On the 5th anniversary of the COVID pandemic, we reflect on how the crisis shaped the world we know today. We speak with New York Times writer Jessica Grose about the virus' effect on workplaces and attitudes about essential work and the value of labor. Plus, listeners call in to share how their work lives have changed as a result of the pandemic.
Actors Christian Slater, Calista Flockhart, and Cooper Hoffman discuss playing members of the Tate family in the current revival of the 1977 Sam Shepard play "Curse of the Starving Class." Slater plays Weston Tate, a destructive alcoholic. Flockhart plays his wife, Ella, who is hoping to sell the family's property to make ends meet. Hoffman plays their son, Wesley, who is left to pick up the pieces. "Curse of the Starving Class" runs at the Pershing Square Signature Center through April 6.
Everyone needs to give a speech at some point in their life, and every speech can benefit from some humor. But trying to write a funny speech is a dangerous game. Veteran comedy writers Carol Leifer ("Seinfeld," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Hacks") and Rick Mitchell ("The Ellen DeGeneres Show") have written a new book, How to Write a Funny Speech: for a Wedding, Bar Mitzvah, Graduation & Every Other Event You Didn't Want to Go to in the First Place. They discuss the ins and outs of comedy in speeches, and how to strike the right balance.
[REBROADCAST FROM Sep 18, 2024] Writer Sandy Frazier spent fifteen years walking around the Bronx, getting to know the borough, its history, and its people. His book based on those walks is called, Paradise Bronx: The Life and Times of New York’s Greatest Borough, which is a finalist for the 2025 Gotham Book Prize.
Our March Get Lit with All Of It book club selection is the novel Mothers and Sons by Adam Haslett. The story follows an NYC-based asylum lawyer who is forced to confront a violent night from his past that left him estranged from his mother for 20 years. Haslett joins us for a preview conversation ahead of our April 2nd Get Lit event. Click here to borrow the book and grab your free tickets!