Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI Radio in New York

(4/19/21) The Cold War was not just a contest of power. It was also about ideas―economic and political, artistic and personal. In his new book The Free World: Art and Thought in the Cold War, Pulitzer Prize–winning scholar and critic and the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of English at Harvard University Louis Menand tells the story of American culture in the pivotal years from the end of World War II to the pivotal years of the Vietnam War. Join us for a look at how changing economic, technological and social forces put their mark on that era’s creations of the mind in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(4/16/21) The rapid changes brought on by COVID-19 have led to a major boom in remote working, leaving managers and employees scrambling to adjust. After experiencing the benefits of working from home, many companies, including Twitter and Google, have plans to incorporate telecommuting permanently. But as Naylor Fitzhugh Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School Tsedal Neeley explores in her new book Remote Work Revolution: Succeeding from Anywhere, virtual work has it challenges, leaving many employees feeling lost, isolated, out of sync and out of sight. Join us for at look how to maintain professional connections and a healthy work/life balance while working remotely in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(4/15/21) Despite Obama-era fantasies of a post-racial America, discrimination based on race remains a fundamental problem in all areas of our daily lives. In his new book Rich Thanks to Racism: How the Ultra-Wealthy Profit from Racial Injustice, civil rights attorney Jim Freeman reveals the hidden strategy behind systemic racism. Join us for a look at who is driving the public policies that continue to devastate communities of color across the country in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(4/14/21) As asserted in the New & Noteworthy section of the New York Times about Columbia University professor of nonfiction writing Phillip Lopate’s latest anthology The Golden Age of the American Essay: 1945-1970, “himself an excellent essayist, [Phillip] is also a leading curator of the form.” Focusing on this landmark era in American writing, the book includes work from literary giants like Susan Sontag, Norman Mailer, James Agee, E. B. White and Joan Didion. Join us for a look at some of the form’s greatest innovators in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(4/12/21) Marlon Peterson grew up in 1980s Crown Heights, raised by Trinidadian immigrants. In the aftermath of childhood trauma, he participated in a robbery that resulted in two murders. At the age of 19, Marlon served a 10-year prison sentence. While incarcerated, he immersed himself in anti-violence activism, education and prison abolition work. In his new memoir Bird Uncaged: An Abolitionist's Freedom Song, Marlon challenges the typical “redemption” narrative and our assumptions about what real justice is. Join us for a dramatic rethinking of the prison industrial complex in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(4/9/21) Shale gas extraction—commonly known as fracking—is often portrayed as an energy revolution that will transform the American economy and geopolitics. But in greater Williamsport, Pennsylvania, fracking is personal. NYU associate professor of sociology and environmental studies Colin Jerolmack’s new book Up to Heaven and Down to Hell: Fracking, Freedom, and Community in an American Town is a devastating account of what happens when one of the most momentous decisions for the well-being of our planet is made without the general public’s consent. Join us for a look at the real cost of unchecked industry in this installment of Leonard Lopate on WBAI.

(4/8/21) ProPublica reporter Alec MacGillis’s new book Fulfillment: Winning and Losing in One-Click America is not another inside account from a former Amazon employee or exposé of the dominant company in the country. Rather, it is an investigation of the America that falls within Amazon’s growing shadow. As MacGillis shows, Amazon epitomizes a land where winner and loser cities and regions are drifting steadily apart while work has become increasingly rudimentary and isolated. Join us for a look at who’s thriving and who’s struggling to make ends meet in this rapidly changing economy in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(4/7/21) For decades, a secret army of tax attorneys, accountants and wealth managers has been developing into the shadowy Wealth Defence Industry. These agents of inequality are paid big money to hide the fortunes of the richest 0.01 percent from the IRS. In his new book, The Wealth Hoarders: How Billionaires Pay Millions to Hide Trillions, Chuck Collins offers an insider account of how this industry is doing everything it can to create and entrench hereditary dynasties of wealth and power. Join us for a look at the inner workings of the world’s wealthiest people in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(4/6/21) Regular contributor to the show Pete Muroski of Native Landscapes in Pawling, New York is an expert on just about anything you’d want in your garden. He also has a comprehensive knowledge of how to get the most out of your gardening experience while respecting the local ecosystem. In this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI, Pete explains how taking advantage of this special time of year can lead to better results for your outdoor greenery.

(3/31/21) Universities play an outsized role in America’s cities. They bring diverse ideas and people together and they generate new innovations. But they also gentrify neighborhoods and exacerbate housing inequality in an effort to enrich their campuses and attract students. Paul E. Raether Distinguished Professor of American Studies at Trinity College Davarian L. Baldwin’s new book In the Shadow of the Ivory Tower: How Universities Are Plundering Our Cities looks at the many ways academic institutions can negatively impact the communities around them. Join us for a look at an alternative vision for urban life, one that necessitates a more equitable relationship between our cities and colleges, in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.