In the new book “Access Inside the Abortion Underground and the Sixty-Year Battle for Reproductive Freedom” award-winning author Rebecca Grant charts the reproductive freedom movement from the days before Roe through the seismic impact Dobbs.
Jul 25, 2025•28 min
The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are public policy and communications expert Theresa Bourgeois; Former EPA Regional Administrator, Visiting Professor at Bennington College, and President of Beyond Plastics Judith Enck; writer, analyst, retired President of Siena College, and former New York Congressman Chris Gibson; and Investment Banker on Wall St. Mark Wittman.
Jul 25, 2025•1 hr 37 min
The new book “Suspended by No String,” by Peter Himmelman, is a collection of essays, personal narratives, and poetical reflections for readers of all spiritual stripes, those who are devout and those who are unsure of what to believe, and those who may not be religious in a traditional sense.
Jul 25, 2025•12 min
This weekend marks the closing performances for this year's Powerhouse Season at Vassar College - with international artist Drita Kabashi in a solo performance of A Trojan Woman by Sara Farrington and directed by Meghan Finn.
Jul 24, 2025•12 min
The Woodstock Film Festival will present a special Book Banning and Freedom of Expression event featuring a screening of The Librarians, a powerful new film by acclaimed director Kim A. Snyder, followed by a post-screening conversation with the filmmaker at Upstate Films Orpheum Theatre on August 8th in Saugerties.
Jul 24, 2025•20 min
The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Joseph Palamountain Jr. Chair in Government at Skidmore College Beau Breslin, Vice President for Editorial Development at the New York Press Association Judy Patrick, and Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute Robert Pondiscio.
Jul 24, 2025•1 hr 20 min
This week marks the 100th anniversary of the conclusion of The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes.In "Keeping the Faith: God, Democracy, and the Trial That Riveted a Nation," acclaimed historian Brenda Wineapple revisits the Scopes “Monkey” Trial of 1925 - not just as a courtroom clash over evolution, but as a defining moment in the struggle between religious belief, scientific inquiry, and democratic ideals in America.
Jul 23, 2025•21 min
This year’s theme for the 94th Anniversary Library Fair is “Which Way the Wind Blows” this Saturday, July 26, 2025, from 10am to 5pm.
Jul 23, 2025•7 min
The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Dean of the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity at the University at Albany Robert Griffin, Professional speaker, speaking coach and Albany County legislator Mark Grimm, and Associate Professor in the department of sociology at Vassar College and her research is on health, wellness, and medical knowledge Catherine Tan.
Jul 23, 2025•1 hr 30 min
New York Rep. Pat Ryan, a Democrat from the 18th district, speaks with WAMC's Ian Pickus on the "Congressional Corner" July 22, 2025.
Jul 22, 2025•29 min
This week's Book Picks comes from Tara Ludwin from Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga Springs, NY and Manchester Center, VT and we also welcome Kira Wizner from Merritt Bookstore in Millbrook, NY.
Jul 22, 2025•25 min
"There Are NO Black Shakers" is a contemporary folk opera re-interpreting traditional Shaker hymns to tell the very true story of Prime Lane, a free Black man who joined the Shaker Society in Albany in 1802. It is a debut opera written and directed by Jean-Marc Superville Sovak with Musical Direction by Gwen Laster and will be performed at The Yard in Beacon, NY on Thursday, July 24 at 7 p. m.
Jul 22, 2025•17 min
Megan Marshall, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for biography, has long been revered for her narrative skills and deep insights into historical figures. In her new book “After Lives: On Biography and the Mysteries of the Human Heart” she takes those skills to her own art and life.
Jul 22, 2025•15 min
The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are The Empire Report’s JP Miller, Albany Law School Professor Sarah Rogerson, Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan, and Former Times-Union Associate Editor Mike Spain.
Jul 22, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Content warning: this conversation deals with sexual assault and rape.E. Jean Carroll’s “Not My Type: One Woman vs. a President” is an unfiltered memoir chronicling her two high-stakes civil trials against Donald Trump, first for sexual abuse in 2023 and then defamation in 2024, culminating in over $100 million awarded against him.Carroll shares everything from trial strategy and wardrobe choices to psychiatric evaluations and courtroom drama. She riffs on Trump’s infamous “she’s not my type” li...
Jul 21, 2025•43 min
The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Professor of History and International Relations at Vassar College Robert Brigham, Senior Fellow, Bard Center for Civic Engagement Jim Ketterer, and Political Consultant and lobbyist Libby Post.
Jul 21, 2025•1 hr 21 min
Each weekday morning, The Roundtable's Joe Donahue is joined by various experts, journalists, educators, and commentators to discuss current events. On Roundtable Panel: The Week in Review, we feature your favorite panelists discussing news items from the previous week.
Jul 19, 2025•1 hr
WAMC's CEO Sarah Gilbert, "Roundtable" producer Sarah LaDuke, "Roundtable" host Joe Donahue and News Director Ian Pickus welcome special guests for the the first half of special coverage after the rescission package was approved by Congress.
Jul 18, 2025•1 hr
WAMC's CEO Sarah Gilbert, "Roundtable" producer Sarah LaDuke, "Roundtable" host Joe Donahue and News Director Ian Pickus welcome special guests for the the second half of special coverage after the rescission package was approved by Congress.
Jul 18, 2025•1 hr 13 min
The new book “American Oasis: Finding the Future in the Cities of the Southwest,” author Kyle Paoletta, takes readers on a journey through the rapidly evolving landscapes of the American Southwest.
Jul 17, 2025•24 min
Author Meryl Gordon’s new biography “The Woman Who Knew Everyone: The Power of Perle Mesta, Washington’s Most Famous Hostess” delves into the life of Perle Mesta, a prominent socialite, political hostess, activist, and U.S. envoy to Luxembourg.
Jul 17, 2025•17 min
The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Chief of Staff and Vice President for Strategy and Policy at Bard College Malia DuMont, Professor Emeritus and former Associate Vice President for Academic Technology Services at Kent State University Rosemary DuMont, Publisher Emeritus of The Daily Freeman Ira Fusfeld, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Vassar Catherine Tan.
Jul 17, 2025•1 hr 20 min
New York Times reporter Matt Richtel received the Pulitzer Prize for a series of articles about distracted driving that he expanded into his first nonfiction book “A Deadly Wandering.” His latest book is “How We Grow Up.”Matt Richtel spent nearly two years reporting a nine part New York Times award winning series on the post pandemic adolescent health crisis called the “Inner Pandemic.” The project left Richtel with more questions than answers. He has responded with a deeply reported new science...
Jul 16, 2025•29 min
Clémence Michallon returns with “Our Last Resort” a twisty tale of childhood cult survival wrapped around a psychological “who done it” set against the backdrop of a luxury resort in the state of Utah. Clémence Michallon will be at a Northshire Bookstore event being held at the Saratoga Springs Library tomorrow night, July 17th, at 6 p.m.
Jul 16, 2025•19 min
The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Stuart Rice Honorary Chair at the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS) and Faculty Associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University Fran Berman, Diplomat in residence at Bard College Ambassador Frederic Hof, Executive Director of Communities for Local Power and former White House Advance Lead Anna Markowitz,...
Jul 16, 2025•1 hr 17 min
This week's Book Picks come from Amy Zimmerman from Chatham Bookstore in Chatham, NY.
Jul 15, 2025•17 min
Dr. Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer Purcell are good friends of the station and have been on several times to talk about their business Beekman 1802. They launched the business in one of New York’s poorest counties with no funding and in the middle of a punishing recession. They didn’t have much of a business plan, but they did have some timeless wisdom that Brent’s and Josh’s parents and grandparents taught them. The "greatest of all time" principles for good living that can also be used as a found...
Jul 15, 2025•19 min
The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Professor of Political Science at Hartwick College in Oneonta, who studies gender in politics, women political candidates, women voters and women in elected office Laurel Elder, Senior Fellow for Health Policy at The Empire Center for Public Policy Bill Hammond, Tetherless World Professor of Computer, Web and Cognitive Sciences at RPI Jim Hendler, and Former Associate Editor for the Times-Union ...
Jul 15, 2025•1 hr 20 min
WAMC's Ian Pickus speaks with Mass. Rep. Richard Neal, a Democrat from the 1st district, July 14, 2025.
Jul 14, 2025•27 min
Penn Jillette of the legendary magic duo Penn & Teller has just written a new novel, "Felony Juggler: A Crime Novel" in which a street performer finds himself enmeshed in a crime and must outwit his fellow conspirators in his greatest juggling act yet.
Jul 14, 2025•25 min