Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI Radio in New York

(11/29/21) The history of Africa has long been relegated to the remote outskirts of our global story. What if, instead, we put Africans at the center of our thinking about the origins of modernity? Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism professor and former New York Times foreign correspondent Howard W. French does just that in his new book Born in Blackness: Africa, Africans, and the Making of the Modern World, 1471, a sweeping narrative spanning more than six centuries. Join us for a look at the trivialization in depictions of African societies throughout the last 500 years and how to overcome it for a more accurate understanding of human history in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(11/23/21) For anyone still experiencing the extended symptoms known as long COVID, health effects from the virus that stubbornly won’t go away, a full recovery is still not in sight months after surviving the worst. In their new book Long Haul COVID: A Survivor’s Guide: Transform Your Pain & Find Your Way Forward, author and COVID survivor Julie Luongo and psychologist Dr. Joseph J. Trunzo look at ways of coping with the anguish that comes with long-haul coronavirus symptoms so that you can focus on the healing process. Join us for a look at one way forward in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(11/22/21) The fight over the future of the Postal Service is on. Leadership at the USPS has been handed over to special interests whose plans includes higher postage costs, slower delivery times and fewer post offices. In his new book First Class: The US Postal Service, Democracy, and the Corporate Threat, historian and policy analyst Christopher W. Shaw brings readers to the front lines of the struggle over how our mail is delivered. Join us for a look at what a corporate takeover of the US mail would mean for America in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(11/19/21)In the beginning, Earth was an inhospitably alien place―in constant chemical flux, covered with churning seas, crafting its landscape through incessant volcanic eruptions. Amid all this tumult and disaster, life began. In his new book A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth: 4.6 Billion Years in 12 Pithy Chapters, senior editor of the scientific journal Nature Henry Gee zips through the last 4.6 billion years with equal parts enthusiasm and intellectual rigor. Join us for a look at life's life story in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(11/18/21) Cancer is a complex, evasive enemy and there are no quick victories in the fight against it. But the battle has been a monumental feat of medical and scientific research and fundraising acumen. In their new book A New Deal for Cancer: Lessons from a 50-Year War, editors Charles Fuchs and Abbe Gluck bring together some of today’s leading thinkers, activists and medical visionaries to describe the many victories and setbacks in the search for a cure. Join us for a look at the past, present and future of treating this terrible disease in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(11/16/21) With unpredictable weather creating a bizarre harvest season up and down the East Coast, our favorite gardening guru Pete Muroski of Native Landscapes in Pawling, NY returns to the program to take your calls. Join us for a discussion on preparing your garden for the colder months while helping insects, birds and other animals maintain local ecosystems in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(11/15/21) In addition to his work on WBAI and WNYC, investigative journalist Bob Hennelly’s writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, the Village Voice, the Christian Science Monitor, the Miami Herald, the Chief-Leader, the Detroit Free Press along with dozens of other magazines, online publications and newspapers. In his latest appearance on Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI, Bob discusses his latest reporting on the government response to the coronavirus at the local, state and federal level.

(11/11/21) Retired US Army lieutenant colonel, American University professor, public policy leader and former Republican Senate candidate from Virginia Daniel Gade teamed up with Wall Street Journal Reporter Daniel Huang for his new book Wounding Warriors: How Bad Policy is Making Veterans Sicker and Poorer. Drawing from interviews with dozens of veterans along with years of internal reporting, the book lays deep structural rot inside the Department of Veterans Affairs and what we can all do to turn things around. Join us for a look at how we can really support the troops in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(11/10/21) Discovered by director King Vidor when she was a Broadway chorus girl in the production Blackbirds of 1928, South Carolina-born actress Nina Mae McKinney (1912-1967) was still a teenager when she made her screen debut the following year in Hallelujah, Hollywood’s first feature film with sound that included an all-Black cast. Following rave reviews (The New York Times hailed it as “most impressive”), McKinney’s studio, MGM, touted her as one of their major stars, a first for an African-American performer. On the occasion of a Nina Mae McKinney retrospective at Film Forum in Manhattan’s West Village, filmmaker and Film Comment magazine contributor Ina Archer and American film historian Donald Bogle discuss the actress’s significance in film history in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(10/28/21)Two distinct Americas have always coexisted throughout the history of our nation. In his book American Schism: How the Two Enlightenments Hold the Secret to Healing Our Nation, Seth David Radwell looks at what led us to the raging partisan division we are currently experiencing. From the nation’s original sin of slavery through Jim Crow segregation and The Age of Trumpism, join us for a look at the cultural divide that has defined this country and what can be done to stop this vicious cycle of hatred and discord in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.