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The Leonard Lopate Show

Thursday, April 07, 2005
  • Silent Waters ( First Run Features)
    "Silent Waters" (First Run Features)

    Strength of Character

    Ruth Reichl, editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine and a regular guest on the show, relates some of her undercover adventures as a food critic. Then, Shane White tells us about his work to recapture the sounds of slavery from history. James Atlas discusses some strategies for surviving the ups and downs of middle age. And Sabiha Sumar and Mallika Dutt tell us about filmmaking and women’s rights in Pakistan.

Dressing for Dinner

In Garlic and Sapphires, Ruth Reichl reveals her secret life as an undercover food critic. She tells us about donning elaborate disguises and going to restaurants in character, all in order to protect her anonymity and avoid special treatment.

Music: Swingtime!, The Canadian Brass: "Blue Rondo a la Turk" / "I Found Love"

The Sounds of Slavery

In the book and cd project The Sounds of Slavery, Shane White uses historical materials to give voice to the audio universe of slavery. By recreating these sounds, he demonstrates how they helped define the American soundscape.

» Read an excerpt of The Sounds of Slavery in the Reading Room

Music: Sounds of Slavery, Tracks 1 and 14

Life in the Middle Ages

James Atlas is best known for the biographies he wrote about novelist Saul Bellow and poet Delmore Schwartz, as well as for the ones he edited for the Penguin Lives series. Now he turns his attention to himself with My Life in the Middle Ages--a look at how to navigate the challenges of transitioning through mid-life.

Events:
James Atlas will be speaking on:
Thursday, April 7th at 8:15 pm
"Reflections at Mid-Life: Now What?" with James Atlas, Daphne Merkin, Kathryn Harrison and Ed Zwick.
Moderated by Roger Rosenblatt.
92nd Street Y

And on:
Wednesday, April 13th at 7:30 pm
Barnes and Noble, Upper West Side
Broadway and 82nd Street

Music: Soundtrack to The Ice Storm, music by Mychael Danna: "Finale"

Focusing on Change

Independent filmmaker Sabiha Sumar and Mallika Dutt from Breakthrough discuss women’s rights and filmmaking in Pakistan. Ms. Sumar's film "Silent Waters" looks at fundamentalism and Islamic nationalism in Pakistan in 1979, and is screening at the 3rd Annual South Asian Human Rights Film Festival.

» View pictures from the film
» More on the 3rd Annual South Asian Human Rights Film Festival
» More on Sabiha Sumar

Events:
Khamosh Pani (Silent Waters)
Friday, April 8, 6:30 p.m
Venue : Asia Society New York
725 Park Avenue at 70th Street
(director will be there for discussion)

Music: Soundtrack to Heat and Dust, music by Richard Robbins: "Qawali at the Shrine of Baba Firdaus"

Patrick Swayze

The Leonard Lopate Show

Patrick Swayze mixed grace with athleticism in his movies – and rose to stardom with roles in “Dirty Dancing” and “Ghost.” He died just recently after a battle with pancreatic cancer. And you can hear his interview with Leonard Lopate from July 16, 2002, when he came by to discuss appearing in the film, “Green Dragon.”

The Silver Anniversary of the Silver Palate

The Leonard Lopate Show

Sheila Lukins was one half of a partnership that helped popularize gourmet cooking throughout America – first, through their gourmet food shop in New York City and then with the cookbook, The Silver Palate, which remains one of the top-selling cookbooks of all time. She collaborated on 2 other cookbooks that simplified gourmet cooking for the home cook. She died recently from brain cancer at the age of 66, and you can listen to her 2007 conversation with Leonard Lopate and her business partner Julee Rosso about the 25th Anniversary of the publication of The Silver Palate.

Dominick Dunne

The Leonard Lopate Show

Dominick Dunne was a famous novelist and Hollywood producer. But he may be best remembered for covering trials of the rich and famous – from Claus von Bulow to O. J. Simpson. He died just recently at the age of 83. But you can still hear his interview with Leonard from November 23, 2001, when he was discussing crimes, trials, and punishments.

Let’s Go Swimming!

The Leonard Lopate Show

According to the Centers for Disease Control, bacterial, viral, and parasitic organisms found in recreational water in the United States sicken thousands of people every year, and even result in deaths. We’ll speak with chemist and industrial hygienist Monona Rossol about the protozoa, amoebas and other things that love to go swimming with us. Monona is also founder and President of Arts, Crafts and Theater Safety.

Frank McCourt

The Leonard Lopate Show

Frank McCourt has been a guest many times on this show over the years, starting in 1996 for the memoir, Angela’s Ashes, that would earn him a Pulitzer Prize. Fame came to him late in life, after he’d retired at the age of 65 from teaching English and creative writing at public schools here in New York. He was a sweet, eloquent man who spoke with grace and humility; he just died at the age of 78 after a battle with cancer. You can hear him speaking with Leonard Lopate for his Survival Kit in 2000, and in 2005, for his memoir, Teacher Man.

Science and Faith

The Leonard Lopate Show

Earlier this week, Pres. Obama announced that he plans to nominate geneticist Dr. Francis Collins to lead the National Institutes of Health. You can listen to Leonard’s 2006 conversation with Dr. Collins about how he reconciles his personal faith with his professional scientific knowledge.

FDA to Regulate Tobacco?

The Leonard Lopate Show

May 14, 2009
Congress is getting ready to a vote on whether to make tobacco subject to FDA regulation. You can listen to a segment we did in May about the bill and what it would mean for the cigarette companies.

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.

Leonard is on Facebook

Now Leonard is on Facebook! We’re posting photos, status updates, links to notable interviews, and lots more. Check it out.

Barack Obama, Circa 2004

The Leonard Lopate Show

Listen to President-Elect Barack Obama on the Leonard Lopate Show in November 2004. He had recently won a seat in the U.S. Senate, and only a few months before, his rousing speech during the 2004 Democratic National Convention catapulted him into the national spotlight.

Guest Picks

The Leonard Lopate Show

Find out surprising facts about some recent guests on the Leonard Lopate Show. Check out our Guest Picks section! Did you know that football star Herschel Walker loves Judge Judy, Laurie Anderson is a big fan of agility training for dogs, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi likes Johnny Depp?