On Second Thought

In honor of National Historic Preservation Month , we are visiting historic theaters across the state. Our first visit takes us to the Morton Theatre in Athens. It opened in 1910, and it's one of the oldest surviving African-American built, owned, and operated vaudeville theaters in the United States. Theater director Lynn Green shares her memories of the Morton Theatre. The Morton Theatre was a recipient of a grant for historic preservation. To apply for the latest round of funding, click here

Ron Gallo doesn't care if you like him. The Nashville musician has bigger things to worry about, such as the absurdity of human nature and the question of greater purpose in the universe. He channels those thoughts with quick, punky energy on-stage. Ron will bring his philosophically driven jams to the Shaky Knees Festival this Sunday, so we caught up with him in the studio.

Do you get enough sleep? A good night’s rest can depend on lot of things: your dinner, your kids, where you live, and even your race. A new book by Emory University professor Ben Reiss explores how we got so sleep-obsessed, yet sleep-deprived. He gives us a history of unwaking hours, and explains why black people get less sleep than other racial groups .

When you think of bullies, you might think of kids at school. But bullying doesn’t stop with school. A recent study shows women and minorities are most likely to be targeted in the workplace. We spoke with study authors Brandon Attell from the Health Policy Center at Georgia State University and Linda Treiber, a professor of Sociology at Kennesaw State University.

Atlanta-based Coca-Cola recently announced it would lay-off 1,200 workers . This comes after similar downturns in recent years. We more about the company's future with Mark Pendergrast , author of the book " For God, Country & Coca-Cola ." We were also joined by journalist Duane Stanford , who covered Coca-Cola for years.

Korean-American indie rock band Run River North will perform at the Shaky Knees Festival in Atlanta this weekend. The band is currently touring to promote their latest album, "Drinking From A Salt Pond." We catch up with lead vocalist Alex Hwang and guitarist Daniel Chae ahead of their Shaky Knees show this Saturday.

The Breakroom gang joins host Celeste Headlee to weigh in on the week's news. The panel includes Steve Brown of the Fayette County Board of Commissioners, Natalie Pawelski of Cater Communications, Georgia State University professor Eric Segall , and Kennesaw State University professor Roxanne Donovan .

We talk with singer and songwriter Rhiannon Giddens , who is best known as the lead vocalist with the string band, the Carolina Chocolate Drops. She’s got a new solo album, "Freedom Highway." It tells the stories of oppressed African Americans. We talked with her ahead of a performance at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta on Saturday, May 6 at 8 p.m. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVIaiADsyYo

Actress and writer Anna Vocino wears many hats. She’s appeared in side roles on shows like “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “The Office,” and has done voice-over work for numerous cartoons and video games. She’s also a passionate food writer, and blogs about her struggle with celiac disease. Her new book, “Eat Happy,” explores the ways to eat gluten-free, and have it taste good, too. We talk to her ahead of a book signing this Saturday , May 6.

A recent article from The New Yorker magazine called barbecue the most political food in America. The author argues barbecue has its roots in racism and discrimination. We discuss this history with Chuck Reece , editor of the Bitter Southerner. Also joining us are food writers Michael Twitty , and Kathleen Purvis of the Charlotte Observer.