Episodes
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February 20, 2025 - Chelsea Handler, Cory Doctorow, and the Red Bull Heavy Metal contest at Boston City Hall
Comedian, television host, advocate and New York Times bestselling author Chelsea Handler joins The Culture Show to talk about her forthcoming book “I’ll Have What She’s Having.” It’s a collection of hilarious and heartfelt essays that detail what it took for her to become the woman she always wanted to be. It’s in bookstores on February 25th and is available for preorder on her website. On February 26th you can catch Chelsea Handler at Brookline Booksmith for a book signing event. From there New York Times bestselling author Cory Doctorow joins us to talk about “Radicalized,” a collection of four science fiction novellas connected by social, technological, and economic visions of what America could be in the near future. Published in 2019, one of those novellas, “Radicalized,” anticipated how frustrations with the profit-driven health insurance industry could lead to the kind of violence that happened in real life when Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was assassinated. Cory Doctorow’s latest book is “Picks and Shovels.” Finally, snowboarding phenom Maggie Leon joins The Culture Show for an overview of this Saturday’s Red Bull Heavy Metal street snowboarding competition. Located at Boston’s City Hall Plaza, 2:00-5:30, it’s free to the public. -
February 19, 2025 - The Joachim-Ma Stradivarius, Bryan Stevenson, and the Phoenix of Gaza VR experience
Recently a rare violin crafted in 1714 by Antonio Stradivari during his renowned “Golden Period” fetched $11.3M at Sotheby’s New York with the proceeds benefiting New England Conservatory. The funds will be used to establish the largest named endowed scholarship in support of future generations of musicians. The result places the violin among the most valuable musical instruments ever sold at auction. Andrea Kalyn, President of New England Conservatory, joins The Culture Show to talk about this remarkable story,From there it’s Bryan Stevenson.Ten years ago the civil rights lawyer wrote the bestselling memoir “Just Mercy,” documenting his career fighting for disadvantaged clients and people on death row. It awakened Americans to the injustices within our criminal justice system. The tenth anniversary edition of “Just Mercy” was recently published. Bryan Stevenson joins The Culture Show to reflect on what has changed since it was published.Finally, "Phoenix of Gaza." Culture Show producer Kate Dellis brings us the story of how Virtual Reality is being used to memorialize Gaza. -
February 18, 2025 - Imari Paris Jeffries, Swan Lake at Boston Ballet, and Julia Swanson
Imari Paris Jeffries, President and CEO of Embrace Boston, joins The Culture Show to talk about what it means to honor Black History Month amid President Trump’s DEI rollbacks.From there Mikko Nissinen, Artistic Director of Boston Ballet, joins The Culture Show for a preview of their upcoming production of “Swan Lake,” which is onstage at the Citizens Opera House February 27th through March 16th.Finally, Culture Show contributor Julia Swanson takes on a virtual tour of the three works of public art that will fill anyone with hope and joy. Julia Swanson is a multidisciplinary artist and award winning photographer who is the creator of The Art Walk Project – a series of self-guided micro tours of art across Greater Boston. -
February 17, 2025 - Joseph Finder, CatalystCollaborative at MIT, and Danielle Legros Georges
“New York Times” bestselling author Joseph Finder joins The Culture Show to talk about his latest book, “The Oligarch’s Daughter,” which tells the story of Paul BLightman, a man on the run, living under an assumed name in a small New England town with a million-dollar bounty on his head. The suspenseful thriller takes us into the worlds of global intelligence, Wall Street and Russian Oligarchs.From there we mark the 20th anniversary of the CatalystCollaborative@MIT. The partnership between MIT and Central Square Theatre is the longest-running collaboration between a research institution and a professional theatre. Two of the co-founders, Alan Lightman and Debra Wise, join The Culture Show to talk about its trajectory and their current play “SPACE,” which is presented by Central Square Theater as part of the Brit d’Arbeloff Women in Science and Catalyst Collaborative@MIT production. Finally we remember poet Danielle Legros Georges who died last week. She was born in Haiti and moved to the United States with her family when she was six. She grew up in Boston and left an indelible mark here as only the city’s second Poet Laureate, serving from from 2015 to 2019. She taught Creative Arts at Lesley University, and was a translator and published poet. She joined The Culture Show recently to talk about her latest book, “Three Leaves,Three Roots: Poems on the Haiti-Congo Story.” -
February 14, 2025 - Week in Review: The Kennedy Center, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and SNL at 50
Culture Show co-hosts Edgar B. Herwick III, Callie Crossley and James Bennett II go over the latest headlines on our arts and culture week-in-review.First up, President Trump purges the Kennedy Center and appoints himself Chair of the Board. From there, it’s the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which just unveiled its list of the 2025 nominees. Patti Smith announces a sprawling tour schedule to mark the 50th anniversary of her album “Horses,” Paul McCartney wows fans with a surprise performance at the Bowery Ballroom in New York. Finally, this weekend marks SNL’s 50th anniversary and they are going big with events spanning the entire weekend. -
February 13, 2025 - Amor Towles, Will Gusakov, and Ayodele Casel
Amor Towles. The bestselling author of “Rules of Civility,” “A Gentleman in Moscow,” and “The Lincoln Highway,” jins The Culture Show to talk about his new bestseller, “Table for Two”From there, we get an inside perspective on how Notre Dame was rebuilt. Vermont timber framer Will Gusakov, owner of Goosewing Timberworks, was among the international craftspeople tapped to work on the cathedral’s reconstruction effort. He shares what it meant to be a part of history.Finally, Ayodele Casel. The trailblazing tap dancer and choreographer talks about her show, “Diary of a Tap Dancer,” which traces her life, from the Bronx to Puerto Rico, celebrating the women dancers who broke the tap ceiling along the way. -
February 12, 2025 - Sebastian Smee, Dale Stephanos, and Christina Tosi
Pulitzer Prize-winning art critic for The Washington Post, Sebastian Smee joins the Culture Show to talk about his new book, “Paris in Ruins,” which takes us to 19th century Paris, where the horrors of government corruption, civil war, and rampant destruction were beyond brutal. Smee also details how it created a generation of artists who responded to the despair by using vivid colors and swift brushstrokes to create beauty and brilliance. It led, he writes, to Impressionism. From there, a golden opportunity for illustrator Dale Stephanos: designing the Betty White Postage Stamp. He joins The Culture Show to talk about fulfilling a life-long dream and what it took to capture the essence of the beloved actress and golden girl.Finally, James Beard award-winning chef Christina Tosi. Founder of Milk Bar and her famed Milk Bar pie, she joins The Culture Show to talk about her latest cookbook, which features more than 100 sweet and savory recipes. -
February 11, 2025 - Cillian Murphy, Annette Gordon-Reed, and Boston's Old North Church
Oscar-winning actor Cillian Murphy discusses his film “Small Things Like These,” which he produced and starred in. He also gives us a preview of the Peaky Blinders movie.From there, Annette Gordon-Reed. She’s an historian, lawyer and Pulitzer-prize winning writer. Her latest book, “On Juneteenth,” explores the holiday commemorating the day Union troops announced the end of slavery in Texas. Finally, famous for its role in the historic ride, Boston’s Old North Church has embarked on its own journey to restore the artwork that graced its walls during the American Revolution. Culture Show Producer Kate Dellis brings us the story with a behind-the-scenes look at this restoration. -
February 10, 2025 - Marianne Leone, Erik Andrade, and Eric and Will
Actor and author Marianne Leone joins The Culture Show to talk about her latest book, “Five-Dog Epiphany: How a Quintet of Badass Bichons Retrieved Our Joy,” From there New Bedford poet Erik Andrade joins The Culture Show to talk about poetry as activism. Erik Andrade is an award winning spoken word poet. Recently his work was included in “Black Fire This Time Vol. 2,” a groundbreaking anthology celebrating the legacy and future of the Black Arts Movement. Finally, the music duo Eric and Will. Eric Vloiemans is a Dutch trumpet sensation, Cambridge native Will Holshouser is an accordion master – together they create original, evocative compositions that build on jazz, classical and folk music. -
February 7, 2025 - Week in Review: Emilia Pérez controversy, a state poet laureate for Mass, and Uncle O'Grimacey
Culture Show co-hosts Jared Bowen, Callie Crossley and Edgar B. Herwick III go over the latest headlines on our arts and culture week-in-review.First up, Emilia Pérez. Two weeks ago the movie seemed destined for Oscars gold with 13 nominations. Now leading actress Karla Sofía Gascón’s Academy Award campaign is in tatters amid a string of controversies that has Netflix distancing itself from her.Plus some of the greatest poets have called Massachusetts home– from Robert Frost to Robert Pinsky, Emily Dickenson to Tracy K. Smith, but the state didn't have a home for them. That all changed on Monday when Governor Healey signed an executive order, creating a poet laureate of Massachusetts. And McDonald's Shamrock Shake is back and so is its long lost mascot–who looks like he’s gathered some moss–the verdant Uncle O'Grimacey. Finally, it’s an auction with strings attached. A Stradivarius violin could fetch a record 18 million dollars.
