All Of It with Alison Stewart

How would you complete the sentence, "The subway is...?" A new exhibition from the New York Transit Museum, The Subway Is..., celebrates 120 years since the opening of the New York City subway by displaying archival photos, objects, and cars from throughout the system's history. Museum curator Jodi Shapiro is with us to discuss some of the surprising history on view in the show, and we take your calls.

In a new film,"The Black Sea," a young Black man from New York City finds himself stranded in a small Eastern European coastal town after losing out on a new job opportunity."The Black Sea" opens in Metrograph Theaters tomorrow, and directors Crystal Moselle and Derrick B. Harden, who also stars in the film, joins us to discuss.

[REBROADCAST FROM October 29, 2024] Kenneth Branagh, perhaps the world's most celebrated living Shakespearean actor, discusses starring as King Lear in the new production at the Shed running through December 15.

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 join us to discuss the film, which is closing out the DOC NYC film festival.

The Star-Ledger, the Pulitzer Prize-winning local New Jersey newspaper based in Newark, recently announced it will end print editions in 2025 and become an exclusively digital service. The news comes perhaps as no surprise as local print journalism continues to struggle financially around the country. But The Star-Ledger has played an important role in the history of New Jersey culture and politics as the state's largest newspaper. Nancy Solomon, WNYC senior reporter, gives us her reaction to the news, and we're also joined by Micah Rasmussen, director of The Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics.

Ten years ago, Lane Moore turned her dating horror stories into a comedy show called "Tinder Live!" She is marking its anniversary with a national tour that comes to New York on November 22. She joins us in studio to discuss along with actor Janeane Garofalo, who will join Lane on stage.This segment is guest-hosted by Tiffany Hanssen.

Hall of Fame songwriter and music producer Allee Willis gained recognition for co-writing songs such as Earth, Wind & Fire's hit "September," the score to "The Color Purple" musical, and the "Friends" theme song, "I'll Be There For You." Sadly, she passed away in 2019 but left behind a treasure trove of footage which made it to a new documentary, "The World According to Allee Willis." Director Alexis Spraic joins us alongside executive producer Prudence Fenton, who was also Allee's longtime partner, to discuss the film which is playing in theaters now. This segment is guest-hosted by Tiffany Hanssen.

Two religious leaders in Brooklyn became concerned about rising tensions between Black and Jewish residents, and try to launch a new effort to create more understanding between the two communities. But that experiment proved more difficult than they imagined. The new documentary "All God's Children" follows Rabbi Rachel Timoner and Reverend Dr. Robert Waterman, and celebrates its world premiere as part of DOC NYC. We speak with the Rabbi and Reverend, along with director Ondi Timoner. This segment is guest-hosted by Tiffany Hanssen.

The new Broadway musical "Swept Away" uses the discography of The Avett Brothers as the soundtrack to a harrowing tale of a shipwreck, and the costs of survival. Scott and Seth Avett and bassist Bob Crawford join us for a live performance of some songs from the musical, which is running now at the Longacre Theater.This segment is guest-hosted by Tiffany Hanssen.

Igmar Thomas is a New York-based trumpeter, composer, and bandleader of the jazz ensemble, Revive Big Band. Thomas and the band have just released their debut album, Like A Tree It Grows, which reimagines compositions from Thelonious Monk, Wayne Shorter, and more for a big band format. Thomas is with us for a Listening Party and to discuss his career, his process, and his experience as Music Director for acts like LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, The Fugees, Nas, and Lauryn Hill.

[REBROADCAST FROM September 12, 2024] Ana Gasteyer returns to Broadway in "Once Upon a Mattress," now running at Hudson Theatre through November 30. We speak talk to Gasteyer about her role as Queen Aggravain (including her violin skills), her work on "Loot," and her feelings about the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live.

A new documentary follows a group of NYC schoolchildren with dyslexia who find themselves struggling within the school system, until parents decide to do something about it. Director Anna Toomey joins us to discuss "Left Behind," which is screening this week as part of DOC NYC.

In 1989, a little known rap group from Long Island changed hip hop forever. With the release of their debut album 3 Feet High and Rising, De La Soul were thrust into the mainstream, inspiring an entire generation of young nerds who liked music, art, and fashion. Journalist and author Marcus J. Moore was one of those kids, and he's with us to talk about his new book, High and Rising: A Book About De La Soul, the first comprehensive history of his favorite band.

Mental health is a serious matter, but sometimes it does help to laugh at it. A new documentary spotlights a group of comedians who have found ways to work mental health into their acts, even as they struggle with anxiety. Director Wendy Lobel joins us to discuss "Anxiety Club," screening this week as part of DOC NYC.

[REBROADCAST FROM October 7, 2024] Daniel Dae Kim stars in David Henry Hwang's farcical play "Yellow Face," 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.

A new documentary traces the history of "yacht rock," the retroactive label associated with the smooth rock music of bands and musicians like Michael McDonald, Christopher Cross, Toto, and Steely Dan. The doc recently screened at DOC NYC and premieres on HBO on November 29. Garret Price, the director of "Yacht Rock: A Documentary," joins us along with JD Ryznar and Steve Huey, two of the creators of the webseries that coined the term.

With Thanksgiving around the corner, New York Times Cooking and Food editor in chief Emily Weinstein joins to share her tips for making side dishes and for the next installment of our Small Stakes, Big Opinions series, we want to know from you: what's the best side dish and why?

On December 1 and 2, musician Jesse Malin will be honored with two tribute shows at the Beacon Theatre, featuring Lucinda Williams, The Hold Steady, and more artists. In May 2023, Malin suffered a spinal stroke which has left him paralyzed below the waist. Malin joins us to preview the show, and discuss his recovery as well as a recent benefit album, Silver Patron Saints, featuring Williams, Bruce Springsteen, Billie Joe Armstrong, and other contributing artists.

The novel Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu won the National Book Award, and was acclaimed for its genre-bending story of a background actor named Willis Wu, who finds himself inadvertently a witness to a major crime. Now, the book has been adapted into an original series, starring comedian Jimmy O. Yang. Yu is the showrunner. Yang and Yu join us to discuss the show, which premieres on Hulu on November 19.

A new musical at the New York Theatre Workshop, "We Live in Cairo," tells the story of six activists who participate in the Egyptian Revolution, and must cope with the fallout. Brothers Daniel and Patrick Lazour, known as The Lazours, join us to discuss writing the music, lyrics, and book for the musical. We're also joined by actor Ali Louis Bourzgui, who stars as Amir, a kid who writes an anthem for the revolution. "We Live in Cairo" was just extended through Wednesday, November 27.

Music is often one of the things that helps us get through tough times. Listeners call in to shout out the music they keep returning to whether they're looking for motivation or peace, after the election and ahead of the holidays. Plus, Professor Elizabeth Margulis, director of the Music Cognition Lab at Princeton University, explains the neuroscience of repeat music listening.

Laura Marling describes each of her records as a "time-stamped chapter of my life," with the latest one, Patterns in Repeat, being her first release as a new mother. She joins us to perform songs from the record live in our studio.

Just over 20 years ago, the first Modern Love essay ran in the New York Times. The column has since published thousands of essays, and Modern Love has grown to include a podcast, live performances, and more. Editor Daniel Jones and podcast host Anna Martin join us to reflect on what they’ve learned about love and the stories that have impacted them most, and we take your calls.

In 1997, Dylan Scholinski published the memoir, The Last Time I Wore a Dress, which chronicled their time as a teenager being institutionalized and diagnosed with "Gender Identity Disorder." Scholinski, who is non-binary, writes about the treatment they endured while trying to be "cured" of their feelings about their gender. Now, the memoir has been re-released and updated with a new epilogue. Scholinski joins us to discuss the book, and their views on how trans issues and gender issues played a role in the 2024 election.

The new movie "Albany Road" tells the story of a New York executive (Renée Elise Goldsberry) forced to share a car with the mother of her ex-fiancé (Lynn Whitfield). On the ride, she discovers that the mother has been keeping a big secret. Whitfield and writer and director Christine Swanson join us to discuss the film, which premieres November 15.

This hour, we speak with a few of the artists selected for a new show at the Brooklyn Museum, The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition, which displays work from over 200 local artists in celebration of the museum's 200th anniversary. Chitra Ganesh discusses her piece on view, "All the Farewells," and how growing up Brooklyn informed her artistic pursuits.

William Cope Moyers was a crack addict and an alcoholic who turned his world around, wrote a memoir and became a public face of Hazelden Betty Ford rehab center, until he made a trip to the dentist and was prescribed pain killers. His new book, Broken Open: What Painkillers Taught Me About Life and Recovery, details his fight back to sobriety.

[REBROADCAST FROM October 23, 2023] Melissa Joseph is a Brooklyn-based artist who previously worked as a high school art teacher and textile designer, and now works in felt as an artist. Her piece, “Olive’s Hair Salon” is part of a new exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum called, “The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition,” which displays work from over 200 local artists who live in the borough as part of the museum’s 200th anniversary celebration. The show is on view through January 26. Joseph joins us in studio to discuss the show and her practice.

This hour, we speak with a few of the artists selected for a new show at the Brooklyn Museum, The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition, which displays work from over 200 local artists in celebration of the museum's 200th anniversary. Tabitha Whitley grew up and still lives in Bushwick, and she discusses her piece on view, "Botanic Luncheon," and her creative practice.

Based on the bestselling nonfiction book by Patrick Radden Keefe, a new series, "Say Nothing" tells the story of The Troubles in Northern Ireland and specifically the kidnapping and disappearance of a mother of 10 at the hands of the IRA. We speak to Keefe about adapting the book into a series, director Michael Lennox and actor Maxine Peake, who plays Dolours Price, an unrepentant IRA soldier. "Say Nothing" begins streaming on Hulu tomorrow.

In the early 2000s, no television channel was as dominant among tweens as the Disney Channel. But now, the station's popularity has started to fall off. What happened? We talk with Ashley Spencer, author of the new book, Disney High: The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of Disney Channel's Tween Empire.

Kicking off this year's DOC NYC festival is the new film, "Blue Road: The Edna O'Brien Story." Director Sinead O'Shea joins us to discuss her work capturing the life of the Irish literary legend, who she interviewed just weeks before her death earlier this year. The film has its U.S. premiere at DOC NYC tomorrow evening.

The documentary film festival DOC NYC is celebrating its 15th anniversary. Next week, we will feature a conversation about one documentary per day, but first we are joined by the festival's programmers to give us a preview of the entire slate of films. Jaie Laplante, artistic director and Bedatri D. Choudhury, features programmer, join us to discuss.

If you've ever seen a photo of a Broadway show, there's a good chance it was taken by theatrical photographer Joan Marcus. She joins us to discuss her 25 year career, which includes capturing classics like "Wicked," "Rent," "Hamilton," and more.

The acclaimed new HBO series "The Penguin" aired the season one finale on Sunday. Actor Cristin Milioti, who plays Sofia, member of the Falcone crime family, joins us for a Watch Party to discuss the final episode. Plus, she takes your calls.

[REBROADCAST FROM October 7, 2024] 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.

[REBROADCAST FROM August 28, 2024] When Joy Neumeyer was a graduate student at Berkeley, she found herself in a physically abusive romantic relationship with a fellow student. That relationship leads her to leave campus, and attempt to pursue a Title IX case against her ex. But many felt that it was her boyfriend who was the real victim. Neumeyer recounts her experience, and the pitfalls of Title IX, in her new memoir A Survivor's Education: Women, Violence, and the Stories We Don't Tell.

[REBROADCAST FROM September 10, 2024] Ruth Rathblott was born with a limb difference that she spent most of her life hiding from others. Her road to acceptance is documented in the book, was born with a limb difference that she spent most of her life hiding from others. Her road to acceptance is documented in the memoir, Singlehandedly. Her most recent book, Unhide and Seek, offers ways to stop hiding and use your difference to thrive. She joins us.

[REBROADCAST FROM September 25, 2024] 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.

[REBROADCAST FROM October 17, 2024] Trailblazing journalist and television news anchor Connie Chung joins us to discuss her new memoir about her life and career. It's titled Connie: A Memoir.

Famously throughout his life and career, Congressman and activist John Lewis preached getting into, as he called it, "good trouble." When Lewis died on July 17, 2020 at the age of 80, America lost a titan of the Civil Rights movement. A leader of SNCC, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, a speaker at the March on Washington in 1963, and one of the many activists who were brutally beaten at the infamous march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma in 1965, Lewis was a hero to many for his dedication to fighting for the rights of Black people always within the framework of non-violence. For the latest installment of our Full Bio series, we spoke with David Greenberg, author of the new biography, John Lewis: A Life. Greenberg interviewed Lewis as well as 250 people who knew him or worked with him, including former President Obama. Here you can listen to all three parts of our conversation:John Lewis, Part 1: The early years of John Lewis, from a childhood in rural Alabama, to becoming the first member of his family to go to college, to his entrance as a student into the fight for civil rights.John Lewis, Part 2: How John Lewis became involved in SNCC, and the drama that led up to his famous speech at the March on Washington.John Lewis, Part 3: John Lewis enters politics in Atlanta and Congress, and his reputation as a politician and legislator.

We air highlights from our conversation with 5x Grammy Award-winner Angelique Kidjo who joined us for our October Get Lit with All Of It event for a special live performance.

We air highlights from our conversation with author Dinaw Mengestu who joined us for our October Get Lit with All Of It event. His new book, Someone Like Us, is about a journalist who returns home to his Ethiopian community in D.C. to uncover family secrets and examine his father's sudden death.

The Brooklyn Choir Project merges traditional choir singing with the energy and ethos of New York’s indie music community, tackling new choral arrangements of tunes by a diverse group of local songwriters whose styles range from alt-folk to Indian classical and West African art rock. Choir organizer Jaren Feeley, as well as local songwriters and other members of the choir, join us to sing in-studio and talk about building community through music ahead of the choir’s first performance next week on Thursday, November 14th at 7pm at the First Unitarian Congregational Society in Brooklyn.

Legendary music producer Quincy Jones, known for working with such icons as Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, and Michael Jackson, died this week at the age of 91. New York Times art and culture critic Wesley Morris joins us to discuss Jones' legacy and take listener calls.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s American Wing celebrates its centennial this year, with a special installation beginning November 8. Sylvia Yount, Lawrence A. Fleischman curator in charge of the American Wing, joins us to discuss the anniversary and history of the space.

Our November Full Bio selection is John Lewis: A Life, written by author David Greenberg. Greenberg interviewed Lewis before his death as well as over 250 people for a comprehensive biography about the U.S Congressman, Civil Rights Activist, and preacher of getting into, as he called it, "good trouble." On Day Three, we reflect on why John Lewis decided to run for public office for both the Atlanta City Council and the U.S. Congress, and the kind of reputation he earned as a politician in Washington.

A new Off-Broadway play set in the not-so-distant future follows a group of warehouse workers traveling from job to job to avoid the encroaching coastlines. Playwright Sarah Mantell joins alongside actors Deirdre Lovejoy and Pooya Mohseni to talk about the production, "In the Amazon Warehouse Parking Lot" which is running at Playwright Horizons through November 17.

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 November segment features Thelma Golden, director and chief curator of the Studio Museum of Harlem, who shares 10 pieces she thinks all New Yorkers should see.

This Friday marks the opening of a new major exhibition at the Guggenheim examining an artist movement that inspired the museum's own iconic building design. Harmony and Dissonance: Orphism in Paris, 1910–1930 displays over eighty pieces and examines an abstract form known as Orphism, pioneered in Paris in the early 20th century as artists moved away from Cubism. Curators Tracey Bashkoff and Vivien Greene tell us more about the significance of Orphism and the show, on view through Mar. 9.