St. Louis on the Air

Documentarian Ken Burns’ latest work, “East Lake Meadows: A Public Housing Story,” explores the history of a former public housing community in Atlanta. It features the stories of residents and raises critical questions about race, poverty and public assistance. The film premieres Tuesday, March 24, at 7 p.m. on PBS. In this interview, Sarah Fenske talks with Burns about the film. She also gets his take on the current health crisis posed by COVID-19 and the value of looking back at history to inform us in these uncertain times.

Alt-weeklies — which rely entirely on advertising and public events for revenue — were dealt a terrible early blow by the nation’s response to the coronavirus. From coast to coast, publications suspended print editions and laid off staffers. St. Louis’ Riverfront Times was among those hardest hit. The 42-year-old publication halted its print edition and laid off seven staffers, including three editors, the art director and a staff writer. Only two journalists remain on the payroll: Editor in Chief Doyle Murphy and Digital Editor Jaime Lees. But one of the laid-off journalists has simply refused to leave. Host Sarah Fenske talks to Riverfront Times Music Editor Daniel Hill, who, one day after being furloughed, defiantly posted on the publication’s website that he was going to keep writing whether or not he got paid for it.

As someone focused on child and adolescent psychology, Webster University’s Deborah Stiles is used to writing about psychological theory and case studies — and working with multiple co-authors in doing so. But one of her most recent projects involves a total of 14 co-authors, and this one isn’t simply ending up in a scholarly journal. Instead, it’s headed to the halls of power in Washington. Titled “The Psychological Impact of Separating Immigrant Children from their Families,” the 48-page report tells the stories of 10 children caught in the middle of U.S. practices along the nation’s southern border. This segment features Stiles' recent conversation with host Sarah Fenske about how Stiles and her collaborators approached this unusual project. Kaori Chaki, one of the graduate students who traveled with Stiles to Seattle last month to present it at the Society for Cross-Cultural Research’s annual conference, also participates in the discussion.

Public health considerations and the effects of the coronavirus pandemic continue to be at the forefront of daily life. Among those effects, the last few weeks have been incredibly tough for journalists and nonprofits alike, St. Louis Public Radio included. The station is dealing with the difficulty of being dependent on members, even as they face serious anxiety as well as real or potential losses in income. St. Louis Public Radio continues to cover the news while minimizing in-person contact. That is not easy. In this interview, Sarah Fenske sits down with St. Louis Public Radio General Manager Tim Eby to talk about precautions the station is taking while still delivering content, the decision to cancel the annual Talk Toast Taste fundraiser gala (a virtual fundraiser to benefit St. Louis Public Radio is in the works) and why the station’s spring member campaign was canceled.

Over the past 12 months, STLMade has featured regional staples ranging from Skate King to theWildey Theatre, profiling those who boost the local economy, including Tony’s Family Farms and Vega Transport, along the way. The three-year effort was started by regional representatives to highlight the stories of the people and businesses that make up the St. Louis region, and to help retain that talent. Leah Wilson, account director at Broughton Brand Company and fueler of the STLMade movement, joins host Sarah Fenske to reflect on the initiative's past year and plans to expand that unified message of pride to other areas of the country.

The summer slide — the propensity for students to lose academic achievements made during the school year — is something educators have expressed concern about for years. With the region’s schools being closed until at least early April due to the COVID-19 outbreak, teachers and administrators are working hard to make sure such a slide doesn’t happen this spring as well. In this episode, Sarah Fenske talks with St. Louis Public Radio’s education reporter, Ryan Delaney, about how K-12 schools are responding to coronavirus social distancing measures. Gary Ritter, dean of St. Louis University’s School of Education, also joins the conversation to discuss how teachers and parents can best prepare kids for virtual learning.

The year 1920 was a pivotal one for the Lemp family in St. Louis, and not just because of the enforcement of Prohibition. One hundred years ago this week, the front page of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch proclaimed that Elsa Lemp Wright — then part of a local beer dynasty that had long rivaled Anheuser-Busch — had taken her own life. “This is the Lemp family for you,” her brother William Lemp Jr. said at the scene of her death. But was that really what happened? Local filmmaker Franki Cambeletta explores this question in his soon-to-be-released documentary from Shift Films, “Lemp’s Last Wright.” In this segment, host Sarah Fenske talks with Cambeletta about the project, which represents the culmination of many years of interest and research into Lemp Wright’s life.

Today’s college campuses are in many ways designed to be like small cities, featuring places to shop, eat and live daily life as well as learn and teach. And in the age of coronavirus, those campuses are facing major concerns and questions not unlike those that municipal leaders are grappling with. The University of Missouri-St. Louis’ Jessica Long-Pease is one of the people working closely with UMSL’s on-campus students and staff in this uncertain time. She’s the director of the Millennium Student Center and the Office of Student Life, both of which are normally buzzing with people.

Paige Alyssa Hegwood is back — in St. Louis and in music. After spending some time in Los Angeles and doing some soul searching, the singer-songwriter is now expressing that growth both musically and individually. Through up-tempo pop and vibrant vocals, Paige Alyssa is releasing music on their own terms for the first time in two years with their new single, “What’s the Move,” which features mixing and mastering by Shock City’s Sam Maul. Paige Alyssa joins host Sarah Fenske to talk about their time in Los Angeles, how they overcame artistic struggles and what new music they have in store.

Rebecca Messbarger is a cultural historian of medicine, as well as a professor of Italian at Washington University. There, she teaches a class called Disease, Madness and Death — Italian Style. She begins the course by discussing the classic Italian novel “The Decameron.” Written in 1353, Giovanni Boccaccio’s work is framed by a story of medieval social distancing during the bubonic plague. Messbarger never imagined that it would be so relevant to today’s time. She joins host Sarah Fenske to talk about social distancing — both how it provided the framing device for “The Decameron" and was also at the root of St. Louis health commissioner Max Starkloff’s approach to the 1918 influenza pandemic.

St. Louis has an abundance of unique culinary creations that locals don’t care to convince outsiders to embrace: one being a St. Paul sandwich. It’s an egg patty topped with lettuce, tomato and pickles, and held together by white bread smothered in mayo. Regional eaters can now find variations of the sandwich that include pork belly, ham or shrimp. Sauce Magazine’s Matt Sorrell recently delved into how exactly the cult favorite was created. Sorrell joins host Sarah Fenske to talk about the sandwich’s rise to fame as a St. Louis classic. Also joining the discussion are Ben Welch, the Midwestern executive chef who’s been eating St. Pauls since he was a kid, and Kristin Liu, whose family owned Chinese Gourmet Restaurant in Florissant from 1984 until it closed in 2017.

According to Rebecca Lester, the author of “Famished: Eating Disorders and Failed Care in America,” eating disorders are among the most misunderstood medical conditions. For instance, she says there is an assumption that eating disorders are mostly a problem for upper-middle-class white girls. While that’s not completely untrue, it’s just a sliver of the story. In “Famished,” Lester looks closely at the impact of common misconceptions, as well as the way the health care system fails to treat these disorders.

Schools are closed. Libraries are closed. Many restaurants have closed — with more almost certainly on the way. Health officials say all of those measures are essential, as the ongoing spread of coronavirus has led to best practices of “social distancing.” But in addition to COVID-19, the coronavirus has also spread widespread angst. People are worried about their jobs and their families, even as they confront a seemingly endless cascade of worrying headlines. In this episode of the talk show, listeners share their ideas for de-stressing in a stressful time, along with two experts: Tony Buchanan, a professor of psychology at St. Louis University and co-director of its neuroscience program, and Dr. Jessi Gold, an assistant professor in Washington University’s Department of Psychiatry.

There is a lot of anxiety swirling right now over the new coronavirus. There’s also a lot of misinformation. In this interview, Sarah Fenske talks with infectious disease physician Dr. Alexis Elward to help set the record straight and answer listener questions and concerns.

One day after regional leaders announced broad new rules to limit gatherings in the St. Louis area to 50 people or fewer, St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson stressed their importance in “flattening the curve” of infections caused by the coronavirus across the U.S. Krewson stressed that while restaurants and bars are still open, they are subject to the 50-person limit at any point in time. They are also recommending that eateries move tables and other furniture so there is a six-foot space between diners. In this episode, Krewson also addresses restaurateurs’ questions about whether the region will follow the lead of Illinois and Ohio and shut down on-site dining.

St. Louis Public Radio's Metro East reporter Eric Schmid details Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker's big steps to slow the spread of coronavirus ahead of the state's primary election.

It’s been a tough decade for the media business, particularly for outlets focused on disseminating the written word. Publications have closed across the U.S. Many newspapers no longer offer daily editions. And many of the online news outlets vying to replace (or at least supplement) them have seen layoffs of their own. But despite a host of challenges to the advertising-based business model, St. Louis finds itself with a surprisingly robust print-media landscape. In this segment we discuss St. Louis’ media history and the current media landscape with Frank Absher, a radio veteran and the executive director of the St. Louis Media History Foundation; Gilbert Bailon, the editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch; longtime local writer Jeannette Cooperman, who is an inductee in this year’s St. Louis Media Hall of Fame; and Antonio French, a former alderman and mayoral candidate who became adept at using Twitter and Vine to chronicle the Ferguson protests in real time. French also recently started a pair of weekly newspapers.

314 Day is this Saturday, and that means St. Louisans near and far are gearing up to show up and out for their city. The local holiday began as an informal celebration by residents — particularly in the black community. Within that community, people often gather for block parties, neighborhood barbecues and club events when the last numbers of their zip code or street number correspond with a date on the calendar. A day named for St. Louis’ main area code was a natural way to take the party city-wide. St. Louis natives Ryan Escobar, Tenelle Winmore and Sierra Brown are hosting their biggest 314 Day celebration yet. Called “STL Exchange,” the party will take place at the Contemporary Art Museum. Escobar and Winmore join host Sarah Fenske to share what makes them St. Louis-proud, preview the event and discuss how they hope to create a more united city.

Across the metro area, residents of both Missouri and Illinois should start expecting a letter in their mailboxes that only makes its appearance once every 10 years. Forms for the 2020 census are expected to begin to arrive March 12. Host Sarah Fenske delves into why filling out the census is important, what’s different on this year’s form, and how the coronavirus pandemic could affect population counts. Joining the discussion to answer questions about the process and address potential concerns is Alex Rankin. She is Missouri Foundation of Health's interim director of health policy and is running the organization’s efforts to promote the 2020 census.

Vocal performance students at the University of Missouri-St. Louis have tackled some classic operatic works over the past decade through UMSL Opera Theatre, an ensemble led by faculty member Stella Markou. In 2011 UMSL Opera Theatre presented “The Marriage of Figaro,” and two years ago the group’s “Pirates of Penzance” tied for first place in a National Opera Association production competition. But this weekend the student performers are showcasing a more contemporary work at the campus’ Touhill Performing Arts Center. Titled “The Clever Artifice of Harriet and Margaret,” it’s a one-act chamber opera from composer Leanna Kirchoff that’s been described as a “cat-and-mouse conversation between two rivals.” In this segment, host Sarah Fenske gets a preview of the show from Markou, who is an associate professor of music and the director of vocal studies at UMSL. The conversation also includes upperclassman Lexi Neal, who has a leading role in the production. In addition to the on-air discussion, this segment features highlights from a recent rehearsal by the cast.

A new show opens at the Pulitzer this weekend. It’s a retrospective of artist Terry Adkins, who took inspiration from musical instruments, underappreciated historical figures — and the blues. Stephanie Weissberg joins host Sarah Fenske to discuss the Pulitzer show, “Terry Adkins: Resounding,” which opens this Friday. Weissberg is the associate curator at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation.

It’s Saturday night at Bissell Mansion, a nearly 200-year-old home overlooking Interstate 70 in north St. Louis. Dozens of people have gathered together to enjoy a meal — and a murder mystery. Over the course of the evening, dinner theater actors Linda Spall and Charles Huevelman put on a raucous show, “Phantom of the Grand Ole Opry,” in which Spall plays two characters, Tammy Whino and Dolly Pardon, and Huevelman portrays a very drunk Kenny Rogeers. The rest of the cast has been drafted from among audience members, who were each assigned a role as they arrived and provided with a partial script outlining that particular part in the story. By the time salads have been served, one of the characters has been murdered, and it’s up to a wild bunch of country stars to apprehend the killer. The whole scene is one that’s been a fixture at Bissell Mansion for more than three decades and continues to draw a crowd. In this conversation, longtime murder mystery actor John Vullo joins host Sarah Fenske to talk about the goings-on at Bissell and provide a closer look at what it is that keeps diners returning there for more comedic mayhem.

Local businesses and workers could both be impacted by the coronavirus, even if no one on the payroll actually contracts COVID-19. So how are business owners seeking to make sense of these uncertain times? What are universities doing to protect their students, staff and faculty? In this episode, we discuss the potential impact of coronavirus fears — and the likely increase in COVID-19 cases — on the St. Louis region.

Modern American Dance Academy’s new show “Resilience” is not what you might picture when you consider a dance performance. The MADCO show features four pieces, each touching on a type of trauma — everything from losing a child to the loss of one’s sanity — with a focus on battling adversity through movement. Possibly the most unique aspect of the show is that the dancing won’t end after the official performances are through. After the last ticketed show, MADCO’s education director, Darrell Hyche II, will spend the next year bringing related programming to under-served schools in the area, with the hope of giving the kids the tools they need to deal with anger, familial conflict, trauma and more. In this episode, we hear from Hyche as well as MADCO’s interim director, Belicia Beck.

With the St. Louis Blues decision to roll up Pride Night into its "Hockey Is For Everyone" event, some in the LGBTQ community aren't happy. Host Sarah Fenske talks with PrideSTL board members Marty Zuniga and Jordan Braxton about why they're disappointed with the Blues decision to incorporate Pride Night into one fundraising event with other nonprofits.

Scott Phillips may be the most acclaimed novelist living in St. Louis today. Best known as the author of “The Ice Harvest,” he’s won the California Book Award and been a finalist for the Edgar Award and the Hammett Prize. His latest novel, “That Left Turn At Albuquerque,” finds Phillips in familiar territory, with a crime caper, a cast of amoral characters and plenty of dark humor. In this segment he joins us to discuss the book and much, much more. A native of Wichita, Kansas, Phillips lived in Paris and Los Angeles before settling in St. Louis. He is also one of the co-founders of St. Louis’ Noir at the Bar chapter, which has become a must-visit for traveling crime authors and also paved the way for similar groups across the U.S.

Former Missouri State Senator Jeff Smith was sentenced to a year and a day in prison after being charged with two felony counts of conspiracy to obstruct justice following revelations about election law violations during his 2004 campaign. Since his release, he’s dedicated his efforts toward reforming the criminal justice system. One such effort led him to the St. Louis University Transformative Workforce Academy’s “Second Chance Job Fair,” which seeks to connect employers with ex-offenders looking for work. In this interview, Sarah Fenske talks with Smith about the impact of the job fair and what employers stand to gain from hiring ex-offenders. Tracy Stanton, who was hired by an employer after attending the very first job fair two years ago, also joins the conversation.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders sits down with St. Louis on the Air host Sarah Fenske ahead of a campaign rally in St. Louis on Monday. Missouri voters will go to the polls to cast primary ballots on Tuesday. The Vermont senator’s visit follows a campaign stop in St. Louis Saturday by former Vice President Joe Biden, whose campaign did not respond to interview requests from the talk show team. The conversation with Sanders touches on the senator’s strong showing in the 2016 primary, the new coronavirus and who’s best situated to unify the Democratic party and defeat President Trump. It also delved into the potential impact of a transition to Medicare for All on one of the St. Louis region’s biggest employers: the health care industry. In this segment Fenske also speaks with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jo Mannies, who provides analysis of the dynamics in Tuesday’s race.

Host Sarah Fenske talks to experts about the Coronavirus. It’s now here in St. Louis County. What precautions should you take? The family of the first presumed case here has already broken its voluntary quarantine. Do officials see any hope for containing the disease Coronavirus spreads?

Eddie Cox has always been fascinated by words, whether he’s stringing together freestyle raps with his friends or fine-tuning coherent arguments on debate teams. That interest has translated well to his star turn as hip-hop artist Sir Eddie C. The Belleville native is making waves in the St. Louis music scene and recently notched his first performances in New Orleans and Chicago. Cox joins host Sarah Fenske to talk about his musical craft and inspirations.

Fifty-five years ago this week, Alabama troopers greeted peaceful protesters gathered along a Selma bridge with billy clubs, tear gas, bullwhips and horses. And they didn’t hesitate to use them. “I felt like it was the last demonstration, it was the last protest on my part, like I was going to take my last breath from the tear gas,” John Lewis told filmmakers in 1985, two years before he’d begin his long tenure representing Georgia’s fifth congressional district. Parts of that interview are included in “Eyes on the Prize,” a 14-part film series that originally premiered on PBS in two parts in 1987 and 1990. It’s still considered the definitive documentary on the civil rights movement in America, and the complete oral histories that were gathered during its production, including the conversation with Lewis, have been preserved by Washington University Libraries. Many of the interviews are now digitized and accessible to members of the public. In this segment, Associate University Librarian Nadia Ghasedi joins host Sarah Fenske for a closer look at the enduring value of the Wash U Film & Media Archive’s “Eyes on the Prize” materials, which are part of its Henry Hampton Collection.

For years, medical residents were taught how to give pelvic exams by performing them on women who were under anesthesia for unrelated procedures. The women were not asked to give consent first. In many cases, they weren’t even told the exam would happen. Illinois banned the practice in 2004. Host Sarah Fenske talks to GOP legislator Shamed Dogan, who is hoping to do the same in Missouri. Also joining the discussion is Jill B. Delston, a philosophy professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis who explores the issue of giving pelvic exams without consent in her book “Medical Sexism.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that as of midday Thursday, there are 18 states reporting confirmed and presumptive positive cases of the disease caused by the new coronavirus. That includes a total of 162 cases and 12 deaths from COVID-19 in the U.S. There are up to five reported cases in Illinois but none in Missouri. There are many efforts underway to create a vaccine to prevent the disease caused by the virus. In this episode, Sarah Fenske talks with a researcher in St. Louis who is doing just that. Sean Whelan, head of the Department of Molecular Microbiology at Washington University School of Medicine, joins the conversation, as well as Dr. Steven Lawrence, an infectious disease physician with Barnes-Jewish Hospital and an associate professor of Medicine and assistant dean for Curriculum and Clinical Science at Washington University.

When a country’s origin story is developed, whose stories get highlighted and whose get erased? How do we foster the ideals of a nation while recognizing that some perspectives have been trampled during its history? These are among several questions Abram Van Engen explores in his new book, “City on a Hill: A History of American Exceptionalism,” which examines the 1630 sermon “City on a Hill” by Massachusetts Bay Governor John Winthrop. In this interview, Sarah Fenske talks with Engen about how the sermon went from being lost to history for two centuries, to being invoked by politicians on both sides of the aisle. They’ll also discuss the conflict between the ideals of American exceptionalism and those of the America First agenda.

Taulby Roach has made the safety of the St. Louis region’s transit system a major focus since becoming president and CEO of Bi-State Development 14 months ago. Just last week he and other area leaders gathered to mark the culmination of two years of study and planning aimed at improving safety on buses and light rail lines. They touted the creation of a four-prong “systemwide security strategy” aimed at reducing “the rate and perception of crime” on transit, among other commitments. Bi-State also recently selected private security firm GS4 for a three-year contract, and has a new plan in place for a bigger police presence on MetroLink. In this segment, Roach talks with host Sarah Fenske about the latest developments in the agency’s safety efforts. Kevin Scott, director of public safety for Metro Transit, also weighs in, and listeners join the conversation as well.

It’s a question savvy diners confront with regularity: What new place should I try this month? Once again, our friends from Sauce Magazine visited "St. Louis on the Air" to help us answer the question. And while some months offer an embarrassment of riches, so many options that it’s hard to know what to do, this month promises an entirely manageable list: one restaurant, one bar and one coffee shop. Sauce Magazine managing editor Heather Hughes Huff and art director Meera Nagarajan delve into each spot’s charm.

St. Louisans and tourists alike have lots of options for sporting their love of the Lou, whether they snap up airport tchotchkes or visit one of countless vendors around town making the most of the city’s prized Gateway Arch and other iconic #STL imagery. But one retail shop has stood out from the crowd in recent years: STL-Style. The brainchild of St. Louis-area natives Jeff and Randy Vines, STL-Style is marking a full decade of life on the city’s vibrant Cherokee Street this year. And on March 28, the identical twins promise a celebration featuring Brothers Lazaroff, drag performers, local brews and more. It will be, the Vines brothers say, “a block party for all ages and a must-do event for any self-respecting St. Louisan.” The Vineses join host Sarah Fenske to look back on their 10 years of business on Cherokee Street — and how they’ve observed the city and its image evolve during that time.

Mark Glenshaw is obsessed with owls. By day, he is a manager at Fontbonne University’s library; but by night, he frequents a discrete area of Forest Park, checking in on a great horned owl he named Charles. In this episode, Sarah Fenske talks with Glenshaw about his observations of Charles and his new mate, Danielle, over the past couple months.

March 3 is United Nation’s annual commemoration of World Wildlife Day, a time to highlight the importance of Earth’s natural resources and call for action to protect them. Host Sarah Fenske discusses the impact of biodiversity loss on Missouri's lesser-known native plants and insects. Joining the discussion are experts from Missouri Botanical Garden: Quinn Long, director of the Shaw Nature Reserve, and Aaron Lynn-Vogel, horticulturist at the Kemper Center for Home Gardening. They talk about habitats and wildlife at Shaw Nature Reserve, which includes many species native to Missouri, and what homeowners can do to promote biodiversity in their own backyard through plant selection.

While dating apps are making it easier to help people find love, many in St. Louis’ LGBTQ scene are finding drugs through the apps instead. As people put the letter “T” in capital letters in their usernames, or use ice cream or ice cube emojis to let others know they are carrying the drug on the dating apps, getting it is easier than ever. That’s according to former KSDK reporter Jeff Small. He joins host Sarah Fenske to discuss how drugs are being trafficked through digital means to the LGBTQ community, and details his own experience on the apps and how he conquered his own addiction. Brandon Reid, a housing intake coordinator for the St. Louis nonprofit organization Criminal Justice Ministry, and Jason Eccker, a licensed clinical social worker for Synchronicity Counseling Solutions, also join the conversation.

Gabrielle Bahr remembers being fascinated by the medical field even as a young child. And her family’s experience a handful of years later, when her younger sister spent a few months in a neonatal intensive care unit and interacted closely with the nurses there, solidified Bahr’s choice of career: She knew then and there it would become her passion. Now a staff nurse in the emergency department of Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Bahr has zero regrets about her job path despite its inherent stresses and difficulties. At the end of each long shift, she knows her work is meaningful. But sometimes she heads home feeling even more exhausted than usual. That’s because her nursing team, like so many in Missouri, is chronically short staffed. Industry veterans like Natalie Murphy describe the situation as a crisis, noting that the region’s nurse vacancy rate stands at about 20% among hospitals, clinics and outpatient provider locations. A leader at the University of Missouri-St. Louis’ College of Nursing, Murphy is working with a variety of partners to address the issue. But it’s not an easy thing to fix, as Murphy explains in this conversation with Bahr and host Sarah Fenske.

Last July, the Missouri Supreme Court enacted rules requiring judges to first consider non-monetary conditions for pretrial release when setting bond conditions. Since then, several high profile crimes have led to backlash against the new Missouri Supreme Court rules. Recently, more than 80 Missouri state representatives signed onto a letter asking the court to revoke the new bond rules. In this episode, we explore what was behind the initial rule changes by the Missouri Supreme Court and the current debate over whether those rules should be rescinded.

In this month’s Legal Roundtable discussion, panelists offer their insight on a federal judge’s refusal to approve a deal reducing Missouri public defender workloads, a Kansas City initiative to clear marijuana convictions more easily, and the huge verdict regarding Monsanto’s weed killer Roundup.

Host Sarah Fenske hosts a conversation about the role of electronic monitoring services during the pretrial stages and what implications they can have for defendants.

What happened to Jewish lawyers after Hitler took power in Germany? The truth is a painful one. They were stripped of their licenses, driven from their homeland and, in many cases, murdered, even as their gentile colleagues stood silent. Those horrifying details are at the center of an exhibit that has now been shown all over the world. “Lawyers Without Rights: Jewish Lawyers in Germany Under the Third Reich” makes its St. Louis debut next month.

’Tis the season for attempted lifestyle changes and vice-forsaking of all sorts. For the more resolute, perhaps a new 2020 goal has really started to stick after two months of hard-fought discipline. Others, particularly many Christians, are just beginning to give something up for Lent, a 40-day period leading up to the celebration of Easter. Or at least they’ll try to give it up, whether it be a substance such as alcohol or sugar or, say, a digital denial of the self — like completely staying off of Facebook. Many people fail at these attempts, giving in before the 40 days are up. Why does this happen? The quick answer is that it’s due to a lack of self-control. But if you ask Washington University faculty member Leonard Green, he’ll insist it’s not so simple. In fact he avoids using the term “self-control” at all.

Cyndi Williams and Destiny Klimaszewski are the co-leaders of St. Louis’ Modern Widows Club. They both lost their husbands when they were still young. Turns out, they were far from alone. Now the club they started has swelled to more than 100 members. They join host Sarah Fenske and share how the organization helps foster friendships and connections between widows of all ages through regular meetings, community education, service and outreach.

Donald Bouton started moonlighting as an Uber driver almost five years ago. That’s not so unusual. A lot of St. Louisans took up ride-sharing as a second job — or even a first one — after it debuted in St. Louis in 2015. It’s the project Bouton launched while he was driving that’s unusual. Beginning in April 2016, he began keeping pen and paper in the backseat of his car. He asked his passengers to share what inspired them and helped them pull through adversity. And what he found was a serious dose of inspiration — and, ultimately, a book. “Backseat Inklings: Driving Positivity into the World, One Rider at a Time” is Bouton’s self-published account of his guests’ responses, unexpurgated and in their own handwriting. Bouton talks about the project in this conversation with host Sarah Fenske.

As an actor, Ernest Emmanuel Peeples has portrayed a real range of characters — from Hamlet to the Ghost of Christmas Present. But in recent months, one particular theatrical role stands out from the rest: the opportunity to portray Lu, one of the adolescents at the center of Jason Reynolds’ wildly popular young adult novels, one of which is now also a play. Like Peeples, the character Lu has albinism, a genetic condition involving a lack of pigment that affects one’s skin, hair and eyes. Having this in common with a character is a first for Peeples, and a meaningful one. In this episode of St. Louis on the Air, he talks with host Sarah Fenske about his role in Metro Theater Company’s “Ghost,” which runs now through March 1 at the Grandel Theatre. The production is directed by Jacqueline Thompson, who also participates in the discussion.

Kevin Salwen is the co-author of a book about the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta. The book — "The Suspect: An Olympic Bombing, the FBI, the Media, and Richard Jewell, the Man Caught in the Middle" — was, in part, the inspiration for a controversial film about the bombing and the man who was falsely accused for it. In this segment, host Sarah Fenske talks with Salwen ahead of his presentation at Central Reform Congregation in St. Louis.