Where We Live

This hour on Where We Live, we look into strategies that build resilience in local bookstores and discuss pandemic book launches. Long-time indie bookshops continue to stay afloat and even thrive despite the ongoing pandemic. Amazon controls more than half of the market for print books and at least three-quarters of publishers’ ebook sales.

We also talk to booksellers about trends, including eliminating or reducing inventory-holding costs by selling on Bookstore.org –the Amazon for indies.

The American Booksellers Association (ABA) lists the top five trends for indie bookstores in 2022. According to the ABA, nationally, 250 indie bookstores opened, and 98 closed in 2020 and 2021.

The ABA’s Ray Daniels told Where We Live:

“Trends we continue to take note of include; an increase in the number of BIPOC-owned stores; an increase in the number of stores owned by Black women; continued experimentation with store formats – new models like pop-up stores, mobile stores, and fluidity between formats. Stores are moving from brick-and-mortar to online then to pop-up, or from pop-up to brick-and-mortar, or brick-and-mortar opening additional pop-up locations.”

Several of the new bookshops sell to under-represented communities, and all are focussed on building a local third space. We discuss the ‘doing well by doing good’ indie business model. Will it endure?

We also look into store closures and fundraisers to keep indies open. That Book Store in Wethersfield and Elliot’s Bookstore in Northford are among those that shut down, while fundraisers are underway to reopen New Haven’s Never Ending Books, and to keep Bennett’s Books in Deep River open.

GUESTS:

• Khamani Harrison: Founder & Owner of The Key Bookstore – An AfroFuturistic Bookstore in Hartford
• Lauren Anderson: Co-founder & Co-owner, People Get Ready, New Haven
• Roxanne Coady: Founder of RJ Julia, and CEO and founder of Just the Right

Cat Pastor contributed to this show which originally aired February 2, 2022.

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Bloomberg reported that a shorter work week experiment in Iceland found that workers maintained productivity and had improved well-being.

Today, Alex Pang, author of Shorter: Work Better, Smarter and Less - Here’s How, about how some companies are navigating a shorter work week, while paying workers the same salaries.

And later, we hear from Mike Melillo founder and CEO of the Wanderlust Group. He implemented the four day work week at his company at the start of the pandemic.

How would you spend your time if you only had to work four days, instead of five?

GUESTS:

• Alex Pang - author of books “Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less” and “Shorter: Work Better, Smarter and Less - Here’s How”
• Mike Melillo - Founder and CEO of the Wanderlust Group

Cat Pastor contributed to this show which originally aired January 27, 2022.

Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today by visiting ctpublic.org/donate. 

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tennis star Naomi Osaka and swimmer Michael Phelps are among a growing number of professional athletes who’ve been open about their mental health.

Collegiate athletes are stepping up too, to say they need more support.

Today, we hear from Fairfield University Division I swimmer Will Robinson, who has become an ambassador for mental health awareness.

And Quinnipiac University rugby coach Becky Carlson joins us to talk about the role coaches can play to support the whole athlete, both physically and mentally to help them perform their best.

If you played college sports, did you feel supported by your coaches and team?

GUESTS:

• Will Robinson - Junior, at Fairfield University majoring in Biology. He is also a Division I swimmer
• Becky Carlson - head women’s rugby coach at Quinnipiac University
• Dr. Jim Taylor, PhD - specializes in the psychology of performance

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Six in ten Americans say they’re feeling the effects of climate change where they live, and that the federal response thus far has fallen short.

Meteorologists are shown to be trusted messengers on climate change, and one non-profit news outlet is driven to help broadcasters connect the local weather conditions to the science of climate change. This hour, we hear from Bernadette Woods Placky at Climate Central, and NBC Connecticut Chief Meteorologist Ryan Hanrahan.

GUESTS:

• Ryan Hanrahan: Chief Meteorologist, NBC Connecticut
• Bernadette Woods Placky: Chief Meteorologist, Climate Central; Director, Climate Matters Program

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The National Women’s Law Center finds women in the U.S lost more than 5.4 million net jobs in 2020. But women are heading back to work now – there are nearly 600,000 more female workers in trade, transport and utilities; 200,000 more in transportation and warehousing, and 100,000 more in manufacturing. That’s from last March to this March (projected), according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

This hour on Where We Live, we hear from employers on what women want, and learn about workplace changes to get female workers back and to retain them.

We also dive into trends. A new survey by Wakefield Research finds that nationally, women are seeking higher income to make up for lost ground during the 2020-2021 pandemic years — 54% plan on asking for a raise, and 68% plan to leave their company if they don’t get it.

In addition to pay, the Girls With Impact Report – Post-COVID Economic Recovery for Connecticut’s Women, recommends employers to provide re-entry support; strive for policy reform for child care assistance; and offer business training, industry training, experiential training, and one-on-one coaching.

Pay and healthcare are two of the top critical needs of hourly wage earners.

A union representative discusses successful healthcare negotiations with Stop & Shop in Connecticut, while the CEO of a manufacturing company talks about new workplace programs including bringing babies to work.

We also hear from a researcher at the University of Connecticut specializing in the hybrid workplace model. A Gallup poll shows employees prefer hybrid workplaces(at 54%); followed by work from home (37%). Only 9% wanted to return to the office full time.

GUESTS: 

Jill Meyer: CEO, Bead Industries

Jessica Petronella: Representative, United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 371

Lucy Gilson: Associate Dean of Faculty and Outreach, University of Connecticut School of Business. Researcher of the hybrid work model

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Replacing your car with a bicycle might not sound possible, but would you change your mind if it was an electric bike?

Today, we hear about a bill that could make E-Bikes more affordable and accessible in our state. State Senator WIll Haskell joins us to talk about the proposal, part of legislation to create a greener, more energy efficient Connecticut.

And later, we hear why cyclists love these battery powered bicycles.

We talk to a local electric bike shop here in Connecticut and learn about Spark Cycleworks efforts to make e-bikes accessible to everybody.

Do you have a question about e-bikes in our state?

GUESTS:

• Senator Will Haskell - Connecticut State Senator
• Allie Thomas - Assistant Professor at UNC Chapel Hill
• Matt Schell - Engineer, Spark Cycleworks

Where We Live

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A national nursing shortage has deepened during the pandemic. A recent survey by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses found that 92% of nurses felt that the pandemic had "depleted nurses in their hospital, and that their career would be shorter than they had intended as a result."

This hour, we hear about a new plan to address part of the pipeline problem. Yale New Haven Health System is partnering with four area nursing schools to expand enrollment and, hopefully, the local workforce.

Plus, lawmakers want to look into the agencies recruiting travel nurses, sparking fears of capped pay. We hear more about the context for a “travel nursing boom" from author Sarah DiGregorio and Paul Banach, an ICU travel nurse from Connecticut.

DiGregorio underscores working conditions and a longer-term "undervaluing" of nurses. She says "the problematic explosion of traveling nursing is only a symptom of a longer-running, self-inflicted disaster: Over the long-term, hospitals have failed to hire and support enough nurses to weather crises."

GUESTS:

• Beth Beckman: Chief Nursing Executive, Yale New Haven Health System
• Paul Banach: Intensive Care Travel Nurse, MPH, BSN, RN
• Sarah DiGregorio: Author, Early: An Intimate History of Premature Birth and What It Teaches Us About Being Human

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It’s hard to conceptualize what living under a censorship state feels like, unless you’ve experienced it first hand.

Today, we hear exactly how Russia controls the free press and social media; Instagram, Facebook and Twitter have all been blocked by the Kremlin since the start of the war in Ukraine.

And we learn how Russians have been circumventing censorship. We talk to Access Now, an organization that defends digital rights of internet users around the world.

Do you have questions about censorship in Russia?

GUESTS:

• Ellen Litman -  novelist and English professor at UConn. She writes the Telegram Chronicles on Medium.
• Nathalie Maréchal - Senior Policy and Partnerships Manager at Ranking Digital Rights, an organization that works to evaluate internet, mobile and telecommunications.
• Natalia Krapiva - Tech Legal Counsel, Access Now, an organization that defends digital rights of internet users around the world.

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This hour, we explore the "mysterious Internet phenomenon" known as ASMR, autonomous sensory meridian response. According to physiologist and ASMR researcher Dr. Craig Richard, it's a relaxing reaction to various "triggers," including whispers.

Hear from Dr. Richard about how "brain tingles" became a scientific term, and what he's observed in his ongoing ASMR study. Plus, we meet Olivia, a local ASMRtist who gained thousands of followers – or as she calls them, "dreamers" – just this month.

Insider reporter Dan Whateley digs into the business side of TikTok, where ASMR is taking off.

GUESTS:

• Dr. Craig Richard: Physiologist; ASMR Researcher; Professor of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Shenandoah University
• Olivia AKA @sweetdreamerliv_asmr: "ASMRtist" on TikTok
• Dan Whateley: Reporter, Business Insider

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Half of the world’s population is made up of women. And by 2025, the number of postmenopausal women is expected to rise to 1 billion, according to the North American Menopause Society.

Despite the $600 billion global market, menopause is still a taboo topic.

But new scientific research on menopause on the heels of previous studies show how and where we must invest in women’s health.

This hour on Where We Live, we learn more and we talk to a “menopause doula” about treatment, gaps in care and myths. We also examine findings from new studies on the impact of trauma, disparities, and workplace policies on women’s bodies in midlife.

Find a North American Menopause Society-certified OBGYN, NP or other practitioners here.

And, for a good laugh, head to The Palace Theater in Stamford for Menopause, The Musical, April 8.

GUESTS: 

• Nathalie Bonafe: Menopause doula. Founder, Cafe Menopause Connecticut. Practitioner accredited by the North American Menopause Society
• Dr. Melissa Pearlstone: North American Menopause Society-accredited OBGYN, Westwood Women's Health, Waterbury
• Debbie Dickinson: Founder and CEO, Thermaband Inc., incubated at Yale and currently in the Harvard iLab and Harvard Alumni Accelerator program

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