WRFI Community Radio News

Host Michael Rhynes continues to explore the role of poetry and literature in the lives of people affected by the carceral state. In this episode, we hear Michael's interview with Ketu Oladuwa an octogenarian poet who was wrongfully locked up for 5 years on death row in the 1960s. This program is funded by a  ⁠2025 Humanities New York⁠  grant and by WRFI's listeners. It's produced in c...

WRFI talks to filmmakers Glenda Drew and Jesse Drew on their documentary ' Open Country '. Join WRFI for a screening of 'Open Country' on Monday July 14th at 6:30pm , with a Q&A with Glenda & Jesse following the screening. ABOUT THE INTERVIEWEES Glenda Drew  is an interdisciplinary artist and filmmaker whose work lies at the intersection of visual culture and social change,...

WRFI talks to author and Cornell Associate Professor of Literature, Jeremy Braddock , about the history and culture of the 60’s-70’s era (and beyond) surrealist comedy troupe Firesign Theater. Jeremy recently published the book “Firesign: The Electromagnetic History of Everything as Told on Nine Comedy Albums” (University of California Press). Jeremy discusses  Firesign Theater with Peter B (of WR...

The Ithaca Pride Alliance (IPA) was formed in 2024 to serve as the first official group of organizers for LGBTQ+ focused events in Tompkins County. Andrew Scheldorf, local drag performer and current Chair of the IPA Board talked with WRFI in advance of their second annual "Pride in the Park" festival, which will take place Sunday June 15th in DeWitt Park. Supporting events and programmin...

The Gayogo̲hó:nǫˀ Learning Project is inviting the community to a FREE screening of the acclaimed film "Neither Wolf Nor Dog" on Sunday, June 1st, 2025, at 2:30 PM at Cinemapolis in Ithaca. The film is based on the award-winning novel by Kent Nerburn, "Neither Wolf Nor Dog", and offers a rare exploration of a complex relationship between a 95 year-old Lakota elder and the white writer he’s invited...

“Human Again” is an emotional and inspiring documentary focusing the Phoenix Players Theatre Group at Auburn Correctional maximum-security prison. Cinemapolis will host a free screening of “Human Again” Sunday April 27 at 2:30. The film follows the group as they prepare for an original play combining Shakespearean influences and the actors' own lived experiences. Michael Rhynes, host of “The U...

Guitarist Mike Baggetta calls his band MSSV a post-genre power trio—and this band does pack a punch. Baggetta is joined in the band by Mike Watt of the Minutemen and Firehose, and Stephen Hodges who played with Tom Waits on several albums, as well as with Mavis Staples, Wanda Jackson, and Jonathan Richman. Baggetta spoke with WRFI's Felix Teitelbaum from the road about their new album "On and On,"...

Jacob White of "Jamaican Clash" presents two important interviews examining the intersection of poetry, liberation, and reggae music. Kwame Dawes  is the  Poet Laureate of Jamaica  as well as reggae scholar and the author of over 30 books. He's done award-winning reporting on AIDS in Haiti. Ishion Hutchinson  is the author of three books of poetry and has won the National Book Critic...

In this episode we meet Quentin Lewis who is fighting his conviction while locked up at Wende Correctional in Western New York. Hear his poems, and listen as he joins Michael in conversation about writing in prison, Quentin’s work as a jailhouse lawyer, and the burden of being imprisoned while maintaining one’s innocence. "The Undiscovered Country" is a partnership between WRFI,  Prisoner Express,...

This episode will feature poet Quentin Lewis who is imprisoned at Wende Correctional Facility in Western New York. It will air Tuesday, March 25 at 2 and 5pm, and Friday, March 28 at 5pm on WRFI and will post to this feed following the debut. Hamlet calls death "the undiscovered country," a mysterious land from which no one returns. Host Michael Rhynes repurposes the concept to highlight...

Julia Senzon the new Editor-in-Chief of the Cornell Daily Sun , sits down with WRFI's Felix Teitelbaum for a quick welcome and "get to know you" followed by a look back at the week in news at the Sun.

What’s happening inside NY’s prisons? In December corrections officers beat Robert Brooks until he died in Marcy Correctional Facility where he was imprisoned. Just days ago another inmate, Messiah Nantwi, was allegedly also beaten to death at Midstate Facility. Prison guards across the state have striking since February 17 in violation of the Taylor Law. On Thursday, March 6 WRFI’s Michael Rhynes...

Gabe Levin, Editor-in-Chief of the Cornell Daily Sun, sits down with WRFI's Felix Teitelbaum for a look back at the week in news at the Sun. The stories covered in this week's episode include: Department of Education Orders Academic Institutions to End All Race-Based Programs Within Two Weeks Cornell, 11 Other Universities Sue NIH After Multi-Million Dollar Grant Cuts Announced Sen. Cruz-Led Inves...

Gabe Levin and Maryam Ismail of the Cornell Daily Sun sit down with WRFI's Felix Teitelbaum to discuss the Sun's coverage of the reverberations of Trump's 2025 executive orders on Cornell and Ithaca communities.

“Living With Grief” explores the ways people navigate the journey of losing a loved one. The series is produced by WRFI’s JT Stone. In this episode Makayla Podufalski, a 22-year-old emergency dispatcher in Ithaca, opens up about how she copes with the death of her mother, Catherine, who died after a years-long struggle with substance abuse.  The Tompkins County Whole Health provides  resources tha...

Host Michael Rhynes interviews attorney Jason Hoge about the new legislation that will make a difference to men and women coming home from prison. The law holds a unique promise for 2.3 million New Yorkers with conviction records. The law will clear the path for them to access the employment, housing, education and other opportunities they need to successfully reenter and contribute to their commu...

Local News: May 28, 2024

Local News: May 27, 2024

Voices from the Cornell Encampment: Andre

Voices from the Cornell Encampment: Sivan

Voices from the Cornell Encampment: Yomna

Voices from the Cornell Encampment: Malak

Cornell Palestinian Solidarity Encampment Closes

Investment Crowdfunding Platform Launches In Ithaca