December 22nd, 2001
This week on The Next Big Thing, we hear from people feeling merry, and not so merry, as 2001 draws to a close.
A Tree Lighting in Wartime
This year's tree-lighting at Rockefeller Center struck a more somber note than in year's past. It brought to mind another era when the city faced difficult times. The time: 1942. The place: Madison Square. Here's what WNYC listeners heard...
Spreading the Good, Clean Word
What rhymes with "Donner," smells like peppermint, and can be used for laundry detergent, shampoo, toothpaste, facial cleanser, or Bible study? Sara Lamm has been summoned to spread the Good News, aka Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile Soap, and takes us along for the ride.
Denim and Debris
For a while this fall, New York City seemed to be in limbo. Things seem to be back in motion now - the warm weather has finally given way to cold, people are out shopping and going to holiday parties, and the last standing remnant of the World Trade Centers has been hauled away from Ground Zero. But not all traces of September 11 are gone, as Catherine Fenollosa discovered at a clothing store in downtown Manhattan.
A Holiday Cheer
Finding all those holiday greetings a little hard to take - the cards from distant relatives showing their six children smiling angelically by the fireplace hearth? The mass e-mails from acquaintances you hear from but once a year, when they share with you their numerous accomplishments? Improv actors Mary Purdy and Charlie Schroeder are somewhat taken aback by the latest holiday correspondence to come their way.
The Lion, the Witch and the Terrorist
A few months ago on The Next Big Thing, Meg Wolitzer and her husband Richard Panek, both writers, told us they were considering picking up and leaving the city, fraught as it was with a sense of loss and danger. Well, they're still here. But every now and then, Meg finds she needs to take a trip - to the land of Before.
A Child's Christmas in Wales (and Then Some)
If you're a regular listener, you probably know about The Next Big Thing's "Five Sounds in Search of an Author" Contest. Well, what to do about the Author in Search of Sounds? Dylan Thomas probably didn't imagine himself to be in that category when he recorded his "A Child's Christmas in Wales" nearly 50 years ago. Nevertheless, we figured he might appreciate the help. So here it is, a posthumous radio drama collaboration.
The Next Big Thing with Dean Olsher airs on WNYC New York Sundays from 11am-12 noon on 93.9FM and at 6pm on AM820. The Next Big Thing is funded in part by the Kaplen Foundation.
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