All Of It with Alison Stewart

This week, PEN America is hosting its annual "World Voices Festival," to uplift international writers and freedom of expression around the globe. Amid a climate in the U.S. that includes book bans and attempts to limit the types of content in classrooms, author and poet Jose Olivarez and Clarisse Rosaz Shariyf, PEN America's Chief Program Officer discuss the festival's featured writers, works and mission.

A new documentary about the esteemed and eccentric actor Richard Harris premieres on BritBox/Amazon Prime May 9. Director Adrian Sibley and Richard's son, actor Jared Harris, join to discuss, "The Ghost of Richard Harris."

For Rodney Crowell's latest studio album, The Chicago Sessions, the country and Americana songwriter teamed up with Jeff Tweedy to produce. American Songwriter call it a "triumph." Crowell joins us for a Listening Party.

In 2020, Nashville-based singer Devon Gilfillian recorded a track-by-track cover of Marvin Gaye's 1971 album What's Going On. Now, he has a new album, titled Love You Anyway. He joins us for a listening party.

David Hammons' art makes bold, provocative statements that feel current today. A new film, "The Melt Goes On Forever: The Art and Times of David Hammons" looks at his life and career. We speak to co-directors Judd Tully and Harold Crooks about it.

Rates of eating disorders have risen sharply during the pandemic, especially affecting adolescent girls. As part of our series Mental Health Mondays, we are diving into this difficult topic with Dr. Evelyn Attia, director of the Center for Eating Disorders at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and Dr. Joanna Steinglass, associate director of the Eating Disorders Research Center at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and The New York State Psychiatric Hospital. And we take your calls.

In the 8 years since Ben Folds' last album, he's published a memoir, started a podcast, become the first artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, and launched his own music charity. On June 2, he’ll release the new solo album, What Matters Most. He joins us in the midst of a world tour to play some new songs in the WNYC studios.

May 15 is the 100th birthday of renowned American photographer Richard Avedon. A new exhibition at Gagosian, Avedon 100, celebrates his centennial by presenting a collection of his photographs selected by over 150 people, from Spike Lee, Brooke Shields, Elton John, and more. Sarah Elizabeth Lewis, professor and art and cultural historian who wrote an essay for the exhibition catalog, joins us to discuss the importance of Avedon's work in the history of photography. Avedon 100 is open through June 24.

One of the great things about New York City is that you'll never run out of things to do free of charge. We'll round up some of the best options coming up in the months ahead, from watching French film in a local park to catching a bilingual Shakespeare production touring all five boroughs, with WNYC arts and culture editor Steve Smith. He wrote about this recently in Gothamist. 

The beloved films of Studio Ghibli have mesmerized audiences for their visual artistry, coming of age narratives, and deep thematic resonances, and a festival celebrating them is underway in theaters across the United States. Michael Leader, co-host of the Ghibliotheque podcast and co-author of a book by the same name, and Chance Huskey, director of distribution at GKIDS, the organization behind Studio Ghibli Fest, discuss what makes the films so special to so many people. Plus, listeners call in to share their favorite Ghibli films.