Where We Live

Spotted lanternflies are showing up across Connecticut, but they might not be as catastrophic as you think.

This hour, we talk with an expert about the real threat these insects pose and what you can do if you spot one.

Meanwhile, Connecticut’s push toward clean energy is being put to the test, and mental health professionals are seeing an uptick in climate-related anxiety.

We hear how therapists are helping people stay grounded and how students are leading the way on environmental action.

GUESTS:

• Gale Ridge: associate scientist, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
• Ricky Jordan: manager of energy efficiency, Eversource
• Doug Geoffrey: participant in the first Summer Green STEP cohort
• Áine Pennello: Report for America environmental and climate change reporter, CT Public

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When Crystal Emery started to fall down, without tripping, everyone said she was just clumsy. But in 1981, Crystal Emery was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

For some people living with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, the symptoms can be limited to body weakness and muscle atrophy. But for the Emery, the disease progressed. She lost the use of her legs and hands. Today, she uses a wheelchair and sometimes needs a breathing machine.

But despite her circumstances, she is anything but limited. Emery remained committed to her artistic craft, working as an artist, author, filmmaker, activist and comedian. Today, she joins us to talk about her work.

Later, we get an update on the future of disability services in Connecticut, and beyond. Advocates fear that decades of advocacy for better disability services, and more inclusivity, could be walked back among federal funding cuts.

Learn more about Emery's performance in New Haven here.

GUESTS:

• Crystal Emery: filmmaker, author and comedian
• Joy Houlder: Art Director at the Art Connection Studio in Hartford
• Tobey Partch-Davies: Executive Director of Disability Rights Connecticut

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Best-selling author Wally Lamb spent nine years working on his newest book, "The River Is Waiting."

In this time, he wrestled with self-doubt, navigated his own sobriety journey and worked as a teacher at York Correctional Institution, Connecticut’s only women’s prison.

His new book explores addiction, reckoning and forgiveness, and the injustice that exists in prison today. It follows one man’s experience in prison after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter for the death of his son.

GUEST:

Wally Lamb: author of "The River Is Waiting." He is also the author of "She’s Come Undone" and "I Know This Much Is True."

Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

This episode originally aired August 19, 2025.

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Step into the Renaissance Faire and you’ll be greeted with a scene out of time — dueling knights, vendors hawking their wares and royal proclamations.

Today, we'll take you to a faire and bring you voices from a realm filled with magic and whimsy. We'll also hear from the organizers of the Midsummer Fantasy Renaissance Faire and the Connecticut Renaissance Faire.

We learn what goes into organizing these festivals, what it is like to perform there, and what keeps people coming back year after year.

GUESTS:

• Isaac Moss: Summer intern at Connecticut Public and recent graduate of Wesleyan University

• Coco Cooley: Summer intern at Connecticut Public and student at Wesleyan University

• Eric Tetreault: Co-Founder and Marketing Director at the Connecticut Renaissance Faire

• Daniel Greenwolf: Co-Owner of the Connecticut Midsummer Fantasy Renaissance Fair

This episode originally aired on July 29, 2025.

Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Connecticut native and bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert’s new memoir All the Way to the River tells the story of her late partner, Rayya Elias.

The two began as fast friends, then fell in love. But as they faced tragedy together, their shared struggles with addiction put them on a collision course with catastrophe.

This hour, Gilbert joins us to talk about Rayya – “the love of her life” – and what she discovered about herself, about love, and about the sanctity of truth in writing this deeply personal memoir.

GUESTS:

• Elizabeth Gilbert: author of the new memoir, All the Way to the River. She is also the author of several other bestselling novels including Eat, Pray, Love and City of Girls.

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When you think of creativity, you might think of aha moments, sudden bursts of inspiration, and perhaps the dreaded writer’s block!

But creativity isn’t a skill limited to those working in the arts.

Author and researcher Zorona Ivecvic Pringle says that creativity is a trait that can build slowly and steadily over time.

Zorana Ivcevic Pringle, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. Author of The Creativity Choice: The Science of Making Decisions to Turn Ideas into Action.

Today, she joins us for the hour to talk about the science behind creativity and innovation and ways to explore these skills in everyday life.

GUEST:

• Zorana Ivecevic Pringle: Research Center at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and author The Creativity Choice: The Science of Making Decisions to Turn Ideas into Action

Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

This episode originally aired June 26, 2025.

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Sunday marked National Grandparents Day, which is a reminder of how deeply grandparents shape our lives.

But not every grandparent fits the traditional mold.

This hour, we explore unconventional grandparenting in our region, from neighborhoods built on intergenerational living to programs connecting older adults with children in need of guidance.

GUESTS:

• Erika Keuster: CEO of Treehouse Foundation 
• Holly Handfield: honorary grandparent, Treehouse Easthampton
• Margarita Laboy: Foster Grandparent Lead Program Specialist, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Connecticut
• Classie Sanders: Grandparent volunteer, Foster Grandparent Program

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Fewer adults in the U.S. are reading for pleasure. So what does that mean for early readers? Establishing reading routines like story time can be important for brain development and lifelong literacy skills.

Rahele Jomepour-Bell/Provided

Today, it’s our fall reading show, and we’re dedicating the hour to young adult and children’s books. Our panel will share their favorites.

If you have a young reader at home, we want to hear from you! What does story time look like in your household?

GUESTS:

• Kym Powe: Children and Young adult Consultant for the Connecticut State Library
• Wunneanatsu Lamb-Cason: Author of Grandmother Moon and 2024 Gilder Lehrman Institute Teacher of the Year
• Winsome Bingham: Children’s book author and Army Veteran

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Autumn can be a great time for rest and renewal.

It’s not too late to enjoy the most of the season before we hunker down for the cold months ahead. Today, we’re talking about all our favorite Connecticut fall happenings and events. We'll also hear about some Connecticut Hidden Gems you'll definitely want to add to your fall bucket list.

After a hot summer, what are you looking forward to this fall?

GUESTS:

• Francesca Fontanez: Lead Social Media Editor at Connecticut Public
• Jared Benoff: Chief Operating Officer of Visit New England and Visit Connecticut
• Jordan Polon: Executive Director of the Hartford Business Improvement District
• Reverend Tracy Mehr-Muska: Assistant Director in the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life at Wesleyan University

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Last Friday, a report confirmed a worse-case famine scenario in the Gaza Strip. Over a half a million people in Gaza, are facing catastrophic conditions that include malnutrition and starvation.

Today, we hear what’s being done to treat malnutrition in Gaza and around the globe.

Later, we hear what religious leaders, including Pope Leo, are doing to voice their concerns for these humanitarian crises.

GUESTS:

• Jeanette Bailey: Global Practice Lead for Nutrition Research and Innovation at the International Rescue Committee
• John Grosso: Digital Editor at the National Catholic Reporter

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