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The Leonard Lopate Show
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Christopher Gray: "Whitney Museum. Buildings should protect you, not threaten to step on you like a bug."The Worst Buildings in NYC
We’ve been asking listeners to submit pictures of some of the worst buildings in New York City. Now, Christopher Gray joins us to discuss what makes a building bad and to unveil his choices for The Worst Buildings in New York. But first, a cognitive neuroscientist describes how reading has influenced the evolution of the brain. Then, we’ll look at what will happen to the Ethiopian children orphaned by AIDS. Also, an operita that explores the life of its protagonist through the tango.
The Science of the Reading Brain
Unlike vision and speech, reading has no direct genetic program passing it on to future generations. So where did this unlikely skill come from? And why do some people, like dyslexics, find it hard to read? Maryanne Wolf, a professor of child development, explores these complicated questions in Proust and the Squid. She integrates psychology and archaeology, linguistics and education, and history and neuroscience to look into the development of the reading brain.
Proust and the Squid is available for purchase at amazon.com
AIDS in Africa
What will happen to all the African children orphaned by AIDS? Journalist Melissa Fay Greene examines this crisis through the story of an Ethiopian woman who found herself running an unofficial orphanage and the children who lived there. Her book is There Is No Me Without You.
There Is No Me Without You is available for purchase at amazon.com
Events: Melissa Fay Greene will be speaking and signing books
Tuesday, September 25 at 7:30pm
Park Slope Barnes & Noble
267 7th Avenue
Melissa Fay Greene will be speaking and signing books
Wednesday, September 26 at 12pm
New Canaan Library
151 Main Street
New Canaan, Connecticut
The Gotham Chamber Opera
The Gotham Chamber Opera kicks off its new season with the rarely performed work, Astor Piazzolla’s “Maria de Buenos Aires.” The operita explores Maria’s life, motherhood, and violent death through singing, dancing, and poetry intoned over orchestral tangos. Leonard is joined by David Parsons, co-choreographer, and Neal Goren, conductor.
Events: "Maria de Buenos Aires" will run
Wednesday, September 26 through Saturday, September 29
The Skirball Center for the Performing Arts
New York University
566 LaGuardia Place, at Washington Square South
For tickets, visit the Gotham Chamber Opera's website or call 212-279-4200.
The Worst Buildings in New York City
Christopher Gray, who writes the “Streetscapes” column for the New York Times, is looking for New York City’s worst buildings. We have been asking listeners to submit pictures of what they think are the worst buildings. He discusses what makes a building bad and unveils his choices for the worst buildings.
Slideshow: Listener Photo Submissions
Slideshow: Christopher's picks of worst buildings
View the winning submissions
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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
Recent Videos:
- Arthur Schwartz on The Southern Italian Table
- David Plouffe on The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama’s Historic Victory
- Ken Auletta on Googled: The End of the World as We Know It
- Paul Shaffer on We’ll Be Here for the Rest of Our Lives: A Swingin' Show-Biz Saga
- George Steel on the New York City Opera’s new season
- Gail Collins on When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of Women from 1960 to the Present
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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.
- Comments [33]
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.
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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.
- Comments [9]
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.
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