The national COVID-19 public health emergency is coming to an end on May 11, and it’s taking with it access to free COVID tests and vaccines. The emergency has been in place since January 2020 and has been renewed several times over the last three years. Its end is not only symbolic; it also might mean a drastically different level of care for COVID patients within hospitals. "I wouldn't say we are in a post-pandemic phase. We are in a much better phase than we were before, but for me the death ...
May 07, 2023•33 min
While April may be the cruelest month , it’s an exciting time for poetry. From Jamaica Plain to Cambridge, the Boston area is flush with open mics and poetry slams — and over the last few years, it seems like poetry has been winning the hearts and minds of young and old alike. A study found the amount of young people reading poetry almost doubled from 2012-2017, traffic to sites such as Poets.org surged 25% during the beginning of the pandemic, and hundreds of new independent bookstores have ope...
Apr 30, 2023•28 min
Language is perhaps our most powerful tool. It has been improved, imposed and modified widely over time. From James Baldwin, to the first settlers in the Plymouth Colony, to beat poets, to hip-hop artists, American English in all its forms has become a global, and imperial language. "Words are never static, they go through changes, and in fact, change is the essential element for any language to thrive," said Ilan Stavans, professor of humanities and Latin American and Latino culture at Amherst ...
Apr 30, 2023•30 min
As a young girl, Brookline musician Grace Kelly dreamed of being Hollywood actress turned princess of the same name, Grace Kelly . The saxophonist told Under the Radar how movies have long inspired her musically: "Movies have always taken me into this other reality, and I think music is similar in that when you see amazing musicians on stage, working together, creating this amazing moment that gives that emotional release, like 'oh, this is just beautiful,' and I feel that way when I'm making mu...
Apr 23, 2023•24 min
417 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced in several state legislatures this year alone, according to data published by the ACLU . That is a record amount, and more than twice the amount of anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced last year. And private companies have become entangled in culture wars, including Bud Light as a transgender TikTok influencer and activist was featured in a social media ad promoting the beer. Plus, some activists continue to take to the streets. One LGBTQ+ group in New Hampshire, Ra...
Apr 23, 2023•34 min
When Massachusetts legalized marijuana back in 2016, the new law included a mandate enforcing the industry to offer opportunities to communities disproportionately affected by the war on drugs and consistent over-policing for cannabis. In doing this, Massachusetts became the first state to write social equity for the marijuana industry into law. The state also created the Cannabis Control Commission to help those who were eligible to open a dispensary. There were two programs new dispensary owne...
Apr 16, 2023•24 min
Ten years ago, tragedy struck Boston. On April 15, 2013, two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three and wounding more than 200. It will forever be remembered as a dark day for the city. But the day will also be remembered for the heroic actions that saved victims. "As Captain Bob 'Sarge' Haley said, 'Everybody ran the right way that day.' Meaning everybody ran towards where people needed help, where the bombs went off," Rich Serino, former chief of Boston EMS, ...
Apr 16, 2023•34 min
Boston has often been ranked as having a notoriously poor nightlife. Most clubs have a two a.m. curfew and the trains stop running just after midnight. It's even hard to find a bar that closes after one a.m. despite the city being known as a bar-town. Boston was ranked as the thirteenth best city to travel to by several travel blogs and review websites. That's not a terrible rating, but we are nowhere near other cities, like New York City or Miami. What kind of toll does this take on the tourism...
Apr 09, 2023•25 min
Jazz, one of America’s great art forms, has a decorated history in Boston. Charlie Parker performed here in the early '50s. Clubs from the Hi-Hat to Savoy Café lined the streets. And Miles Davis resuscitated his career here in 1981, playing a string of sold-out shows. Sue Auclair helped coordinate Davis' return. She described the moment she broke the news to Eric Jackson, who spearheaded decades of radio programming at GBH: "I said, 'You're not gonna believe this but Miles is coming to Boston.' ...
Apr 09, 2023•33 min
The legacy of the Vietnam War is on their faces. The children of the American GI’s stationed in Vietnam during the war and the local women who bore them – left behind and overwhelmingly rejected. Author Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai braids together the stories of a young mother hoping for a life in America, an adult son searching for the father he never knew, and an American Vietnam war veteran looking for redemption. “Dust Child” is at once empathetic, devastating, and upbeat burnished with Quế Mai's stu...
Apr 02, 2023•26 min
50 years ago, direct U.S. involvement in the Vietnam war officially ended as the last remaining combat troops and prisoners of war (POWs) returned to American soil. It was a complex moment for the country as the war was deeply unpopular and ended in defeat. More than 58,000 Americans died in the war, and three million Vietnamese . Fredrik Logevall told Under the Radar that Americans were ready for the war to be over: "I think they felt on some level, many of them, conflicted. They wanted these d...
Apr 02, 2023•32 min
Necco, aka the New England Confectionery Company, was the oldest candy company in the United States at the time of its closure in 2018. Based here in Revere, Massachusetts, the company played a historic role in the world of American candy. Necco manufactured national favorites like Clark Bars, Candy Buttons, Sky Bars and Sweethearts. But their bestseller was without a doubt the Necco wafers, dating back to 1847. Interestingly, Necco marketed its wafers in a number of ways. Darlene Lacey, an auth...
Mar 26, 2023•26 min
In a surprise announcement, U.S. Rep. David Cicilline said he is stepping away from politics. Cicilline has represented Rhode Island in Congress for over a decade. During his time in office, he took on Big Tech and served as the House impeachment manager for former President Donald Trump's second impeachment trial. He is also openly gay and an advocate for LGBTQ rights . So with all that apparent success, why is Cicilline resigning? "There were a couple factors. One, he was offered a job as CEO ...
Mar 26, 2023•32 min
Michelle Miller makes her living telling other people’s stories. But now author Michelle Miller has written her own story, a poignant and captivating heartbreaking chronicle of her quest to find and connect with her mother. “ Belonging: A Daughter’s Search for Identity Through Loss and Love ” is her first book and our March selection for “Bookmarked: The Under the Radar Book Club.” GUEST Michelle Miller , co-host of CBS Saturday Mornings, national Correspondent for CBS News and author of “Belong...
Mar 19, 2023•28 min
For better or worse, the 2024 presidential election season has begun. Candidates from former President Trump to former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley are already making their case in early voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire. And while long-standing tradition has held the Granite State as the first presidential election primary in the nation, Democrats are pushing to get South Carolina in that coveted spot – much to New Hampshire’s dismay . We also analyze a new local TV series that considers...
Mar 19, 2023•30 min
It's been five years since "Crazy Rich Asians" featuring an all-Asian cast broke global box office records. Its debut kicked off the so-called "Asian August" in 2018, with the release of films like Netflix’s "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" highlighting the work of Asian American and Asian artists, and with that a promise of more opportunities. Now, the movie "Everything, Everywhere, All At Once" is breaking records, and thrusting veteran and new Asian actors into a rarified spotlight. Is thi...
Mar 12, 2023•26 min
Almost a year after actor Will Smith jumped onto the stage of the Academy Awards to slap Chris Rock, Rock exacts revenge with a new comedy special . And in the notoriously competitive movie industry, the independent film studio A24 has skyrocketed to success with a multibillion-dollar valuation — and 18 Oscar nominations this year. Plus, did the movement “ #OscarsSoWhite ” lead to this year’s record number of Oscar-nominated Asian and Asian American performers? It’s our Pop Culture Roundtable. G...
Mar 12, 2023•32 min
Even before the pandemic ravaged the country, some Americans struggled to keep their families fed. But a boost from pandemic emergency funding helped make access to food possible for many. Now, as those additional benefits have ended , demand at food banks is expected to balloon. And as some people go to food banks for the first time, the need for culturally diverse foods, ingredients and recipes is stronger than ever. GUESTS Kannan Thiruvengadam , director at Eastie Farm, an East Boston farm an...
Mar 05, 2023•22 min
Remember how we used to complain — there’s nothing to watch on TV? Nowadays, there might be too much to watch. From Abbott Elementary to The Last of Us , new shows seem to be cropping up by the day as streaming services boast tens of millions of subscribers. But with the rise of streaming services comes the fall of cable — a recent report reveals fewer than half of American adults now have a cable subscription. How does this impact not just traditional TV watching, but how consumers enjoy the en...
Mar 05, 2023•36 min
This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossle y: Superman, Wonder Woman, Black Panther — that's probably what most of us picture when we think about comic books. But a local cartoonist argues that comics are much more than just superheroes or Sunday paper comic strips. In his exhibit, “ Comics Is A Medium, Not A Genre ,” Joel Christian Gill includes almost 200 works, ranging from Charles M. Schulz’s first Peanuts comic in 1950, to Black cartoonists who have used their drawings to tell stories...
Feb 26, 2023•23 min
From the 18th century philosopher, Thomas Paine, to 2020 Presidential candidate, Andrew Yang, the concept of guaranteed income — providing people in need with cash to meet basic needs, essentially — has been floating around for centuries. Critics say no strings attached cash payments are not a long-term solution to uplift the economically fragile. But advocates point to successful pilot programs, including some in Greater Boston, are inspiring widespread support across the nation. We sit down wi...
Feb 26, 2023•35 min
This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley: You may have already sampled sake, perhaps the best-known Japanese alcoholic beverage. But the popularity of Japanese whisky may soon rival Japan's most familiar drink. And, many James Beard Award nominees are restaurants and chefs in Massachusetts featuring Asian cuisine. Plus, from Back Bay to Watertown, local Black-owned restaurants are drawing new attention. Join our food and wine contributors as we sip and savor those stories and more. GUES...
Feb 19, 2023•24 min
This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley: East Boston resident Reina Carolina Morales Rojas has been missing for months . Community advocates claim police were too slow to act in the search. Plus, a conservative media startup is hoping to become “ Fox News in Spanish ” by hiring a swath of Latinx journalists and ramping up a $20 million marketing campaign. And despite ongoing tension about laws governing immigration, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham joined Democrat Dick Durbin to reintrod...
Feb 19, 2023•34 min
This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley: Chances are, if you're an art fan and a museum-goer, you’ve seen Western artwork featuring Black people. Their likenesses are tucked in the corners of the canvasses but also boldly staring out from the frames of portraits. Author Zaria Ware has unearthed the life and histories of the men and women who served as models for much of this work, as well as the Black artists who rose to the top of their profession in the early part of the 20th century...
Feb 12, 2023•27 min
This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley: Governor Maura Healey wants Massachusetts to “ lead the world ” in its fight against climate change, and she has staked her claim by naming the first-in-the-nation cabinet-level climate chief to her Cabinet. But some advocates want more direct action. And, a new study documents a dramatic 50 year rise of warmer climates during our region's winters. With less snow and fewer frozen ponds — is New England’s very identity melting away? Plus, there's...
Feb 12, 2023•31 min
This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley: Even if you don't know his name, you have probably heard his music. Bad Bunny is a Puerto Rican superstar who has topped Billboard charts for years. For three years in a row he has been Spotify's most streamed artist in the world. While he has won Grammys before, his global appeal hasn’t translated to wins in the Recording Academy's biggest categories. No Spanish-language album had ever been nominated for the the Grammys’ Album of the Year — unt...
Feb 05, 2023•26 min
This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley: From heart disease to diabetes, chronic illness is the leading cause of death in the United States, and chronic disease is a major reason why the nation spends more than $4 trillion on health care every year. But a growing movement believes reexamining our relationship with food is key to both improving our health and saving money. Food is medicine, they argue, and access to high quality food is essential to a longer, healthier life. We speak wi...
Feb 05, 2023•32 min
This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley: In 1949, a small organization formed in Boston. Ten fatherless boys were paired with adult volunteers to help them navigate their lives. More than 70 years later, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts serves young boys and girls and connects more than 3,600 children with mentors each year. We discuss the importance of strong social webs, how the pandemic frayed them and the power of mentoring with the leader of Big Brothers Big Siste...
Jan 30, 2023•25 min
This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley: A federal judge in Springfield rules in favor of protecting students’ gender identities at Ludlow Public Schools. Plus, legislators from Tennessee to Idaho are considering bans on drag shows. And while Pope Francis has expressed support for the LGBTQ community in the past, in perhaps his strongest statement yet, he says homosexuality is not a crime . Those stories and more on our LGBTQ News Roundtable. GUESTS Sue O’Connell , commentator and host...
Jan 29, 2023•33 min
This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley: For more than 10 years, author Joshua Prager immersed himself in the story of the woman at the center of the Roe v. Wade case, Norma McCorvey, as well as the lawyers who filed the case and the leaders of the then nascent anti-abortion movement. McCorvey’s life as a plaintiff in the Roe case and the cast of characters around her provide a revealing window into the abortion controversy writ large. Prager’s careful, detailed research and masterful ...
Jan 22, 2023•27 min
