All Of It with Alison Stewart

In honor of Spooky Season, a new series on the Criterion Channel puts the spotlight on horror films featuring great practical special effects, from the 1930s to the 80s, before the advent of CGI. Curator Clyde Folley joins us to discuss his series, Horror F/X, available to stream on Criterion Channel through October.

When Nisha Vora went vegan at the age of 28, she thought her lifelong love affair with food was coming to an end. But after discovering that smoothies and acai bowls did not count as meals, her hunger pushed her to become a much better cook. Now, her latest cookbook, Big Vegan Flavor, is a bestseller. She joins us to discuss how to make flavorful plant-based recipes -- and take listener calls.Here's a recipe from the cookbook:Sticky Coconut Milk–Braised TofuServes 3 to 4 | GFO, NFAs much as I love crispy tofu, I may love this braised tofu even more. Here, squares of tofu are pan-fried until golden and crispy, then braised in a Thai-inspired blend of coconut milk, soy sauce, lemongrass, and spices. Frying the tofu first makes the perfect porous surface for the deeply savory and slightly sweet braising liquid to seep into, creating that spongy and chewy yet tender texture found in Chinese restaurant tofu dishes.Tip: To serve a crowd, double the tofu and braising liquid. Fry the tofu in two batches; after frying the first batch, start simmering the liquid in a 3-quart (2.8 L) saucepan, then follow the recipe as written.Big-Flavor Meals: Serve over a bed of jasmine white rice or brown rice, along with blanched or stir-fried green beans, bok choy, or broccolini.1 (14-ounce/400 g) block extra-firm tofu, drainedKosher salt3 tablespoons neutral-flavored oil of choiceBraising Liquid1 tablespoon coriander seeds1 (13.5-ounce/400 ml) can full-fat coconut milk1/2 cup (140 g) soy sauce or tamari (use tamari for GF)1/4 cup (84 g) agave nectar (or organic brown sugar or cane sugar)2 lemongrass stalks, minced (see page 472 for prep tips)1-inch (2.5 cm) piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced (peel on okay)4 large garlic cloves, smashed1 to 3 Thai chiles (or 1 serrano pepper), stemmed and sliced in half vertically (use 3 chiles for spicy!; omit for mild heat)1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper1 (2-inch) cinnamon stickFor ServingCooked white or brown riceRoasted black or white sesame seeds1 handful chopped cilantro or Thai basil (optional)1. Wrap the tofu in a thin dish towel or a few paper towels and press for 10 to 15 minutes (see page 265).2. Slice the tofu in half vertically, then flip each slab around and slice crosswise into squares about 1/2-inch (1 to 1.5 cm) thick. Arrange the tofu in a single layer on a cutting board. Gently press down on the squares with a towel to release more water. Sprinkle the tofu with a couple of pinches of salt. Line a large plate with a few paper towels.3. Heat a 12-inch (30 cm) nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, then add the oil and heat for 30 seconds. Carefully add the tofu, arranging it in a single layer. Move the tofu around in the oil to evenly coat it and cook until golden brown on the bottom, 5 to 7 minutes. Use a thin spatula to flip and cook until the other side is also golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes.4. While the tofu cooks, make the braising liquid. Use the back of a large knife or a sturdy mug to roughly crush the coriander seeds. Or you can use a mortar and pestle or pulse once in a spice grinder.5. In a medium (2-quart/2 L) heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the coconut milk, soy sauce, agave, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, chiles (if using), roughly crushed coriander, white pepper, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce the heat and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes. It should be very flavorful and quite salty.6. Add the fried tofu to the braising liquid and stir to coat. A few pieces of tofu will peek up above the liquid, but that’s okay. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the tofu is almost wrinkly and the liquid has thickened into a sauce that sticks to the tofu, about 35 minutes. 7. Remove from the heat and let cool briefly; discard the cinnamon stick. Serve over rice, pour a little braising liquid on top of the rice (not a lot, as it’s quite potent), and garnish with sesame seeds and herbs.

The new film "Saturday Night" dramatizes the creation of the first-ever episode of Saturday Night Live. We speak with writer and director Jason Reitman, along with actor Gabriel LaBelle, who stars as a young Lorne Michaels. "Saturday Night" is in theaters nationwide Friday.

This week, we're spotlighting local New Jersey artists who are showing work at the Montclair Art Museum as part of the 2024 New Jersey Arts Annual now on view through January 5. We continue with Terrance Cummings, who discusses his piece in the show, "Family," and his story from a childhood in Alabama to settling in the Garden State.

Author Dinaw Mengestu joins us for a preview conversation ahead of our October Get Lit with All Of It event. We're spending the month reading his new book, Someone Like Us, about a journalist who returns home to his Ethiopian community in D.C. to uncover family secrets and examine his father's sudden death. To borrow your e-copy, and grab your tickets to our October 30 event, click here.

In the latest novel from author Garth Greenwell, a poet's life is upended when he is struck suddenly by serious and intense pain. Greenwell joins us to discuss Small Rain.

Habibi Festival, the annual celebration of music from the Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) region, returns to Joe's Pub this week. Organizers Meera Dugal and Alex Knowlton give some highlights alongside Algerian percussionist Karim Ziad, who performs live in our studio. Habibi Festival runs October 8-12.

Grammy-award winning and Bronx born-and-raised vocalist Samara Joy returns with a new album, Portrait, out this Friday. Joy discusses her whirlwind of a last two years, her approach to this new album, and we get an exclusive listen to some unreleased tracks.

Samora Pinderhughes releases the first part of his new two-part album, Venus Smiles Not in the House of Tears on October 18, but this week he performs live at Blue Note on Oct. 7-8th. He joins us before his performance to preview the project and to discuss his career as a multidisciplinary artist.

James Beard Award-winning cookbook author Kristina Cho discusses her latest cookbook, Chinese Enough: Homestyle Recipes for Noodles, Dumplings, Stir-Fries, and More, which combines her Cantonese roots with her American upbringing. Cho will be speaking at Farm to People with Books Are Magic tonight.

This week, we're spotlighting local New Jersey artists who are showing work at the Montclair Art Museum as part of the 2024 New Jersey Arts Annual now on view through January 5. We continue with Copie Rodriguez, who discusses his piece in the show, "Mom," and how he captures neighbors and community members in his work.

From Marla Mindelle, creator and star of "Titanique," comes a new comedy that sees its protagonist, Stacey, trapped inside a musical. Will she find (or sing) her way out? Mindelle joins us to discuss "The Big Gay Jamboree," which she co-wrote and stars in. The show is running at the Orpheum Theater through January 19.

Daniel Dae Kim stars in David Henry Hwang's farcical play "Yellowface," about an Asian American playwright who mistakenly casts a white actor in an Asian role in his own production. Kim and Hwang join us to discuss the production, which runs through November 24.

Author Charles Bock didn't have being a father on his list of high priorities. But when his wife dies of cancer, leaving him a single father to a three-year-old daughter, he realizes it's time to step up. He recounts his experience with single fatherhood in the new memoir, I Will Do Better: A Father’s Memoir of Heartbreak, Parenting, and Love. We discuss with Bock, and take calls from our listeners, as part of our series Mental Health Mondays.

This week, we're spotlighting local New Jersey artists who are showing work at the Montclair Art Museum as part of the 2024 New Jersey Arts Annual show now on view through January 5. We start with Maria Mijares, who discusses her piece in the show, "4 Fashion Girls" and her work in public spaces around the Garden State.

In honor of WNYC's 100th birthday, All Of It is celebrating 100 pieces of art in New York City. Each month we'll speak with a tastemaker in the arts world about their favorites. Our October segment features Hyperallergic co-founder and editor-in-chief Hrag Vartanian who shares 10 pieces he thinks all New Yorkers should see.

Beloved New Jersey crossing guard Patrice Jetter is thrilled when she falls in love with Gary. The couple can't wait to marry. The problem? They both have disabilities, and if they decide to marry, their government benefits will be cut. A new documentary, "Patrice: The Movie" follows the couple's attempts to fight back against these rules. Director Ted Passon and subject Patrice Jetter join us to discuss the film, which is available to stream now on Hulu.

A new documentary follows a couple who learn that three of their four children have retinitis pigmentosa, an incurable condition which means they will soon lose all of their eyesight. The couple decides to pull their kids from school and journey around the world, showing them all the things that soon they will no longer be able to see. Subjects and partners Edith Lemay and Sébastien Pelletier and co-director Edmund Stenson join us to discuss the film "Blink," which premieres in theaters today.

We air highlights of the performance half of our September Get Lit with All Of It book club event with author Erik Larson. Songwriter and author David Berkeley and songwriter and producer Ben Parker make up the band Sons of Town Hall. The 19th-century inspired duo perform timeless folk music under the aliases George Ulysses Brown and Josiah Chester Jones. We present our interview with Sons of Town Hall and a special live performance.

Get Lit is back! We kick off our fall season with best-selling author and historian Erik Larson. He joined us for a live, in-person event to discuss his latest history of the Civil War, The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War.

Radiolab for Kids Presents: Terrestrials returns for a new season about tree stumps, squirrels, and more! Plus... an album! Producer Ana González and producer & "Song Bud" Alan Goffinski join us for a special listening party and talk about the new season, plus take calls from curious young listeners.

For this week's installment of Food for Thought Thursdays, hear flavor tips and recipes from a new cookbook from Sarah Kieffer, 100 Afternoon Sweets: with Snacking Cakes, Brownies, Blondies and More.

Before Roe v. Wade, Dr. Curtis Boyd decided to dedicate his career to providing safe, but illegal, abortions in Texas and New Mexico. It was at one of those clinics that he met his wife, Glenna Halverson-Boyd, who became a counselor to women seeking an abortion. The couple write about their decades of providing abortion care and advocacy in their new memoir, We Choose To: A Memoir of Providing Abortion Care Before, After, and During Roe. The Boyds join us to discuss as part of our political book series, Get Political.

Our book club for kids, Get Little, returns with award-winning multihyphenate filmmaker and musician Questlove! His new picture book, The Idea in You, celebrates creativity in young minds. Questlove joins us to talk about the book and take calls from kids.

To acknowledge the death of beloved Broadway actor Gavin Creel, we revisit his conversation with Alison about his one-man show "WALK ON THROUGH: Confessions of a Museum Novice," which uses music to document his journey to appreciate the art at the Metropolitan Museum.

Despite being a relatively small neighborhood, Greenwich Village has had an outsized impact on music history. A new book chronicles the rise and fall of the music scene in Greenwich Village. We speak with author David Browne about his book,Talkin' Greenwich Village: The Heady Rise and Slow Fall of America's Bohemian Music Capital. He joins us for the hour, and we take calls.

A new Independent Lens documentary explains the Electoral College's complexities while following four presidential electors representing different parties in Colorado during the intense 2020 election. The film is called "One Person, One Vote?" Director Maximina Juson and former Colorado State Senator Polly Baca, who participated in the film, join us to discuss.

With the traditional 'October surprise' possibly looming behind every political headline and just a month to go until voting comes to a close, Dan Harris, host of the podcast 10% Happier, shares what he's learned about mindfulness to help us cope with election anxiety.

In the new film "The Outrun," Saoirse Ronan stars as Rona, a young woman struggling with alcoholism. In an attempt to get sober, she returns to her home on the remote Orkney Islands off the coast of Scotland. The film, based on the memoir by Amy Liptrot, is in theaters Friday. Star Saoirse Ronan joins us to discuss.

Upon its release, singer-songwriter Lutalo referred to The Academy as their “first chapter” – a time capsule of the lessons they’ve learned in the last 20-something years. Lutalo joins us for a live performance ahead of their show at Brooklyn Steel tonight at 7pm.

Recent polls show young men leaning towards voting for Trump/Vance this November. In an apparent effort to boost their chances, the former president and his veep nominee have been booking appearances within the "manosphere," a term used to refer to a loose collection of websites, podcasts, and influencers associated with men's issues and, often, misogyny. NPR political correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben discusses her reporting on the world of "dude influencers" and we take your calls.

Over the years, former President Trump has continued to increase his popularity among Latino voters, despite often inflammatory rhetoric about South America and undocumented immigrants. A new book explores why so many more Latino voters have been drawn to far-right movements. Author and journalist Paola Ramos joins us to discuss her new book, Defectors: The Rise of the Latino Far Right and What It Means for America, as part of our series, Get Po-Lit-ical.

James Beard-nominated chef Paola Velez pays homage to her beloved corner store in her new cookbook, Bodega Bakes: Recipes for Sweets and Treats Inspired by My Corner Store. She joins us to discuss, and take calls from listeners. Velez will be speaking tonight at Rizzoli Books and tomorrow at The Lit. Bar.

Many parents worry about their kid's cellphone usage, but few have a clear view of what they're actually doing on their phones every day. A new documentary explores how phones impact the daily lives of teens in one Los Angeles high school over the course of a year. Director Lauren Greenfield joins us to discuss"Social Studies," a new FX series that is available to stream now on Hulu. The film team has also put together an Educational Curriculum and Parents Guide to complement the documentary.

As viewers of the HBO series "The Gilded Age" will know, there's a long important history of Free Black communities in Brooklyn. Author Prithi Kanakamedala, professor of History at Bronx Community College of the City University of New York, discusses her new book, Brooklynites: The Remarkable Story of the Free Black Communities that Shaped a Borough which tells the stories of four families from Free Black Brooklyn communities in the 19th century.

The latest production from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright James Ijames ("Fat Ham") stars Susan Kelechi Watson in the role of Aisha, who decides to move to the struggling neighborhood she grew up in with her husband, and they renovate their new house. What unfolds is a story of gentrification, class divides, and an intense debate with her young contractor, Earl. "Good Bones" is running at The Public now through October 27, and we're joined by Ijames, Watson, and director Saheem Ali.

[REBROADCAST FROM September 4, 2024] For our series, Get Po-LIT-ical, we're reading political history books in the leadup to the election. We start with The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It, by author Corey Brettschneider, professor of political science at Brown University, who tells us about his research and the lessons for our politics today.

[REBROADCAST FROM September 6, 2024] In her new personal essay, Stand Your Ground: A Black Feminists Reckoning with America's Gun Problem, Roxane Gay examines the culture and power in American society. She joins in studio to discuss.

[REBROADCAST FROM September 9, 2024] Author and journalist Sarah Smarsh has spent the last decade dedicating herself to correcting stereotypes, misinformation, and prejudice around the lives and beliefs of rural, working-class White Americans. She speaks from experience, as the daughter of two poor Kansas residents. Now, she's collected that decade of writing in her new book, Bone of the Bone: Essays on America by a Daughter of the Working Class. Smarsh joins us to discuss as part of our election series, Get Po-LIT-ical.

[REBROADCAST FROM September 19, 2024] In 2020, a landmark Supreme Court case declared a substantial part of Oklahoma to be under tribal jurisdiction. Author and podcast host Rebecca Nagle joins us to discuss her new book about the case, By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight for Justice on Native Land.

A new book spotlights an Afghan businessman Saad Mohseni's efforts to bring a free press to the country after years of Taliban rule. Written alongside journalist Jenna Krajeski, Mohseni discusses founding and running Moby Group, Afghanistan’s largest independent media company. Mohseni joins us to talk about the book, Radio Free Afghanistan: A Twenty-Year Odyssey for an Independent Voice in Kabul, which is out this week.

Critically acclaimed poet Cynthia Zarin has published a new compilation, Next Day, that includes new poems and some her work over the years that has appeared in publications like The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, and The Yale Review. Zarin discusses her relationship with poetry, her writing process, and reads for us live.

A group of 100 life-sized elephant statues, created by Indigenous Indian artists through The Coexistence Collective, have made their way to New York. The statues are meant to draw awareness to elephant conservation efforts in India and around the globe. We speak with Ruth Ganesh, co-founder of The Coexistence Collective, about the ideas behind the initiative and the process for actually crafting the elephants.

On Thursday evening, New Jersey folklore is coming to the East Village. The Devil & Daisy Dirt: a Garden State Gothic, Alt-Folk Event uses music, storytelling and puppetry to tell the story of the New Jersey Devil. Lyricist and organizer Alex Dawson, puppeteer Dan Diana, and podcaster Will Rogers, host of Guide to the Unknown preview the event.

In her follow up cookbook to Snackable Bakes, author Jessie Sheehan gives equal attention to the savory side of baking. She joins us to discuss her latest, Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes and take your calls.

In the new film, "His Three Daughters," three estranged sisters come together to care for their sick father in his New York City apartment. We discuss the film with star Elizabeth Olson and writer/director Azazel Jacobs. The film is available to stream now on Netflix.

For today's Full Bio conversation, English socialite Pamela Harriman had an incredible life, from relationships with some of the most powerful men in the world, a deep friendship with Winston Churchill in the midst of World War II, and a successful career as a diplomat in the later years of her life. Biographer Sonia Purnell joins us to discuss her new book, Kingmaker: Pamela Harriman's Astonishing Life of Power, Seduction, and Intrigue. Today, we speak about Harriman's successful career as the Ambassador to France under the Clinton Administration.

In the latest novel from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Powers, the lives of four people come together on an island in the Pacific as part of a project to create floating cities out in the ocean. Powers joins us to discuss the novel, Playground, which has been longlisted for the Booker Prize. He will be speaking with Marlon James at the New York Public Library on October 8.

A new biographical drama, "Lee," tells the story of photographer Elizabeth "Lee" Miller, a fashion model who became an acclaimed war correspondent for Vogue magazine during World War II. Director Ellen Kuras and actor Kate Winslet, who stars as Lee, discuss the film which releases in theaters this Friday, September 27.

The alternative rock band Keane are on tour celebrating 20 years since the release of their debut, Hopes and Fears, one of the best-selling albums in UK charts history. Bandmates and onetime schoolmates Tom Chaplin and Tim Rice-Oxley perform live in our studio ahead of their show tonight at Radio City Music Hall.This segment is guest-hosted by David Furst