On The Record

Stories teach empathy and entertain. Storytelling is an art! The Griot Circle of Maryland will offer all of that and more during its 40th Annual National Black Storytelling Festival and Conference: “40 Years Strong – The Power of BlackStorytelling!”  We get a preview with Master Storyteller and mentor William Starke , and Growing Griots Literacy Learning program participant Xavier Reid . Links: Gr...

Here's a Stoop Story from Naomi Cross about her memories of the fall of the Berlin wall on Nov. 9, 1989, 33 years ago next week. 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.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam B...

Passed in 1978, the Indian Child Welfare Act - or ICWA - is considered by many to be a gold standard because it was ahead of its time in mandating child welfare best practices and goes to great lengths to keep children connected to their heritage.  Beginning November 9th, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments challenging the constitutionality of Indian Child Welfare Act , in place for nearly...

Each year, the Open Society Institute selects a class of fellows, and funds their work with an disadvantaged group. How is this investment shaking out? We speak with Danielle Torain , the executive director of OSI-Baltimore, and Pamela King , the senior program manager for community fellowships. Meet the 2022 class of OSI-Baltimore Community Fellows . Plus: newly minted fellow, Jessica Smith , tel...

While it's rare for Alzheimer’s disease to be diagnosed in people under age 65, it happens. It’s hard to track, but research suggests between 220,000 and 640,000 people in the U.S. are living with early-onset Alzheimer’s. Yolanda Wright is the program manager for the Greater Maryland Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association . She describes benefits of support groups for care partners as well as peop...

American politics seems more divided than ever. That division can lead to extreme views about political opponents, that they are evil or less than human. Hopkins political scientist  Lilliana Mason says these attitudes can be a precursor to violence, like the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Her latest book, co-authored with Louisiana State professor Nathan Kalmoe, is “Radical American Partisanship.”Ho...

Take a listen to this Stoop Story from Sarah Pinsker about shifting perspective. Listen to to the Stoop Storytelling Series podcast . Find out about upcoming Stoop events . On November 3rd, the Stoop Storytelling Series and Baltimore Museum of Art will present a selection of personal tales about escape and exodus. The theme is, " A Movement in Every Direction: Stories about Modern-Day Migration ."...

We On the Record with the next music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, conductor Jonathon Heyward . Raised in South Carolina, Heyward studied at the  London’s Royal Academy of Music. We ask him about finding his voice with a new orchestra.  Read more: Jonathon Heyward is Named Music Director of Baltimore Symphony Orchestra BSO Names Jonathon Heyward as Music Director Where are the Blac...

From 1910 through 1970, about six million Blacks fled the south toward safety and prosperity. ‘Legacies of The Great Migration’ is the focus of the Baltimore Museum of Art’s latest exhibit. We get a preview …. and learn how artists Akea Brionne and Robert Pruitt uncover and illustrate their personal connections to the past.  Links: A Movement in Every Direction, Legacies of the Great Migration , O...

Elections call for enormous people power and attention to detail. The Baltimore City Board of Elections director Armstead Jones describes the struggle to train … and retain elections judges. Then we talk with Whitney Quesenberry , executive director at the Center for Civic Design to hear how they work to simplify ballots and the voting process. Links: Early voting poll locations , Register to beco...

It’s a dead heat in the race for Anne Arundel county executive, and on the Eastern Shore, Maryland’s lone Republican congressman faces a progressive challenger. Days before early voting starts, we talk politics with Maryland Matters founding editor Josh Kurtz . Then, at the bottom of the Baltimore City ballot - questions about police and an underground conduit system. We break down some ballot que...

In his debut novel, Brendan Slocumb draws on his own experiences as a Black violinist encountering racism. His protagonist, Ray McMillian, faces the same challenge, plus a devastating betrayal -- the theft of his priceless Stradivarius. We delve into "The Violin Conspiracy." Slocumb will be in Baltimore on Wednesday evening for a conversation at Enoch Pratt Central Library with Judith Krummeck, dr...

That was a Stoop Story from Jeffrey Kent about trusting your gut … and becoming who you want to be. You can hear his story and others at Stoopstorytelling.com . Looking forward to Halloween? Start the spookiness with a live Stoop Storytelling event! “Tales from the Crypt: Stories that Shiver Your Spine and Boggle Your Brain” happens on Monday at Center stage. Come for cocktails and live music from...

Atman Smith, Ali Smith, and Andrés González are co-founders of the Holistic Life Foundation . Their new book, “ Let Your Light Shine: How Mindfulness Can Empower Children and Rebuild Communities ,” is partly about the systems in Baltimore that make life so challenging for Black and Brown children, partly about the authors’ personal transformations through yoga. The volume tells the stories of the...

Music can soothe, motivate and stir feelings. Can music heal?  Dr. Alexander Pantelyat , who runs the Johns Hopkins Center for Music and Medicine, develops therapies and conducts research with patients who have Parkinson’s disease and other ailments. He says it’s not one-size-fits all, and can be tailored to each patient just like other medications. Plus, Senior Music Therapist  Kerry Devlin , who...

Raised in Baltimore, an alumna of Morgan State, April Ryan has covered urban issues from the White House press room for 25 years. Her new book, Black Women Will Save the World, describes pressures on African-American women--including many Ryan has faced--and her ideas for tackling them. Links: Mahogany Books, DC, Oct. 20; Politics and Prose, DC, Nov. 2 , Enoch Pratt Library Nov. 7 in conversation...

Arundel County executive lines incumbent Democrat Steuart Pittman against Republican County Councilwoman Jessica Haire .  We ask about reducing crime, getting students to school on-time, pursuing development while protecting the shoreline, and their priorities if elected.  Check out this WYPR News story on polling in the race . Tomorrow evening Anne Arundel County executive candidates Steuart Pitt...

Here is a Stoop Story from Shannon about trying to stay out of trouble in Germany.  Listen to more from the Stoop Storytelling Series and find out about upcoming Stoop events .  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/he...

The father of landscape architecture, Frederick Law Olmstead, and his sons, are acclaimed in Baltimore for spaces like Patterson Park and neighborhoods like Roland Park. We hear how the Friends of Maryland’s Olmsted Parks & Landscapes is celebrating 200 years since Olmstead Senior’s birth.  Guests: Jennifer Arndt Robinson is the president of the board of directors of the nonprofit Friends of M...

Violence between intimate partners may start with emotional or verbal abuse, before becoming physical. We hear how One Love Foundation educates young people to recognize healthy relationships and from the House of Ruth about its focus on reeducating partners who are abusive. Guests: Ojeda Hall , executive director of the Mid-Atlantic region of the One Love Foundation, and Lisa Nitsch, director of...

MOM’s Organic Market, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Maryland Institute College of Art. What do they have in common? Their employees voted to unionize. Huffington Post labor reporter  Dave Jamieson  gives us the national picture of this rise in labor organizing. In the wake of the pandemic, what protections do workers seek? How are employers responding? Then, Starbucks barista  Violet Sovine  an...

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 Haley...

Democrat Wes Moore is vying to be the Free State’s 63rd governor. We ask how he plans to help still-struggling Marylanders recover from pandemic losses, why he wants high-school graduates to be offered a paid year of public service and how he intends to reduce violent crime. Links: Wes Moore for Maryland , Voter registration , election judge training , find your polling place. Do you have a questi...

It’s been more than 200 years since what is now ‘The Peale--Baltimore’s Community Museum” opened its doors. So it deserved a facelift! Five years and 5-and-a-half million dollars later, it’s welcoming visitors again. We hear what’s new!  Links: Accomplished Arts Apprentices recruitment fair , The Guardians Reveal Party , Our Voises, Our Truth;   Hostile Terrain;   Behind the Diagnosis, Through My...

Here’s a Stoop Story from Kevin Hoffman about someone who would NOT be voted “best boss of the year." 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.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbda...