Where We Live

Journalist and author Fortesa Latifi remembers the first time she stumbled upon child influencer content. She noticed a pattern of family influencers sharing incredibly intimate content of their children's firsts.

"They were shaving their legs for the first time or getting potty trained, and it would get millions of views," she said. "And I just started thinking how strange it would be to grow up that way."

The family influencer world has become a multi-million dollar industry. But some are starting to question the way this content is created, asking questions on how children are compensated for participating in these videos. Additionally, there is the question of consent.

Today on Where We Live, we talk to Fortesa Latifi about her new book “Like, Follow, Subscribe: Influencer Kids and the Cost of a Childhood Online.”

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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About one in four U.S. adults take care of a loved one – from bathing to managing medical appointments. And as the American population is aging, more of us are becoming caregivers.

We’re exploring caregiving and aging in a series we’re calling Caregiving in Connecticut. You can hear the stories and conversations this week during Morning Edition and All Things Considered and you can check out the coverage on our website.

We’re going to feature some of those stories today and later, we’re going to hear from a UConn researcher who took a close look at what it means to age in northeastern Connecticut.

Guest:

• Asmita Aasaavari: Ph.D. candidate in sociology at UConn.

"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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At America's founding, who was entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?

This was the topic of discussion at a recent event at the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History. Connecticut Public special correspondent Diane Orson led a panel discussion with several Native American historians.

Today, we listen back to that conversation. It's an extension of Still Here: Native American Resilience in New England — a special series from Connecticut Public, featuring radio storytelling, in-depth videos, digital stories, pictures and a community conversation.

Guests:

• Lorén Spears: Executive Director of the Indigenous-led Tomaquag Museum in Rhode Island

• Nakai Clearwater Northup: Manager of Public Programs and Outreach at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center

• Ned Blackhawk: Professor of History at Yale University and author of "The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History"

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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We live in an age of convenience. From one device, millions of books can be accessed and stored. E-readers have become so ubiquitous that even if you don't personally own one, you probably know someone who does.

But, have you ever stopped to think about how we get our e-books? And once you do get it, do you actually own it?

Today, we will be digging through these questions as we explore e-books and the technology that supports them.

Guests:

• Deborah Schander: Connecticut State Librarian

• Nicholas Engert: public librarian of over 20 years

• Lon Seidman: Connecticut resident and tech reporter at Lon.TV

Connecticut Public's Megan Rodriguez-Hawkins contributed to this show.

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Every year, the Westport Library hosts a series of author conversations bringing the community together to bond over a book and a shared love of reading.

This year, Where We Live host Catherine Shen hosted one of these conversations and spoke to award-winning author Eiren Caffall. Today, we will listen back to that conversation.

Caffall is the author of “All the Water in the World.” It's the story of one family living in a nearly deserted New York City in the years after the glaciers melt.

Guest:

• Eiren Caffall: author of the memoir "The Mourner’s Bestiary" and the novel "All the Water in the World"

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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Death is not something that a lot of us like to think about. But making plans about end-of-life doesn’t need to be scary. Our experts today say it could be empowering.

Today, we hear from the Connecticut Death Collective, and hear new approaches to end-of-life care, and memorialization.

Later this month, the Mattatuck Museum and Riverside Cemetery, will host the first ever CT Death and Dying Symposium. We hear more.

Guests:

• Sarah Sparen: registered nurse offering death education and guidance in Waterford area
• Chris Grosso: writer, speaker, musician, and the author of four books, including "Indie Spiritualist" and "Necessary Death." He also hosts The Indie Spiritualist Podcast
• Becca Allen: a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in end-of-life planning and end of life doula
• Cheryl Guertin: vice president sexton and funeral director at Riverside Cemetery

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Data centers come in all shapes and sizes,from a few shelves in the basement of a university building, to a warehouse the size of nearly two hundred football fields.

But what do data centers actually do? Do we have any here in Connecticut? Towns across the state have expressed their trepidation about what a large data center might mean for the quality of life of their residents, with others looking to data centers as a way to create new jobs.

Today, we’ll be covering data centers: from how they work, to their impacts on energy and water infrastructure.

Guests:

• Reid Blackman: founder and CEO of Virtue, an AI ethical risk consulting business, and the author of the upcoming “The Ethical Nightmare Challenge”
• Jordan Fenster: Reporter for Hearst Connecticut covering artificial intelligence
• John Moritz: Reporter for CTMirror covering energy and the environment

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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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At a time where we are feeling increasingly disconnected, poetry has a powerful way of fostering community. Today, during National Poetry Month, we hear from poets and educators.

We'll also check in with some students competing in the Poetry Out Loud competition.

It's a competition where students dedicate time to study, memorize and then recite their chosen poem outloud. And as the kids will tell us, it’s not as easy as you might think.

Guests:

• Nadia Sims: Manchester Poet Laureate

• Jenny Heikkila Diaz: Project Coordinator, The Word and Community Activator, CT Poetry Out Loud

• Christian Herron: high school student who was one of the winners of the 2026 CT Youth Slam

• Emma Frisbie: 11th Grade student at East Lyme High School competing in the National Poetry Out Loud

• Melanie Faranello: local author and Founder of Poetry on the Streets

If you want to hear more conversations about books and poetry, sign up for our Where We Read newsletter. It’s a monthly rundown of what the Where We Live team is reading and highlights of some of the best author interviews on Connecticut Public.

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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Spring has sprung! And with it comes plant sales, fresh flowers and a whole lot of weeds.

But what goes into starting a garden? And how do you create sustainable, productive and beautiful landscapes? Today, we’ll be feeling the buzz as we answer all your gardening questions.

Later, we’ll hear all about how you can create a way station for travelling pollinators in your backyard!

Guests:

• Charlie Nardozzi: horticulturist and "All Things Gardening" host on Vermont Public Radio
• Tom Christopher: horticulturist and "Growing Greener" host on WESU
• Donna Merrill: President of Pollinator Pathway

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