Under the Radar with Callie Crossley

School policies around the country are zeroing in on trans students, a new report states that basic protections for queer people are now increasingly dependent on where the person lives, and it’s LGBTQ+ history month – a time to honor queer trailblazers! It's our LGBTQ+ news roundtable!

In her new book, poet, author and Mellon Foundation President Elizabeth Alexander invokes the power of poetry, history and truth to explore courage and love in these tumultuous times. We talk to her about what she says are “the questions poets ask.” Her latest book, “Signals Across Vast Distances: Essays and Tales,” is our October selection for Bookmarked: The "Under the Radar" Book Club. 

Asian American and Pacific Islanders – or AAPI – are the fastest-growing major racial and ethnic group in the United States. With more than 25 million Asian Americans living in the U.S. and the tremendous success of movies like “K-Pop Demon Hunters”; streaming shows like “The Summer I Turned Pretty”; the popularity of sports stars like Olympic skater Alyssa Liu and baseball phenom Shohei Ohtani; plus the worldwide fandom of bands like BTS, it’s surprising how little representation for Asian and AAPI stories there is on-screen. In a 2025 study by The Asian American Foundation, 37 percent of Americans said they couldn’t think of ONE film with an Asian American character. So what’s the status on Asian representation on the big and little screen?

Maine Senator Susan Collins faces bribery allegations and calls a ProPublica investigation a “political hit job." Will Cape Cod institute its own “Taylor Swift” tax on million-dollar second homes? And a Rhode Island lawmaker moves out of state with no plans of leaving office! It’s our regional news roundtable!

Guests: Arnie Arnesen (WNHN in New Hampshire), Ted Nesi (WPRI in Rhode Island), Jennette Barnes (CAI on Cape Cod)

They’re now a regular part of the production crew of movies, television and streaming shows – intimacy coordinators: specialists in the safety and artistry of those sexy scenes on our screens. But what does the role actually entail? We learn all about this important, groundbreaking role from two people actually doing the work as part of our year-long series, How We Love.

Guests: Lizzy Talbot ("Bridgerton," "Babygirl," "Hunting Wives") and Robbie Taylor Hunt ("Red, White and Royal Blue," "Pillion," "Heartstopper Forever.")

It's an Oprah’s Book Club special! The celebrity mogul’s book club is turning 30, so we’re sharing two of our twin picks — books and authors both Callie and Oprah have featured on their shows.

First, we have Callie’s 2020 conversation with Robert Kolker; author of “Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family,” a nonfiction account of the Galvin family, in which six of the 12 children had schizophrenia.

Then we have Callie’s 2018 conversation with Tayari Jones about her book, “An American Marriage,” a novel about a young couple separated by mass incarceration after the husband is wrongly accused. It’s the first time we had Tayari on the show; we had her again this past spring for her latest novel, “Kin,” which was also selected for Oprah’s book club.

After each interview, we have short updates we recorded this summer giving us more insight into what it was like for Robert and Tayari to be selected by Oprah, how it changed the trajectory of their books and careers, and what they’re up to now.

Massachusetts is a leader in the nationwide effort to reduce food waste, setting statewide standards on food scraps, supporting community-led efforts for food recovery, and ramping up assistance to schools and businesses. With fresh new insights and creative solutions, the fight against food waste is drawing new enthusiasts to an old environmental issue. How effective are the policies to reduce, donate and divert food waste?

Don’t throw out your leftovers; they might be the best part of your next meal! Repurposing leftovers and using food scraps in recipes is part of the movement to reduce food waste. Cookbook authors Tamar Adler and Anne-Marie Bonneau join Callie Crossley to make the case for low and zero-waste tasty recipes that’ll save home chefs time and money while being environmentally friendly.

On September 11, 2001, Americans experienced the worst attack on U.S. soil in the country’s history. Millions witnessed the event in-person or on television, with wall-to-wall coverage the entire day. News about what happened, why it happened and who was responsible flooded the media, creating a chaotic and often confusing timeline of events detailing what unfolded before our eyes. And just as quickly arose new narratives: conspiracy theories claiming the attack was secretly performed by the U.S. government, sacrificing nearly 3,000 American lives for its own causes. 25 years later, those false narratives persist, now more mainstream than ever before. So how do we combat these dangerous, deplorable misinformation campaigns in order to preserve the true story of September 11? 

In 2023, America celebrated the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, the global cultural and music genre created by young artists like 18-year-old DJ Kool Herc and 14-year-old Grand Wizard Theodore who birthed the genre’s signature breakbeat and record-scratching techniques. Five decades later, the teens are elders. Murray Forman explores what it means in his latest book, “Old in the Game: Aging With And In Hip Hop." It’s our September selection for Bookmarked: The "Under the Radar" Book Club.