wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

On Demand

The Leonard Lopate Show

Tuesday, September 19, 2006
  • Helene Grimaud (Wild Harmonies: A Life of Music and Wolves)
    Helene Grimaud (Wild Harmonies: A Life of Music and Wolves)

    Learning from the Past

    We begin today with a look at our public health infrastructure, and whether it’s prepared to handle a terrorist attack. Then, the celebrated pianist Helene Grimaud talks about her other life as an activist for wolves. And we hear about one man’s search to find his troubled twin brother--who disappeared when they were 28 years old. Plus, Nicholas Lemann exposes the campaign of political terrorism he says white Southerners waged to keep blacks from voting after the Civil War.

Public Health Since 9/11

In Are We Ready?, David Rosner and Gerald Markowitz examine the state of our public health infrastructure, and ask whether--five years after 9/11--we’re prepared to handle biological, chemical, or radiological terrorist attacks.

Available for purchase at amazon.com

Wild Harmonies

Helene Grimaud is a celebrated pianist and the founder of a wolf conservation center in upstate New York. She tells us about balancing these two passions in Wild Harmonies.

Available for purchase at amazon.com


Events: Hélène Grimaud will be speaking and signing books
Wednesday, September 20 at 7 pm
Borders Books and Music
10 Columbus Circle

Hélène Grimaud will be performing
Monday, October 23
Carnegie Hall
For more information, visit the Carnegie Hall website

Hélène Grimaud will be performing
Wednesday, November 8
Carnegie Hall
For more information, visit the Carnegie Hall website

A Brother's Search

When Kim Powers was 28, his troubled twin brother disappeared. In The History of Swimming, he talks about his search for his brother, and his attempts to make peace with childhood traumas.

Available for purchase at amazon.com


Events: Kim Powers will be reading and signing books
Wednesday, September 20 at 7 pm
Chelsea Barnes & Noble
675 6th Avenue, between 21st and 22nd Streets

The Last Battle of the Civil War?

Nicholas Lemann, Dean of the Columbia School of Journalism and a New Yorker staff writer, exposes a campaign of political terrorism that took place on American soil nearly 150 years ago. In Redemption, he brings to life the battle white Southerners waged after the Civil War to keep blacks from voting.

Available for purchase at amazon.com


Events: Nicholas Lemann will be speaking to Eric Foner about his book
Tuesday, September 19 at 7:30 pm
The Altschul Auditorium
The School of Internatonal and Public Affairs, Columbia University
420 West 128th Street

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.

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.