WPRB News and Culture

News and Culture embraces our inner love of gossip – with stories from the grapevine and about the very foundations of the whispering urge. Natalia Maidique and Navani Rachamallu speak to bartenders about the ways gossip shapes their job. Sophie Leheny and Synai Ferrell learn about the psychological and human roots of our snarkiest, most whispery impulses. And Clara McWeeny, Izzy Jacobson, and Helen Heuer dish some (anonymous) real-world gossip from listeners like you. 

Hosted and produced by Adam Sanders. Reported, recorded, and produced by Natalia Maidique, Navani Rachamallu, Synai Ferrell, Sophie Leheny, Clara McWeeny, Helen Heuer, Izzy Jacobson, and Adam Sanders.

All music used under Creative Commons license. Theme music: “Take Me Higher,” by Jahzzar.

WPRB News and Culture puts on a scary mask and knocks on your door with three stories sweet enough to make your teeth hurt, thinking about the kind of people who make Halloween what it is. First up, Adam Sanders and Izzy Jacobson visit a Halloween superstore to understand the mechanics behind the costume-and-décor industrial complex. Then, in a story from our archives, Charlie Nuermberger and Henry Moses learn about the mythical Jersey Devil from an expert in the field. And finally, in another archives story, Natalia Maidique and Navani Rachumallu regale us with the Halloween classic story, Edgar Allan Poe's The Telltale Heart.

Hosted and produced by Adam Sanders. Reported, recorded, and produced by Izzy Jacobson, Charlie Nuermberger, Henry Moses, Natalia Maidique, Navani Rachumallu, and Adam Sanders.

All music used under Creative Commons license. Theme music: “Take Me Higher,” by Jahzzar.

WPRB News and Culture pops some popcorn and buys a ticket to an episode at the movies. First up, Sophie Leheny and Navani Rachumallu speak to the folks at the Princeton Garden Theatre to understand their idea of the nonprofit-cinema renaissance. Then, Tommy Goulding breaks down the hubbub around the new Napoleon trailer, and why it has historians in such a tizzy. And finally, in a story from our archives, Adam Sanders investigates why doppelgängers figure so heavily in our horror-movie imagination.

Hosted and produced by Adam Sanders. Reported, recorded, and produced by Sophie Leheny, Navani Rachamallu, Tommy Goulding, and Adam Sanders.

All music used under Creative Commons license. Theme music: “Take Me Higher,” by Jahzzar.

News and Culture tries to sound fashionable. Natalia Maidique and Navani Rachumallu explore the sounds, style, and usability of shoes. Adam Sanders speaks to Lisa Shepherd-Stewart, the proprietor of Cultured Expressions, an African fabric shop and studio in Rahway. And Clara McWeeny and Helen Heuer give you all the thrifting tips you never knew you needed.

Hosted and produced by Adam Sanders. Reported, recorded, and produced by Natalia Maidique, Navani Rachamallu, Clara McWeeny, Helen Heuer, and Adam Sanders.

All music used under Creative Commons license. Theme music: “Take Me Higher,” by Jahzzar.

As hot days cool into chilly autumn evenings, WPRB News and Culture returns to tell the tales of summer. Sophie Leheny and Natalie Hahn visit Asbury Park to learn about New Jersey's classic Shore boardwalks. Mollika Jai Singh explores what it means for parents to drop off their kids at summer camp. And in a story from our archive, Adam Sanders visits a kitschy summer town to see what makes it click.

Hosted and produced by Adam Sanders. Reported, recorded, and produced by Sophie Leheny, Natalie Hahn, Mollika Jai Singh, and Adam Sanders.

All music used under Creative Commons license. Theme music: “Take Me Higher,” by Jahzzar.

News and Culture thinks long-term, with three stories about planning, organizing, and the travails in between. Sophie Leheny and Pat Grate visit a tarot card reader and learn the mechanics of learning about the future. Adam Sanders speaks to student labor organizers at Temple University about their plans for unionization. And in a story from our archives, Clara McWeeny and Izzy Jacobson find out what it's like to know your entire existence was totally unplanned.

Hosted and produced by Adam Sanders. Reported, recorded and produced by Sophie Leheny, Pat Grate, Adam Sanders, Clara McWeeny, and Izzy Jacobson.

All music used under Creative Commons license. Theme music: “Take Me Higher,” by Jahzzar. Other music used: “Distance” – Manu Cornet, “GoodMood” – Manuzik, “The Uncommon Man” – Peter Biedermann.

WPRB News and Culture takes a look into the artistic experiences and projects happening right here in New Jersey. Ellie Diamond learns about the Trenton Circus Squad, a nonprofit whose afterschool workshops teach kids and tweens the ropes of the circus – literally.  Sophie Leheny and Mira Ho-Chen visit the Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, New Jersey, and explore one of its longest and strangest collections. Clara McWeeny speaks to Reginald Dwayne Betts: the MacArthur Genius Grant-winning poet, performer, and legal scholar behind Felon: An American Washi Tale, a play about his own experience in the prison system. And Alan Plotz and Pat Grate learn about the work of the Arts Council of Princeton in bringing the joys of music and the arts into the suburban world. 

Hosted and produced by Adam Sanders. Reported, recorded and produced by Ellie Diamond, Sophie Leheny, Mira Ho-Chen, Clara McWeeny, Alan Plotz, and Pat Grate.

All music used under Creative Commons license. Theme music: “Take Me Higher,” by Jahzzar. Other music: "Hello Bob (Instrumental)" by Jukesfk, "Warm Guitar Song" by Seth_Makes_Sounds.

News and Culture tackles stories of domestic effort and labor – and explores the ways these oft-pigeonholed talents and works are evolving in our changing world. Adam Sanders heads to the garden, and learns about the seeds at the forefront of the new agricultural revolution. Mollika Jai Singh speaks to Lena Hoplamazian about her wild sewing and designing adventures, from tailoring clothes for her sibling to creating a condom dress. Alan Plotz explores ideas of domestic work around New Jersey at the Princeton Student Laundry Agency and reflects on the NJ Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. And we head to the rubbish bin with a story from our Archives – Oliver Whang learns about where our trash goes, and the aesthetic value of the junkyard.

Hosted and produced by Adam Sanders. Reported, recorded and produced by Adam Sanders, Mollika Jai Singh, Alan Plotz, and Oliver Whang. 

Theme music: "Montanita," by Ratatat. Other music used all under Creative Commons license: "Distance" - Manu Cornet, "garden" – johnny-ripper, "Soothing" - GrotiRoti.

News and Culture starts our Spring season at the very end of some stories. Clara McWeeny and Anna Salvatore visit an estate sale. Natalia Maidique and Navani Rachumallu speak to Anthony Grafton, retiring professor of history at Princeton University. Tommy Goulding and Henry Moses talk about their favorite endings in novels. Mollika Jai Singh explores the lore around the endings of The Bachelor episodes. And Adam Sanders calls up a classmate to help him reimagine the cemetery not as a place of death and fear but as a place of memory.

Hosted by Adam Sanders. Reported, recorded, and produced by Clara McWeeny, Anna Salvatore, Natalia Maidique, Navani Rachumallu, Tommy Goulding, Henry Moses, Mollika Jai Singh, and Adam Sanders. 

Theme song: "Montanita," by Ratatat. Other music used all under Creative Commons license: "Untitled No. 1" - Matthew Mullane, "Distance" - Manu Cornet, "My Dear Commissar" - Heifervescent, "GoodMood" - Manuzik, "Periodic Comets" - Holizna.

News and Culture brings you four stories of persistence and resilience. Alan Plotz and Claire Kaneshiro learns about the intricacies of the American asylum system with Gabriel Samcam Vargas, a Princeton student and human rights advocate. Reina Coulibaly explores how fiber arts have woven the lives of Black women together for centuries. Mollika Jai Singh speaks about the importance of persistence in a marathon-length friendship. And Claire Kaneshiro and Alan Plotz learn more about living and surviving in the residential youth treatment centers commonly known as the "troubled teen industry."

Produced and hosted by Adam Sanders. Reported, recorded, and produced by Alan Plotz, Claire Kaneshiro, Reina Coulibaly, Mollika Jai Singh, and Adam Sanders. 

Theme song: “Montanita” by Ratatat.

Included music all under Creative Commons license.

On the day after Thanksgiving, News and Culture takes a moment to meditate on gratitude, with three stories that stretch and test the bounds of our comfort with thankfulness. Mollika Jai Singh explores Princeton University's tradition of 'Annual Giving.' Izzy Jacobson looks back on the gratitude journal she keeps. And Natalia Maidique and Navani Rachumallu learn the complex relationship between 'gratitude cutlure' and psychotherapy from an expert. 

Produced and hosted by Adam Sanders. Reported, recorded, and produced by Mollika Jai Singh, Izzy Jacobson, Natalia Maidique, Navani Rachumallu, and Adam Sanders.

Theme song: “Montanita” by Ratatat.

Included music all under Creative Commons license.

On 11/11, News and Culture thinks about moments in our day: commutes, routines, junction points, stories from years past and new stories alike. From the archives, Elizabeth Shwe interviews an EMT about a day in the life - saving lives. Henry Moses and Luke Carroll bring us a new story of people at a junction, literally, speaking to folks in the midst of their commutes during rush hour at the Princeton Junction NJ Transit station. We return to the archives to hear a story from Hope Perry, about the path books take in Princeton University's massive Firestone Library, from the circulation desk all the way home. And finally, Anna Hiltner speaks to a farmer at the junction between spirituality and agriculture. The key word? Biodynamics.

Produced and hosted by Adam Sanders. Reported, recorded, and produced by Elizabeth Shwe, Henry Moses, Luke Carroll, Hope Perry, Anna Hiltner, Oliver Whang, and Adam Sanders.

Theme song: “Montanita” by Ratatat.

Included music all under Creative Commons license.

In our first-ever Halloween special, News and Culture tells spooky stories sure to give you a fright. Navani Rachamallu and Natalia Maidique tell a classic Gothic story, 'The Tell-Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe. Izzy Jacobson and Mira Ho-Chen crowdsource some ghostly tales. Charlie Nuermberger and Henry Moses speak to an expert on the mythical Jersey Devil of the Pine Barrens. Audrey Zhang digs into the Princeton University Archives to find evidence of ghosts on the historic campus. And Hannah Lee and Claire Kaneshiro explore a classic American Halloween tradition firsthand, venturing into a corn maze.

Produced and hosted by Adam Sanders. Reported, recorded, and produced by Navani Rachamallu, Natalia Maidique, Izzy Jacobson, Mira Ho-Chen, Charlie Nuermberger, Henry Moses, Audrey Zhang, Hannah Lee, Claire Kaneshiro, and Adam Sanders.

Theme song: "Montanita" by Ratatat.

Included music all under Creative Commons license: "Happy Halloween" by The Vivisectors, "It's Not Hard to Get Lost" by Bryan Mathys.

News and Culture dedicates this Very Special Episode® to those in our community who strive to make it a better place for everyone involved – in the radically freeform way we know how. Ashley Olenkiewicz and Julian Hartman-Sigall explore the mechanics of a congressional campaign in Pennsylvania's competitive 1st District, just across the Delaware River from Princeton. Clara McWeeny and Izzy Jacobson speak to Naomi Hess, a 2022 Princeton graduate who has spent her life fighting for disability rights, at home, at school, and in Washington. Lia Opperman and Mira Ho-Chen talk with Udi Ofer, former director of the New Jersey ACLU and current Princeton visiting professor about strategies of organizing, the fight against mass incarceration, and the state of cannabis justice in this community. And Adam Sanders learns about the growing trend of "mutual aid" networks working to make stronger community support systems – including one in our own backyard. 

Produced and hosted by Adam Sanders. Reported, recorded, and produced by Ashley Olenkiewicz, Julian Hartman-Sigall, Clara McWeeny, Izzy Jacobson, Lia Opperman, Mira Ho-Chen, and Adam Sanders.

Theme song: "Montanita" by Ratatat.

Included music all under Creative Commons license: "My Dear Commissar" by Heifervescent, "Welcome River" by the IMLC, and "Good Mood" by Manuzik. 

News and Culture continues its second Fall season by pointing the microphone not at a genesis or an ending, but rather at three stories in the middle of their journeys of transformation. Abani Ahmed and Daniel Yeo speak to the developers and planners seeking to revitalize Trenton, New Jersey's capital city. Natalia Maidique and Navani Rachamallu explore the comeback of vinyl record culture in recent years – from the perspectives of both the music team here at WPRB and the iconic Princeton Record Exchange. And Claire Kaneshiro learns about the experiences of those who identify as “born-again” Christians – and discovers a new perspective on self-transformation.

Directed and hosted by Adam Sanders. Reported, recorded, and produced by Abani Ahmed, Daniel Yeo, Natalia Maidique, Navani Rachamallu, Claire Kaneshiro, and Adam Sanders. 

In our last Summer Dispatch, we celebrate the end of our radically-freeform summer by tying up some loose ends. Charlie Nuermberger finishes his exploration of an abandoned mansion in western Maryland, purportedly home to an infant poltergeist. Hannah Lee explores what makes a great summer read. And Tommy Goulding muses on melancholic wanderings in the streets of Nuremberg. 

This episode was directed and hosted by Adam Sanders. Reported, recorded, and produced by Charlie Nuermberger, Hannah Lee, and Tommy Goulding. 

In our second Summer Dispatch, the day after Independence Day, we hear stories uniquely American in their separation from U.S. soil. Hannah Lee explores the experience of international students and their names in the United States. Alan Plotz learns about a project aiming to catalogue the oral histories of religious refugees. Tommy Goulding shares a day in his own life as an expatriate for a summer.

Directed and hosted by Adam Sanders. Reported, recorded, and produced by Hannah Lee, Alan Plotz, Tommy Goulding, and Adam Sanders.

Happy Solstice! WPRB News and Culture starts off summer with the first of our "Summer Dispatches" specials, with stories from around the nation and the world. Reina explores an ashram in Northern California, Henry finds his way to a different New Jersey, and Adam tries to find a tourist spot that won't break the bank. 

This episode was directed and hosted by Adam Sanders. Reported, recorded, and produced by Reina Coulibaly, Henry Moses, and Adam Sanders. Special thanks to Theo Wells-Spackman, Evelyn McGonigle, and Alan Plotz. 

News and Culture celebrates April Fool's Day... one week late. Reporters do pranks, learn about pranks, talk about cryptocurrency, and discover the secrets of a very special fox. 

Reported, recorded, and produced by Adam Sanders, Reina Coulibaly, Izzy Jacobson, Hannah Lee, Alan Plotz, Tommy Goulding, Henry Moses, and Anna Salvatore. 

News and Culture learns about mistakes, happy accidents, mishaps, and major errors. Reporters Izzy Jacobson and Clara McWeeny talk to a self-described "accident." Alan Plotz and Ashley Olenkiewicz do a deep dive into New Jersey's eviction law errors. Kat Ivkovic and Charlie Nuermberger discover the many mistake-makers around the Princeton, New Jersey area. And we all learn a little bit more about Nowruz - the Persian New Year celebration.

This episode was directed and hosted by Adam Sanders. Reported, recorded, and produced by Izzy Jacobson, Clara McWeeny, Alan Plotz, Ashley Olenkiewicz, Kat Ivkovic, Charlie Nuermberger, Anna Salvatore, and Adam Sanders. 

Rebroadcast - December 16, 2019

This is an episode from the News and Culture archives. 

Oliver and Anna caught up with Professor Casey Lew-Williams, one of the directors of Princeton University's Baby Lab. Casey and his fellow researchers study development in children whose ages range from a couple months to 7 years old. We talked to Casey because his work gets right to the question we've been asking for a while. Do the things that are important to us when we're young remain important as we get older? 

Elizabeth talks to two kids who are getting ready for their big holiday performance of A Christmas Carol at the McCarter Theater in Princeton. They discussed acting and stuffed animals. 

Julia has three brothers -- all older than her -- and growing up she relied on strangely formalized rules to survive. Here she is with a toy study of an improvised society. 

Oliver speaks with Alex Keane about death, family, friends, and bullies. Special shoutout to Alex's dad, Steve, who is a long time WPRB listener. Thanks so much!

 Remy's sister is in 7th grade. That's a seriously tough year. Here's how she's coping.

News and Culture talks about twins – in the broadest extent of the term. Reporters interview experts on astrology and biology to learn about spiritual and physical twin research, meet two students who share the same first and last name, learn about the cutting-edge research into doppelgänger horror, and gain a personal insight into the life of a family with twins.

This episode was directed and hosted by Adam Sanders. Reported, recorded, and produced by Isa Escamilla, Reina Coulibaly, Alan Plotz, Ashley Olenkiewicz, Hannah Lee, Adam Sanders, Clara McWeeny, Charlie McWeeny, and Anna Salvatore. 

News and Culture celebrates Valentine's Day with an episode devoted to professing your love. We hear from couples just starting to date and those who've already tied the knot, at ages different than you might expect. Reporters ask some guests to tell their loved ones *just* how much they care. An archivist lets us know the inside scoop on some historical love letters. And we read your confessions of love and care out loud for the whole world to see.

This episode was directed and hosted by Adam Sanders. Reported, recorded, and produced by Izzy Jacobson, Isa Escamilla, Anna Salvatore, Clara McWeeny, Charlie Nuermberger, Kat Ivkovic, Reina Coulibaly, Alan Plotz, and Adam Sanders. A special thank you to Clara Toujas, Julia Kingston, Alessandro Troncoso, and Nick Masters for providing their voices to our Open Love Letters segment.

News and Culture returns to the airwaves with a show about returns. What happens to your books when they go back to the library? How has a local grocery store managed to keep its workforce despite the "Great Resignation"? What's going on in the returns line at Target? And why have some people returned to using the typewriter? 

This episode was directed and hosted by Adam Sanders. Reported, recorded, and produced by Hope Perry, Alan Plotz, Kat Ivkovic, Charlie Nuermberger, Adam Sanders, and Anna Salvatore. Oliver Whang and Isabela Escamilla assisted in the production of this episode.