WNYC's Leonard Lopate Show

Rabbi Matt Green , Associate Rabbi of Congregation Beth Elohim in Park Slope, discusses the story behind the Jewish holiday, and how its lessons about justice and liberation might be applied to the complex conflict in Gaza. Plus, listeners call in to share how they plan to include the issues facing the world today in their seders.

This segment is guest-hosted by Kousha Navidar .

In the 1950s, American doctor Gregory Pincus concocted a plan to test out his new contraceptive pill on Puerto Rican women, without warning them of the potential risks. A new play from Nelson Diaz-Marcano draws inspiration from that story to highlight the lives of five women who become involved with the trial. Diaz-Marcano and director Rebecca Aparicio join us to discuss,"Las Borinqueñas," which is running at the Ensemble Studio Theater through April 28.

This segment is guest-hosted by Kousha Navidar .

Pearl Bowser was an early expert in Black cinema, and helped uncover and shed light on the work of early Black filmmakers. A new retrospective at the Brooklyn Academy of Music seeks to honor her legacy. BAM president Gina Duncan joins us to discuss, The Boom Is Really An Echo: Selections from the Pearl Bowser Media Collection , alongside Pearl's daughter, co-curator Gillian Bowser . The retrospective runs from April 19-21.

This segment is guest-hosted by Kousha Navidar .

A little over 50 years ago, the original Lebanese Cuisine cookbook was published by Madelain Farah, featuring her mother's recipes from Lebanon. Though it was long before Middle Easter cuisine became popular in the United States, the book became a beloved hit with home cooks. Decades later, Farah's daughter has given the cookbook an update, with new photos and improved recipes. Leila Habib-Kirske joins us to discuss, Lebanese Cuisine: More than 185 Simple, Delicious Authentic Recipes , in honor of Arab American Heritage Month and as part of our ongoing series Food for Thought.

This segment is guest-hosted by Kousha Navidar .

In the new Broadway adaptation of the novel Water for Elephants , the actors and ensemble perform dizzying acrobatics and other tricks onstage to help bring the world of a Depression Era circus to life. Director Jessica Stone joins us to discuss translating this gorgeous love story to the stage, and Shana Carroll , co-choreographer and circus designer, joins to talk about adding acrobatics and circus performances to the show. "Water for Elephants" is running now at the Imperial Theater.

Finding a reliable, trustworthy, and cost-effective nanny or babysitter can be a headache. Even as a job-seeker, some might have trouble finding the right family (and child) to work with. To help us navigate the world of nannying, we're joined by Sarah Davis , who shares best practices for families and job-seekers. Davis is founder of Olive You Nanny, an agency that connects families with quality nannies. Plus, we take your calls.

Grammy-nominated Chilean tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana has just released her new album, Echoes Of The Inner Prophet, the title of which is dedicated to the late great jazz musician Wayne Shorter. The album features Aldana's quintet: Lage Lund on guitar and effects, Fabian Almazan on piano and effects, Pablo Menares on bass, and Kush Abadey on drums. Aldana joins us for an All Of It Listening Party.

This Poetry Month, we want to explore poetry as a process, which consists of both writing, and reading poetry. Poet Uchenna Nduka , who teaches poetry at The New School, explains how poetry makes use of the inherent musicality of language to elevate feelings and observations about the world, and how looking both inward and outward are important pieces of rendering lived experience in the form of poems.

*The new HBO series, "The Sympathizer," adapts Viet Thanh Nguyen's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name for the screen. Stars Hoa Xuande and Fred Nguyen Khan discuss the series, about a Vietnamese spy who becomes a refugee in California and continues passing information to the Viet Cong. "The Sympathizer" airs new episodes Sunday nights at 9 pm.

*This episode is guest-hosted by Kousha Navidar .

For the last 60 years, activist and artist Mary Lovelace O'Neal's bold, large-scale paintings have explored mythology and deeply personal narratives. Now, she has a new solo show at the Marianne Boesky Gallery in Chelsea, which coincides with her inclusion in the 2024 Whitney Biennial. She joins us alongside the gallery's founder Marianne Boesky to discuss the show, titled HECHO EN MÉXICO—a mano.

*This episode is guest-hosted by Kousha Navidar

In the new thriller novel, You Know What You Did , Annie Shaw seems to have it all: a dream career and a picture-perfect family. But after her mother - a troubled Vietnam War refugee - dies suddenly, Annie's carefully curated life beings to unravel. Her OCD, which she thought she'd vanquished years ago, comes roaring back. K.T. Nguyen , author and former magazine editor, joins us to discuss her debut novel and her personal journey with OCD and mental health.

*This segment is guest-hosted by Kousha Navidar

[REBROADCAST FROM August 22, 2023] From "Othello" to "The Merchant of Venice," Shakespeare's plays often contain both nuanced and offensive portrayals of race. A new book from author and scholar Farah Karim Cooper examines the role of race in Shakespeare's work. It's titled, The Great White Bard: How to Love Shakespeare While Talking About Race. Cooper joins us to discuss.

*This segment is guest hosted by Kousha Navidar

[REBROADCAST FROM August 21, 2023] A new HBO docuseries explores the triumphs, challenges, and scams that are all part of the lives of telemarketers. The series is produced by the Safdie brothers, and directed by Adam Bhala Lough and Sam Lipman-Stern, who join us to discuss. Lipman-Stern worked as a telemarketer himself. "Telemarketers" is streaming now on MAX.

*This segment is guest hosted by Kousha Navidar

[REBROADCAST FROM August 23, 2023] An alien invasion reshapes the United States economy in a new science fiction comedy-drama, "Landscape with Invisible Hand." Director Cory Finley joins us to talk about the film which is based on M. T. Anderson's 2017 novel of the same name. "Landscape with Invisible Hand" is streaming on Prime Video.

This segment is guest-hosted by Kousha Navidar .

Today, indigenous artist Rose B. Simpson 's new public art exhibition, Seed, is now on view at both Madison Square Park and Inwood Hill Park. The installations feature Simpson's sculpture work, which is also on view at this year's Whitney Biennial. There will also be public programs led by Simpson and other indigenous cultural leaders. Simpson joins to discuss her practice alongside Madison Square Park Conservancy curator Brooke Kamin Rapaport . Seed is on view through September 22.

Classical and folk musician Leyla McCalla 's latest album features songs inspired by tropical Brazilian sounds, afrobeat and Ethiopian folk sounds. It's titled Sun Without the Heat, a literary reference to Frederick Douglass's 1857 speech to mostly white abolitionists six years before the Emancipation Proclamation. She joins us for a listening party ahead of her performance at Joe's Pub tomorrow at 7 p.m. McCalla was a cellist with the Grammy Award-winning string band Carolina Chocolate Drops before pursuing a solo career.

As we prepare for wedding season, there are bachelorette parties also to be had and enjoyed. According to Brides Magazine, the bachelorette party has been evolving into a bigger and more drawn out event over recent years. Gabby Rello Duffy, Brides Magazine senior editorial director, joins to discuss bachelorette party etiquette, the do's and don'ts of planning this year, and take your calls.

*This segment is guest-hosted by Kousha Navidar.

For National Poetry Month and Jazz Appreciation Month, 2024 Grammy winner Nicole Zuraitis debuts her contribution for this year's Public Song Project, a jazz adaptation of two poems by Pulitzer Prize-winner Edna St Vincent Millay. We also discuss Zuraitis's career and her latest album, How Love Begins, which earned her the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album.

*This segment is guest-hosted by Kousha Navidar.

It seems that any public bathroom in a restaurant or bar has an endless number of random words, phrases, or vulgar language. Musician Caitlin Cook's off-Broadway musical, "The Writing on the Stall," inspired by the writing we all see on bathroom walls, has returned to Soho Playhouse through April 13. The show features song lyrics that Cook borrows from phrases she's observed in bathrooms. Cook joins us to discuss the show, and take your calls.

This segment is guest-hosted by Kousha Navidar .

In September 1999, the Stephin Merritt -led indie pop band The Magnetic Fields released 69 Love Songs , a three-hour concept album described by its writer as "not remotely an album about love. It’s an album about love songs, which are very far away from anything to do with love.” The release became a cult classic and ranks on all-time-greatest-albums lists from Rolling Stone, NME, and elsewhere. As part of our Silver Liner Notes series celebrating 25-year album anniversaries, we're joined by Merritt and bandmate Claudia Gonson , and we take your calls.

The Magnetic Fields will take part in a Q&A at Film Forum following a target='_blank' rel='nofollow' Tuesday evening screening at Film Forum of the documentary STRANGE POWERS: STEPHIN MERRITT AND THE MAGNETIC FIELDS. Plus, tickets are still available for their run of shows at Town Hall in NYC this week.

This segment is guest-hosted by Kousha Navidar .

The latest novel from acclaimed fantasy writer Leigh Bardugo follows a scullery maid in Golden Age Spain named Luzia who has magical powers. When her employer discovers these powers, she forces Luzia to demonstrate them to people around the city of Madrid, eventually catching the eye of some very powerful people. But Luzia needs to be careful to avoid the Inquisition, and make sure no one looks too carefully into her secret Jewish heritage. Leigh Bardugo joins us to discuss her new novel, The Familiar .

Event: Bardugo will be speaking tonight at the Union Square Barnes and Nobel at 6 pm.

This segment is guest-hosted by Kousha Navidar .

Today, the NYC metro area will get a nearly-complete view of a total solar eclipse, which won't happen again in our region until 2044. Rebecca Boyle , science writer and author of the book, OUR MOON: How Earth’s Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are , joins us from the path of totality at Atlas Obscura’s Ecliptic Festival in Arkansas' Hot Springs National Park, to explain the science of the celestial bodies involved in this special cosmic experience.

Tomorrow is the debut New York recital of American soprano singer Rachel Willis-Sørensen , who will use the concert to honor late mezzo-soprano Ariel Bybee. Since growing up in Tri-Cities, Washington, Willis-Sørensen is now signed to the famous Sony Classical label, and is a common sight in Opera houses around the world. This fall, she will be returning to The Met to star in "Il Trovatore." Willis-Sørensen joins to preview her Carnegie Hall concert, discuss the role of Opera in the world today, and her efforts to educate the next generation of singers.

Recently, the United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy warned the public of an epidemic of loneliness which experts say is detrimental to mental and physical health. Dr. Jeremy Nobel founded The Foundation for Art & Healing and launched an initiative called Project UnLonely to combat loneliness through creative expression. He joins us to talk about how we could face the implications of loneliness and how we can face it together.

WNYC reporter Matt Katz didn't really know much about his father. He at least thought he knew who his father was, that is until he took a DNA test. The results spurred him to investigate the truth behind his very existence. He recorded the whole journey, which took him from California to Ireland. He tells the story in his new podcast, Inconceivable Truth , which released today. Katz joins us to discuss.

In the follow-up to their award-winning documentary "Boys State," directors Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss have decided to cover the sister American Legion program, Girls State . McBaine and Moss embedded among teenage girls in Missouri who attended a one-week Girls State camp, where they are tasked with building a government from the ground up. They join us to discuss "Girls State," which premieres tomorrow on Apple TV Plus.

"Dead Outlaw" is a new musical about the real-life American outlaw Elmer McCurdy and the larger-than-life image he gained after his death. The show's band takes center stage in the production, and we're joined for a live in-studio performance by Erik Della Penna , who co-wrote the show's music and lyrics with the show's creator David Yazbek, as well as music director Rebekah Bruce and bandmembers Jeb Brown , Chris Smylie , Spencer Cohen , and HANK . Actors Julia Knitel and Thom Sesma also join to perform their songs. Produced by Audible Theater, Dead Outlaw plays at the Minetta Lane Theatre until April 14 and will also be released as an Audible Original later this year.

*This segment is guest-hosted by Kousha Navidar

This year's college admissions season has been the "craziest" ever, according to education journalist and author Jeffrey Selingo. Applicants to Common Application colleges are up 6 percent - the highest on record. Plus, with a recent calculation error by the Department of Education, FAFSA-eligible students are left in the dark about their financial aid status. Selingo joins us for a deep dive on this year's college application conundrum. Plus, we take listener calls.

*This segment is guest-hosted by Kousha Navidar

Alice Randall is a household name in country music. She was the first Black woman to co-write a #1 country hit, "XXX's and OOO's." She reflects on her career in her latest book "My Black Country." It also examines the impact of Black tradition and culture on this "most American of art forms." Randall joins us to talk about the book (out on April 9), and teases out some songs from her forthcoming tribute album, to be released on April 12th.

*This Segment is guest-hosted by Kousha Navidar

With the deadline for the Public Song Project less than six weeks away, now is the time to get your songs recorded! Submissions can come in all shapes and sizes -- we are more than happy to accept songs recorded entirely on your cell phone or laptop! But if you want to step things up a bit, one great resource is your local public library. Today we're joined by representatives from the Brooklyn Public Library, New York Public Library, and Westport Public Library in Connecticut to hear about free recording studios, an instrument loan program, thousands of sheet music books, and more resources for exploring the public domain and recording your songs. Guests include Christine Schonhart , the director of Brooklyn Public Library's central library; Jenna Li , Lead Media Lab Specialist for New York Public Library; Brendan Toller , Marketing Manager of Verso Studios at the Westport Public Library.

You can find more about these resources on the Public Song Project homepage, as well as more information about how to participate: https://www.wnyc.org/story/public-song-project-2024/ .

We air highlights from our March Get Lit with All Of It book club event with author Xochitl Gonzales. We spent the month reading her novel, Anita de Monte Laughs Last. We were also joined for a special performance from Caridad de la Luz , spoken word poet, singer-songwriter, and executive director of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. The conversation was hosted by All Of It producer Simon Close .