This Is Nashville

Dubbed the "High Fidelity" for millennials, the book paints a picture of Nashville before it became "It City" — before the bachelorettes moved in, before Lower Broad was owned by country stars and before most major bands added Music City as a tour stop. "Lo Fi" takes us back to a time when Nashville felt like it was by residents and for residents. Today, we interview author Liz Riggs about the boo...

One of the gifts of living here in Middle TN is that our state is full of some of the nation’s most beautiful ponds, rivers, and lakes. There are so many ways to enjoy the water from swimming, to paddling a kayak, canoe or paddle board, to fishing. If you’re not familiar with how to jump in, how can you get started? And what do you need to know to stay safe? We’re talking with local water enthusia...

Dr. Townsend’s lab ‘cares about why people get sick’ and applies organic chemistry to help people everywhere get and stay healthy. He is pioneering the chemical make-up of human breast milk. He discovered a new class of sugars in human milk that prevent babies from getting viral and bacterial infections, and the wide-reaching applications for his lab’s work span from new medicines to industrial pa...

Music Citizens is about the people who make music work. Each episode will explore what it takes to do the jobs that keep the music business moving and introduce you to the characters who are often well-known within their worlds but whose vital work goes largely uncelebrated.  Today, we’re speaking with Jason Moon Wilkins, program director for WNXP and host of the Music Citizens podcast, and Justin...

Meanwhile, time marches on — as do cases, appeals and new bills. Today, we're welcoming journalists and authors Liliana Segura, Steven Hale and Joe Ingle to talk about their latest work writing about this punishment. Today's guests: Liliana Segura | Investigative journalist covering the U.S. criminal justice system, The Intercept Steven Hale | Author, "Death Row Welcomes You" ; journalist at Nashv...

When Tonya started looking for books for her children to read, she noticed that they all featured white kids. At the same time she wanted to get back into journalism and even considered writing classroom curriculum. Writing for the classroom didn't work out, but writing children's books that celebrate Juneteenth and a diverse range of Black hairstyles. Today, she joins us to talk about how she cam...

In 2024, many different faith communities are flourishing in Middle Tennessee and local religion reporters, whose work often reaches national audiences, have a lot to cover.  Today we are joined by Liam Adams , Religion Reporter for The Tennessean , Holly Meyer , the Global Religion News Editor for the Associated Press, and WPLN’s own Rachel lacovone , one of the our newsroom leaders who has repor...

US diplomats live and work overseas, helping US citizens abroad as well as building relationships with host countries. They get a new assignment to change countries — and often the languages they’re working in — about every two years. What is their life and work really like? And who are the people working here in the US to support US foreign policy goals? Today we’re talking with native Tennessean...

In My Place educates listeners on what cities like Nashville can do to prevent and end homelessness — while caring for our neighbors who are still unhoused. We talk to national and local guests about everything from best practices to worst failures and hear from people who intimately know the complexities of having nowhere to go. This show highlights how affordable housing affects each of us even...

Military service is a point of pride for many here in Tennessee and across the country. From wanting to serve something bigger than oneself, to seeking job experience or world travel, to honoring a family tradition of service — everyone who joins the military must find their own reason for signing up. Today, we’re talking with local recruiters from the U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps to learn mor...

Today, he talks with host Khalil Ekulona about the upcoming elections, diversity in Nashville, and how he talks about difficult, political topics. This episode was produced by Elizabeth Burton.

Call 615-760-2000 to share what’s on your mind or to ask either mayor a question. This is your opportunity to get your questions answered. From transportation to transportainment, we never know what’s going to come up on our Ask The Mayor show, but it’s always interesting. Join us! This episode was produced by Katherine Ceicys and Mary Mancini. Guests: Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell Nashville N...

Big Fella, aka Willie Sims, Jr., is a musician, entertainer, TV producer, community activist and advocate, ordained minister, board member, chef, teacher, life coach and is known by many as the Unofficial Mayor of Music City. You may have seen his self-produced cooking show, Cookin' Wit' Big Fella . Perhaps, you know him from the Juneteenth fireworks celebration at Fort Negley . Or maybe you’ve ru...

So what do teenagers in Nashville want their home city and region to be like now and in the future? What’s working and what isn’t? Today, we’ll speak to kids in two different youth-oriented programs who share the same goal — to have a future in a city that is built to work for all. Guests: Chef Sterling Wright | Chef, community advocate , and Napier Kitchen Table Fellowship Xavier | Teenage chef M...

Today, we’ll hear from young people about how they are volunteering in their communities. We'll kick off with Tennessee First Lady Maria Lee and a young student to get the scoop on the Tennessee Kids Serve Summer Challenge, which invites elementary kids to devote a portion of their summer break to serving others. Next, we'll speak with young people to find out how they are organizing service proje...

We want to know: What is it really like to be a kid right now? Rising 6th, 8th and 11th graders are here to tell us all about school, friendships, parents, social media and what they think about where they are in life right now. We are ready — and excited — to listen to these young voices from schools across Middle Tennessee. Join us for an especially fun conversation! Guests: Jemma, rising 6th gr...

For over 40 years, Ann Powers has been writing about music and pop culture for outlets such as The Village Voice, The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times. She’s probably interviewed all of the relevant music artists of the past four decades — from Prince to Madonna — and she’s authored many books. They include: "Weird Like Us: My Bohemian America, a memoir"; "Good Booty: Love and Sex, Black &...

As much as we all love drama, we’d prefer it stayed on stage.  At the June 4 council meeting, Metro Council approved the $200,000 settlement that would ensure former Director Daniel Singh’s resignation from the Metro Arts Commission. This is just the latest in a multiyear long conflict regarding equity — within the Metro Arts staff, between Metro Arts and other Metro departments, and in the Thrive...

From the outside, the world of beauty pageants and scholarship competitions can be fun to watch- but sometimes difficult to fully understand. What are the competitions really like? What does it take to win? And what exactly does a titleholder do for the year after she wins? Miss Tennessee USA 2024, Miss Black Tennessee USA 2024, Miss Tennessee 2023 and Miss Davidson County 2024 are here to share t...

Today we’re talking with two couples who have been together for several decades … and who are happy to say that they continue to love and like each other each day. We’ll also hear about a bonded couple who show their love through sharing treats, making biscuits, and grooming each other … guess what species they are!? A shorter version of this episode aired earlier this year. Tune in for the full c...

Her political career began in St. Paul, Minnesota. When she came back to her hometown of Nashville, she became the Mayor of Oak Hill, then State Senator. Last year she ran for Mayor of Nashville, she even ran for Congress in 2022. But did you know that path to holding public office was not the path she first envisioned for herself? We’ll talk with the Nashville native who found her way to politics...

Dial 615-760-2000 to share what’s on your mind or to ask either mayor a question. We never fully know what’s going to come up on our Ask The Mayor show, but it’s always a good time. Join us! This episode was produced by Katherine Ceicys and Mary Mancini. Guests: Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell Franklin Mayor Ken Moore Listen to previous Ask the Mayor episodes: Ask the Mayor with Freddie O'Connel...

For people who haven’t been following the story, it’s hard to know where to start if you want to learn more. For people who have been following, it can get complicated, and it’s easy to forget what's really happened. Today, we’re diving into it all headfirst and reviewing the most impactful, dysfunctional (and wildest) moments that led us to where we are today. We’ll hear from key players includin...

Housing is health care — which becomes especially apparent when we get to know our unhoused population. Here, we talk about what happens to people’s health and health care once they have lost their permanent housing. In My Place educates listeners on what cities like Nashville can do to prevent and end homelessness — while caring for our neighbors who are still unhoused. We talk to national and lo...

Farmers markets are a way for food growers and other vendors to serve the community directly, outside of big box grocery stores. So who are these farmers and other vendors? Who are the community members that come out to support them? And how do farmers markets intersect with food justice? GUESTS Michael Bradford , Farmer and co-owner of Una Acre Farm Gretchen Trast , Co-founder of The Honey Collec...