Where We Live

It takes a lot of work to help preserve Connecticut's nearly 140 parks and forests. Today, we learn what that looks like across our state.

We hear from the Connecticut Forest and Park Association and learn about their efforts to pass down land stewardship to the next generation.

Plus, Connecticut state parks are a treasure trove of Indigenous history. A local author shares their guide on hiking Indigenous lands across the state.

To explore more or plan a park trip, visit ctparks.com.

GUESTS:

• Joey Listro: Executive Director of Connecticut Forest and Park Association
• Jay Levy: Author of "Hiking Indigenous Lands of Connecticut and Massachusetts," tribal consultant for the New England Trail and an archeologist for the Mohegan Tribe
• Mason Trumble: Deputy Commissioner at Connecticut Department of Energy and Environment Protection (CT DEEP)

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The US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on June 25, 2026. The US Supreme Court on Thursday backed a Trump administration move to strip deportation protections from some 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians living in the United States. The conservative-dominated court, in a 6-3 ruling, said the Department of Homeland Security's decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian and Syrian immigrants was not subject to judicial review.

In late June, the Supreme Court issued several landmark immigration rulings on birthright citizenship, asylum and temporary protected status (TPS). Today, we hear how these rulings will affect immigrants living in Connecticut.

The court ended protected status for Haitian and Syrian immigrants. There are approximately 5,000 Haitians living in Connecticut with TPS.

Although the court upheld birthright citizenship, the decision's dissent outlined a narrower application of birthright citizenship. Experts say the debate over birthright citizenship is far from over.

GUESTS:

• Ximena Bustillo: DHS and Immigration policy reporter at NPR
• Tabitha Sookdeo: Executive Director of CT Students for a Dream
• Wayne Unger: Associate Professor of Law at Quinnipiac University School of Law
• Maggie Mitchell Salem: Executive Director of Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS) in New Haven

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Arthur Sze took an non-traditional path to becoming the U.S. Poet Laureate.

Born in 1950 to Chinese immigrants, his family wanted him to pursue a safe career path that would assure security and prosperity. But while studying at MIT, he felt the call to write and study poetry; a call that changed the trajectory of his life.

Sze spent his career translating traditional Chinese poetry. He also taught at the Institute of American Indian Arts in New Mexico and is now a professor emeritus of the institute.

Sze is currently traveling the country with his signature Poet Laureate project “Words Bridging Worlds,” a series of workshops and readings that celebrate poetry in translation.

He joins us for a conversation on poetry, the power of language and the art of translation.

Where We Live is available 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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How will you preserve your family history? Maybe through journaling or family movies? What about grabbing an audio recorder?

Today, we’ll hear all about oral history projects in Connecticut that are recording stories for posterity. Later on, we’ll also hear how the Yiddish language and its dialects are being preserved.

Guests:

• Katie Heidsiek: Director of Exhibitions for the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History

• Jamil Ragland: writer for the New Haven Independent, Hartford community member and Hartford bureau chief for "Midbrow"

• Elizabeth George: Doctoral student at the University of Connecticut and an instructor for “My Story, Our Future.”

• Christa Whitney: Director of the Yiddish Book Center's Wexler Oral History Project

This episode originally aired March 10, 2026.

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When you look around your room, what do you see? More specifically, what do you see that you love? Is it a cool souvenir? Maybe a seashell? Or a family photo that always brings back good memories?

Connecticut-based interior designer and textile artist Sophie von Oertzen Williamson uses tension, textiles and lots of color to make living spaces warm and inviting.

She is the author of the new book “The Art of the Clash: A Manifesto Against Mundane Design.” We’ll talk about ways to blow away the beige and highlight the objects you love with a few simple tips.

Where We Live is available 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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Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit author and educator, believes everyone's life is a spiritual journey.

"We're all on this spiritual journey to understand ourselves, to understand how God loves us, to experience God's love and to give that love back to God and to other people," he said.

Martin is the author of the new book, “Work in Progress: Confessions of a busboy, dishwasher, caddy, usher, factory worker, bank teller, corporate tool, and priest.”

The book explores the many professional experiences he had before becoming a priest.

Martin reflects on his early life and the formative time he spent in Connecticut, where he worked as an employee at General Electric and made a decision that would forever change the course of his life.

"Where We Live" is available 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 on March 23, 2026.

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Breathe deep and think: What do you smell right now? The sweetness of the spring air? The smoky smells of the highway?

Our noses give us key clues about the environment and provide a critical daily link to some of our most cherished memories.

But smell, and its control over culture and politics, is often undervalued and misunderstood.

Today, we take a nose dive into the olfactory, exploring how humanity has used smell to communicate and control.

Guests:

• Ally Louks: Supervisor at the University of Cambridge and author of "Olfactory Ethics: The Politics of Smell in Modern and Contemporary Prose"
• Alexandra Segal: Wesleyan University anthropology graduate and winner of the school's "GLASS Prize in Queer Studies" for her 2025 paper, "On the Nose: What to Learn from Funk and Fragheads"
• Brittany Koziara: Owner of Forêline Parfumerie
• Hsuan Hsu: Professor of English at UC Davis, and author of "The Smell of Risk" and "Olfactory Worldmaking"

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Bestselling author Amy Bloom is widely known for 2022 memoir “In Love.”

The memoir follows her journey with her late husband, who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. The pair made a decision to travel to Switzerland to help him end his life.

Bloom’s latest book is different. “Blunt Instrument” is a vivacious, and often hilarious, murder mystery that’s set in the world of academia. And it’s partly inspired by Wesleyan University.

Bloom recently sat down with us to talk about her book and writing process.

Where We Live is available 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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It's been more than 60 years since environmentalist Rachel Carson's book, "Silent Spring," challenged the widespread use of synthetic pesticides like DDT and helped launch the modern environmental movement.

This hour, we learn about Carson's life, work and her enduring legacy through a new exhibit at Yale's Beinecke Library.

We'll also examine a current environmental challenge: per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS. This a class of man-made chemicals can be found in drinking water systems across Connecticut and the country. We'll explore the health concerns surrounding PFAS, efforts to limit exposure and what Carson's story can teach us about responding to today's environmental risks.

Guests:

• Vasilis Vasiliou: Professor and Chair of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale University
• Carla Baricz: Librarian for Literature in English and Comparative Literature, curator for Beinecke Library’s exhibition: “Silent Springs, Windswept Seas: Rachel Carson’s Environmental Vision”
• James Kessenides: Kaplanoff Librarian for American History at the Yale Library, curator for Beinecke Library’s exhibition: “Silent Springs, Windswept Seas: Rachel Carson’s Environmental Vision”

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