On The Record

As Jessica Anya Blau ’s latest novel starts, Mary Jane has just turned 14. She’s starting a summer job as a nanny of an endearing five-year-old, just a short walk from her own traditional home in Baltimore’s Roland Park. Mary Jane’s conservative parents think it’s great their daughter will be working for a doctor. They don’t yet know he’s a psychiatrist wh...

The pandemic is distributing financial and other stresses, like its health damages--chaotically. They’re colliding on people who never before reached out for mental-health support but are now seeking help. Sherri Bloom is clinical director of the nonprofit Pro Bono Counseling Projec t, which is hearing from more callers and working to match them with ready-to-listen volunteers. Check out the...

Two decades ago, just a few months shy of high school graduation, Sherise Holden learned she was pregnant. Today, Holden leads the nonprofit SheRises, which connects teen moms to resources and mentors. We hear about love and perseverance from Sherise and her daughter, Autumn . Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Prod...

Here’s a Mother's Day Stoop Story from Debbie Page , who reminds us: there is no instruction book for parenting. Click here to listen to more Stoop Stories. The next live Stoop event is Saturday, June 5th at 6 pm. The theme is “Re-emergence: An evening of stories, music, and cicadas!” Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record a...

Childcare is an essential service, but the pandemic rocked the industry: capacity was restricted and cleaning costs soared. We speak with  Laura Weeldreyer  of the nonprofit  Maryland Family Network , and ask what President Biden’s ‘American Families Plan’ would mean for the industry. Read the report, " Caring During COVID: The Impact of the Pandemic on Maryland Ch...

Only a small number of Marylanders who have received their first COVID-19 vaccine shot have skipped their second dose, less than 4 percent. But Dr. William Moss , who leads the International Vaccine Access Center at the Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, says it’s a risky move. He talks about the factors behind vaccine drop-off. Then, the math that signals the end of the pandemic. UM...

It’s been so long, you may not remember them. They’ve been living, silently and unseen, underground since 2004. Now they’re back! The Brood X Cicadas are expected in the millions this month -- We hear all about it from ‘the bug guy’ Mike Raupp , Professor Emeritus of Entomology and Extension Specialist at The University of Maryland: “After they’re in the t...

With more availability of COVID-19 vaccines, the end of the pandemic may be in sight. But millions of people who were infected continue to battle lasting complications. Hopkins epidemiologist  Priya Duggal  tells of a new survey collecting data about COVID symptoms and of genetic research into why some people are vulnerable to long COVID. Check out the  Johns Hopkins Long COVID Stud...

Artists and performers took a deep hit from the pandemic. This weekend the Baltimore Black Arts and Entertainment District will host the ‘Baltimore Black Artist Fair’ to shore up support especially for Black creatives in the community. We hear about it from the district’s executive director, spoken-word artist Lady Brion :   “We are going to be having workshops and pan...

Here is a Stoop Story from Sheri Booker about what not to do when your job is driving for a funeral home. Booker is the author of Nine Years Under: Coming of Age in an Inner-City Funeral Home. You can hear her story and others at Stoopstorytelling.com and on the Stoop podcast. Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Prod...

Platforms like Zoom and asynchronous learning provided a quick fix for students during the pandemic. Jessica Campanile wonders if classroom modifications will stay in place even after Covid-19 restrictions are lifted. Because for people like her, a post-baccalaureate student with disabilities, those are accommodations she had sought for years. She argues there was an aversion to virtual education...

The Daily Miracle: A Memoir of Newspapering . The beginning of the title of C. Fraser Smith ’s last book may sound reverent--a miracle! Every day! But along with the tales of eccentric newsroom co-workers, the book offers a hint of sarcasm … plus anguish about the threats to newspapers. Smith died this week, but his warning stands; that when papers wither the community loses a valuabl...

Over the past year, away from their teachers and classmates, thousands of students have fallen behind. Hopkins education researcher  Bob Slavin  says now is the time to undertake a massive tutoring effort. Read the Abell Foundation Report, " Literacy Tutoring for Baltimore: What we know, where we are, and how to move forward. " Bob Slavin passed away suddenly on Saturday.  Read his...

It's past time for environmental groups to reckon with their lack of diversity. That’s the message shared by Fred Tutman , founder of the Patuxent Riverkeeper and the country’s only African-American Waterkeeper, "We really are stuck with each other. And we’ve gotta find some way to talk openly and more respectfully to each other about what we know and what we see.” Read mor...

Here is a Stoop Story from astrophysicist  Duilia de Mello  about discovering a supernova. Check out the  Stoop Storytelling Series . Learn more about about upcoming events, including the June 5th outdoor Stoop event, " Re-emergence: An evening of stories, music, and cicadas! " Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior...

Many who celebrated three guilty verdicts for the white ex-police officer who held a knee on George Floyd’s neck called it a step toward justice. President Biden, on Tuesday evening: "Let’s also be clear that such a verdict is also much too rare. For so many people, it seems like it took a unique and extraordinary convergence of factors: a brave young woman with a smartphone camera; a...

Earth day is time to pause and embrace nature--and also to take stock of the health of the planet.  We hear about prescient observations from the woman who galvanized modern environmentalism--Rachel Carson--as told by living history performer and naturalist Colleen Webster .  And pollinator educator Heather Holm tells us why cultivating native plants in our yards ...  attracts nativ...

With one out of 50 American children diagnosed on the autism spectrum these days, it’s easy to forget that in the middle of the last century the diagnosis was new--and rare. No one knew how to reach these children, locked in repetitive rituals, oblivious to relationships. A remarkable social worker named Jeanne Simons saw the power of attentive patience. She set up a school in Ellicott City....

The pandemic ushered in a new way of life as millions of Americans began working from home. Is this shift permanent? Dr. Nicole Coomber , assistant dean in the University of Maryland school of business, says many workers would welcome this move. Then, the upside of remote work? Flexible hours. The downside? Emails at all hours. Anthony Vaughan , CEO of E1B2 Collective, gives tips on drawing bounda...

In his book, "The Black Butterfly," former community-health professor Lawrence T. Brown cites a century of policies and budgets he says sapped resources from Baltimore’s African American neighborhoods, forcibly uprooted Black families and triggered generations of trauma. He calls it apartheid, and contends it was planned and deliberately maintained, "Once you understand that--that it was don...

Artists and performers are admired for their imaginative takes on the ordinary. But making something special from nothing is more than an art, it’s an approach to life. Today we hear about ‘we make do//wit wat we got,’ an exhibit that celebrates that ability, especially in Black women. We talk with multi-disciplinary artist and community caretaker Diamon Fisher, and with artist a...

Here is a Stoop Story from Clarissa about resilience, love and commitment. You can hear her story and many others at stoopstorytelling.com, as well as the Stoop podcast.  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/...

More than 2,700 Marylanders died from fatal drug and alcohol overdoses last year--a record death toll forced up by the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl. Steve Schuh , director of the Opioid Operational Command Center , says state and local agencies have been working around the pandemic’s hurdles to keep providing treatment: "We’re using telehealth, we’re using mail-order distri...

 For months now, people have been asking: when will it end? When can I see my colleagues, family and friends? When can I go on vacation? Now those activities are in sight--yet., many of us feel hesitant. Why?  Clinical psychologist Dr. Michelle Pearce, a University of Maryland-Baltimore professor, tells how behaviors learned during the pandemic become survival skills. They don’t ju...

Retailers and consumers are navigating a challenge: looking ahead to buying and selling post-pandemic while keeping commerce alive now.  The Baltimore Downtown Partnership is focused on both, with BOOST, which stands for 'Black-Owned and Occupied Storefront Tenancy.' It pairs Black-owned businesses with vacant storefronts and wraparound services like tech and marketing support.  Delali D...