エピソード

  • Sidelines of the Mainstream

    Sidelines of the Mainstream
    2026/10/29
    LARP stands for Live Action Role Play. Think of it like Lord of the Rings comes to life, where you get to create your own character and wield foam swords on a mock-battlefield. But for many players, LARP is more than just fun and games - it's a lifeline to belonging. And: Climate change, pollution, and development projects are threatening surf breaks all over the world. H. Gelfand says many surfers have taken up the mantle of environmental activism, becoming outspoken protectors of our oceans. Later in the show: Bird watching isn’t a sport in the traditional sense. There aren’t any touchdowns or raucous crowds. But birders are no strangers to competition. Matthew Anthony charts the rise of birding as a sport. Plus: Jerry Beasely is a 9th degree blackbelt and member of the Black Belt Magazine Hall of Fame. From the 1970’s until 2021, he developed and taught one of the only college-level Asian martial arts programs in the country.
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    52 分
  • Haunted Fun

    Haunted Fun
    2026/10/23
    Ghost stories aren’t just for campouts and slumber parties. Ingrid Johnson shares some of the great writers–from Shakespeare to Oscar Wilde–who have turned to ghosts for inspiration. And: Shaun Baker says adults have been trying to ban scary stories from school libraries for years, but the kids just can’t seem to get enough. Later in the show: Step into the shadowy realm of vampires and the undead with Stanley Stepanic and Mark Sherriff as they trace the evolution of these iconic creatures—from their chilling origins in Slavic folklore to their modern incarnations in video games like Castlevania, Evil West, and Vampire Survivors.
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    52 分
  • Baby Brains and Little Beats

    Baby Brains and Little Beats
    2026/10/15
    Jennifer McDonel-Rivers and David Rivers have made children’s music together for years. And it’s led to one happy marriage and multiple albums of educational songs that kids love and parents don’t hate. Plus: Preterm babies are at a higher risk for autism and other developmental delays. Meghan Puglia studies how certain stimuli like touching, reaching, and talking can help improve outcomes for little ones in the NICU. Later in the show: After more than two decades as a social worker, Christa Moore was overloaded with burnout and compassion fatigue. Now she’s leading a nationwide study on the child welfare system. She says much of the issues still plaguing the system feel very familiar.
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    52 分
  • The Pursuit of Happiness

    The Pursuit of Happiness
    2026/07/30
    What did Jefferson mean by “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”? Adam Potkay explains the moral and philosophical world behind the phrase and the important passages that were edited out of the Declaration of Independence. Plus: On the evening of July 4, 1776, the Founding Fathers raced to print 200 copies of the Declaration of Independence for rapid dispersal throughout the colonies. Holly Robertson and George Riser dive into the frantic, midnight race to spread the news of independence. Later in the show: Martha Jefferson is usually portrayed as Thomas Jefferson’s beloved wife who died young in childbirth. But Patti Miller and Nicole Brown say that a new biography shows she was actually a highly educated, politically astute woman and a wartime political confidante of Jefferson.
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    52 分
  • Counting Plants

    Counting Plants
    2026/07/24
    Little babies and potted plants: the stationary, the helpless... the hardest working beings in the room. Peter Vishton found that babies and plants process information in similar ways. And plants can count! Kind of. And: It’s not just in your head. Getting out in nature can improve your mood and health. Benjamin Katz shares some of his favorite hiking and camping spots. Later in the show: Birding is a gateway drug. It starts with a cardinal, and then you’re noticing different frog calls, trees and owls. And more than that, you now care about what’s happening in your local environment. Melanie Del Pozo and Donte Jackson are bringing everyday people into birding one bird walk at a time through the Black Avian Enthusiasts group.
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    52 分
  • Mow Lawn, Mo Problems

    Mow Lawn, Mo Problems
    2026/07/16
    What if a well-manicured lawn isn’t the end all be all? What if it’s actually harming the local habitat? Doug Tallamy is the co-founder of Home Grown National Park. It’s a non-profit that urges property owners to reduce their lawns and plant native plants. He shares all the little things we can do to help restore functioning ecosystems and mitigate the biodiversity crisis. And: Quarry Gardens is the first and only native plant botanical garden in Virginia. It started off as a soapstone quarry. Now it's an environmental gem with a beautiful quarter mile loop boasting over 500 species of native plants. Devin Floyd takes us on a tour of the gardens - showing off the quarry pits and the ancient ecosystems he calls lost worlds. Later in the show: The Virginia Wildlife Conflict Helpline is a toll-free number people can call to report things like run-ins with bears or complain about raccoon intruders. Jim Parkhurst studies the data from the hundreds of calls to the helpline. He breaks down the ways we humans can better co-exist with wildlife.
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    52 分
  • Audacious Women

    Audacious Women
    2026/07/10
    A new one-woman show tells the story of Virginia’s history through the eyes of ten audacious women. From the Civil War to the Harlem Renaissance to the Civil Rights movement, Morgan Avery McCoy Harris is using her Rosel Schewel Fellowship to embody the voices and memories of trailblazers. Later in the show: Jennifer Putzi is working with diaries that give us insight into the daily lives–and major upheavals–of Black women throughout history. Plus: Elizabeth Lewis tells the story of a group of women in 18th century Spain who used charity work to effect economic change.
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    52 分
  • Black Studies Under Threat

    Black Studies Under Threat
    2026/10/09
    Black Studies Departments on college campuses nationwide are facing mounting pressures. Shawn Utsey says they need to engage even more closely with the Black communities they often serve. Plus: Historically Black Colleges and Universities are owed billions from states that have underfunded them over the years. Virginia State University President Makola Abdullah highlights both the incredible strengths and chronic challenges impacting these universities. Later in the show: Roi Boyd III is the author of Bless His Soul, The Agony, the Ecstasy, and the Destiny of Michael Jackson. He reflects on the years Jackson struggled to step away from the shadow of the Jackson Five to forge his own path to stardom.
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    52 分