Episodes
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May 16, 2025 - Week in Review: The Michelin Guide in Boston, Pete Rose, and the Giacometti bust
Today Jared Bowen, Edgar B. Herwick III and Culture Show contributor Lisa Simmons – artistic and executive director of the Roxbury International Film Festival and program manager at Mass Cultural Council– go over the latest headlines on our arts and culture week in review.First up, the Michelin guide will officially debut in Boston. From there Waymo, the driverless car company, has plans to come to Boston. And from left field, Major League Baseball has reinstated Pete Rose and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, making them eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Finally, Tom Cruise at 62 is still doing his own stunts. Culture Show cohosts reflect on his career now that he’s completed the Mission Impossible franchise with the ultimate film “The Final Reckoning.” -
May 15, 2025 - Alison Bechdel, A Radical Welcome: Source Code, and Kayla Tabb, the BPL's new Chef-in-Residence
“New York Times” bestselling author Alison Bechdel joins The Culture Show to talk about her new comic novel “Spent.” Bechdel will be at The Brattle Theatre on May 22nd at an event sponsored by Harvard Book Store. Tickets to this event are sold out but there will be a stand-by line at the Brattle Theatre. To learn more go here.From there it’s a celebration of landmark women composers. Betsy Hinkle, a violinist and Founder of The Boston Public Quartet and Jason Amos, a violist in the Boston Public Quartet join The Culture Show to preview their concert “A Radical Welcome: Source Code.” The Boston Public quartet will perform works by five women composers from the late romantic period to the present. The concert is May 22nd at The Strand Theatre. Tickets are “pay what you want.” To learn more go here.Finally Kayla Tabb joins The Culture Show to talk about her new role as the Chef-in-Residence at the Boston Public Library. She runs the Nutrition Lab at their Roxbury branch, cultivating cooking programs and teaching nutritional literacy. To learn more go here.Kayla Tabb's book recommendations:On Food And Cooking: The Science And Lore Of The Kitchen - Harold McGeeThe Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science - J. Kenji Lopez-AltStart Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook - Sohla El-Waylly -
May 14, 2025 - Snowy owls at Logan Airport and Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition
Every year snowy owls fly from the Arctic to Boston's Logan Airport to find food. Norman Smith catches them and releases them far away to keep the owls and passengers safe. While he is the only owl catcher at Logan Airport, other airports are following his lead. Norman Smith is a raptor specialist who has worked at Mass Audubon for nearly 60 years and rescued more than 900 Snowy Owls since 1981. Photographer Raymond MacDonald has been collaborating with Smith for more than 15 years, chronicling his rescues. They join the Culture Show to talk about their shared possession for wildlife.From there Tomasina Ray, Director of Collections at RMS Titanic Inc., joins The Culture Show with an overview of “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition.” The exhibition brings us face to face with the dramatic maritime disaster. Visitors encounter artifacts from all manner of life aboard the Titanic, all recovered from the ocean floor. “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition,” is on view at The Castle at Park Plaza through June 1st. -
May 13, 2025 - David Leonard of the Boston Public Library and Jay Hajj of Mike's City Diner
David Leonard, President of the Boston Public Library, joins The Culture Show to talk about how public libraries are under siege, from book bans to funding cuts. He wrote about this, and the need to defend these institutions, in a recent piece for the Boston Globe. To keep abreast of all of the programming and resources the Boston Public Library has to offer go here.From there it’s politics and eggs. Mike's City Diner, the legendary South End breakfast and lunch hotspot is turning 30. It’s famous for big portions and for being the spot where bigwig politicians meet. It’s also a beloved Boston institution among neighborhood locals, cabbies, cops and employees at the nearby hospitals. Jay Hajj opened Mike’s in 1995. He joins us to talk about building a mainstay of the Boston dining scene. To learn about all things Mike’s City Diner and anniversary specials go here. -
May 12, 2025 - Ryan Miller and Brian Rosenworcel of Guster, "The Revenge of the Humanities," and Tracy K. Smith
Ryan Miller, co-lead singer of Guster and Guster’s drummer Brian Rosenworcel join The Culture Show to talk about their recent performances at The Kennedy Center, which Miller wrote about for The Atlantic. They also previewed two shows in the region; one in North Adams at MASS MoCA on July 26th and Guster’s On the Ocean music festival, August 8-August 10 in Portland, ME. To learn more go here.From there Kirk Carapezza joins The Culture Show to talk through a recent episode of College Uncovered, the podcast that he co-hosts with Jon Marcus. In “The Revenge of the Humanities,” they explore how some colleges are rebranding liberal arts as “applied humanities” or “leadership studies” to better connect with career paths and market demand. Kirk Carapezza is the Managing Editor and Correspondent for higher education at GBH News. College Uncovered is a collaboration between GBH News and The Hechinger Report.Finally, former US poet laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy K. Smith. She joined us the day after the election and she chose to share her poem titled “Declaration,” from her book “Wade in the Water.” -
May 9, 2025 - Pope Leo XIV, the Met Gala, and Hollywood tariffs
Today Culture Show co-hosts Callie Crossley, Jared Bowen and Edgar B. Herwick III go over the latest headlines on our arts and culture week-in-review.First up, Pope Leo XIV is the first American Pope. What are the cultural implications and did pop culture anticipate this moment? From there it’s a review of the MET Gala, which celebrated dandyism, Black excellence and menswear. Then it’s a look at President Trump’s plans to put a 100 percent tariff on foreign films. Finally, a production that will be filmed in the United States: “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island.” -
May 8, 2025 - Alex Alvear and Michael Feldman, and Mary Grant
Alex Alvear is an Ecuadorian composer, bassist, and vocalist who has three shows at Long Live Roxbury, which is a weekly music series bringing top-notch acts to the Long Live Beerworks taproom. The performances are free and the programming is the brainchild of Michael Feldman, the CEO of Feldman Geospatial. Alex Alvear and Michael Feldman join The Culture Show to talk about upcoming shows and how Long Live Roxbury is reviving Boston’s jazz scene. Alex Alvear and musicians Curi Cachimuel and Roberto Cachimuel also previewed tonight’s show with in-studio performances. To learn more about Alex Alvear’s shows and Long Live Roxbury and their other upcoming shows go here.From there Mary Grant, president of MassArt, joins The Culture Show to recap Creative Sector Advocacy week, to preview the MassArt Fashion Design Fashion Show and to reflect on what’s next for MassArt’s class of 2025 with graduation on the horizon. -
May 7, 2025 - James Parker, Fabiola Méndez, and Secret Boston: An Unusual Guide
James Parker joins The Culture Show to talk about his latest book “Get Me Through the Next Five Minutes: Odes to Being Alive.” He’s a staff writer at “The Atlantic.” Since 2011 he has been running the Black Seed Writers Group—a weekly writing workshop for homeless, transitional, and recently housed writers–and editing “The Pilgrim,” a literary magazine from the homeless community of downtown Boston.From there Fabiola Méndez, the celebrated Puerto Rican cuatrista and singer, joins The Culture Show for an in-studio performance. Finally Kiernan Schmitt joins The Culture Show to talk about his new book “Secret Boston: An Unusual Guide,” which takes us into the curious corners and around town. Kiernan Schmitt co-hosts the “Out of Office” travel podcast with Ryan Davis. -
May 6, 2025 - Keith Lockhart, Imari Paris Jeffries, and the Boston Art Review
Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart joins The Culture Show to reflect on his 30th anniversary with the Boston Pops. He also gives an overview of the Boston Pops spring season, which includes an opening night concert with Cynthia Erivo, JAWS in Concert, and the musician, composer, and singer-songwriter Cody Fry. To learn about all of their programming go here. From there, Imari Paris Jeffries, President and CEO of Embrace Boston, joins The Culture Show to reflect on Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter from a Birmingham jail and the lessons it offers for leading peaceful protests in 2025.Finally Jameson Johnson joins The Culture Show to talk about Boston Art Review. She is Founder and Executive Director of this organization, which is a magazine, an online platform and so much more. To learn about BAR, go here. -
May 5, 2025 - The Goddess of Liberty at the MFA, David Coffin, and Utopian Hotline
Nonie Gadsen, Katharine Lane Weems Senior Curator of American Decorative Arts and Sculpture at the Museum of Fine Arts, and the MFA’s Benjamin Weiss, the Leonard A. Lauder Senior Curator of Visual Culture, join The Culture Show for our recurring series, “American Revolution: Frame by Frame.” Each month the curators and experts from the MFA join the show to talk about works in their collection that offer insight into the American Revolution. This is an extension of Museums 250. Today Nonie Gadsen and Benjamin Weiss discuss the "Goddess of Liberty" weathervane. From there David Coffin, a musician, music-educator and a maritime specialist is also a guide for Boston Harbor City Cruises. He joins The Culture Show for an overview of their “Lighthouses and Tales of Boston Harbor,” cruises, which run through May 15th. To learn more go here. Finally, we get an overview of “Utopian Hotline,” a theatrical experience that asks the question: “How would you envision a more perfect future?“ It’s staged by Theater Mitu and here in Boston, it’s presented by ArtsEmerson and the Museum of Science. It plays through May 18th at the Museum of Science Charles Hayden Planetarium. Denis Butkus, Theater Mitu Company Producer and co-creator of “Utopian Hotline,” joins The Culture Show. To learn more go here.
