Where We Live

What does it mean to take a break?

Going on a walk or doodling during a meeting? Maybe turning off your phone and reading a book?

For author Melissa Febos, years of destructive relationships left her in need of a different kind of break — giving up sex.

She embarked on a year-long journey of abstinence from romantic and sexual relationships, documenting what she discovered about herself in “The Dry Season: A Memoir of Pleasure in a Year Without Sex.”

Guests:

• Melissa Febos: author of five books, including "The Dry Season: A Memoir of Pleasure in a Year Without Sex"

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Chef and restaurateur Eduardo Garcia, better known as “Lalo,” started his cooking journey in his mother’s kitchen. His mother didn’t have any formal training, but prepared food through her own instincts and deep knowledge of flavors.

As a child, Garcia picked fruits and vegetables on the migrant route from Florida to Michigan. It gave him firsthand experience of the work that it takes to harvest the produce that ends up on our plate.

Today, Lalo Garcia is one of the most celebrated chefs in Latin America.

Today, we talk about his journey. His immigrant story is one familiar to those who have crossed the border.

Guests:

• Laura Tillman: Connecticut Mirror’s Human Services Reporter and author of “The Migrant Chef: The Life and Times of Lalo Garcia"

• Megan Baker: Lead Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Policy Analyst with the Connecticut Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity & Opportunity

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Next time you’re driving, take a look around and you might notice you’re being watched. From cameras atop traffic lights to license plate readers, surveillance technology has quietly crept into cities and towns across the state.

Today, we’re taking a look at surveillance in Connecticut and asking why organizations are worried about how these devices are used. Can mass surveillance and civil liberties co-exist?

Guests:

• Matthew Guariglia: Senior Policy Analyst for the Electronic Frontier Foundation
• Ojala Naeem: Town Councilor for Windsor, Connecticut
• Arman Haidari: Citizen activist and resident of West Hartford, Connecticut
• Eric Weiner: Citizen activist and resident of Windsor, Connecticut

Connecticut Public's divina cordeiro contributed to this show.

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Beavers are known as a "keystone species" contributing to biodiversity wherever they set up their habitats.

Today, Connecticut author and journalist Leila Philip joins us to talk about her book "Beaverland: How One Weird Rodent Made America."

We’ll also hear from one student working to map beaver habitats throughout Connecticut.

Have you seen beavers where you live?

Guests:

• Leila Philip: Author of "Beaverland: How One Weird Rodent Made America"
• Evan Zocco: PhD Student at UConn Natural Resources and the Environment
• Akiebia Hicks: Wildlife Biologist with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP)

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Postmaster General David Steiner recently told lawmakers that the U.S. Postal Service is in peril.

Speaking at a House Oversight subcommittee hearing, he said that the agency would be out of cash within 12 months and might have to cease deliveries.

Today, we talk about the future of the postal service in Connecticut and across the nation, and ask what can be done to keep it afloat.

Later, does your town have multiple zip codes? Though not uncommon, it can be a disruptive nuisance for rural towns with small populations. We hear why.

Guests:

• Daniel Piazza: Chief Curator at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum

• Sarah Anderson: Global Economy Director, Institute for Policy Studies

• Vince Mase: Director of Retirees for the Connecticut State Association of Letter Carriers

• Abby Brone: Housing Reporter for 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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On September 12th, 1962, President John F. Kennedy announced that the United States would land a man on the moon within the decade. Seven years later, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin planted the American flag on the lunar surface. Now, NASA and space agencies around the globe are planning on going back.

So what is it about the moon that continues to capture humanity’s heart and imagination? This hour, we learn all about the philosophy and religion behind our pursuit of the moon—and explore the possibility of reciprocal relationships with the moon.

Guests:

• Mary-Jane Rubenstein: Dean of Social Sciences at Wesleyan University and author of "Astrotopia: The Dangerous Religion of the Corporate Space Race."
• Wunneanatsu Lamb-Cason: author of "Grandmother Moon" and Assistant Director of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative at Brown University

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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.

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Shawna Lander is the actress behind “Shawna the Mom,” a series of one-woman skits on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.

She's amassed millions of followers online, through clips are that are fictional, but touch on real world themes of motherhood and the ups-and-downs of family life.

"I was really hungry for any sort of media that would reflect back to me what it was I was going through, and I couldn't find it," Lander said.

The one-woman show has catapulted Lander to online celebrity, but Lander emphasizes she's not Shawna the Mom. Instead, she said, she's “every mom.”

She joins us to talk about her series. We’ll ask how she built a cast of characters, how she explores the ups and downs of motherhood and how she navigates complicated family relationships.

"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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Seven-in-ten high school teachers say that cell phone distraction in school is a major problem, and one third of teens say that they use at least one social media site “almost constantly,” according to the Pew Research Center.

But how are teens actually consuming social media? And what kind of citizens of the internet are they becoming?

We’ll hear about a new study exploring how teens are interacting with their personal algorithms and speak with a Connecticut lawmaker about what policymakers can do to help.

Guests:

• Rachel Besharat Mann: Associate Professor of the Practice in Education Studies at Wesleyan University
• Gary Turco: State Representative for Connecticut's 27th District

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Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon have displaced 800,000 people, and killed nearly 700 people.

Connecticut is home to nearly 10,000 Lebanese Americans. Today we hear from members of the state's Lebanese diaspora.

We’ll also hear from one global humanitarian aid organization working on the ground in Lebanon to provide support.

GUESTS:

• Arson Fahim: musician, pianist, composer and conductor
• Kelly Razzouk: Vice President of Policy & Advocacy at the International Rescue Committee, a global humanitarian aid organization
• Bilal Tajildeen: Former member of the Waterbury board of Alderman

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