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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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March 5, 2026 - Boston Pops' Keith Lockhart, To Kill a Mockingbird at Umbrella Arts Center, and Julia Swanson
Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart is being honored with the Third Lantern Award at Old North Church, recognizing his role in using music to connect civic life and shared memory. As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, he joins The Culture Show to reflect on the power of orchestral music at historic moments. Keith Lockhart will accept the award on April 16th at Old North Church. To learn more about the ceremony go here. Director Scott Edmiston brings “To Kill a Mockingbird” to life at The Umbrella Arts Center in Concord, revisiting a courtroom drama that continues to confront audiences with questions of justice and courage. He joins The Culture Show to discuss why this American classic still resonates. “To Kill a Mockingbird” is onstage through March 22. To learn more go here.Julia Swanson of the Art Walk Project compares WINTERACTIVE and the Boston Public Art Triennial, and explains how placement, context, and play can transform a city block. To learn more about the Art Walk Project, go here. -
March 4, 2026 - Namwali Serpell's "On Morrison," Mary Grant, and the Fitchburg Art Museum at 100
Toni Morrison transformed American literature, reshaping narrative form and placing Black life at the center of her fiction with language both lyrical and unflinching. In her new book “On Morrison,” award-winning novelist and critic Namwali Serpell reexamines Morrison not just as a cultural icon, but as a daring literary architect whose innovations in time, voice, and structure changed what novels can do. Serpell joins The Culture Show to discuss her book and to the radical craft behind Morrison’s enduring work.Mary Grant, president of MassArt, returns for our recurring feature “AI: Actual Intelligence,” where we spotlight original thinking from leaders across our region. Grant joins The Culture Show to share her latest observations on art, education, and the evolving role of creative institutions today.The Fitchburg Art Museum turns 100 this year, celebrating the vision of painter Eleanor Norcross, who believed a mill town deserved world-class art. Director Nick Capasso joins The Culture Show to discuss the museum’s century of growth, its bilingual community focus, and plans for four years of centennial events and free admission. To learn more go here. -
March 3, 2026 - Astronaut Cady Coleman, BSO x NEC Alliance, and Battlemode's Boston Bitdown
Astronaut Cady Coleman spent nearly six months aboard the International Space Station, contributing to scientific research while orbiting Earth more than 2,500 times. A chemist, Air Force officer, and NASA veteran, she helped expand the role of women in spaceflight during a pivotal era of exploration. In her book Sharing Space, she reflects on what life in orbit taught her about curiosity, collaboration, and making room for others to follow. Tomorrow night you can catch her for an author talk at the BPL’s Central Library in Copley Square at 6:00.For generations, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the New England Conservatory have shaped classical music — with BSO musicians teaching at NEC and NEC-trained artists stepping onto Symphony Hall stages. Now, a new BSO x NEC alliance formalizes that relationship, strengthening opportunities for mentorship, training, and performance. Chad Smith, President and CEO of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Andrea Kalyn, President of the New England Conservatory, join us to discuss what this means for the future of music in Boston.The Boston electronic group Battlemode uses Game Boys to create chiptune, a genre built from the 8-bit sounds of early video games. They’re also behind Boston Bitdown, a multi-day festival featuring more than 50 performers from across the country, running March 5 through 8 at venues across Greater Boston. Battlemode joins us to demonstrate how a handheld gaming device becomes a tool for live music. To learn more about Boston Bitdown go here. -
March 2, 2026 - Susan Wilson on Susan Dimock M.D., Creative Sector Day, and "Resistance" at the New Bedford Art Museum
In the late 1860s, Susan Dimock defied barriers that kept women out of medicine, earning her degree in Zurich after being rejected by Harvard Medical School and returning to Boston as a pioneering surgeon. Before her life was cut short in a shipwreck at 28, she helped reshape medical care for women and founded one of the nation’s first professional nursing training programs. Historian Susan Wilson joins us to discuss her biography, “Women and Children First: The Trailblazing Life of Susan Dimock, M.D.” You can catch Susan Wilson for an author talk at the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library on Thursday March 12, and on March 26th she’ll be at the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre. Creative Sector Day brings artists directly into the Massachusetts State House, transforming the seat of government into a live showcase of music, dance, poetry, and visual art. The event comes as federal cultural funding cuts have withdrawn nearly $2.8 million from Massachusetts organizations, putting hundreds of creative jobs at risk. MASSCreative Executive Director Emily Ruddock joins us to discuss what’s at stake for the Commonwealth’s arts community. Creative Sector Day is tomorrow, 10:00 AM-3:00 PM at the State House, learn more here.An upcoming exhibition at the New Bedford Art Museum, “Resistance: Cultural and Political Narratives in Mexican Art” brings together artists responding to censorship, political pressure, migration, and cultural survival. Through sculpture, printmaking, and installation, their work reflects the realities shaping contemporary life in Mexico. Executive Director and Chief Curator Suzanne de Vegh and exhibiting artist Adela Goldbard join us to preview the exhibition, on view March 11 through May 31. To learn more go here. -
February 27, 2026 - Dennis Lehane, Joy Behar and Hank Phillippi Ryan
Dennis Lehane, known for writing literary crime novels such as “Mystic River,” “Gone, Baby, Gone,” and “Shutter Island,” joins The Culture Show to talk about his latest collaboration with Apple TV+, the crime series “Smoke.” Created by Dennis Lehane, the nine-episode drama – inspired by true events – follows an arson investigator who teams up with a police detective to stop two serial arsonists. Lehane also serves as writer and executive producer. From there it’s “My First Ex-Husband,” an adaptation of true stories by Joy Behar, writer, comedienne and co-host of The View. The play explores the messy, hilarious truths of love, sex, and relationships. Joy Behar joins The Culture Show to talk about creating this work.Finally, bestselling author Hank Phillippi Ryan joins The Culture Show to talk about her latest thriller, “All This Could Be Yours,” The book centers on debut sensation Tessa Calloway. She’s on a whirlwind book tour for her instant bestseller, But there's a chilling problem—she soon discovers she is being stalked by someone who's obsessed not only with sabotaging her career, but also with destroying her perfect family back home.
