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The 25-hour Moby Dick Marathon sails on in New Bedford
Every winter, thousands of fans descend on the New Bedford Whaling Museum to hear the novel out loud.
Listen to previous shows
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January 20, 2026 - Paul Salopek, Pete Wells, and WINTERACTIVE 2026
Paul Salopek has spent more than a decade walking the globe on foot as part of the “Out of Eden Walk,” retracing ancient human migration routes from East Africa toward Tierra del Fuego. A two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and National Geographic Explorer, Salopek joins us from Alaska, where he’s pausing for the winter before continuing his journey through the Americas. To read all of his reporting go here.After twelve years as chief restaurant critic for “The New York Times,” Pete Wells stepped away from the role following a health reckoning brought on by the demands of professional eating. He joins us to discuss “Reset Your Appetite,” his month-long series about developing healthier habits. A new article appears each Monday this month. You can read the current series here: January 5, January 12, and January 19.Michael Nichols, president of the Downtown Boston Alliance, joins us to talk about Winteractive, the free public art program transforming downtown Boston this winter. From giant staring eyes to surreal sea creatures, the walkable exhibition invites passersby to look up — and see the city differently. To learn more go here. -
January 19, 2026 - Tracy K.Smith, "The Battle for Boston," and Dorie McCullough Lawson
Tracy K. Smith, former U.S. Poet Laureate discusses her book “Fear Less: Poetry in Perilous Times” — an invitation to listen, reflect, and let poetry guide us through uncertainty. Don Gillis and Ray Flynn join The Culture Show to discuss Gillis’ new book “The Battle for Boston: How Mayor Ray Flynn and Community Organizers Fought Racism and Downtown Power Brokers.” On June 5th at 6:00 Don Gillis will be at a book event at the Roslindale Public Library. To learn more go here.Pulitzer Prize–winning historian David McCullough spent decades helping Americans see their past in human terms. A new collection, “History Matters”, gathers his essays and speeches on why history endures — edited by his daughter Dorie McCullough Lawson and longtime collaborator Mike Hill. She joins us ahead of her American Ancestors Headquarters event today at 5 p.m. To learn more go here. -
January 16, 2026 - Week in Review: Time Out Market, the National Portrait Gallery, and MTV Rewind
On this edition of The Culture Show, Culture Show co-hosts Jared Bowen, Callie Crossley and Edgar B. Herwick III go over the latest headlines on our arts and culture week-in-review.First up, inaugural poet Amanda Gorman, who wrote a new poem for Renée Good — a Minneapolis poet and mother killed by a federal ICE agent — refusing to let her be reduced to a headline. Gorman’s poem turns grief into public witness, calling out power and insisting on accountability.Then Boston’s food scene is losing two very different kinds of hangouts. Time Out Market in Fenway is closing January 23, while UNO is shrinking again in Massachusetts, with locations in Dedham, Braintree, and Revere shutting down.Plus we dig into the latest James Bond casting buzz — with Callum Turner’s name in the mix as a possible next 007. What makes a convincing Bond now, and why do these rumors catch fire so fast?And from superspy shake-ups to superhero succession: we talk about the speculation that Damson Idris could play the next T’Challa in Black Panther 3. What would that kind of recasting mean for the franchise — and for the character’s legacy?Finally, Jared, Callie and Edgar share their recommendations for arts and culture events to take in. Jared’s pick: Company One Theatre’s “The Great Privatin.” Callie is looking forward to exploring “WINTERACTIVE” and Edgar’s heading to Scullers for John Coltrane and Miles Davis centennial shows. -
January 15, 2026 - Congressman Jim Clyburn, Scottish Fish, and To Be Read Conference
In “The First Eight: A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation,” Jim Clyburn revisits the lives of eight Black congressmen from South Carolina who served during Reconstruction, testing the meaning of representation in the aftermath of slavery. Drawing on history and his own decades in Congress, Clyburn reflects on their legislative ambitions, the backlash they faced, and why their brief moment in power still shapes American democracy today.Boston-based Celtic quintet Scottish Fish joins The Culture Show with music rooted in tradition and sharpened by years of playing together. Ahead of this year’s Boston Celtic Music Festival, the group talks about their shared history, their approach to arranging fiddles and cello, and what it means to be named the Brian O’Donovan Legacy Artist at this year’s BCMF. This festival is January 15–18, 2026. To learn more go here.Whitney Scharer is the co-founder of To Be Read (TBR), a new writing and publishing conference launching Saturday, January 17, at Lesley University in Cambridge. Co-founded with writer Sonya Larson, TBR brings writers together with agents, editors, booksellers, and publishing professionals for conversations about craft, careers, and the forces reshaping the literary world. Scharer also discusses Publishing Matchmaker, a new system designed to rethink how writers and literary agents connect by reversing the traditional submission process. Learn more here. -
January 14, 2026 - Chef Karen Akunowicz, Ali Noorani of the Barr Foundation, and hostile architecture w/ Mahesh Daas
January 15, 2026 - Chef Karen Akunowicz, Ali Noorani of the Barr Foundation, and hostile architecture w/ Mahesh Daas
