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‘Home of egg rolls, jazz and blues,’ Chan’s celebrates 120 years in Rhode Island
Music lovers put this Woonsocket music venue and restaurant on their bucket lists.
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November 28, 2025 - Kwame Alexander, Elizabeth Strout and Oliver de la Paz
Award winning writer and poet Kwame Alexander joins The Culture Show to talk about the PBS Kids debut of “Acoustic Rooster.” Based on Alexander’s beloved children’s book “Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band,” the “Acoustic Rooster” universe is now on PBS KIDS. To learn more, go here.From there the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Elizabeth Strout joins The Culture Show to talk about her latest book “Tell Me Everything.” Finally Oliver de la Paz, the poet laureate of Worcester and associate professor at The College of the Holy Cross joins The Culture Show to talk about his latest collection of poetry “The Diaspora Sonne -
November 26, 2025 - The AAPI Holiday Market, The Funny Uncle Cabaret, and public art in Providence
Boston’s AAPI Holiday Market returns on December 3, 5–8 PM. Organized by The Boston Foundation’s Asian Business Empowerment Council, the event highlights the creativity and entrepreneurship of the region’s AAPI community. Irene Li and Qingjian Shi join us for an overview. Qingjian Shi is Senior Director of the Asian Business Empowerment Council at The Boston Foundation, and Irene Li, a celebrated chef, restaurateur, and community leader, is the co-founder of Mei Mei, a restaurant-turned-dumpling-company based in Boston, and co-founder of Prepshift. To learn more about the AAPI Holiday Market go here. Peter DiMuro brings his long-running alt-holiday show, Funny Uncle Cabaret, back to The Dance Complex on December 13 & 14. A variation on The Nutcracker, it blends dance, drag, storytelling, and live music, drawing on DiMuro’s own “gay avuncularity” and stories of chosen family. Tickets and details here.Culture Show contributor Julia Swanson leads a tour through Providence’s community-driven public art scene. Swanson — a multidisciplinary artist and creator of The Art Walk Project — spotlights the works created by and for the local community. -
November 25, 2025 - Natan Last, "Life on the Other Planet" with Vincent Straggas, and S---faced Shakespeare
Crossword constructor and writer Natan Last joins us to explore his new book, “Across the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of the Crossword Puzzle.” He traces the evolution of crosswords from early newspaper amusements to today’s culturally expansive grids. Last is a writer and immigration policy advocate. He writes bimonthly crosswords for “The New Yorker.” You can catch him at Harvard Book Store on December 10; learn more here.Filmmaker Vincent Straggas takes us inside “Life on the Other Planet,” his new documentary about Boston’s music scene in the 1970s and ’80s. Through interviews and archival footage, he captures the clubs, bands, and renegade energy that shaped a generation. To learn more about the film and upcoming screenings go here.Finally, Sh!t-Faced Shakespeare returns to Somerville’s Rockwell for its 10th anniversary season with a drunken production of “Hamlet.” Actors Brett Milanowski and Noelle Scarlett join us to preview the show, which runs November 29 through February 14; to learn more go here. -
November 24, 2025 - Chef Pyet DeSpain, Merriam-Webster's new dictionary, and Devra First on the Michelin Guide in Boston
Chef Pyet DeSpain brings her Indigenous and Mexican heritage to the forefront as she talks about her debut cookbook, “Rooted in Fire: A Celebration of Native American and Mexican Cooking.” She shares how traditional ingredients and family stories shaped her cooking and her path from winning Next Level Chef to building a career rooted in culture and community.Then, for the first time in 22 years, Merriam-Webster has released a new Collegiate Dictionary, adding thousands of updated terms and usage examples. Editor-at-Large Peter Sokolowski joins us to explain what made it in, what was retired, and what this new edition says about how English has evolved.And Boston’s dining scene just earned a major spotlight as Greater Boston joins the prestigious Michelin Guide. Devra First breaks down what this recognition means for chefs, diners, and the city’s growing culinary identity. -
November 21, 2025 - Week in Review: The Michelin Guide in Boston, the Grand Egyptian Museum, and Thanksgiving
Edgar B. Herwick III, Callie Crossley and Culture Show contributor Lisa Simmons go over the latest headlines on our arts and culture week-in-review. Greater Boston has officially entered the world of fine-dining prestige. For the first time, the Michelin Guide included the region in its Northeast Cities edition — awarding a coveted star, several Bib Gourmands, and even a cocktails honor. It’s a milestone moment for the local dining scene and a boost to the city’s culinary profile.As Boston celebrates its Michelin debut, Hollywood is serving up overdue recognition of its own. Tom Cruise — one of the industry’s most enduring blockbuster stars — has finally received an honorary Oscar.And from Oscar gold to Klimt’s Venetian Golden Age; at Sotheby’s, Gustav Klimt’s 1910 portrait of Elisabeth Lederer sold for a staggering $236.4 million, setting a new auction record for modern art.Plus Pope Leo XIV has taken a tangible step toward reconciliation with Indigenous Canadian communities, as the Vatican Museums officially hand over dozens of artifacts collected by missionaries generations ago.Finally, we’re also getting into the holiday spirit with an all-things-Thanksgiving roundup, from the holiday traditions to the eternal Thanksgiving dinner debates.
