On The Record

Telling one’s personal story can be transformative. The Veterans Writing Project draws on that concept by offering free writing seminars to military members and their families. We hear an overview of the program from two instructors: Dario DiBattista, a marine veteran and retired naval officer Jerri Bell, who says writing can be a path to healing. Then we meet former army officer Matt Condon, a st...

How do you design programming in order to attract a diverse audience? We talk with two new proprietors about re-envisioning and running performance spaces in Baltimore -- and how they plan to keep their venues safe for all audiences to enjoy. Emile Joseph Weeks reveals plans for the soon-to-open Rituals, and Tecla Tesnau, new owner of Remington’s Ottobar, discusses the power of art to bring people...

A remarkably small group of people wields enormous control over our daily experience. Futurist Amy Webb explains who they are and why we should care in her book, “The Big Nine: How the Tech Titans and their Thinking Machines Could Warp Humanity.” Original air date: May 6, 2019 Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Prod...

Imagine being a youngster in the fight of your life against cancer--or the parent of such a child--and learning the medicine your doctor says would help is not available. This happens a lot. Holly Kamm Wahl’s teen-aged son David is being treated for leukemia. She describes how they’ve had to cope with inadequate doses of certain drugs, including an essential pain reliever. Pediatric oncologist Dr....

Here’s a Stoop Story from VJ Ramasamy about learning to love himself. You can hear his story and many others at stoopstorytelling.com, as well as the Stoop podcast. Catch a live Stoop show at the Creative Alliance, on July 25th. Ticket information here. 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...

Ways of Seeing is the name of an exhibition in Baltimore that showcases tactile art --art visitors can experience through touch. One piece is a sculpture of a cracked eye created by ceramics instructor Sallah Jenkins and Marguerite Woods, president of the at-large chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland. Woods, who lost her sight a decade ago, says the piece reflects her resili...

The latest statewide numbers show a slight drop in fatal overdoses, but deaths are still being driven by opioids--not heroin but fentanyl, a highly potent synthetic opioid often laced into heroin. WYPR reporter Mary Rose Madden looks at how Baltimore is grappling with the opioid epidemic in her series, “In The Hole: Understanding Maryland's Opioid Epidemic”. And addiction medicine specialist Dr. Y...

Thomas Rowe Price Junior, born in Baltimore County at the end of the nineteenth century, set out to be an industrial chemist, but fell in love with investing--choosing stocks by analyzing how a company will add value to the economy. His biographer, Cornelius Bond, says by the time he set up T. Rowe Price ---- Associates a few years after the Great Depression, Price on a different path than other i...

We all know there’s no place like home. But what ‘home’ looks like ... depends upon our perspective. We get two perspectives today. LaQuida Chancey, founder of Smalltimore Homes, tells us how she hopes to eradicate homelessness by developing ‘micro shelter’ communities. Then, we visit Baltimore’s Inner harbor to learn why people choose to live afloat year round. We hear from Joe Fleischman, Madele...

ALS is incurable -- it’s a progressive attack on nerve cells that control voluntary movements--like breathing. We meet two men diagnosed with ALS: Ed Rapp, and Peter Warlick, who are raising awareness and millions of dollars for ‘Answer ALS,’ an unorthodox way to crowdsource research. And we talk to the research director, Dr. Jeffrey Rothstein, about how the Answer ALS approach mimics research on...

Expect a bevy of rainbows in Baltimore this weekend, as the city celebrates its LGBTQ community and marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. We speak to Monte Ephraim, chair of Elder Pride, about celebrating the wisdom of older generations. And Louis Hughes Jr. previews a local history tour highlighting LGBTQ sites in Mt. Vernon. Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story...

Here’s a Stoop Story from Elliot Wagenheim about scouting with his son. You can hear his 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/hers mger...

There is more than one independence day celebrated on American soil. Juneteenth is gaining recognition, but many Americans still don’t understand its significance. National Park Ranger Anokwale Anansesemfo unravels the history behind the holiday that commemorates the proclamation of the end of slavery. Then Sheri Booker, author and spoken word artist, previews her talk at Enoch Pratt Free Library,...

Death is a part of life and deserves to be discussed. Gilchrist bereavement specialist Debbie Jones suggests ways to acknowledge grief and tells us about “The Day of Healing and Remembering -- Honoring Our Losses.” It’s a community event on Saturday, June 15, where art therapist Sharon Strouse will prepare activities to acknowledge the loss of loved ones. Plus … we talk with Dan Hensley, an anatom...

People over age 65 are shockingly vulnerable to financial exploitation--sometimes by family members who pressure them to sign over assets, but often by strangers on the telephone who fraudulently promise them big winnings--if they’ll only fork over some money first for up-front expenses. That’s just the start. Three Maryland experts tell us that an older person who’s lonely is more receptive to th...

Maryland is home to thousands of refugees and asylees. They have left their homes, fleeing war, violence, and persecution. What traditions do they leave behind? This Saturday, the Creative Alliance in Baltimore will celebrate World Refugee Day Festival--a day where refugee groups will share music, dancing, food, and art. Coordinator Ari Pluznik gives us a preview, and Garry Bien Aime, founder of K...

Port Discovery Children's Museum is about to unveil new exhibits to engage a next generation of kids. From a four-story, spiral slide ... to a nearly life-size ship, visitors can take on roles that make them the storytellers. Bryn Parchman, the museum’s CEO, tells us kids learn best when they’re having fun, and why connecting with Baltimore’s young and old is crucial to Port Discovery’s goals. Do...

Here’s a Stoop Story from Julia Dugan about a crush who led her astray in Scotland. Sometimes it pays to stay on the beaten path ... You can hear her story and others at Stoopstorytelling.com or at 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 410-235-19...

When they meet in Baltimore next week, America’s Catholic bishops will make another run at establishing how bishops should be held accountable in the clerical sex-abuse crisis. Baltimore’s archdiocese has set up a system where complaints of wrong-doing go to a third party for review. David Lorenz of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests says the church cannot be trusted to investigate i...

A visit from a friendly pet--be it cat, dog, or parrot--can relieve stress and prompt conversation. Volunteers with the nonprofit Pets on Wheels spend thousands of hours bringing therapy animals to shelters, hospitals, and libraries, hoping to brighten someone’s day. Executive Director Gina Kazamir describes how the organization trains pets and volunteers to visit more than 175,000 people each yea...

A car can be a second chance: that’s the framework of Vehicles for Change, a nonprofit that repairs donated cars and awards them to low-income families at a fraction of their market value. Repairs are completed by participants in Full Circle, a job-training program for people returning from prison. We hear from founder Marty Schwartz and Perry Spain, who finished the program and is on his way to b...

Glowing lanterns, ornate rugs. These props set the scene when the lights come up on the Baltimore Theatre Project’s reimagined staging of a three-hundred-year-old opera by Handel. The Tale of Serse takes this classic work, set in the Persian Empire, and dials up the volume on its Persian-ness, blending in calligraphy and poetry by the 13th-century philosopher, Rumi. Performances run June 14-16th....

Here's a Stoop Story from Chijioke Madugwulike about coming to terms with his responsibilities as a son … his role as a doctor … and honoring the memory of his father. You can hear his 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 H...

One of the almost-imperceptible layers that make up every theatrical experience is often taken for granted by the audience: the soundtrack. What goes into creating the sometimes subtle array of tones and noise that accompany a live performance? We ask sound designer David Lamont Wilson about his approach. He captured and recreated authentic soundscapes for two shows at Everyman Theatre: ‘Queens Gi...

Post traumatic stress disorder can cause veterans to spiral into mental illness, substance abuse, or worse. The Maryland Center for Veterans Education and Training offers vets wellness services, drug treatment and a haven from homelessness. Jeffery Kendrick, MCVET’s executive director, describes the fortitude of its clientele and the services the center provides. Plus, we meet Holliday Tolson and...