What matters to you.
0:00
0:00
NEXT UP:
 
Top
News_Curiosity_Desk_2026_square.jpg
Weekdays from 1 to 2 p.m.

Edgar B. Herwick III hosts GBH’s newest show, The Curiosity Desk, weekday afternoons from 1 to 2 p.m. Tune in for conversations, insights and profundities about the world we live in.

We want your input. Have something you’re curious about? Submit your questions via the form below, or email curiositydesk@wgbh.org for the chance to hear them answered on the show.

Watch The Curiosity Desk on the GBH News YouTube Channel or listen daily on GBH.org or 89.7 FM. To weigh in during the show, call or text at 877-301-8970.

EXPLORE MORE
Support for GBH is provided by:

Listen to previous shows

  • Year after year, Finland gets crowned the “happiest” country on the planet. But if we dig into the methodology of the survey, does the result hold up? We talk about the World Happiness Report with Jon Krosnik, a professor at Stanford and an expert in survey methodology. And, Bob Crawford plays bass in the Avvett Brothers, but he’s also a historian, podcaster & author of the new book America’s Founding Son: John Quincy Adams, from President to Political Maverick. He joins for our Monday America 250 coverage. Plus, when a specific situation begs to have one word that encapsulates it, like “the last bit of dessert you’re too polite to take” or “people who are more than acquaintances but less than friends.” We talk to Barbara Wallraff, writer of the Boston Globe column, May I Have A Word. ---------Have something you’re curious about? Leave us a voicemail anytime at 877-301-8970, or submit questions via the form on our landing page at GBHNews.org.Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content and exclusive videos.
  • On Comm Ave, a public phone is now a hotline to “Call a Boomer”, dialing direct to residents at a senior living facility in Reno, Nevada. Calla Kessler is part of the project that gives college students easy access to advice from elders, she explains how it works. And we talk to Matthew Kaplan, who works in Intergenerational Programs and Aging at Penn State, about the power of friendships between generations. Worcester was the scene of a key historical development of the world’s first modern rocket. GBH reporter Sam Turken takes us behind the scenes on his reporting of the story.And it's time again for "The Secret Ingredient"! Chefs Irene Li and Kelcey Rusch introduce us to the apple’s under-appreciated cousin, the quince. ---------Have something you’re curious about? Leave us a voicemail anytime at 877-301-8970, or submit questions via the form on our landing page at GBHNews.org.Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content and exclusive videos.
  • An official Scottish tartan memorializes thousands of women who were executed over accusations of witchcraft. Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venditozzi from the Witches of Scotland campaign explain why that history matters now.Visitors to Boston Common point it out time and again: our squirrels are noticeably chunksters. We ask Liza Meyer, president of Friends of the Public Garden, why that's the case.And Mark Philben returns for our monthly call-in segment “Ask The Remodeler.” Today, he tells us how to keep melting snow and spring rains from seeping into our homes. ---------Have something you’re curious about? Leave us a voicemail anytime at 877-301-8970, or submit questions via the form on our landing page at GBHNews.org.Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content and exclusive videos.
  • Chinese political dissidents use memes and creativity to evade censors and communicate about their activism. Disinformation expert Joan Donovan discusses how they pull it off.As we near the end of Ramadan and while Lent is ongoing, we talk to Boston University Muslim chaplain Sister Naureen Mallick and Rev. Jessica Chika, BU's Protestant chaplain, about the reasons many religions have a tradition of fasting. And a coffee taste-off in our studio! We learn the Scandinavian tradition of whisking eggs into hot coffee, plus sample Vietnamese iced coffee and read Edgar's fortune in the grounds of Turkish coffee. Guests are Pan Sapkasem from Phinsta Cafe, Karyn Tomlinson from Mireal Cafe, and Kristin Santangelo from Sofra Bakery. ---------Have something you’re curious about? Leave us a voicemail anytime at 877-301-8970, or submit questions via the form on our landing page at GBHNews.org.Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content and exclusive videos.
  • The U.S. health care system relies heavily on immigrants to provide essential patient care. MIT economist Jonathan Gruber dives into what happens to care and costs when we lose their immigrants from the health care workforce. The GBH Archives is a treasure trove of Boston history. Our colleagues Leah Weiss and Lauren Jefferson share some of the St. Patrick’s day gold from GBH of yesteryear. And GBH News’ Gal Tziperman-Lotan brings us Four Thing to Know in today’s news.---------Have something you’re curious about? Leave us a voicemail anytime at 877-301-8970, or submit questions via the form on our landing page at GBHNews.org.Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content and exclusive videos.