The State of Things

Hillary Clinton is now the official Democratic nominee, making her the first woman in history to become a presidential candidate of a major party. President Obama took the stage last night to voice his support for Clinton with a speech filled with familiar themes about hope and change.

Science Fiction and fantasy have traditionally created worlds of aliens, robots and monsters of various sorts. And there was a time when readers might have been stereotyped as nerds and geeks. But now sci-fi is exploding in the mainstream through digital media. And authors who were once niche writers are now mainstream. Three leading writers in the genre read this Saturday at Malaprops Bookstore in Asheville as part of the Shared Worlds event. The event features authors who are participating in

This program originally aired on April 21, 2016. Ken Ilgunas was working as a dishwasher near the oil refineries of Alaska when his friend suggested they should hike the entire length of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. He immediately agreed, and a year later he started the journey from Alberta, Canada to the Gulf Coast of Texas on foot. Along the way, he interviewed the people he met about the prospects of a pipeline running through mostly private land. His adventures and his interviews are

Last week, WikiLeaks made thousands of emails public that showcased communication between top members of the Democratic National Committee. The leaked emails suggest top D.N.C officials supported Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton above Senator Bernie Sanders during the primaries. The hack raises concerns regarding the cybersecurity of groups like the DNC and whether or not governmental officials are prioritizing the protection of information. Guest host Adam Hochberg talks with

Note: This segment originally aired February 19, 2016. Pauli Murray and Eleanor Roosevelt could not have come from more different backgrounds. Murray was the granddaughter of a mixed-race slave, while Roosevelt’s ancestry gave her membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution. But the unlikely pair sustained a profound and decades-long friendship. They met by chance in 1935 when Murray was at a government-sponsored camp for unemployed women. They got to know one another through letters,

It is a long-standing tradition for presidential candidates to address the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in election years. This year, the event is in North Carolina, a key swing state. That is especially appealing to the candidates in this election because veterans regularly vote in larger numbers than other voters. But this year, veterans are not enthusiastic about their choice in either party.

This show originally aired on May 27, 2016. As a kid growing up in Raleigh Leon Capetanos never imagined that he’d spend most of his life out West. He was an aspiring poet and studied writing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After participating in a talent program in Hollywood, he got a call from Universal Studios to join their writing department, and his career took off from there. His screenwriting credits include “Moscow on the Hudson” “Down and Out in Beverly Hills” and

This show originally aired on October 6, 2015. In an era where humans and the environment are inextricably tied, how do we approach environmental politics, economics and ethics? In what ways do the historical perspectives on the relationship between humanity and nature shape how policymakers approach current environmental issues like climate change and global warming? Duke Law professor Jedediah Purdy tackles the complexities of life in the anthropocene period and the possibilities for the

This program originally aired April 4, 2016 Lee Smith started writing stories when she was nine years old and sold them for a nickel a piece. Many of them were inspired by the gossip, true stories and daily grind she observed at her father's dime store, deep in the coal mining mountains of Virginia.

The NBA announced that the 2017 All-Star Game will not be held in Charlotte as planned. The decision comes after state lawmakers did not make enough changes to the law known as House Bill 2 to satisfy the league. It could cost the state more than $100 million in economic impact and the decision will be a factor in the gubernatorial race between incumbent Gov. Pat McCrory and Democratic challenger Roy Cooper. Meanwhile, as the Republican National Convention wraps up and the presidential campaigns