicals and plays. So he made the perfect choice to bring the fashion from the beloved musical "Wicked" from stage to screen. He's nominated for an Oscar for Best Costume Design, and joins us fresh off his BAFTA win. This conversation is part of our annual Big Picture series, where we speak with Oscar nominees who worked behind the camera.

[REBROADCAST FROM January 16, 2025] Jesse Eisenberg is the writer, director, and star of the new film, "A Real Pain," which is about two very different cousins on a Holocaust tour of Poland. He discusses his film, which is streaming on Hulu.