On The Record

Most of us, at some point, worry about our weight. For some, the worry dogs us, takes on a life of its own. Lawyer Rabia Chaudry tells her version of that ordeal--and what it took to put the misery behind her, in her new book Fatty Fatty Boom Boom: a Memoir of Food, Fat and Family. Links: Fatty, Fatty, Boom, Boom , speaking event on Dec. 8, Writers LIVE at Pratt Library. Do you have a question or...

What does it require to pick up and leave everything and everyone you know … to start a new life. Courage? Fortitude? Determination?  Across six decades, from 1910 to 1970, about six million African Americans made the decision to uproot their lives. They fled the South to points in the north, midwest and western U.S. to escape violence, racism and Jim Crow laws, with hopes to better their lives an...

Long COVID--with symptoms that linger for months like brain fog, dizziness, or heart palpitations --may affect 2 to 10 percent of children who have been infected with COVID, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. In September, a new set of guidelines was published to help pediatricians identify and treat long COVID. We speak with one of the lead authors, Dr. Laura Malone , co-director of...

Here's a Stoop Story from Rob Hirschfeld about having grace, holding space, and facing life and death … head on. You can hear his story and others at Stoopstorytelling.com . Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/he...

Change is an intrinsic part of life--and that includes our impermanence on this earth. Artists of all disciplines embrace  mortality -- as well as themes of memory and transience -- in the first exhibit at The Parlor. The Parlor itself is in transition … from funeral home into exhibition space, on North Avenue in Baltimore’s Station North Arts District. The exhibit is titled Memento Mori , Latin f...

The Baltimore & Ohio, a powerful commercial railroad, was also part of the underground railroad. A new permanent  exhibit  at the  B&O Railroad Museum  tells of two dozen freedom seekers who walked the rails, disguised themselves to be passengers, or packed themselves INTO BOXES to flee slavery. We’ll hear the risks they took from the museum’s executive director  Kris Hoellen  and  Chris H...

Can the actions of one county have an impact on the global effects of climate change? We hear how Baltimore County is working to mitigate climate change and produce renewable energy.  We speak with Jennifer Aiosa, Baltimore County’s chief sustainability officer , and WYPR reporter John Lee . Check out John Lee's recent reporting on chronic flooding in Turner Station and methane recapture at Easter...

Even those of us who are not very tech-savvy have an idea that there’s a gender gap in technology … but also that women seem to be closing it. What most of is don’t know is much about what women were doing in the early days of the Information Age Would you be surprised to learn that the very first programmers were women--and they did it on a project generated by U.S. Army’s Aberdeen Proving Ground...

Baltimore musician  Todd Marcus ’ latest album, “In the Valley,'' celebrates his Egyptian heritage. The bass clarinetist and bandleader drew on his visits in the country to craft a unique sound that matches Egypt’s bustle and grandeur. We ask Marcus why blending American jazz harmonies and Middle Eastern melodies posed a challenge, and hear how audiences in the two countries respond differently to...

The sparkly American Visionary Art Museum has a new director: We talk with Jenenne Whitfield about her plans and her ideas for AVAM’s synergy with Baltimore. Plus, Gage Branda , AVAM curator, previews the upcoming exhibit: ‘ABUNDANCE: Too Much, Too Little, Just Right.’ Original airdate: 10/4/22 Links: American Visionary Art Museum  current exhibit, "Abundance" ,  Bazaart Holiday Craft Marketplace....

Thanksgiving is a time of gratitude. What better way to experience gratitude than taking in the beauty of a natural setting. Feeling the sun and the wind on your skin … your eyes drinking in the colors of fall … your ears absorbing the rustlings of a busy squirrel through autumn leaves. Our guest today wants to bring that experience to as many people as possible. She believes in the power of natur...

Here’s a Stoop Story from Josh Kohn about the secret he learned about his mom … when he came home for Thanksgiving break from college. You can hear his story and others at Stoopstorytelling.com. Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Me...

158 priests in the Archdiocese of Baltimore abused more than 600 victims over the past 80 years, according to the Maryland Office of the Attorney General.  The office has been investigating allegations of abuse -- and the Catholic Church’s action to protect abusers - since 2019. A court motion filed Thursday outlines some of the investigation’s findings and asks a Baltimore City Circuit Court judg...

How do you begin to heal generational trauma? A group of actors at ‘ Arena Players Incorporated ,’ the country’s oldest continually operating African-American community theater, is addressing that question through poetry, prose and music. “U Thought I Was Him, a Theatrical Mixtape” features five men, each portraying different relatives in one family. The show runs Fridays through Sundays through N...

Here is a Stoop Story from Taras Dyakiv about trusting the universe and following your dreams. You can hear his story and many others at Stoopstorytelling.com Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.o...

Hearing aids are now available to purchase without a doctor’s visit. Who is best suited for an over-the-counter hearing aid? Will a broader market lead to lower costs? We speak with Dr. Frank Lin , professor of otolaryngology, who directs the Johns Hopkins Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health. Plus, can magic mushrooms to lift severe depression? We speak with Dr. Sandeep Nayak of the John...

Someone who is socially isolated or lonely is at greater risk for  physical or mental health problems--like heart disease, obesity, anxiety, depression, even dementia-- according to the National Institute on Aging. Many seniors who are physically able to age in place do find themselves isolated -- and they may fall between the cracks of services available to them. Maybe they just need a hand with...

What’s being done to address the U.S. nursing shortage? Lisa Rowen , System Chief Nurse Executive for the University of Maryland Medical System, hopes the Academy of Clinical Essentials , or ACE, will begin to address the problem. ACE is an immersive, hands-on experience for people studying to be nurses. Then Liz Cushing , a trauma nurse and ACE instructor, and nursing student Naseem Ahmadi , shar...

Steaming hot chicken noodle soup … chewy oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies … apple pie with a perfect crust. Sure, food is a necessity -- but it can also nourish the soul. And what role does food play in our connections to heritage, or to home? Our guests today, Saima Sitwat and Soo Koo , are featured in a series of videos and essays that explores those questions and more, particularly for immigrants...

Veterans Day is a time to honor those who wore the uniform. We talk with Katie Kilby, the founder of Baltimore Military Muster, to hear why the power of community and connection can heal, inspire and transform lives. Links: Baltimore Military Muster , Reveille Grounds , Veterans Day Bash Nov. 11 12-9pm at Checkerspot Brewing, Reveille Grounds Honor Wall . Do you have a question or comment about a...

A note to listeners, today’s Stoop Story has references to suicide. It’s from Jordan Lally about living life in a dark place, and then finally seeing the light.  Links: Obsessed , Stoop live show 11/5 at Union Craft Brewing, Stoopstorytelling , Ed Lally Foundation. Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Mauree...

Marylanders voted overwhelmingly to legalize recreational marijuana. What now? We ask Delegate David Moon , vice chair of the House Judiciary Committee, what steps lawmakers must take to set up the industry. Then, Owings Mills civics teacher Leah Strapec reflects on her experience as a first-time election judge.  Find WYPR's continuing coverage of the midterm election here . Learn more about what'...

A historic election: Wes Moore is the third Black governor ever elected in the country, the first in Maryland. We’ll go On the Record with Mileah Kromer , Goucher College's chief pollster, and The Baltimore Banner’s political editor John O'Connor to talk about Moore’s rapid ascent in politics. Plus, what happened to the red wave? Find WYPR's continuing coverage of the 2022 General Election here ....

The fuel of the Underground Railroad was its passengers--enslaved people who summoned their courage to flee. The Railroad’s engineer was William Still, a free Black who met them in Philadelphia, fed them and helped them move to freedom. Andrew Diemer , associate professor of history at Towson University, tells the story of that work and what followed in his new book, "Vigilance: The Life of Willia...

Brittany Young ’s non-profit, B360, gives kids hands-on STEM experience through dirt bikes. As they ride them, fix them and even design them … they learn science, technology, engineering and math. Young knows dirt bike riding has a reputation … and she intends to transform that, along with the lives of young people. Five years in, her dream is within sight: to create a permanent multi-acre campus:...