Curtis Fox

Meditations on two of the most powerful forces in our lives, and the ways they intersect. We've got a new radio play from the Naked Angels Theater Company that explores conflict in the bedroom, and conversations with four veterans who served in the same battalion together during the Persian Gulf ...

The Next Big Thing unveils our new Department of Transportation, a series featuring stories, music, urban myths and truths about the New York Subway. We begin the series with an investigation of controversial social psychologist Stanley Milgram's little known "Subway Experiment." Also, a whirlwind of rhythmic brass with Romani flourishes ...

The Next Big Thing travels along the edges of September 11th, where things are a little quieter. We make stops at an open marketplace in Brazil - to listen to reports of the attack in medieval verse form - and then visit the collective unconscious in Meg Wolitzer's radio play ...

It's a dose of musical drama, real and fictive, in Mississippi and on New York City street corners. Plus Jesse Green's back to invite submissions to our latest Five Sounds in Search of an Author contest.

Bush Whacking
What exactly is President Bush's position on environmental ...

What's the connection between iambic pentameter and olfactory glands? Or between rats and life coaches? This week we cross several borders and time zones to find out. With guest appearances from a poet, a rabbi, and an exterminator.

Chocolate Donuts and Cologne
Sense of smell is ...

At times during the course of human history, when the last of a group, clan, or tribe passes, someone would be appointed to publicly weep, remember, and light the sacred fire for the passing of that group. This custom of "The Designated Mourner," for which the play is named, is ...

Fernando Pessoa was a remarkable Portuguese poet with a multitude of literary identities.

(Originally aired: June 16, 2001)

New York in summer: Noisy

The Next Big Thing is jazz pianist Ethan Iverson. He'll be playing three jazz etudes that were commissioned by our show. Also ... we've got poetry. And not just stuff that'll make you feel good. We're talking about verse that's meant to hurt. And worse.

What's the ...

Now when you think summer solstice, you might think: St. John the Divine. So this week we're heading up there to hang out with the organist. And here's a warning: She's not your typical organist. Speaking of summer, shouldn't you be packing for camp? One of our favorites, Sarah Thyre, ...

We often say the next big thing is visiting places you didn't know existed, even though you go by them every day. This week, that means looking behind the refrigerator or, more precisely, behind the entrance to a little refrigerator repair shop in the Bronx. It's going inside what appears ...

Fernando Pessoa was a remarkable Portuguese poet with a multitude of literary identities. 

The Next Big Thing is learning that a dialect is a terrible thing to waste. It's hope springing eternal... well, actually, it's hope springing biological. Maybe. It's animal sightings - including a giant bullfrog in the middle of New York City and a couple of mad cows. What else? You ...

The Next Big Thing is the sound and fury of our noise-polluted city. And even if you think there's nothing you can do about it, we'll at least think about how you might. But before you get down on the thump-thump SUVs cruising the neighborhood, meet Kenny Muhammad, a one-man ...

The next big thing is redefining love: Love is never having to say you're sorry... but managing to convince the Chinese government that you have. On our show, it's walking from the dining room of the restaurant, through the swinging doors and into the kitchen to become ... Super Chef! ...

A visit to a wax museum and more!

The Next Big Thing is Harlem. It's called the capital of black culture. Lately, it's the epicenter - or at least one of them - of Manhattan's real estate boom. We explore the connection between the two. Also, a true tale of love, death, morality and dinosaurs.

New York, NY —

Choreographer Merce Cunningham announced that he is donating his archives to the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.