The Colin McEnroe Show

On the night of December 4, we went to Watkinson School in Hartford, put 11 performers together on the stage there, and let them rock their way through 27 holiday- and holiday-adjacent classics. We’re turning that two-hour performance into two radio shows over the two holiday weeks. Part one premiered on Christmas Eve. And this hour, live from the Foisie Family Amphitheater at Watkinson, it&...

On the night of December 4, we went to Watkinson School in Hartford, put 11 performers together on the stage there, and let them rock their way through 27 holiday- and holiday-adjacent classics. Our plan is to turn that two-hour performance into two radio shows over the two holiday weeks. This hour, live from the Foisie Family Amphitheater at Watkinson, it’s part one of our annual holiday sp...

This hour is about self-checkout technology and its impacts. We'll debate its pros and cons, look at the history of self-service at grocery stores, and talk about the future of technology in stores. Plus, we'll learn about the psychology of "weak ties," and the value of talking to strangers in places like the checkout aisle. GUESTS:  Christopher Andrews: Associate Professor and Chair of Socio...

We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing. This hour, the conversation winds around to vultures and sky burials , President Trump’s post about Rob Reiner’s death , our show with Paul Winter , Colin as chicken salad, the multiverse … Anything. (Se...

Josh O’Connor is having a bit of a moment. He’s been in four movies this year. On December 12, two of them became available to watch at home, including the biggest movie of his career so far, the new Knives Out mystery, Wake Up Dead Man . On December 13, O’Connor hosted Saturday Night Live . On December 16, the first trailer dropped for the soon-to-be biggest movie of his career...

This hour we talk about the history of the Second Red Scare, a period also known as McCarthyism. We learn about why the Scare took off in the United States, its impact, and how it eventually fizzled out. Plus, we look at the parallels and throughlines between that time period and our current moment. And, a look at how the Second Red Scare impacted Hollywood, and how it, in turn, was reflected back...

You may know the Schuyler sisters, Angelica and Elizabeth (and Peggy!), from  Hamilton . But the musical just scratches the surface of their fascinating lives. This hour, Amanda Vaill joins us to talk about her new book,  Pride and Pleasure: The Schuyler Sisters in an Age of Revolution. GUEST: Amanda Vaill:  Author, journalist and screenwriter. Her newest book is  Pride and Ple...

This year marks 100 years since F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby was first published. And it turns out that it took a while for the novel to catch on in the United States, where it is now considered a classic. This hour, we revisit the novel and its cultural impact. GUESTS:  Rob Kyff: Teacher and author of Gatsby’s Secrets . He also writes a nationally syndicated colum...

We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing. This hour, the conversation winds around to domesticated cats,  interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS , real Christmas trees vs. artificial Christmas trees, the primary system in Connecticut and elsewhere, Rob Reiner’s de...

Stevie Wonder turned 75 this year. Also this year, our friend the jazz pianist Noah Baerman put out an album of covers of Wonder’s “message music.” This hour, a look at Stevie Wonder as musical icon, as important civil rights figure, as utterly timeless songsmith. Plus: some in-studio performances of Stevie Wonder classics. GUESTS: Noah Baerman: A pianist, composer, and educator;...

What counts as a robot? This hour, a look at what robots are and the latest in robot technology. Plus, how robots were used and thought about in medieval times and Ancient Greece and the role of robots in science fiction. GUESTS: Chris Atkeson: Professor at the Robotics Institute and the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University Adrienne Mayor: Author of  Gods and Rob...

This hour, we look at the political erasure of history, and its impacts. Plus, we talk about why artists destroy their own work or the works of others. And, the history and evolution of erasers. GUESTS:  Jason Stanley: Bissell-Heyd-Associates Chair in American Studies at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto. His latest book is Erasing History: How...

President Donald Trump has found inspiration for tariffs and more in the 25th President of the United States: William McKinley. This hour, we look at the life and legacy of McKinley, and why Trump is drawn to him. Plus, we'll learn about the Gilded Age and its parallels to today. GUESTS:  Kevin Kern: Associate Professor of History at The University of Akron. He is co-author of Ohio: A History...

We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing — calls about grammar, gardening, long-distance dialing, autotune. Anything. Everything. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we’re doing another one. In other words: Give us a ca...

This week’s Nose — guest hosted by writer and journalist Lindsay Lee Wallace — looks at: PLUR1BUS is a new post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller series created by Vince Gilligan. Apple TV describes its premise like this: “The most miserable person on Earth must save the world from happiness.” Rhea Seehorn stars as Carol, one of the few people on the planet who weren’...

From fueling some of mankind's most violent events to inspiring your daughter's latest pop star obsession, mania has become an indispensable force in shaping our collective story. This hour we explore a centuries-long flower frenzy and modern-day fanaticism to uncover why we are so drawn to being "totally obsessed." GUESTS:  Daniel Durbin: Professor of Communication and Director of the Instit...

This hour, Daniel G. Lugo, the new president of Trinity College in Hartford, joins us to talk about the value of higher education, his background, the challenges of leading a college at this time, and more. GUEST: Daniel G. Lugo:  Trinity College’s 23rd President Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls, calls about anything, everything. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one. This hour, the conversation winds around to whether less is more or better, birds, the Governor's residence, Sweden, tariffs, minimalism … Anything. (Seeming...

In 2014, Colin McEnroe and the playwright and screenwriter Tom Stoppard recorded a live conversation at The Study in New Haven. Stoppard, whom Colin considers “quite possibly the most dizzyingly proficient writer of the English tongue (who) did not grow up speaking English,” has died at the age of 88. In appreciation of Stoppard and his work, we’re republishing their conversation...

What if you just don’t really enjoy food very much ? What if you’re totally fine eating the same thing every single day ? What if you think food is an inefficient way to get what you need to survive ? What if, rather than eating “food,” you just mixed a white powder (that is definitely not made of people because it’s made of soy protein isolate instead) with water and...

This hour: recipes. We talk with someone who makes recipes found on gravestones, and we consider what makes an effective recipe, the history of the modern recipe, and the art of the recipe introduction. Plus, a look at the phenomenon of pop culture cookbooks. GUESTS: Dinah Bucholz: Author of The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook and The Unofficial Narnia Cookbook Rosie Grant: Posts gravestone recip...

Snacking on snacks, savory or sweet, has become a way of life. This hour, we sink our teeth into our snack-food obsessions. GUESTS: Andrea Hernández: Founder of  Snaxshot Julia Pistell: Freelance writer and co-founder of SeaTea Improv Chris Prosperi: Chef and owner of Metro Bis Mark Schatzker: Author of  The Dorito Effect The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast...

This hour, we’re joined in studio by seven-time Grammy Award-winning local musician Paul Winter. His new album, Horn of Plenty , is out today. Winter is known for his annual solstice concerts and his “earth music," which features music from around the world, as well as the sounds of animals like wolves, whales, or wood thrushes. You can find details about his Winter Solstice Celebratio...

Should people use the Oxford comma? Is there a correct number of exclamation points per email? If someone ends a casual text with a period, does that mean they’re mad at you? This hour: punctuation and how we use it. We talk about the history of punctuation marks, timeless punctuation debates, and how writing for texts and emails has changed the way we use punctuation. GUESTS: RS Benedict: A...

What's it like being a nun in 2025? Sister Monica Clare joins us to explain her path to the Community of St. John Baptist and why she is sharing her story on  TikTok  and in a new memoir. Plus, scholars Ana Garriga and Carmen Urbita explore the lessons about friendship, money, work, and more that we can learn from Sixteenth-century nuns in their podcast and their new book. They join us t...