Interview with Sean Kleve of the Diapason Trio by Peter Haney, Aired on WORT 12/30/2025. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Gretchen Treu of 'A Room of One's Own' joins host Dana Pellebon to discuss all things book culture. Their conversation touches on the power of community-oriented independent bookstores, the hard work booksellers put in to find gems off the beaten path, and what books moved them in the last year.

Image courtesy of wal 172619/Pixabay

An in-depth conversation with educator and Vietnam vet Doug Bradley about his new book recounting the soundtrack of his life.

The World View Collective has been talking about how to think about the future we want, how to imagine it and then stay true to our convictions to create political, practical and personal plans that would reflect what we believe in.

We thought of ways to bring in guests to help us connect with listeners in this quest. We considered a number of guests who we could call on to further this contemplation and conversation. When Zara Chowdhary’s name came up, we all agreed that she would be someone who could help.

Fortunately Zara was interested and agreed to come into the WORT studio to talk with Gil Halsted and Amitabh Pal.

Zara Chowdhary www.zarachowdhary.com/the-lucky-ones

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

In 2025, a record $60 billion was invested in building AI data centers around the world, many of them in the US and Canada. Proposals for hyperscale data centers are popping up across Wisconsin, from Mount Pleasant, to Menominee, to Beaver Dam, and in Dane County. These complexes using anywhere between 5-50 megawatts of power would be filled with computer servers and take up hundreds of acres of land. To talk about the growing local opposition to AI data centers across the nation, host Douglas Haynes is joined by three guests: Michael Greif of Midwest Environmental Advocates, Mitch Jones of Food and Water Watch, and Ed Morganroth, Jr. of the group, No Data Center DeForest.

Featured image: aerial view of the Google Data Center in Council Bluffs, IA via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).

This week on Mel & Floyd: Flooding in the Smarty-cave?; Who will Esty fight first?; Plans for NYC mayor’s inauguration; Can chatbots change people’s political opinions?; Tales of A.I. videos; Check out Mel guest hosting “Who Cooks For You” along with his trusty sidekick on 12/26 via the WORT archives page [we can’t put the music in the podcast]; And other random topics; Notice something missing? For the complete Mel and Floyd Experience, buy the CD “The Very Best of James Brown” and play it on your Hi-Fi while listening to this podcast! Or listen live at 89.9 FM or wortfm.org/listen-live/ every Friday from 1 to 2 PM Central Time.

Photo courtesy Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

On this special live Christmas Eve edition of A Public Affair, host Ali Muldrow is joined by Bianca Martin,  the host of the podcast, City Cast Madison. They’re leaning into the festive season with loved ones, uplifting non-traditional ways of celebrating, and swapping favorite winter movies, like The Chronicles of Narnia and The Family Stone. 

Featured image of Bianca Martin and Ali Muldrow.

Forecast from Monday, 12-22-25 by WORT 89.9FM Madison

World View hosts Gil Halsted and Amitabh Pal had a conversation on Venezuela with perhaps the most knowledgeable American scholar on the subject in the country, Professor Miguel Tinker Salas, who has taught, written and spoken on Venezuela for decades.

He is the author of Venezuela: What Everyone Needs to Know; The Enduring Legacy: Oil, Culture and Society in Venezuela; co-editor with Steve Ellner of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez and the Decline of an Exceptional Democracy; and more as well as many articles and papers.

He is also an authority on the political and social issues confronting Latin America. His research expertise includes contemporary Latin America, society and politics in Venezuela and Mexico, oil, culture and politics in Venezuela, the drug war in Mexico, Mexican border society, Chicanos/as and Latinos/as in the United States and Latin American immigration policies.

And he is generous with his time and his knowledge. We are really grateful to him for sharing it with us.

World View conversation with Professor Miguel Tinker Salas in September 2024 http://www.wortfm.org/whats-really-happening-in-venezuela/

A December 19, 2025 Public Affair conversation between Esty Dinur and Marc Becker of Truman State University http://www.wortfm.org/oil-motivates-us-attacks-on-venezuela/

Miguel Tinker Salas website http://www.migueltinkersalas.com/

Carlee Latimer is an artist, a community builder, and a program assistant for the Madison Library Bubbler Project.

Latimere took her first quilting class in 2022. Now, she finds herself and one of her quilts in an exhibit entitled Find Your Quilt at the newly named Nancy M. Bruce Center for Design and Material Culture.

In this episode of Radio Chipstone, Latimere and contributor Gianofer (JON nah fer) Fields discuss how her role as a community builder shows up in her interactive quilt.