On Second Thought

A hundred years ago, the United States entered into WWI. To mark the centennial, the Atlanta History Center is taking a closer look at Georgia’s connections to the conflict . Take the red poppy, now a ubiquitous symbol in times of war. Since 1921, the artificial flower has been used to honor those who died, and it rose to prominence thanks to a former University of Georgia professor Moina Michael . She’s featured in the Atlanta History Center’s exhibit. We talked with Sue VerHoef, the center’s

Dominican-American novelist Junot Diaz published “The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” a decade ago. The book won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2007. When he’s not writing, he teaches college students--he formerly taught Freedom University here in Georgia, which offers post-secondary education to undocumented immigrants. We speak with Junot Diaz ahead of a lecture at Emory University at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 12th.

Plans to build two nuclear reactors at a Georgia power plant may be in jeopardy. That’s after the main contractor on the project at Plant Vogtle near Waynesboro filed for bankruptcy protection last month. Tim Echols is a Georgia Public Service Commissioner. He joined us with Sue Sturgis of the online magazine Facing South , which is part of the non-profit Institute for Southern Studies .

A fraternity at the University of Georgia was recently suspended for a year for misconduct during a hazing ceremony. A ban on new bars opening in Downtown Athens took effect in February. All this points to a problem with partying . How can the city and the campus sober up? We speak with David Lynn from the Athens Downtown Development Authority, UGA senior and Red & Black writer Dillon Thompson, and Beacon College Psychology Professor Nicki Nance.

Plans to build two nuclear reactors at a Georgia power plant may be in jeopardy. That’s after the main contractor on the project at Plant Vogtle near Waynesboro filed for bankruptcy protection last month. Tim Echols is a Georgia Public Service Commissioner. He joins us with Sue Sturgis of the online energy magazine, Facing South. Dominican-American novelist Junot Diaz published “The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” a decade ago. The book won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2007. When he’s

A special election is coming up in a week to fill Tom Price’s vacated seat in Georgia’s 6th Congressional district. The race is both contentious and expensive, by-products of the modern democratic process. We talked about our democracy and its health. Centuries ago, Plato predicted that democracy is always doomed to fail. Was he right? We asked two political science experts: Robert Pirro of Georgia Southern University and Michael Evans of Georgia State University. The Voting Rights Act has been

America was founded on principles of religious freedom. But Christianity dominates politics today. How this happened is the subject of a new book by Frances Fitzgerald. It’s called "The Evangelicals: The Struggle to Shape America." In it, Frances Fitzgerald documents the rise and potential fall of America’s largest religious movement. She joined us to talk about the history and influence of evangelicalism.

Actor Stephen Tobolowsky has appeared in over 100 movies and 200 TV shows. His most notable roles include Stu Beggs on Showtime’s "Californication" and Ned Ryerson" in the classic 1993 film "Groundhog Day." Tobolowsky was raised in the Jewish faith, but has struggled with his identity since an early age. He writes about it in his new book “My Adventures With God,” which comes out April 18. He appears at the Marcus Jewish Community Center in Atlanta for a book signing on May 4.

The Satanic Temple has been trying provide a secular alternative to traditional religion for over two decades. What is the mission of the Temple, and what are common misconceptions? The Atlanta Chapter is fighting to host an official after-school program in Cobb County schools. We talk to Atlanta Chapter head Fred Mephisto about the goals of his organization.

America was founded on principles of religious freedom. But Christianity dominates politics today. How this happened is the subject of a new book by Frances Fitzgerald. It’s called "The Evangelicals: The Struggle to Shape America." In it, Frances Fitzgerald documents the rise and potential fall of America’s largest religious movement. She joins us to talk about the history and influence of evangelicalism. The paranormal is often in the shadows, but a new store in Atlanta brings witchcraft to the