On today’s show: what recent research reveals about the origins of language. Then: the history of Sierra Leone and its bloody civil war told through the letters of the ordinary people themselves. Also, we’ll look at one sheik’s grandiose dream to build a lavish capital city in his United Arab Emirates desert kingdom. And on this month’s Backstory, a look at the complex history of Iranian-American relations.
The Origins of Language
Language is a distinctly human gift, yet we’re only now beginning to understand how it came into being. Christine Kenneally has written about language and science for the New Yorker and Discover, and in her new book, The First Word, she investigates the evolution of language and introduces the major ...
Letters from Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone was involved in a bloody civil war from 1991 to 2002. It remains one of the world’s poorest countries and is notorious as the land of blood diamonds. John Amman (PCV 1979) and Gary Stewart (PCV 1968) were Peace Corps volunteers in Sierra Leone and they corresponded with ...
Inside a Sheik’s Palace
His Highness Sheik Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi of the United Arab Emirate’s northern emirate, Ras al-Khaimah, has a grandiose dream – to build a brand new capital in the middle of his desert kingdom. The process of designing a city that will bring the sheik’s dreams to life becomes ...
Backstory: Iran
This month’s Backstory will look at our complex relationship with Iran. Just this week, a new round of negotiations about Iraq was announced and Iranian-American scholars who are being detained appeared on Iranian state television. We will also look at Iran’s nuclear program, statements from the Bush Administration about Iran’s ...
About The Leonard Lopate Show
Host Leonard Lopate lets you in on the best conversations with writers, actors, ex-presidents, dancers, scientists, comedians, historians, grammarians, curators, filmmakers, and do-it-yourself experts.
Hosted by Leonard Lopate
Sign up for the Book Club e-newsletter.
Features
- 2010 Tony Award Winners
- 25 Years of Lopate
- AIDS: Then & Now
- Backstory
- Guest Hosts
- Guest Picks
- How Did Politics in America Get So Weird?
- Please Explain
- Summer Stuff
- The Big Picture
- The Gurus of How-To
- The Leonard Lopate Show Book Club
- The Lodown
- The Word Maven: Patricia T. O'Conner
- Tributes
- Underappreciated
- Underreported
- Web Extras
Show Archive
Show Archive
Leave a Comment
Register for your own account so you can vote on comments, save your favorites, and more. Learn more.
Please stay on topic, be civil, and be brief.
Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments. Names are displayed with all comments. We reserve the right to edit any comments posted on this site. Please read the Comment Guidelines before posting. By leaving a comment, you agree to New York Public Radio's Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use.