Could a privatized rail line connect New Hampshire residents to Massachusetts and Rhode Island? Paid sick leave is official in Rhode Island: Could this help or hurt the state's economy? And the first medical marijuana plants in Cape Cod are flowering! What happens next? All that and more on this week's regional news roundtable. Guests: Arnie Arnesen, of WNHN's "The Attitude With Arnie Arnesen"; Philip Eil, freelance journalist in Providence, R.I.; and Paul Pronovost, editor of the Cape Cod Times.

Zinzi Clemmons' debut novel, "What We Lose," is an intimate coming-of-age story centered around a tough and tender moment -- the loss of the main character's mother. The story is based on Clemmons' own loss and grieving process. The novel -- referred to as autofiction, a cross between an autobiography and ficition -- also explores love, identity and womanhood. Reviews hail the novel as "stunning," "inventive" and "poignant," and critics are calling Clemmons "a promising new voice." Callie Crossley speaks with the author about the themes of the novel and her avant-garde approach to writing and literature. "What We Lose" is our October selection for Bookmarked: the Under the Radar book club. Guest: Zinzi Clemmons, author of "What We Lose."

How will Puerto Rico recover from Hurricane Maria after years of economic downturn? We tip our hats to Topos, the elite Mexican rescue team, and to Gov. Gina Raimondo for her work toward helping DACA recipients in Rhode Island. But why are DACA activists and protesters disrupting town halls sponsored by Democrats? And what's in a name: Is 'Latinx' the term of the future? All that and more on this week's Latinx roundtable! Guests: Julio Ricardo Varela, of Latino Rebels, Latino USA and the "In the Thick" podcast; and Marcela Garcia, of the Boston Globe.

In Shakespeare’s time, all the world was a stage, but only men were actors. The play “Men on Boats,” a comedic take on the real-life 1869 expedition led by John Wesley Powell to chart the Colorado River, flips that script with a story of determined male explorers performed by a cast of multi-gendered actors. The play has received plenty of attention for its inventive casting, its contemporary language and its commentary, and it has received critical acclaim from the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune. Boston's SpeakEasy Stage is currently producing "Men on Boats" at the Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts. Guests: Dawn Simmons, director of the SpeakEasy Stage production of “Men on Boats”; Jaclyn Backhaus, playwright of “Men on Boats"; and Alicia Anstead, associate director for programming at the Office for the Arts at Harvard University, editor-in-chief and co-founder of the student-driven Harvard Arts Blog, and Under the Radar’s arts contributor.

When Dr. S. Allen Counter died in July, the world mourned a man whose celebrated career took him on an unlikely journey, from the small town of Americus, Ga., to the hallowed halls of Harvard University via a remote Greenland village and the upper echelon of influence in Sweden. Dr. Counter was a neurobiologist, an ethnographer and a mission-driven advocate who spent the last years of his life leading the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations. This week, we deliver a radio tribute to Dr. S. Allen Counter, a Renaissance man who guided generations of Harvard students and expanded the university’s vision of community. Guests: David Evans, senior admissions officer at Harvard University and a member of the Harvard Foundation's Faculty Advisory Council; Dr. Bruce Price, associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, chief of the department of neurology at McLean Hospital and also a member of the Harvard Foundation's Faculty Advisory Council; and Cary Williams, a 2016 Harvard graduate and a former intern for the Harvard Foundation.

Is it really time to say goodbye to the freshness of summer? Will wine in a cocktail make the transition into fall a little easier? And pumpkin spice: Is it back with a vengeance? Plus, a rousing discussion on tiny portions at restaurants, the comforting goodness of bowls and big-box wine shops coming to New England! Our food and wine experts are here to guide our plates and wine glasses from summer to autumn. Guests: Amy Traverso, senior food editor at Yankee Magazine and co-host of WGBH's "Weekends With Yankee"; and Jonathon Alsop, founder and executive director of the Boston Wine School.

Author Jenny Zhang's new book “Sour Heart” links seven short stories about a community of Chinese immigrants living in contemporary New York City. The fictional narrators are all young girls who are navigating adolescence while becoming Americans. From the big sister who wants to be free of her close-knit family life to the young girl who fears speaking English in public, these small intimate stories represent big expressions of the hopes and fears of families trying to find home in a new country. Callie Crossley speaks with Jenny Zhang about “Sour Heart” -- our September selection for Bookmarked: The Under the Radar Book Club.

Admit it: You can't help but check your phone when you're behind the wheel. Distracted driving has evolved from fiddling with the radio to taking Snapchat videos while on the freeway. It's a dangerous, addictive habit we see in other drivers and ourselves. So how can we get drivers to put down the phone and focus on the road? Guests: Emily Stein, president of the Safe Roads Alliance, Karen Twomey, spokesperson for AT&T, and Susan Moses, deputy director of the Center for Health Communication at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Never-before-seen violence, unsettling and unsatisfying endings and "Blaxploitation" — these are just a few of the traits and trends of the so-called "shadow cinema" of American films during the 1970s. Author and film critic Charles Taylor and Brandeis University professor and film expert Thomas Doherty join Under the Radar to discuss this unique era in American filmmaking.

Will police curb rowdy beach-goers on Cape Cod? A New Hampshire white nationalist at the center of a viral Vice documentary turns himself in after warrants out for his arrest. And free community-college tuition in Rhode Island: Is it too good to be true? All that and more on this week's regional news roundtable! Guests: Arnie Arnesen, host of WNHN's "The Attitude with Arnie Arnesen"; Philip Eil, freelance journalist based in Providence, R.I.; and Patrick Cassidy, news editor of the Cape Cod Times.