St. Louis on the Air

There’s no time quite like the present for escaping into someone else’s story for a bit, and even in the technology-crazed 21st century, the written word is still the go-to medium for doing so. Books have a distinctive way of engaging hearts and minds for hours on end, providing everything from comfort and knowledge to intrigue and comic relief. And in the St. Louis region, our local booksellers,...

One month ago, Luz Maria Henriquez began a new job as executive director of the ACLU of Missouri. And the weeks since have made clear there will be no easing into things. The nation is now in an unprecedented period of economic shutdown and enforced social distancing, even as healthcare workers grapple with a terrifying pandemic. In this interview, Sarah Fenske talks with Henriquez about what she...

Many aspects of everyday life and commerce are grinding to a halt in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the online world remains as frenetic as ever. And while virtual tools and social media platforms provide much-needed connections in these isolating times, they’ve also made it easy for harmful misinformation to spread almost as fast as the coronavirus itself. In this episode of the talk show...

Documentarian Ken Burns’ latest work, “East Lake Meadows: A Public Housing Story,” explores the history of a former public housing community in Atlanta. It features the stories of residents and raises critical questions about race, poverty and public assistance. The film premieres Tuesday, March 24, at 7 p.m. on PBS. In this interview, Sarah Fenske talks with Burns about the film. She also gets hi...

Alt-weeklies — which rely entirely on advertising and public events for revenue — were dealt a terrible early blow by the nation’s response to the coronavirus. From coast to coast, publications suspended print editions and laid off staffers. St. Louis’ Riverfront Times was among those hardest hit. The 42-year-old publication halted its print edition and laid off seven staffers, including three edi...

As someone focused on child and adolescent psychology, Webster University’s Deborah Stiles is used to writing about psychological theory and case studies — and working with multiple co-authors in doing so. But one of her most recent projects involves a total of 14 co-authors, and this one isn’t simply ending up in a scholarly journal. Instead, it’s headed to the halls of power in Washington. Title...

Public health considerations and the effects of the coronavirus pandemic continue to be at the forefront of daily life. Among those effects, the last few weeks have been incredibly tough for journalists and nonprofits alike, St. Louis Public Radio included. The station is dealing with the difficulty of being dependent on members, even as they face serious anxiety as well as real or potential losse...

Over the past 12 months, STLMade has featured regional staples ranging from Skate King to theWildey Theatre, profiling those who boost the local economy, including Tony’s Family Farms and Vega Transport, along the way. The three-year effort was started by regional representatives to highlight the stories of the people and businesses that make up the St. Louis region, and to help retain that talent...

The summer slide — the propensity for students to lose academic achievements made during the school year — is something educators have expressed concern about for years. With the region’s schools being closed until at least early April due to the COVID-19 outbreak, teachers and administrators are working hard to make sure such a slide doesn’t happen this spring as well. In this episode, Sarah Fens...

The year 1920 was a pivotal one for the Lemp family in St. Louis, and not just because of the enforcement of Prohibition. One hundred years ago this week, the front page of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch proclaimed that Elsa Lemp Wright — then part of a local beer dynasty that had long rivaled Anheuser-Busch — had taken her own life. “This is the Lemp family for you,” her brother William Lemp Jr. sai...

Today’s college campuses are in many ways designed to be like small cities, featuring places to shop, eat and live daily life as well as learn and teach. And in the age of coronavirus, those campuses are facing major concerns and questions not unlike those that municipal leaders are grappling with. The University of Missouri-St. Louis’ Jessica Long-Pease is one of the people working closely with U...

Paige Alyssa Hegwood is back — in St. Louis and in music. After spending some time in Los Angeles and doing some soul searching, the singer-songwriter is now expressing that growth both musically and individually. Through up-tempo pop and vibrant vocals, Paige Alyssa is releasing music on their own terms for the first time in two years with their new single, “What’s the Move,” which features mixin...

Rebecca Messbarger is a cultural historian of medicine, as well as a professor of Italian at Washington University. There, she teaches a class called Disease, Madness and Death — Italian Style. She begins the course by discussing the classic Italian novel “The Decameron.” Written in 1353, Giovanni Boccaccio’s work is framed by a story of medieval social distancing during the bubonic plague. Messba...

St. Louis has an abundance of unique culinary creations that locals don’t care to convince outsiders to embrace: one being a St. Paul sandwich. It’s an egg patty topped with lettuce, tomato and pickles, and held together by white bread smothered in mayo. Regional eaters can now find variations of the sandwich that include pork belly, ham or shrimp. Sauce Magazine’s Matt Sorrell recently delved int...

According to Rebecca Lester, the author of “Famished: Eating Disorders and Failed Care in America,” eating disorders are among the most misunderstood medical conditions. For instance, she says there is an assumption that eating disorders are mostly a problem for upper-middle-class white girls. While that’s not completely untrue, it’s just a sliver of the story. In “Famished,” Lester looks closely...

Schools are closed. Libraries are closed. Many restaurants have closed — with more almost certainly on the way. Health officials say all of those measures are essential, as the ongoing spread of coronavirus has led to best practices of “social distancing.” But in addition to COVID-19, the coronavirus has also spread widespread angst. People are worried about their jobs and their families, even as...

There is a lot of anxiety swirling right now over the new coronavirus. There’s also a lot of misinformation. In this interview, Sarah Fenske talks with infectious disease physician Dr. Alexis Elward to help set the record straight and answer listener questions and concerns.

One day after regional leaders announced broad new rules to limit gatherings in the St. Louis area to 50 people or fewer, St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson stressed their importance in “flattening the curve” of infections caused by the coronavirus across the U.S. Krewson stressed that while restaurants and bars are still open, they are subject to the 50-person limit at any point in time. They are also...

St. Louis Public Radio's Metro East reporter Eric Schmid details Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker's big steps to slow the spread of coronavirus ahead of the state's primary election.

It’s been a tough decade for the media business, particularly for outlets focused on disseminating the written word. Publications have closed across the U.S. Many newspapers no longer offer daily editions. And many of the online news outlets vying to replace (or at least supplement) them have seen layoffs of their own. But despite a host of challenges to the advertising-based business model, St. L...

314 Day is this Saturday, and that means St. Louisans near and far are gearing up to show up and out for their city. The local holiday began as an informal celebration by residents — particularly in the black community. Within that community, people often gather for block parties, neighborhood barbecues and club events when the last numbers of their zip code or street number correspond with a date...

Across the metro area, residents of both Missouri and Illinois should start expecting a letter in their mailboxes that only makes its appearance once every 10 years. Forms for the 2020 census are expected to begin to arrive March 12. Host Sarah Fenske delves into why filling out the census is important, what’s different on this year’s form, and how the coronavirus pandemic could affect population...

Vocal performance students at the University of Missouri-St. Louis have tackled some classic operatic works over the past decade through UMSL Opera Theatre, an ensemble led by faculty member Stella Markou. In 2011 UMSL Opera Theatre presented “The Marriage of Figaro,” and two years ago the group’s “Pirates of Penzance” tied for first place in a National Opera Association production competition. Bu...

A new show opens at the Pulitzer this weekend. It’s a retrospective of artist Terry Adkins, who took inspiration from musical instruments, underappreciated historical figures — and the blues. Stephanie Weissberg joins host Sarah Fenske to discuss the Pulitzer show, “Terry Adkins: Resounding,” which opens this Friday. Weissberg is the associate curator at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation.

It’s Saturday night at Bissell Mansion, a nearly 200-year-old home overlooking Interstate 70 in north St. Louis. Dozens of people have gathered together to enjoy a meal — and a murder mystery. Over the course of the evening, dinner theater actors Linda Spall and Charles Huevelman put on a raucous show, “Phantom of the Grand Ole Opry,” in which Spall plays two characters, Tammy Whino and Dolly Pard...