The Colin McEnroe Show

On Election Day we do a show where we ask people across Connecticut to do a simple thing: Go vote in your town before 1 p.m. Then call us between 1 and 2 p.m. and tell us how it felt, what you saw, whom you spoke to. Say whatever you want to say about the experience of voting. This hour we hear from Citizen Observers about their experiences at the polls. GUESTS: Lara Herscovitch: Singer-songwriter-poet, performer, advocate, former CT State Troubadour, and children’s book author Logan Tomlinson: Student at the University of New Hampshire Kate Rushin: Poet, writer, and educator Francesca Fontanez: Associate Social Media Editor here at Connecticut Public Charles Barber: Nonfiction author and writer in residence at Wesleyan University Betsy Kaplan: Senior Producer emeritus of The Colin McEnroe Show Dr. Ulysses Wu: System director of infectious diseases and chief epidemiologist at Hartford HealthCare George Noujaim: Owner of Noujaim’s Bistro in Winsted Terry Cowgill: Was an op-columnist at CTNewsJunkie for 12 years who now has a Substack "Red Meat For Mushy Moderates" Susan Clinard: Owner of Clinard Sculpture Studio in West Haven Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour we took your calls about anything you wanted to talk about.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Four days left. Four (4!) days until Election Day. We’re feeling the stress, the anxiety. And we’re guessing you are too. In one of our show meetings, we got to talking about the benefits of, uh, smoothing out your brain a bit in times like these. So this hour, we gather a number of folks you know from The Nose and talk about ways to quiet your mind over these last few days, bits of culture you can consume — from The Great British Bake Off to Love Is Blind, from horror movies to Jane Austen to giving fantasy football a try — to get your brain a break over the weekend. For the full list of shows and movies and books and everything else recommended in this show and in the prep leading up to it — it’s a long list! — subscribe to The Noseletter before November 2. GUESTS: Jim Chapdelaine: An Emmy-winning musician and a patient advocate for people with rare cancers Taneisha Duggan: Associate producer at Octopus Theatricals Sam Hadelman: Works in music public relations and hosts The Sam Hadelman Show at Radio Free Brooklyn Shawn Murray: A stand-up comedian and writer and the host of the Nobody Asked Shawn podcast Carolyn Paine: An actress, comedian, and dancer; she is founder, director, and choreographer of CONNetic Dance Lindsay Lee Wallace: Writes about culture, health care and health equity, and other stuff, too Tracy Wu Fastenberg: Development officer at Connecticut Children’s Bill Yousman: Professor of media studies at Sacred Heart University The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, SpotifyAmazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour we talk with experts in ballot design about how to put together a ballot that's accessible to everyone, and all of the things to keep in mind, from font size to the length of candidate's names. Plus, a look at the evolution of ballots throughout history. GUESTS: Whitney Quesenbery: Executive Director of the Center for Civic Design Alicia Cheng: Head of Design at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and author of This is What Democracy Looked Like: A Visual History of the Printed Ballot Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour, we look at how political campaigns use music, from the history of political jingles to how Harris and Trump are using music in the 2024 election. GUESTS: Dana Gorzelany-Mostak: Associate professor of music at Georgia College; she is the founder of Trax on the Trail and the author of Tracks on the Trail: Popular Music, Race, and the US Presidency Charlie Harding: Music journalist, songwriter, producer, adjunct professor of music at New York University, and the co-creator and co-host of the Switched on Pop podcast Eric Kasper: Professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and the author of Don’t Stop Thinking About the Music: The Politics of Songs and Musicians in Presidential Campaigns Justin Patch: Associate professor and chair of music at Vassar College and the author of The Art of Populism in US Politics: Pro-Trump DIY Popular Culture The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Eugene Amatruda, and Jonathan McNicol contributed to this show, which originally aired August 22, 2024.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Food is an important part of the campaign trail, from tamales to McDonald's. This hour is all about how food is used in politics, including in the White House. Plus, the delicious return of the election cake. GUESTS: Alex Prud'homme: Journalist and author of several books, including Dinner with the President: Food, Politics, and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House. He also co-wrote My Life In France with Julia Child Linda Civitello: Food historian and author of books including Baking Powder Wars and Cuisine and Culture Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing. This hour, the conversation winds around to election stress, acclimating ourselves to the cold winter, the difference between comedy and journalism, Declan the Dog, Colin’s use of the phrase “and stuff like that” … Anything. (Seemingly) everything. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton follow-up is here, and it’s a concept album — a musical adaptation, written with Eisa Davis, of the 1979 film The Warriors and the novel that preceded it. This hour, a look at Warriors, the album, and The Warriors, the movie, and more. GUESTS: Walter Chaw: A writer, editor, and instructor and the author of A Walter Hill Film Sam Hadelman: Works in music public relations and hosts The Sam Hadelman Show at Radio Free Brooklyn Craig Jenkins: A critic for Vulture and New York Magazine who writes about music and television and comedy and video games Bill Yousman: Professor of media studies at Sacred Heart University Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s our annual Halloween special, a look at the year in horror! We delve into the economic- and artistic wherewithal of the genre surrounded by a larger Hollywood in flux, with particular looks at breakouts like Osgood Perkins’ Longlegs, Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw the TV Glow, Damien Leone’s Terrifier 3, and maybe the most divisive movie of the year, Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance. Plus, for its 25th anniversary, an appreciation of The Sixth Sense and the long shadow its twist ending still seems to cast over the career of filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan. GUESTS: Miriam Balanescu: A culture writer and editor Tim Grierson: Senior U.S. critic for Screen Daily, the author of This Is How You Make a Movie, and co-host of the Grierson & Leitch podcast Lindsay Lee Wallace: Writes about culture, health care and health equity, and other stuff, too Christian Zilko: Staff editor at IndieWire The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some Americans are considering whether this country is a place where they want to live in the future. This hour is all about leaving the United States. We talk to someone who made the move about what inspired her and her new life in Portugal. Plus, we learn more about the process of actually moving out of the country. And we talk to someone who has considered leaving, but ultimately decided to stay here, for now at least. GUESTS: Wajahat Ali: The Daily Beast columnist, public speaker, and author of Go Back To Where You Came From: And Other Helpful Recommendations on Becoming American; he wrote “Is It Time for Me to Leave America?” DeNeen Brown: Local enterprise reporter at The Washington Post and an associate professor at the University of Maryland; she wrote “The Case for Leaving America to Escape Racism” Caryl Hallberg: Moved from the United States to Portugal in 2020 Jennifer Stevens: Executive editor of International Living Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Colin McEnroe, Jacob Gannon, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired on November 7, 2022.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Going into November, we’ll be doing some shows where we talk with one guest, for the hour, who knows a lot about the election. This hour, we talk with Ruth Ben-Ghiat about authoritarianism and democracy. GUEST: Ruth Ben-Ghiat: Professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University. Her latest book is Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present. She also writes the Substack newsletter “Lucid.” Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour we took your calls about anything you wanted to talk about. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Saturday Night Live started its 50th season in September. This hour, a look at the institution SNL has become over five decades on television. Plus: Jason Reitman’s new movie, Saturday Night, which tells (a version of) the story of SNL’s inception in 1975. GUESTS: Dave Itzkoff: A journalist and writer and the author of four books; his most recent is Robin Maureen Lee Lenker: A senior writer at Entertainment Weekly and the author of the novel It Happened One Fight Shawn Murray: A stand-up comedian, writer, and the host of the Nobody Asked Shawn podcast Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From Saturday Night Live to the cover of The Atlantic, George Washington is having a bit of a moment. This hour is about our first president and his legacy. Plus, is he funny? GUESTS: Joanne Freeman: The Class of 1954 Professor of History & American Studies at Yale University. Her most recent book is The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War Tom Nichols: Staff writer at The Atlantic and an author of the Atlantic daily newsletter. He is also a professor emeritus of national-security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College, and a five-time undefeated Jeopardy champion Sara Ruberg: A member of the 2024-25 class of Times Fellows at The New York Times Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is print dead? Or will it make a comeback? This hour, we talk about the benefits and drawbacks of getting your news in print form. We learn about the print age, or the “Gutenberg Parenthesis,” and we talk about the business of printing. GUESTS: Kelsey Russell: A media literacy influencer and co-host of “First Stop News” Jeff Jarvis: Author of The Gutenberg Parenthesis: The Age of Print and Its Lessons for the Age of the Internet. His new book is The Web We Weave. He co-hosts the “This Week in Google” and “AI Inside” podcasts John Garrett: Founder and CEO of “Community Impact,” a privately owned chain of 40 community newspapers in Texas, which also includes its own printing facilities Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired on May 16, 2024.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Going into November, we’ll be doing some shows where we talk with one guest, for the hour, who knows a lot about the election. This hour, we talk with Brad Onishi about Christian nationalism and its impact on U.S. politics. GUEST: Brad Onishi: Co-host of the “Straight White American Jesus” podcast and author of Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism -- And What Comes Next Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour, the conversation winds around to Columbus Day, Colin’s favorite joke, textures, J.R.R. Tolkien, the movie The Apprentice, food allergies, our fundraising drives … Anything. (Seemingly) everything. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jeffrey Lieber was one of the Emmy-nominated creators of the TV series Lost. He has been a showrunner on series like NCIS: New Orleans and Charmed and the new reboot of Matlock starring Kathy Bates. And his play Fever Dreams (of animals on the verge of extinction) is currently running at TheaterWorks Hartford. This hour, screenwriter, television producer, and playwright Jeffrey Lieber joins us in studio. GUEST: Jeffrey Lieber: A screenwriter, showrunner, and playwright The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour is all about notebooks. We'll talk about the history and evolution of notebooks, favorite examples, and celebrate the joy of writing things down. Plus, a look at the Notes App. GUESTS: Roland Allen: Book publisher and author of The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper Charley Locke: Journalist, and contributing writer to The New York Times Magazine, who recently wrote “Keep Your Notes App Under Lock and Key” for The Atlantic Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour we take your calls about anything you want to talk about.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour, a look at words and usage and grammar and language and all that fun stuff. Have you noticed how we Americans have become “so bloody keen on Britishisms?” Ben Yagoda joins us to talk about his new book, Gobsmacked! The British Invasion of American English. Plus, there’s been an update to The Chicago Manual of Style, its first in seven years. We take a look at the CMOS, in particular, and bang on (there it is again!) about dreaded style guides, in general. GUESTS: Scott Huler: The author of seven non-fiction books; his most recent is A Delicious Country: Rediscovering the Carolinas along the Route of John Lawson’s 1700 Expedition Ben Yagoda: The author, coauthor, or editor of 14 books and the host of the podcast The Lives They’re Living Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rupert Holmes won two Tony Awards for his musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood. His single “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. His dramedy Remember WENN was AMC’s first original scripted series. And his newest novel, Murder Your Employer, was a New York Timesbestseller. This hour: Rupert Holmes. GUEST: Rupert Holmes: Playwright, composer, singer-songwriter, and author The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, which originally aired April 20, 2024, in a different form.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As a fellow at the Global Brain Health Institute, monologuist Josh Kornbluth started to see parallels between brain disease and, well, everything that’s going on in our politics today. With his new solo show, Citizen Brain, he hopes to “spark an empathy revolution.” Josh Kornbluth joins us in studio for the hour. GUEST: Josh Kornbluth: A monologuist, author, and actor, and he writes the But Not Enough About Me Substack The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour we talk with Christine Rosen about her new book, The Extinction of Experience: Being Human in a Disembodied World. We talk about how technology has impacted face-to-face interactions, boredom, loneliness, handwriting, and more. GUEST: Christine Rosen: Author of The Extinction of Experience: Being Human in a Disembodied World. She is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a columnist for Commentary magazine, senior editor at The New Atlantis and fellow at the University of Virginia’s Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode. Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Going into November, we’ll be doing some shows where we talk with one guest, for the hour, who knows a lot about the election. This hour, we talk with journalist Rachel Janfaza about Gen Z voters. GUEST: Rachel Janfaza: Journalist who covers Gen Z political culture and young voters in U.S. politics. Her newsletter is “The Up and Up” Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In A.J. Jacobs’ new book, The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution’s Original Meaning, he details his experience living by the Constitution for a year. Jacobs joins us for the hour to tell us about the experiment and what he learned. GUESTS: A.J. Jacobs: The author, most recently, of The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution’s Original Meaning and the host of The Puzzler podcast The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, which originally aired May 7, 2024.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve been doing these shows a couple times a month where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing. This hour, the conversation winds around to our old friends evolving (or not), sports losing its magic (or not), spending billions of dollars trying to get rockets to Mars (or not), Fat Bear Week, radio call-in shows, sane washing … Anything. (Seemingly) everything. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Percival Everett is the author of 24 novels, four short story collections, and six collections of poetry. His 2001 novel Erasure was adapted as the feature film American Fiction, which was nominated this year for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Everett has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. His newest novel, James, reimagines Adventures of Huckleberry Finn “from the enslaved Jim’s point of view.” This hour, Percival Everett joins us in studio. GUEST: Percival Everett: Novelist and poet The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired June 5, 2024.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Going into November, we’ll be doing some shows where we talk with one guest, for the hour, who knows a lot about the election. This hour, we talk with veteran journalist Mark Jacob about the state of American journalism and its impact on the upcoming election. GUEST: Mark Jacob: Writes the weekly newsletter “Stop the Presses.” He is the former Metro Editor of The Chicago Tribune and former Sunday Editor of The Chicago Sun-Times. He is also the co-author of ten books on history and photography Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Policy speeches, convention speeches, concession speeches, victory speeches, stump speeches. Inaugural addresses, State of the Union addresses, prime-time addresses. There sure are a lot of speeches that we expect presidents and presidential candidates to give. But how much do those speeches really matter anymore? How much do they work as, say, TikTok fodder? This hour, the art and politics of political speechmaking. GUESTS: Bill Curry: Playing the part of Bill Curry Jeff Nussbaum: A special assistant and senior speechwriter to President Joe Biden from 2021 to 2022; he is a partner at Bully Pulpit Interactive Media and the author of Undelivered: The Never-Heard Speeches That Would Have Rewritten History Linda Qiu: A New York Times reporter specializing in fact-checking statements made by politicians and public figures The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This year, local students lobbied Connecticut lawmakers to change our state insect, which is currently the praying mantis. This hour, we are focused on the praying mantis. We learn about the insect, why students think it should not represent the state, and what praying mantises of the future could look like. GUESTS: Liz Alter: Professor of evolutionary biology at California State University Monterey Bay Katherine Dugas: Entomologist and research technician at The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, which originally aired April 8, 2024.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls, calls about anything, everything. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is there some thing that EVERYBODY seems to like that you’re just not that into? Star Wars? Game of Thrones? Seinfeld? The Beach Boys? Christopher Nolan? … Taylor Swift? Or what about some very current thing that seemingly everybody thinks is so interesting and cutting edge and exciting, but you just don’t like it? (For Colin, that very current thing is The Bear on TV.) What do you do when that happens? How do you feel about it? Embarrassed? Wrong? Defiant? This hour, a look at not liking all the things you’re “supposed” to like. GUESTS: John Dankosky: Director of news and audio for Science Friday, event and podcast host for The Connecticut Mirror, and co-owner of Lam Yoga in New Hartford, Connecticut David Edelstein: America’s Greatest Living Film Critic Irene Papoulis: Teaches writing at Trinity College, and she’s the author of The Essays Only You Can Write Gene Seymour: A “writer, professional spectator, pop-culture maven, and jazz geek” Lindsay Lee Wallace: Writes about culture, health care and health equity, and other stuff, too Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everyone has likely experienced some form of writer's block in their lives — when you sit down to write and the words just won't come. This hour we dive into the phenomenon and talk with writers about their experiences with it. What is writer's block, where does it come from, and how can you get past it? Plus, we take a look at the long history of writer's block, and the muses, goddesses, and saints we call on when we have it. GUESTS: Jami Attenberg: Author whose new book, out next week, is A Reason to See You Again. She is also the creator of “#1000wordsofsummer,” and writes the newsletter “Craft Talk” Dennis Palumbo: Writer and licensed psychotherapist who specializes in working with creative patients. He is a former Hollywood screenwriter, and the author of numerous books Joyce Kinkead: Distinguished Professor Emeritus of English at Utah State University. She is author of A Writing Studies Primer, among other books Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bestselling author Don Winslow joins us to discuss his new novel, City in Ruins, which he says is the last of his career. GUEST: Don Winslow: Bestselling author whose new book is City in Ruins Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired on April 3, 2024.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It feels like tourism hit a breaking point this summer, with residents around Europe protesting visitors, new entrance and tourist fees popping up at famous spots, and even a net going up to block a popular view of Mt. Fuji. This hour, a philosopher makes the case against travel. Plus, we talk about how tourism is impacting destinations, like Bologna, Italy, and ways to travel differently. GUESTS: Agnes Callard: Associate Professor of Philosophy at The University of Chicago. Her forthcoming book is Open Socrates: The Case for a Philosophical Life Ilaria Maria Sala: Italian journalist Lisa Abend: Journalist for The New York Times, TIME, Vanity Fair and AFAR. Her Substack is “The Unplugged Traveler” Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen live Monday at 1 p.m. We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing — calls about grammar, gardening, long-distance dialing, autotune. Anything. Everything. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we’re doing another one.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If I say “cult classic,” what do you think of? Probably an underground movie that built up an intense following over time, like The Rocky Horror Picture Show or The Room, right? Or maybe even something a bit more mainstream like The Big Lebowski? But where’s the limit here, if there is one? Is Blade Runner a cult movie? Or Pulp Fiction? Monty Python and the Holy Grail? Office Space? Slap Shot? (I mean: Slap Shot?!?) This hour, a look at a genre, a cross section of cinema history that seems to include everything from all-time classics like A Clockwork Orange to all-time terribles like Plan 9 from Outer Space and many, many weird and not-even-so-weird things in between: the cult classic. GUESTS: Millie De Chirico: Co-author of TCM Underground: 50 Must-See Films from the World of Classic Cult and Late-Night Cinema and co-host of the I Saw What You Did podcast David Edelstein: America’s Greatest Living Film Critic Sam Hatch: Co-hosts The Culture Dogs on WWUH Kevin O’Toole: Co-hosts The Culture Dogs on WWUH This show was produced with Sajina Shrestha. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, which originally aired April 11, 2024, in a different form.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How did taxes, this quintessentially frustrating thing, come to be so frustrating? And must it be so? This hour, we’re learning about why taxes are so complicated to file in the U.S. Then, we’ll talk about how some of the richest people in America end up paying next to no taxes on the wealth they grow every year. Finally: a conversation with someone who doesn’t pay a chunk of his taxes — on purpose — as a form of protest. GUESTS: Monica Prasad: Professor of Economic and Political Sociology at Johns Hopkins University Paul Kiel: Reporter for ProPublica who covers taxes Lawrence Rosenwald: Professor of English Emeritus at Wellesley College and a longtime war tax resister Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, which originally aired on March 28, 2024.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It has been 23 years since the sunny late summer Tuesday morning that changed basically everything. This hour, a look back at September 11, 2001, and its long shadow, still darkening our days a bit now. We talk to a historian about the generation that has lived its life in a post-9/11 world and a critic about the influence of 9/11 on and in our popular culture. GUESTS: Lindsay Ellis: An author, video essayist, and film critic; her new novel is Apostles of Mercy Matthew Warshauer: Professor of history at Central Connecticut State University and the author of Creating and Failing the 9/11 Generation: The Real Story of September 11 The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Plastic is everywhere in our world, and scientists are increasingly discovering the negative health and environmental impacts of the material. This hour, we take a look at our relationship to plastic. We talk about the material, its evolution, and its symbolism in our culture. Plus, we look at the use of single use plastic in television and why it matters. GUESTS: Susan Freinkel: Author of Plastic: A Toxic Love Story; her Substack is 1,017 Acres: Life in the Park Erica Cirino: Communications manager of the Plastic Pollution Coalition and the author of Thicker Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis Dana Weinstein: Project specialist for the Media Impact Project at the University of Southern California Annenberg Norman Lear Center The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired on March 25, 2024.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all strive to be right about things — we do our research, we listen to people who seem smarter than us, we make compelling arguments over dinner tables. But is there an underappreciated art to being wrong? This hour, lessons on changing your mind and admitting mistakes, from newspaper corrections to public intellectual pivots. GUESTS: Eranda Jayawickreme: Professor of psychology at Wake Forest University Ty Seidule: Visiting professor of history at Hamilton College and the author of Robert E. Lee and Me; he’s a retired brigadier general in the U.S. Army and the former vice chair of the Department of Defense’s Naming Commission Isaac Saul: Founder of the newsletter Tangle The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Lily Tyson, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, which originally aired on March 20, 2024. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chimp Crazy is a four-part HBO docuseries that “explores the captivating, often unfathomable, and secretive world of raising chimpanzees.” It is documentarian Eric Goode’s follow-up to the 2020 sensation Tiger King. Plus: There is absolutely, definitely, 100% a right way to load your dishwasher. And you’re the only one in your house who knows what it is. Right? The Nose gets into it. And finally, the new phenomenon known as fridgescaping. Which is a thing. Apparently. GUESTS: Betsy Kaplan: Senior producer emeritus of The Colin McEnroe Show Jacques Lamarre: A playwright, and chief communications officer at Buzz Engine Carolyn Paine: An actress, comedian, and dancer, and she is founder, director, and choreographer of CONNetic Dance Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grocery prices are becoming a regular talking point in this election cycle. This hour is all about the grocery store. We talk about how items get on the shelves, the unique business model of Trader Joe's, and the factors that impact grocery prices. Plus, a look at the appeal of Costco. GUESTS: Benjamin Lorr: Author of The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket. His first book was Hell-Bent: Obsession, Pain, and the Search for Something Like Transcendence in Competitive Yoga Abha Bhattarai: Economics correspondent for The Washington Post Ben Ryder Howe: Contributor to The New York Times and author of My Korean Deli: Risking It All for a Convenience Store Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour is all about America’s 21st president, Chester A. Arthur, who took office after President James Garfield was assassinated. We look at Arthur’s life and legacy and at what happens when someone unexpectedly takes over the highest office in the land. GUESTS: David Edelstein: America’s Greatest Living Film Critic Scott S. Greenberger: Executive editor of Stateline and the author of The Unexpected President: The Life and Times of Chester A. Arthur Victoria Sample: Historic sites section chief for the state of Vermont The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired March 6, 2024.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour we took your calls about bird identification, the DNC, the World's Fair, third places, synchronicity, and more. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Being John Malkovich, The Blair Witch Project, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Eyes Wide Shut, Family Guy, Fight Club, Freaks and Geeks, Futurama, The Iron Giant, The Matrix, Office Space, Princess Mononoke, Run Lola Run, The Sixth Sense, The Sopranos, SpongeBob SquarePants, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace, Toy Story 2, The West Wing. That’s just a partial list of the stuff that came out in 1999, kind of famously a crazy good year for movies and television. This hour, a 25th anniversary look at some of the pop culture of 1999, with a special focus on The Blair Witch Project, The Matrix … and SpongeBob SquarePants. GUESTS: Noah Berlatsky: A freelance writer who mostly covers politics or culture or both; he writes the Everything Is Horrible Substack Allegra Frank: A senior culture editor at The Atlantic Alissa Wilkinson: A movie critic at The New York Times Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trump’s trial. AI. Online learning. Everything’s a “Pandora's Box." This hour, we discuss the myth and the metaphor of Pandora's Box. Plus, a look at human curiosity. GUESTS: Natalie Haynes: Author of six books, including the nonfiction work Pandora’s Jar, and the novels A Thousand Ships and Stone Blind. Her novel The Children of Jocasta will be re-released in October Maria Tatar: Professor of folklore and mythology at Harvard University. Her latest book is The Heroine with 1001 Faces Federico Rossano: Associate Professor of Cognitive Science at the University of California San Diego Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode. Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everything’s felt like, and been called, a “crisis” lately. This hour, a look at all the overuse of the term “crisis” and our collective crisis fatigue. Plus: a crisis communicator on how to manage a crisis. And finally, a look at the midlife crisis. GUESTS: Eliah Bures: Historian of modern Europe and a senior fellow at the University of California, Berkeley’s Center for Right-Wing Studies Barbara Bradley Hagerty: Contributing writer at The Atlantic and the author of Life Reimagined: The Science, Art, and Opportunity of Midlife Molly McPherson: An expert in crisis communications and emergency management and the author of the book Indestructible: Reclaim Control and Respond with Confidence in a Media Crisis Christian Paz: Senior politics reporter for Vox The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired February 29, 2024.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You must have heard the term “vibe” by now, right? We’ve heard about the vibe of the economy, the vibe of a music playlist, the vibe of a season, the vibe of a party … Plus there are vibe shifts and vibe checks. This hour: vibes. We learn what the word really means, where it comes from, and how the internet has given it new life. GUESTS: Kyle Chayka: Contributing writer for The New Yorker covering technology and culture on the Internet Robin James: Editor for philosophy and music at Palgrave Macmillan Eda Uzunlar: Freelance journalist and student at Yale University Ben Zimmer: Linguist, lexicographer, and the Word on the Street columnist for The Wall Street Journal The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Taylor Doyle, Jacob Gannon, Jonathan McNicol, Cat Pastor, and Catie Talarski contributed to this show, which originally aired November 15, 2022.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.