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The Leonard Lopate Show
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The Working PoorToeing the Line
Millions of Americans live so close to the poverty line that even the smallest setback can be catastrophic. Pulitzer Prize-winner and former New York Times reporter David Shipler explains why so many of the United States' working poor are stuck in dead-end jobs with little opportunity for advancement. Then foreign correspondent Neely Tucker and his wife, Vita, talk about adopting their Zimbabwean daughter, Chipo, while Neely was covering the wars and AIDS epidemic in Africa. Sam Kashner shares his experience of being the lone student at the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics in 1976. And Richard Pollak reveals the often-unappreciated romance of container ships. Why should cruise ships and sailboats get all the attention?
David Shipler
David Shipler's new book is The Working Poor: Invisible in America. Shipler won the Pulitzer Prize in 1987 for Arab and Jew: Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land.
Music: Soundtrack from Cider House Rules, Composed by Rachel Portman
Track 4: "Homer Asks Wally for a Ride "
Track 3: "Young Girl’s Burial"
Track 5: "Homer Leaves Orphanage"
Events: David Shipler at Barnes & Noble (Lincoln Square triangle), March 2nd at 7 pm for a talk and signing books
Neely Tucker
Neely Tucker is the author of Love in the Driest Season: A Family Memoir. He currently writes for the Washington Post.
Music: Chaminuka Music of Zimbabwe by Dumisani Maraire
Track 2: "Chaminuka"
Track 3: "Machekeche"
Track 8: "Yuwi Maiwe"
Track 5: "Kutambarara"
Events: All the Tuckers will be at the B&N on 82nd and Bway on March 3rd at 7:30pm for a talk and to sign books.
Sam Kashner
While at the Jack Kerouac School in Colorado, Sam Kashner's duties included typing Allen Ginsberg’s poems, cleaning the guru Rinpoche’s home, and keeping Gregory Corso from getting heroin. Kashner’s new book is When I Was Cool.
Music: The Times They Are A-Changin’ by Bob Dylan
Track 1: "The Times They Are A-Changin'"
Track 3: "With God On Our Side "
Richard Pollak
Richard Pollak's book is The Colombo Bay. Pollak spent time as a passenger aboard the "Colombo Bay," a massive container ship bound from Hong Kong to New York via the Suez Canal.
Music: Sea Power, A Global Journey, composed by Michael Whalen
Track 12: "Dawn of the Lofotens"
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National Book Award Winners
The Leonard Lopate Show
A number of this year’s National Book Award winners have appeared on The Leonard Lopate Show. Click here to see the list!
Tributes: Jeanne-Claude
The Leonard Lopate Show
Jeanne-Claude created environmental works of art with her husband and fellow-conspirator/collaborator Christo. Together, they wrapped the Reichstag in Berlin, the Pont-Neuf in Paris, and created The Gates, with billowy orange drapes, in Central Park. Jeanne-Claude just died at the age of 74. You can hear Leonard Lopate’s last interview with them both, from July 19, 1999.
Video Pick: David Chang on Momofuku
The Leonard Lopate Show
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- Comments [1]
Please Explain: Eco-Labels
The Leonard Lopate Show
Your broccoli, shampoo, and air conditioner might bear labels declaring them to be organic, cruelty-free, or energy efficient, but what do those labels mean and are they true? Dr. Urvashi Rangan, Project Director for Consumer Reports' GreenerChoices.org and Consumers Union’s Senior Scientist for Policy Initiatives, and Dara O'Rourke, founder and CEO of GoodGuide.com, took a look at what eco-labels indicate, how standards are set, and what they mean for consumers and manufacturers around the world.
- Comments [14]
Our 3-ingredient Challenge wins a James Beard Award
The Leonard Lopate Show
On May 3, the Lopate Show won its third James Beard Award for our 3-ingredient challenge. In August, we asked our listeners to call in and name 3 ingredients and then challenged New York chef and 3-ingredient expert Rozanne Gold to whip up a recipe! You can listen to the 3-ingredient challenge and get some inspiration for simple, delicious, and unexpected dishes.
