When authors and directors invite audiences into an imagined world, they know that food can’t be left off the table. And fans are feasting on a delicious genre: pop culture cookbooks. Recipes and imaginary narratives combine to bring cuisines from fictional universes to real life. A sprinkling of books from this genre have been around for decades. But in the past few years, demand from fandoms has grown, and publishers are all too willing to satiate their hunger. As part of our Summer Fun Series...
Jun 13, 2022•28 min
Ten years ago, we talked with fantasy food blogger Chelsea Monroe-Cassel about creating recipes inspired by the book and HBO series Game of Thrones. We’ll listen back to our original conversation and then reconnect to hear about how she’s turned her fantasy fandom into a full-time career. Guest: Chelsea Monroe-Cassel is the author of “A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Game of Thrones Companion Cookbook,” “World of Warcraft: The Official Cookbook,” “Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge: The Official Black...
Jun 13, 2022•30 min
It seems we're all ready for a full-on embrace of summer after two years of cautious living because of COVID-19. People are ready to enjoy all the wonders of the season: diving into the ocean, feeling sand under their toes at the beach, taking lazy naps in the hammock, and slowly swinging on the porch — not to mention long, uninterrupted hours of reading. Summer readers, grab your book bags! Three local librarians return with recommendations from 2022’s best books from historical fiction and you...
Jun 06, 2022•58 min
Roxbury artist Napoleon Jones-Henderson’s life’s work has been dedicated to ‘’the beauty of Black culture.” More than 50 years ago, he joined with members of the Chicago art collective AfriCOBRA, committed to using their art to empower Black communities. But it was during his decades-long career in Boston where Jones-Henderson flourished, creating his African inspired mixed media pieces. Now his colorful and expressive work is on display at Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art in a new exhibit...
May 29, 2022•24 min
We're kicking off the official start of summer savoring refreshing new food and wine trends. We’re talking flower syrups galore: think violets, roses and lilacs that add a floral twist to drinks. Plus, wine made smoky by California wildfires has been tough to sell. But winemakers are embracing inventive ways to ensure nothing goes to waste. At the same time, wine lovers are drinking less red wine, sipping more white and rosé. And have you heard? Foodies are time-traveling back to the ’80s. They ...
May 29, 2022•34 min
This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley: Boston-based pediatrician Mark Vonnegut has seen a lot during his 40 years practicing medicine. His latest book, “ The Heart of Caring: A Life in Pediatrics ,” is both a love letter to the profession and a critical look at the problems plaguing the healthcare industry. What’s the state of healthcare in America today, and how can it improve?...
May 16, 2022•25 min
This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley: The pandemic has accelerated the systemic problems elders face, like caregiver burnout, nursing home shutdowns and worsening isolation. Not to mention the ever-increasing price tag that comes with such care. But inspired by global models and local successes, innovative solutions are on the rise. During May, Older Americans Month , we're giving an up-close look at specific ways to improve the systems and culture that support and sustain elders. G...
May 16, 2022•32 min
This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley : Too Good To Go is an app that connects consumers with surplus food from local eateries that would otherwise be tossed, and sells it at a steeply discounted price. The app launched in Boston at the start of the pandemic, with a mission to reduce food waste and improve sustainability. GUESTS: Claire Oliverson, U.S. head of marketing for Too Good To Go. Ben Schafer, project manager of retail initiatives and operations at Peet’s Coffee ....
May 09, 2022•20 min
This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley: COVID-19 might make all the headlines, but another crisis is afoot: loneliness. Pandemic-times have only exacerbated chronic loneliness by creating a world of isolation and social distancing. Can ecovillages — a unique model fostering community and connection — be one answer? Ecovillage cohousing communities have been popular in Europe for decades, but interest here in the United States is ramping up. These communities are designed to integrate ...
May 09, 2022•38 min
This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley: Cape Cod townspeople are united in vocal opposition to a proposed new machine gun range. Plus, do Rhode Islanders care if political candidates are practically brand-new residents in The Ocean State? And a New Hampshire bill would throw away the ballots of voters who fail to provide IDs within 10 days of an election. These stories and more during our Regional News Roundtable. GUESTS: Arnie Arnesen is the host of The Attitude with Arnie Arnesen fr...
May 01, 2022•33 min
This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley : Cole Chen is the odd duck in a family at a loss to understand him. Friends don’t get him, either. The 23-year-old is searching for connection and success but lacks the tools to achieve either. Author Quincy Carroll’s “ Unwelcome " tells the story of the privileged Cole whose world view is shaped by his inability to grasp the reality of his life. GUEST: Quincy Carroll is the author of "Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside" and "Unwelc...
May 01, 2022•25 min
This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley: Many of the settlers who headed West in the 1840s ended up in the treeless prairie then known as the Nebraska Territory. They planted trees for shade protection, and to slow crop erosion. Their success inspired Nebraska Territory Secretary and self- proclaimed tree enthusiast J. Sterling Morton to propose a tree-planting holiday. One million trees were planted in April 1872 for America’s first Arbor Day. This year marks the 150th anniversary of ...
Apr 25, 2022•32 min
This week on Under the Radar: The new Huntington Theatre Company play “Our Daughters, Like Pillars” has all the signature touches of local playwright Kirsten Greenidge. It’s set in New England, it’s a story about a Black family where issues of race and gender are a part of the main characters’ reality and humor is a part of the storytelling. For “Our Daughters, Like Pillars” Greenidge also adds a twist, setting the compelling drama against the backdrop of the evolving COVID-19 crisis. Guests: Ki...
Apr 25, 2022•26 min
This week on Under the Radar : Lexington, Mass. — the “birthplace of American liberty” — did not guarantee liberty and justice for all. A new initiative by the Lexington Historical Society has uncovered more details about slavery’s presence in colonial Lexington. For the first time, the society will have materials that include the new research this Patriots’ Day. The goal is for visitors to understand that what many call the “cradle of liberty” was indeed home to enslaved Black people. Guests: C...
Apr 17, 2022•25 min
This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley : Earth Day is right around the corner. But we’re far from putting Mother Earth first, according to the latest U.N. climate change report. Plus, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has okayed 20 all-electric public school buses. Will a proposed new state Senate bill guarantee a whole fleet of electric MBTA buses? And environmentalists are getting pumped up over heat pumps! They're touted as a cleaner and more efficient way to heat and cool your home, and a ...
Apr 17, 2022•33 min
This week on Under the Radar: We’re marking this National Poetry Month by taking a look at our next generation of local poets . Who are the young writers and lyrical wordsmiths shaping the newest wave of poetry? And what about Massachusetts’ poetry scene, which is rapidly expanding across the state? GUESTS: Anjalequa Leynneyah Verona Birkett , Boston’s 2022 Youth Poet Laureate. Adael Francisco-Mejia , Worcester’s 2022 Youth Poet Laureate. Danielle Jones , poet, educator, and Mass Poetry’s progra...
Apr 10, 2022•31 min
This week on Under the Radar: It’s undeniable — poetry is having a moment. So we’re revisiting one of our favorite conversations about the craft from back in 2019. Many attribute the growing popularity to social media, poetry outreach efforts and visibility from superstars like Beyoncé, who read poems by Warsan Shire on her visual album "Lemonade." So what is it about the art of putting motion to measure that is striking a chord these days? To gain insight into the current landscape of poetry, a...
Apr 10, 2022•27 min
This week on Under The Radar : Nobody would have suspected that PopPop’s old, damaged fiddle would turn out to be a $10 million rare instrument. The coveted Stradivarius crafted by Italian masters ended up in America by way of the slave trade. That part of its history is intertwined with Rayquan Millian’s family to make the foundation of the story in “The Violin Conspiracy.” From the moment that violin is stolen from Ray, author Brendan Slocumb propels readers on a journey through classical musi...
Apr 04, 2022•23 min
This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley: The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world. Two million people are in the nation’s prisons and jails. According to The Sentencing Project, a research and advocacy center, that’s a 500% increase over the last 40 years at an annual cost of $80 billion. That reality has helped drive a movement for criminal justice reform which is now front and center in the national conversation. The cause has drawn together a motley group of...
Apr 04, 2022•35 min
This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley: Banksy, the British artist who has stayed out of public view since the 1990s, is arguably the most famous and lucrative street artist in the world. A selection of his work is now on display in Cambridge as part of a traveling exhibition called “The Art of Banksy.” Exhibitors independently sourced more than 100 pieces of Banksy's outdoor and indoor artwork to include. Banksy’s artistic activism, or “artivism,” and his global influence got us thin...
Mar 27, 2022•33 min
Toni Morrison — the first African American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature — was the author of 11 novels. Her first was “The Bluest Eye,” published in 1970. Morrison died at the age of 88 in 2019. Her works, which deeply describe and embody the Black experience, have always been met with critical and commercial success. But they’ve taken on a renewed significance during our country’s current look at systemic racism and police brutality. The legacy of Toni Morrison is celebrated by The...
Mar 21, 2022•24 min
Bad entrepreneurs abound on new streaming series like “The Dropout,” “WeCrashed” and “Super Pumped," feeding into our culture's fascination with doomed CEOs. Plus, our stir-crazy age seeks escapism in dark, twisted shows like the workplace thriller “Severance,” the high school drama “Euphoria,” and a slew of horror series. And Pixar’s animated “Turning Red” is led by Oscar winner Domee Shi, the first woman and first Asian woman filmmaker to direct a feature for the studio. Guests: Michael Jeffri...
Mar 21, 2022•34 min
This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley : Florida’s newly passed “Don’t Say Gay” law is part of the rise of anti-LGBTQ legislation across the country. Plus, Massachusetts was the first state to legally recognize same-sex marriage. But it’s now the only New England state that hasn’t updated a law to give clear legal protections for LGBTQ parents. And Catwoman returns to the big screen in “The Batman," portrayed as bisexual for the first time in film. It’s our LGBTQ News Roundtable! Gues...
Mar 13, 2022•31 min
This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley: Just 40 percent of transgender people are "out" to all of their healthcare providers, according to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey by the National Center for Transgender Equality. Many trans patients delay healthcare out of fear that their medical needs won't be met or respected. In Western Massachusetts, one rural clinic is providing healthcare that’s attracting people from all over New England. Transhealth Northampton wants to change primary ...
Mar 13, 2022•26 min
This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley: American lobsters could soon be “red-listed,” with consumers and restaurants banned from purchasing the crustacean. Plus, is the multi-billion-dollar sale of Rhode Island’s National Grid dead? And, New Hampshire’s House of Representatives will start to meet in person again this month, despite pleas from immunocompromised Democratic colleagues. These stories and more during our Regional News Roundtable. Guests: Arnie Arnesen , host of The Attitud...
Mar 07, 2022•33 min
This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley : Few would argue that the multibillion-dollar fitness industry is driven by millions of American women who regularly run, box, climb, swim, cycle or otherwise sweat their way to good health and strength. But most of us would be surprised to know that daily exercise for women was a major cultural shift in the 20th century. Or that it took the persistence of several pioneering women to make it happen. Author Danielle Friedman shares their stories ...
Mar 07, 2022•25 min
This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley : President Joe Biden flexes his foreign policy skills, imposing sanctions against Russia for invading Ukraine. Could this boost Biden’s popularity? Plus, a review of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s first 100 days in office. And pot dispensary owners are inviting Massachusetts gubernatorial candidates inside for an up-close look at the business. It's a full hour with the Mass Politics Profs ! Guests: Erin O’Brien is an associate professor of political...
Feb 27, 2022•58 min
This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley : You’ve probably heard about the recent federal report estimating up to a foot of sea level rise by 2050, creating dangerous coastal flooding. Too much doom and gloom? Well, there’s a cohort of young activists using social media to inspire climate action. Plus, green transportation gets a boost in Massachusetts, with three free bus lanes in Boston and millions of dollars funding electric vehicle charging stations around the state. Those stories ...
Feb 20, 2022•35 min
This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley : Grateful for COVID-19 vaccines? You should be thanking a creature that has nine eyes and blue blood. No, it’s not a monster — it’s a horseshoe crab. Their special blood has created a multimillion dollar industry in pharmaceuticals. And they’re to thank, in part, for the development of the COVID-19 vaccine. But these “living fossils” are now threatened by overharvesting. What happens if we lose horseshoe crabs as a valuable resource? Guest: Will...
Feb 20, 2022•23 min
This week on our Local News Roundtable of Under the Radar : Massachusetts is ending its school mask mandate after February vacation. Governor Baker's announcement comes after a growing number of Bay State cities have eased their restrictions and was met by anti-vax protestors. Plus, more protests over plans to close Tufts Children’s Hospital . And the City of Boston has expanded its protected bike lane network — but not everyone is happy. That and more on our Local News Roundtable. Guests: Sue O...
Feb 14, 2022•32 min
