(6/21/21) We live in an age of displacement. Refugee numbers are increasing and climate change and COVID-19 are making the situation much worse. Meanwhile, rising populist nationalism around the world has undermined the political willingness of rich countries to accept migrants and asylum seekers. The Wealth of Refugees: How Displaced People Can Build Economies, the new book by professor of forced migration and international affairs at the University of Oxford Alexander Betts, looks at how accepting refugees benefits the receiving societies. Beyond the obvious moral imperative for more privileged nations to help people around the world in crisis, join us for a look at how the skills, talents and aspirational drive of refugee populations improve the country they emigrate to in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

Alexander Betts on The Wealth of Refugees: How Displaced People Can Build Economies

(9/7/21)Although the free jazz movement of the 1960s and ‘70s was much maligned in some jazz circles, its pioneers—Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, Sun Ra, Albert Ayler and John Coltrane—are now acknowledged as central to the evolution of jazz as one of America’s greatest art forms. Documentarian and drummer Tom Surgal’s new film Fire Music examines what free jazz was (to the music scene then) and what it is. Join us for a look at the architects of a movement whose radical brand of improvisation pushed harmonic and rhythmic boundaries way beyond the formal confines of bebop in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

Tom Surgal on his new free jazz documentary Fire Music

(11/19/21)In the beginning, Earth was an inhospitably alien place―in constant chemical flux, covered with churning seas, crafting its landscape through incessant volcanic eruptions. Amid all this tumult and disaster, life began. In his new book A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth: 4.6 Billion Years in 12 Pithy Chapters, senior editor of the scientific journal Nature Henry Gee zips through the last 4.6 billion years with equal parts enthusiasm and intellectual rigor. Join us for a look at life's life story in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

Henry Gee of on A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth: 4.6 Billion Years in 12 Pithy Chapters

(11/29/21) The history of Africa has long been relegated to the remote outskirts of our global story. What if, instead, we put Africans at the center of our thinking about the origins of modernity? Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism professor and former New York Times foreign correspondent Howard W. French does just that in his new book Born in Blackness: Africa, Africans, and the Making of the Modern World, 1471, a sweeping narrative spanning more than six centuries. Join us for a look at the trivialization in depictions of African societies throughout the last 500 years and how to overcome it for a more accurate understanding of human history in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

Howard W. French on Born in Blackness: Africa, Africans & the Making of the Modern World

(12/1/21) Chemist, artist and industrial hygienist Monona Rossol is the founder of Arts, Crafts and Theater Safety, Inc. The not-for-profit corporation is dedicated to providing health and safety services to the arts. She is also the health and safety director for the Local 829 Union of the United Scenic Artists International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. In this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI, Monona offers advice on how to protect yourself from the Delta and Omicron variants as we head into the holidays.

Monona Rossol on how to stay safe from the pandemic this holiday season

(12/7/21) Have you ever wondered what really goes on at your insurance provider’s office? Why do your claims get denied? Why are your prescription drug prices so high? How To Avoid Being a Victim of the American Healthcare System: A Patient's Handbook for Survival, the new book by Dr. David Wilcox, offers tips on how to get more from your health care provider. Join us for a look at a better way to navigate our thorny healthcare system in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

Dr. David Wilcox on How To Avoid Being a Victim of the American Healthcare System

(12/10/21) Sibling language experts and regular contributors to the program Kathryn and Ross Petras are the authors of the bestselling You're Saying It Wrong: A Pronunciation Guide to the 150 Most Commonly Mispronounced Words—and Their Tangled Histories of Misuse and the hosts of a popular NPR podcast. In this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI, Kathy and Ross sound off on some of the more bizarre language trends of the past year.

language experts Kathryn and Ross Petras on the year in words

(12/13/21) As we being to emerge from the pandemic, other crises move center stage—outrageous inequality, climate disaster, desperate refugees, mounting tensions of a new cold war. The abiding motif of our time appears to be relentless chaos. Acknowledging the possibilities for new beginnings at moments of catastrophe, Mao Zedong famously proclaimed, “there is great disorder under heaven; the situation is excellent.” As Slovenian philosopher and international director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities of the University of London Slavoj Žižek examines in his new book Heaven In Disorder, the modern relevance of Mao’s observation depends on whether today’s catastrophes can be a catalyst for progress or have passed over into something terrible and irretrievable. Join us for a look at what the fracturing of the Left, the empty promises of liberal democracy and the tepid compromises offered by the powerful mean for the rest of us in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

philosopher Slavoj Zizek on his new book Heaven In Disorder

(12/20/21) Everywhere we look, corporations and governments are spying on us—seeking personal information about who we are and whom we know. Ad networks monitor our web-surfing to send us "more relevant" ads. The NSA screens our communications for signs of radicalism. Schools track students' emails to stop school shootings. Cameras guard every street corner and traffic light and drones fly in our skies. In his new book Privacy Matters, Neil Richards asserts that privacy isn't dead, but rather up for grabs. Join us for a discussion of how we can preserve our right to confidentiality in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

Neil Richards on Why Privacy Matters

(1/6/22) Sunset in a Glass: Adventures of a Food and Wine Road Warrior is a collection of true stories from Spanish culinary and travel authority Gerry Dawes, a recipient of Spain’s esteemed Spain's National Gastronomy Award. From sharing tables with icons like Anthony Bourdain, James Earl Jones or Keith Hernandez to sitting down with the county’s greatest chefs and winemakers, join us for a look back at Gerry’s decades of experiencing all of Spain’s wonders in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

Gerry Dawes on Sunset in a Glass: Adventures of a Food and Wine Road Warrior

(1/18/22) There is a lot more to Mark Vonnegut than simply being the son of an iconic author. As a pediatrician, Dr. Vonnegut has spent 40 years treating children for coughs, fevers, ear infections or whatever the job calls for. His new book, The Heart of Caring: A Life in Pediatrics, is a look back at his career but also the myriad ways that the US medical system has changed in that time. Join us for a journey into the heart of caring in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

Dr. Mark Vonnegut on The Heart of Caring: A Life in Pediatrics

(1/20/22) As regular listeners know, there are few construction questions that Alvin and Lawrence Ubell of Accurate Building Inspectors don’t know how to answer. In this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI, our favorite handymen answer your questions on any home repair projects you may be tackling this winter.

Alvin and Lawrence Ubell of Accurate Building Inspectors take your calls.

(1/28/22) The festival NYC’s Movie Renaissance: 1945-1955 is running at Film Forum from Jan. 28 to Feb. 10. Mainly comprised of film shot on the East Coast during a brief surge of local production by such directors as Jules Dassin, Elia Kazan and Stanley Kubrick, Film Forum’s latest offering was inspired by the new book Keep ‘Em in the East: Kazan, Kubrick and the Postwar New York Renaissance by film historian Richard Koszarski. In this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI, film historian Susan Delson joins Richard for a discussion of why this era is so important to the legacy of New York City moviemaking.

Susan Delson & Richard Koszarski on NYC’s Movie Renaissance: 1945-1955 at Film Forum

(2/1/22) As some listeners may recall, Leonard Lopate at Large premiered on July 16, 2018 on WBAI. What they may not be aware of is that other than Leonard, the show only had one staff member—executive producer Jesse Lent. As Jesse heads to Europe to pursue his career in music full time, the two of them look back at the highs and lows of putting together a daily talk show before and during a pandemic. Leonard will also introduce his new producer, Keziah Glow, to the listening audience for the first time. Join us for a look back at the show’s past, present and future along with a listen to some of Jesse’s music, both as a soundtrack composer and with his group The Sweetheartz of the Psychic Rodeo, in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

executive producer Jesse Lent’s final show

Stephen Zunes, a leading scholar of the Middle East and North Africa gives in depth insight into The Western Sahara and Moroccan conflict. Western Sahara a sparsely populated territory about the size of Colorado located in Northwestern Africa along the Atlantic coast, with rich phosphate deposits has been occupied and annexed by the Kingdom of Morocco in violation of a series of U.N. Security Council resolutions and a landmark ruling of the International Court of Justice. 

In his newly updated book Western Sahara: War, Nationalism, and Conflict Irresolution. Zunes reports The United States and France, which see the Moroccan monarchy as an important ally, have blocked the United Nations from enforcing its resolutions calling for an end of the Moroccan occupation and a referendum on independence. Listen in as, Stephen Zunes discusses this controversy unknown to many, on this segment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

Stephen Zunes, on his newly updated Western Sahara: War, Nationalism, and Conflict Irresolution

(2/8/2022) Tune in to this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large, when author Dr. John Abramson, one of America's top drug litigation experts discuss  Sickening, How Big Pharma Broke American Health Care and How We Can Repair It. 

In his exposé, Dr. Abramson has compiled a wealth of research alongside multiple patient stories in which he reports the pharmaceutical industry’s financial interests have corrupted and diminished our health care system, costing not only many Americans their entire bank accounts but also, for many, their lives.

Dr. Abramson has been a member of the faculty at Harvard Medical School for 25 years and has served as an unpaid consultant to the FBI and Department of Justice, including in a case that resulted in the largest criminal fine in U.S. history.

Dr. John Abramson on Sickening, How Big Pharma Broke American Health Care and How We Can Repair It

(3/17/2022) Chemist, artist and industrial hygienist Monona Rossol is the founder of Arts, Crafts and Theater Safety, Inc. A not-for-profit corporation dedicated to providing health and safety services to the arts. She is also the Health and Safety Director for the Local 829 union of the United Scenic Artists International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. In this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI, Monona addresses concerns of the COVID pandemic actually being over, federal guidelines, and overall COVID preparedness planning for the months ahead.

industrial hygienist Monona Rossol with covid updates

(3/30/22) Join us when Pete Muroski of Native Landscapes Garden Center, shares information on planting and landscape maintenance as we move into the growing season. 
Because Spring is the best time of year to begin planting, Pete will take questions from callers and cover topics such as: finding the optimal location of the home for the right plant,  which plants remove toxins from the air, proper planting techniques, how plants acclimate to their new homes in the growing season, the benefits of planting native plants and how native plants sustain wildlife in our gardens and in the natural world on this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI 99.5FM

Pete Muroski of Native Landscapes Garden Center

(4-4-22)Join us when author Daniel Treisman examines his book Spin Dictators. Which traces how leaders  have pioneered less violent, more covert, and more effective methods of monopolizing power. While they have cultivated an image of competence, concealed censorship, and used democratic institutions to undermine democracy, all while increasing international engagement for financial and reputational benefits. The book reveals why most of today’s authoritarians are spin dictators—and how they differ from the remaining “fear dictators” on this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large.

Daniel Treisman on Spin Dictators

(3/15/2022) Rebroadcast - On April 10, 1977, Leonard Lopate was heard through the airwaves on WBAI for the first time. He was playing gospel records for Easter. With the Easter holiday weekend upon us, we thought the timing couldn’t be better for Leonard to return to his radio roots with another gospel music spectacular. Join us for a Good Friday special featuring classic Easter recordings from Leonard’s personal collection of recordings from the golden age of black gospel music.

Leonard Lopate Easter Gospel Show

World-renowned primatologist Frans de Waal draws on decades of observation and studies of both human and animal behavior in his book “Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist”. 
He argues that despite the linkage between gender and biological sex, biology does not automatically support the traditional gender roles in human societies. De Waal challenges widely held beliefs about masculinity and femininity, and common assumptions about authority, leadership, cooperation, competition, filial bonds, and sexual behavior. 
Frans de Waal will discuss his thought-provoking approach to the long-running debate about the balance between nature and nurture, and where sex and gender roles fit in, on this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI 99.5FM

Frans De Waal on Different

Cobalt Red is an exposé of the immense toll taken on the people and environment of the Democratic Republic of the Congo by cobalt mining, as told through the testimonies of the Congolese people themselves. Activist and researcher Siddharth Kara has traveled deep into cobalt territory to document the testimonies of the people living, working, and dying for cobalt. To uncover the truth about brutal mining practices, Kara investigated militia-controlled mining areas, traced the supply chain of child-mined cobalt from toxic pit to consumer-facing tech giants, and gathered shocking testimonies of people who endure immense suffering and even die mining cobalt.

Cobalt is an essential component to every lithium-ion rechargeable battery made today, the batteries that power our smartphones, tablets, laptops, and electric vehicles. Join us when Siddharth Kara examines this human rights and environmental catastrophe in the Congo on this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large.

Siddharth Kara on Cobalt Red

In The End of Reality¸ Jonathan Taplin provides his perspective into the personal backgrounds and cultural power of these billionaires—Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Marc Andreesen (“The Four”) —and shows how their tech monopolies have brought middle-class wage stagnation, the hollowing out of many American towns, a radical increase in income inequality, and unbounded public acrimony. Meanwhile, the enormous amount of taxpayer money to be funneled into the dystopian ventures of "The Four," the benefits of which will accrue to billionaires, exacerbate these disturbing trends. 

Join us when film producer and scholar, Jonathan Taplin shares what he calls - the great con job of the twenty-first century—the metaverse, crypto, space travel, transhumanism—being sold by four billionaires (Peter Thiel, Mark Zuckerberg, Marc Andreesen, Elon Musk), leading to the degeneration and bankruptcy of our society, on this installment

Jonathan Taplin on THE END OF REALITY

Michael Zweig illuminates all propositions with specific examples from US history, from the first settlement of the New World to current life, including his own lived experiences as an activist, educator, and organizer over the past six decades. As such, the book is an urgently needed resource for activists and organizers seeking structural and moral transformation of life in the US. Building on his analysis, Zweig also presents strategies for political action in electoral and movement-building work.

Michael Zweig on Class, Race, and Gender

Edited by Jennifer Cognard-Black and Melissa A. Goldthwaite - Good Eats: 32 Writers on Eating Ethically features a highly diverse ensemble of award-winning writers, activists, educators, chefs, farmers, and journalists, Good Eats invites readers to think about what it means to eat according to our values. These essays tell the stories of real people—real bellies, real bodies—including the writers themselves, who seek to understand the experiences, families, cultures, histories, and systems that have shaped their eating and their ethics.

From gardening as an alternative to factory farming, to the indigenous cultures surrounding salmon and the corporate cultures surrounding chocolate, the topics featured in this collection expand our understanding of what ethical eating can be.

Join us when Melissa A. Goldthwaite a Professor of English at Saint Joseph's University share the stories which describe efforts to change how food is made on this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large.

Melissa Goldthwaite on GOOD EATS

We'd like to hear from you during this Holiday season. How have you been coping with  winter, Municipal, State, and Global concerns? Although this is the mos festive time of year it sometimes doesnt feel that way. We would like you to share your remedies on dealing with the winter blues. Call-in in Join the discussion.
 
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Bestselling author and historian Steven Ujifusa tells the largely forgotten, colorful story of three businessmen who, driven by very different motives, made much of this immigration possible and forever changed the fates of millions.

The men were Jacob Schiff, the managing partner of an investment bank who used his immense wealth to help Jews to leave Europe; Albert Ballin, managing director of the Hamburg-American Line, who created a transportation network of trains and steamships; and the notorious J.P. Morgan, who tried to take over the lucrative steamship business.  Join us for a discussion on these titans of industry who forged powerful alliances and compelling rivalries on this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large.

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Steven Ujifusa on The Last Ships from Hamburg

Richard Rothstein is the co-author of JUST ACTION: How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under the Color of Law. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the Economic Policy Institute, and Senior Fellow (Emeritus) of the Thurgood Marshall Institute of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.  

Leah Rothstein is the co-author of JUST ACTION: How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under the Color of Law that describes how local community groups can redress the wrongs of segregation. Leah has worked on public policy and community change, from the grassroots to the halls of government.

Join us for conversation on reforming community policy and practice to be focused on rehabilitation, not punishment on this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large.

Just Action by Richard and Leah Rothstein

Max Roach Centennial Celebrations in January Include Film Screening, Panel Discussion and Local NYC-NJ Concerts

The revolutionary 1960 album We Insist!: Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite explored issues of social justice and racial inequality through the lens of jazz and poetry. In celebration of the centennial of Max Roach (1924-2007)—drummer, bebop pioneer and civil rights activist—this landmark work is reimagined for today’s world. In affiliation with Jazz at Lincoln Center, this special one-night only concert is led by musical director Nasheet Waits (of Max’s percussion ensemble M’Boom) featuring vocalist Cassandra Wilson, poets Sonia Sanchez and Saul Williams, saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, pianist Nduduzo Makhathini, and bassist Eric Revis.

Join us for an in-depth discussion with Drummer and Music Educator, Nasheet Waits who’s interest in playing the drums was encouraged by his father, legendary percussionist, Frederick Waits, on this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large.

Nasheet Waits Music Director: The Max Roach Centennial

A site by site, crime by crime, outlaw by outlaw walking tour through the seedy underbelly of Roaring Twenties Manhattan—where gamblers and gangsters, crooks and cops, showgirls and speakeasies ruled the day and, always, the night.

In Gangsterland, historian David Pietrusza tours the Big Apple’s rotten core. The Roaring Twenties blaze and sparkle with Times Square’s bright lights and showgirls, but its dark shadows mask a web of notorious gangsters ruling New York City.

David Pietrusza on Gangsterland

Leonard Lopate, the Peabody and James Beard Award-winning broadcaster, is on WBAI where he began his radio career. Tune in weekdays from 1-2pm at 99.5fm New York or you can listen to the show live at WBAI.org. Join us for conversation on current events and call-in into the station to let your voice be heard (212) 209-2877.
 
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According to Award-winning journalist and Regular Contributor Robert Hennelly, most of the labor activists that are reviving the American union movement were not on the planet when Martin Luther King Jr walked the earth. But the torch has been passed and the “dream” endures when ever there’s collective non-violent action that moves US forward.

Hennelly, has a passion for uncovering the News behind the News. Born in Paterson, New Jersey, he has always had a keen interest in the roles of immigration, local politics, business, labor unions, real estate ownership, and environmental protection in the evolution of the United States.

For more than 30 years, he has reported on a broad spectrum of major public policy questions, ranging from homeland security to the economy, environmental contamination to corruption, and occupational safety to homelessness.

Join us today on Leonard Lopate at Large. When Bob Hennelly covers extend medical and compensation benefits to those involved in rescue operations following the 9/11 attacks and more on this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large.

Investigative Journalist Robert Hennelly

Laura Pappano is a veteran journalist who has covered the heated disagreements that surround K-12 education for over thirty years. Yet, today's high stakes battle is unlike anything she's seen before.  "It isn't rooted in a passion for the success of all children," she writes. "Rather, it's about the hijacking of public education by a far-right Christian movement and the quest to do away with the community-rooted education enterprise."  Parent involvement is no longer about baking treats or donating classroom supplies, she notes. It's about organizing to protect the very existence of public schools.

Join us when award-winning journalist and founder of The New Haven Student Journalism Project, operated through Yale University’s Office of New Haven Affairs chronicles how this cultural and political war has unfolded in hot spots across the country and how mom activists, including in some cases conservative Christian women, are holding the line against the far-right takeover of public schools, on this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large.

Laura Pappano on School Moms

James Irsay, celebrated concert pianist and the host of the classical music program “Morning Irsay” Friday mornings from 10am to noon on WBAI, has been a fixture of New York City’s FM dial for decades. As a music student he studied with Jorge Bolet, John Ogdon, Sasha Gorodnitzki, Ernst Krenek, Peter “PDQ Bach” Schickele and Jacob Druckman. As a performer, Irsay has performed with Itzak Perlman, Pinchas Zuckerman, Raymond Lewenthal and Alan Titus. His radio show has won the Major Armstrong Award the Corporation for Public Broadcasting Award and the National Public Radio, Ohio State Award. Join two icons of New York radio for a fun, freewheeling conversation.

James Irsay talks to Leonard about his storied career in music and radio. (August 31, 2018)

Leonard Lopate, the Peabody and James Beard Award-winning broadcaster, is back on WBAI where he began his radio career. Tune in weekdays from 1-2pm at 99.5fm New York or you can listen to the show live at WBAI.org.

Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI Radio in New York

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