wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

Race Matters

Does race matter in New York? Today we'll speak with three journalists from TimeOut New York who just took this question to the streets. Nicole Blades, an African-American reporter, visited Asian restaurants and comic book stores in Flushing, Queens; Helen Yun, an Asian-American reporter, went to casitas in the Bronx; and Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, an Arab-American journalist, checked out the white, Irish neighborhood of Woodlawn. They'll tell us what they found.

Tell us what you think about race in New York City. Call us live on the air at 212-433-9692 or post your questions and comments here.

Weigh in: How much does race matter in New York today?

• Comments [13]
• Email
• Save

Underappreciated: Junichiro Tanizaki

In the rigid literary society of Japan, Junichiro Tanizaki stood out by constructing long narratives whose imaginative content, amplitude, and structure can rightly be called novelistic. He eschewed shishosetsu - the Japanese genre that most closely resembles the novel but includes autobiographical details - choosing instead to call attention to the fictionality of his texts. Translator Anthony Chambers will tell us why Tanizaki is considered one of the most important Japanese writers of the 20th century.

Purchase Tanizaki's Some Prefer Nettles and The Makioka Sisters at amazon.com.

• Comment
• Email
• Save

Circling My Mother

In her latest book, writer Mary Gordon describes the most important woman in her life: her mother, Anna. A widow and single parent, she lived to the age of 94 despite struggles with poverty, polio, depression, alcoholism, and senile dementia, inspiring her daughter with her strength and determination.

Mary Gordon will be reading tonight at 7 pm at Barnes and Noble Lincoln Center, 1972 Broadway at 66th Street.

Purchase Circling My Mother: A Memoir at amazon.com.

• Comments [1]
• Email
• Save

The Anti-Americans

For their new film for the PBS series America at a Crossroads, producers Andrew Kolker and Louis Alvarez went to France, Great Britain, and Poland to explore the complicated attitudes that many Europeans have about the United States.

The Anti-Americans airs tonight on PBS stations, check local listings.

Visit the show's website via America at a Crossroads.

• Comments [11]
• Email
• Save