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Under the Radar with Callie Crossley looks to alternative presses and community news for stories that are often overlooked by big media outlets. In our roundtable conversation, we aim to examine the small stories before they become the big headlines with contributors in Boston and New England. 

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Episodes

  • She studies how the environment impacts the way organisms evolve or resist evolving. Dr. Martha Muñoz is an evolutionary biologist whose work demonstrates that some animals ignore the pressures to evolve, even in a changing environment that would seem to demand it. The Yale professor is one of the three New England 2024 MacArthur “Genius” Fellows and the first installment of our annual series, “The Genius Next Door.”
  • Archaeologists trace the earliest clay containers to the Stone Age when people used crude stone tools to make clay pots for cooking and storage. Today’s potters use special types of clay and sophisticated techniques to produce fine craft ceramics. Once crafted mostly by artists, pottery is now one of the hottest hobbies in the country. Ceramics classes are full to bursting, some kilns are running 24 hours a day and the British show, “The Great Pottery Throwdown” has millions of rabid fans. What kicked off this ceramics craze that shows no signs of slowing down?
  • For millions of Americans, the holiday season includes a tradition that starts after Christmas – Kwanzaa, the week-long celebration of African-American culture and history. Author and culinary historian Dr. Jessica B. Harris traces the history of Kwanzaa, its community rituals and the foods of the diaspora in her book, “A Kwanzaa Keepsake and Cookbook: Celebrating the Holiday with Family, Community, and Tradition.” It’s our December selection for Bookmarked: The “Under the Radar” Book Club.
  • James Baldwin was the writer of some of the most acclaimed books in America’s literary history, an essayist whose nonfiction works masterfully reflected his work toward human rights and equality, and a Black political activist who went toe-to-toe with the white conservative intellectual William F. Buckley in a televised debate about race relations and who urged the civil rights movement to go even further in its mission. James Baldwin is an American icon, and “Under the Radar” joins this year’s worldwide celebration of what would have been Baldwin’s 100th birthday.
  • When it comes to leftovers, these days, any plastic – or glass – container will do. But for decades, that plastic storage container was Tupperware, created by Earl Tupper right here in Massachusetts. Though the Tupperware brand declared bankruptcy earlier this year, the name and the items have been ingrained in American cultural history. We speak with filmmaker Laurie Kahn about the story of Tupperware and its journey from home-party novelty to cultural phenomenon.
  • Residents of Fields Corner are upset about the opening of a chain restaurant. Can local businesses survive the arrival of a popular nation-wide pizza chain? Debt is declared as the MBTA’s most toxic problem, and it dates back to the early 1900s! Will riders ultimately be the ones paying to get the T out of the hole? And is it predatory lending or helping families stay in their homes? The latest in the Bluehub Capital saga. It’s our local news roundtable!
  • The holiday countdown is underway, and with it comes much anticipation of making the perfect turkey, whipping up the right sides and finding a great culinary gift. Our food and wine experts are here to tell us more about the latest food trends, what to sip during Thanksgiving dinner and how Advent calendars are appealing to the young – and the young at heart.
  • In this year’s general election the Sleeping Giant – Latino voters – awakened. Latino men were part of the coalition that catapulted President-Elect Donald Trump to a sweeping victory. Candidate Donald Trump promised mass deportation of America’s estimated 11 million undocumented residents; will it come to fruition? And in Arizona, where 33 percent of the population is Latino, Democrat Ruben Gallego beat out Trump-backed candidate Kari Lake becoming Arizona’s first Latino US Senator. It’s our Latinx news roundtable!
  • Barbara Walters is known for breaking barriers in the world of journalism, but who was she behind the cameras? Susan Page, the Washington D.C. bureau chief for USA today who’s also a best-selling author, aims to answer that question in her latest book, “The Rule Breaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters” – our November pick for Bookmarked: the Under the Radar book club.
  • Food insecurity is a year-round problem, but as the holidays approach, what is often an invisible problem gets more public attention. Nearly 2 million Massachusetts residents are food insecure, meaning they don't have enough to eat or don't know where their next meal will come from. We speak with three members of Make Hunger History, a coalition of organizations, anti-hunger advocates and policymakers, to hear more about the state of hunger in Massachusetts.