Emily Botein

We talk to big fish in small ponds - this year's Mrs. Asparagus; a supermarket check-out celebrity; one of the inventors of books-on-tape; and, last but not least, the winner of this week's "Five Sounds in Search of an Author" contest.

What's the Next Big Thing? ...

At a time when our leaders seem unable to provide any guidance - spiritual, tactical, or otherwise - we turn to others for guruship... from a tow truck operator to a legendary blues musician. Plus a new round of sounds, for this month's Five Sounds in Search of an Author ...

We remember first crushes, 1980s style and vibe on the street, the lost minutes of September 11, and some lesser known moments in the life of Stephen Jay Gould. Plus another episode of "What's Your Word" with Erin McKean.

Back in the Days
In the 1980's, ...

We consider the gravesites of forgotten famous people, the life cycle of the lowly mayfly (in a play by David Ives), and the staying power of music by Dick Connette and Sonya Cohen, from the band "Last Forever," who perform their music live in the studio.

Regina ...

This week we've got a collection of unflappable amateurs - astronomers, would-be models, record collectors and mah jong players. Not to mention the brave souls who put their writing to the test in this month's "Five Sounds in Search of an Author" contest.

What's the Next Big ...

It's a dose of musical drama, real and fictive, in Mississippi and on New York City street corners. Plus Jesse Green's back to invite submissions to our latest Five Sounds in Search of an Author contest.

Bush Whacking
What exactly is President Bush's position on environmental ...

What's the connection between iambic pentameter and olfactory glands? Or between rats and life coaches? This week we cross several borders and time zones to find out. With guest appearances from a poet, a rabbi, and an exterminator.

Chocolate Donuts and Cologne
Sense of smell is ...

We seem to be on a writer kick. Crime novelist Linda Fairstein takes us on a tour of a fictive crime scene. Then there's a non-fiction reading by Rick Moody and a conversation about writing family biographies with Nicholas Davidoff and his mentors Ian Frazier and Calvin Trillin. Also, tales ...

We've got lots of word play on this week's show, from a pitch session with New Oxford American Dictionary editor Erin McKean to an (almost) one-woman show by writer/actor Deb Margolin. Plus visitations down South, with Patrik Bass, and through the stomping grounds of Jack Kerouac, with Jonathan Ames.

It's time for spring cleaning - a cleansing of the home, the street, the mind, and the soul.

Take a Number
That's the only way to get the good stuff at the rummage sale to beat all rummage sales. The social event of the year, sponsored ...

On March 30, 1932, Amelia Earhart flew solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She was the first woman to do so. Seventy years later, we talk to another great woman in flight. And on the ground, we hear from a man with a bagpipe, a woman attempting to confront nuclear threat, ...

New York, NY —

New York is bracing for a massive (and noisy) event. On
April 6th, 10,000 bagpipers from all over the world will descend on Central Park for "Tunes of Glory." They're hoping to break the world record for number of bagpipes playing in unison. Brendan Glynn, ...

Voices from the past... Cold War radio broadcasts on wire, Mikhail Gorbachev on art, and a young girl's instructions on dying, as remembered by her parents. Also, it's time for our monthly caption contest, Five Sounds in Search of an Author.

Gorby Comes to Town
Remember ...

In the weeks immediately following the attacks on the World Trade Center, we tried to capture the city's conflicted state of mind - fearful, defiant, optimistic and grief-stricken - checking in with people we knew and people we'd never met before. Their voices have stayed with us. Six months later, ...

Whether you are for or against cacophony, this week's show has something for you. We meet a man who has started an anti-honking poetry movement, and listen to the collected works of cutting edge audio artists. Also, we conclude our New York Works series, featuring disappearing professions, with Frank Sabatino ...

This week, in honor of the Chinese New Year, we take a guided tour through the narrow streets of Chinatown, a neighborhood full of vitality and enterprise despite the enormous challenges presented by September 11th. And we hear from the ever-imaginative winners of our Five Sounds in Search of an ...

What do Jean Baudrillard, Issey Miyake, Luc Sante and Glenn Gould have in common? Not much, except that they all make appearances on this week's show. And then there's this month's Five Sounds, desperately seeking an author.

Caption Contest
Five Sounds in Search of an Author: ...

We've got internal organs and an ÜberOrgan, political satire, and visits with three men who have hung on, despite their disappearing professions. Plus a new David Ives play. It's all on this week's The Next Big Thing.

State of the Union Address, Take 2
According to ...

This week at The Next Big Thing, it's all about bosoms and bosom buddies. We continue our "New York Works" series with a visit to Town Shop Lingerie, and join longtime friends Jamaica Kincaid and Ian Frazier for oysters and conversation. We also have Rick Moody reading from new work. ...

The Next Big Thing unveils "New York Works," a series profiling people with jobs that are fast disappearing. This week, it's Walter the Seltzer Man. And we've got some more famous voices - Walt Whitman, Chowhound Jim Leff, and our very own contest judge Jesse Green.

Word ...