All Of It with Alison Stewart

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By: WNYC

All Of It with Alison Stewart is a show about culture and its consumers. ALL OF IT is a show about culture and context. ALL OF IT is a show about culture and the culture. Our aim is to engage the thinkers, doers, makers, and creators, about the what and why of their work. People make the culture and we hope, need, and want the WNYC community to be a part of our show. As we build a community around ALL OF IT, we know that every guest and listener has an opinion. We won’t always agree, but our va...

A Wonder Is What It Is: Nick Offerman Reads 'A Warning to My Readers' by Wendell Berry
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Yesterday at 6:56 PM

For National Poetry Month, actor, author, and woodworker Nick Offerman hosts "A Wonder Is What It Is," an audio series from All Of It with Alison Stewart dedicated to poet, activist, author, and Nick's personal hero: Wendell Berry. In four short installments, released every Friday throughout April, Nick will read a poem by Berry – poet, farmer, and environmental activist – and share his reflections.
 

In this first episode of four, Nick reads the poem “A Warning to My Readers.”

 

Do not think me gentle

because I speak in praise

of gentlenes...


Jeff Ross's One-Man Broadway Show Comes to Netflix
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Yesterday at 6:00 PM

[REBROADCAST FROM August 26, 2025] Comedian Jeff Ross discusses his new one-man show, "Take a Banana For the Ride," which was recently made available to stream on Netflix.

 Photo by Emilio Madrid


MoMA's Wifredo Lam Exhibit Closing Soon
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Yesterday at 6:00 PM

[REBROADCAST FROM November 13, 2025] An exhibition at the MoMA celebrates the career of Cuban artist Wifredo Lam, an artist who helped push the boundaries of modernism. Curators Christophe Cherix and Beverly Adams discuss "Wifredo Lam: When I Don't Sleep, I Dream," on view through April 11 2026.

Painting is 'The Jungle,' by Wifredo Lam, courtesy of MoMA


Andy Weir Talks 'Project Hail Mary'
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Yesterday at 5:30 PM

[REBROADCAST FROM May 14, 2021] Acclaimed sci-fi writer Andy Weir, discusses his novel Project Hail Mary, which was recently adapted for the big screen. The story follows an astronaut who wakes up in space without any memory of how he got there.

Cover art courtesy of Random House


Live Music From the Stars of Broadway's 'Chess'
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Yesterday at 5:00 PM

[REBROADCAST FROM March 19, 2026] The stars of the Broadway musical 'Chess' joined Alison Stewart live in The Greene Space at WNYC. Aaron Tveit, Lea Michele, and Nicholas Christopher perform songs from the show and discuss bringing the beloved musical back to the stage. Plus, conversation about the production with Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer and Emmy Award-winner Danny Strong, who re-wrote the book for this revival. This event is part of All Of It's Broadway on the Radio series.

Photo courtesy of the production


Wendy Red Star's New Solo Art Show
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Last Thursday at 9:46 PM

Artist Wendy Red Star discusses 'One Blue Bead,' her latest exhibition at Sargent’s Daughters, exploring trade beads as currency and the idea of contested value. 'One Blue Bead' is on view through May 10.

Installation photo courtesy of Sargent's Daughters


Full Bio: Judy Blume in Hollywood and Online
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Last Thursday at 9:17 PM

The new biography Judy Blume: A Life chronicles the life and career of the beloved children's book author. Biographer Mark Oppenheimer discusses Blume's career in Hollywood, and how she embraced social media, in today's installment of our series Full Bio.

Photo by Johnny Louis/WireImage via Getty


Kwamé Azure Gomez's Debut Solo Exhibition in Chelsea
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Last Thursday at 9:14 PM

Working in continuous layers, the paintings of artist Kwamé Azure Gomez produce dense, atmospheric visions while providing rich, sensory experiences of Black worship spaces and queer nightlife. She talks about her first solo show with the Marianne Boesky Gallery called 'Set The Atmosphere'

Photo of the artist by Merik Goma


Reflecting on New York’s Visual Fight Against AIDS
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Last Thursday at 9:01 PM

A new exhibition explores how graphic design shaped New York’s grassroots response to AIDS from 1979 to 2003. Curator Ian Bradley-Perrin, who is also a historian of HIV/AIDS, discusses 'Love & Fury: New York’s Fight Against AIDS,' on display at Poster House through September 6, 2026.

Image courtesy of Poster House: "Ignorance = Fear," poster by Keith Haring


How to Be a New Yorker
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Last Thursday at 8:54 PM

There's no easy answer to the question of how to successfully be a New Yorker, but New York Magazine is launching a new newsletter to try and make navigating city life easier. "How to Be a New Yorker" offers tips on how to do very specific things in New York, like how to throw a party, where to get a haircut, how to exercise without going broke, how to catch the best concerts, and more. Features editor Julia Edelstein discusses what you can learn in the newsletter and listeners share their advice on how to be a better New...


Starch Madness: Only One Baked Good Can Win
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Last Thursday at 8:47 PM

While most of the sports-loving world is paying attention to their basketball brackets, the folks at Serious Eats spend this time of the year pitting carbohydrates against each other in a contest they call "Starch Madness." And this year's bracket might be the most controversial yet: baked goods. Daniel Gritzer, editorial director for Serious Eats, talks about the competition, and listeners call in to defend their favorite baked sweet.

Photo by K.C. Alfred/ The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images

 

 


Team All Of It Ranks Albums of the Year Since 1959
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Last Wednesday at 6:15 PM

All Of It producers Jordan Lauf and Simon Close talk about the history of the Grammy's prestigious Album of the Year category. They've been listening to the winning records dating back to 1959, and ranking them. Listeners call in to share their favorite winners, and talk about the albums they think should have won.

Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy via Getty


'Sports Heaven' Shows How ESPN Was Born
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Last Wednesday at 5:41 PM

A new documentary and accompanying audiobook explore the founding of ESPN by Bill Rasmussen and his son Scott Rasmussen in 1979, and chronicles the early days of the network in the 1980s. Mike Soltys, ESPN historian and longtime ESPN employee, and director Greg DeHart discuss the history. “Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN” premieres on April 6 at 8:30 pm on ESPN, and the audiobook version is set to release on April 7.

Image courtesy of ESPN.  First SportsCenter 9/7/1979. George Grande (L) and Lee Leonard on set, Bill Shanahan, foreground and Mary Walton on camera


Examining the Importance of Poetry with Ada Limon
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Last Wednesday at 5:37 PM

To kick off National Poetry Month, former poet laureate Ada Limón discusses her new book, Against Breaking: On the Power of Poetry, and listeners share what poetry means to them.

Cover courtesy of Simon & Schuster


Meet NYC's New Commissioner of Cultural Affairs
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Last Tuesday at 6:06 PM

Mayor Zohran Mamdani has tapped a veteran curator to run New York City's Department of Cultural Affairs: Diya Vij. She discusses her vision for the department, how she wants the arts to be celebrated in the city, and how she plans to make the city more affordable for artists and cultural workers.

Photo courtesy of NYC Department of Cultural Affairs


Full Bio: Judy Blume's Own Young Adulthood
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Last Tuesday at 6:05 PM

The new biography Judy Blume: A Life chronicles the life and career of the beloved children's book author. Biographer Mark Oppenheimer discusses Blume's early marriage and motherhood, and how they helped shape her professional life, in today's installment of our series Full Bio.

Photo by Oliver Morris/Getty Images


New Pro Bowling Docuseries Strikes at the Heart of the Sport
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Last Tuesday at 6:05 PM

A new HBO documentary series dives into the world of professional bowling and its colorful characters. Co-director James Lee Hernandez discusses "Born to Bowl" and takes calls from bowling fans.

Image courtesy of HBO


Actor Luke Tennie on Starring on "Shrinking," "The Pitt" and "Abbott Elementary"
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Last Tuesday at 6:05 PM

The therapeutic comedy-drama "Shrinking" is nearing the end of its third season on Apple TV+. Actor Luke Tennie, who plays Sean, a patient struggling with anger management issues, discusses his work this season and his recent work on "The Pitt" and "Abbott Elementary."

Image courtesy of Apple TV


Our Hero, Balthazar' Explores the Dangers of Living a Life Online
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Last Monday at 6:48 PM

In the new movie "Our Hero, Balthazar," a young man who posts performatively online decrying gun violence suddenly finds himself encountering a man who claims to want to perpetrate a school shooting. Director Oscar Boyson and actors Asa Butterfield and Jaeden Martell discuss the film, in select theaters now.

Film still courtesy of the studio


Full Bio: The Early Life of Judy Blume
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Last Monday at 6:48 PM

The new biography Judy Blume: A Life chronicles the life and career of the beloved children's book author. Biographer Mark Oppenheimer discusses the book, and his complex relationship with his subject, in today's installment of our series Full Bio.

Photo by J. Smestad via Getty


Music from Behind Bars
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Last Monday at 6:48 PM

Marshall Project staff writer Maurice Chammah is the author of the newsletter, "Redemption Songs: The Music of Mass Incarceration." The newsletter shares stories of songs made by incarcerated people. BL Shirelle is one of its subjects, a formerly incarcerated musician who now runs the label FREER Records, which releases music by prison-impacted artists. Chammah and Shirelle discuss their efforts, share some of the songs featured by the newsletter and label, and explore what the tracks suggest about mass incarceration in the U.S.

Album cover courtesy of FREER Records


Ingrid Michaelson Performs Live!
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Last Monday at 6:48 PM

Singer-songwriter and Staten Island native Ingrid Michaelson performs live ahead of her American Songbook concert at Lincoln Center. "Ingrid Michaelson & Friends: The Time and Space Between Us" will take place at David Geffen Hall on Friday April 3 at 7:30.

Photo by Rebecca J Michelson


Get Lit: Purbayan Chatterjee Performs
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03/27/2026

Indian sitar master Purbayan Chatterjee performed at this month's Get Lit with All Of It event with author Megha Majumdar. This month's book selection, A Guardian and a Thief, takes place in Kolkata, a city for which Chatterjee wrote an anthem.

Photo courtesy of the artist


Get Lit: Megha Majumdar on "A Guardian and a Thief"
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03/27/2026

The March Get Lit with All Of It selection was the novel A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar. The novel is set in a future version of Kolkata, India, that has been ravaged by climate change. One family thinks they are set to start a new life in Michigan, but when their visas are stolen, they discover how far they will go to retrieve them. Majumdar joined us for an event at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library.

Cover art courtesy of the publisher


“Seydou Keïta: A Tactile Lens” Celebrates the Famous West African Photographer
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03/27/2026

A Brooklyn Museum show features more than 280 works from the groundbreaking Malian portrait photographer Seydou Keïta, including iconic prints, never-before-seen portraits, textiles, and Keïta’s personal possessions, brought to life with unique insights from his family. Guest curator Catherine E. McKinley and Brooklyn Museum's photography curator Pauline Vermare discuss the exhibition, 'Seydou Keïta: A Tactile Lens,' on display through Sunday, May 17th.

Self portrait by Seydou Keïta, courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum


Revisiting Cesar Chavez's Legacy
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03/27/2026

In recent weeks, The New York Times broke a story spotlighting accusations that influential labor activist Cesar Chavez sexually assaulted and groomed young women and girls in the movement he led. Latino USA's Maria Hinojosa and Mónica Ramírez, founder of Justice for Migrant Women, discuss how the allegations factor into the legacy of Chavez's activism.

 Photo via Bettmann/Getty


'Paradise' Stars Julianne Nicholson and Thomas Doherty
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03/26/2026

The second season of the Hulus series "Paradise" shows us what remains of the world outside the bunker. Sinatra, played by Juliane Nicholson, remains in charge of the city underground, which is threatened by the arrival a group of travelers lead by Link, played by Thomas Doherty. Nicholson and Doherty discuss the new season of "Paradise," streaming now on Hulu.

Image courtesy of Hulu


NPR's Student Podcast Challenge 2026
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03/26/2026

It's March (Audio) Madness time. NPR's Student Podcast Challenge has released the names of its finalists. Undergrads Syd Walter from Sarah Lawrence College, Luisa Sukkar from Barnard College, and Colby McCaskill from Fordham University discuss their contributions to the challenge, and share selections of their work, which include the sounds of a New York City neighborhood, the imaginary country created by someone's brother, and a love letter to aging grandparents.

Photo by L. Malik Anderson/WNYC


Revamping the Subway's Program for Musicians
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03/26/2026

For decades, musicians have been playing in the NYC subway system. Now, the MTA is revamping its program for musicians who perform in the subway system. Tina Vaz, head of the MTA's Arts and Design program, discusses the changes, and trumpeter Eganam 'ÉGO' Segbefia performs live in studio.

Photo courtesy of ÉGO


New Doc About Dance Legend Martha Graham
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03/26/2026

A new PBS docuseries called "We Are Our Time" explores the life of the legendary dancer and choreographer Martha Graham. Co-directors and co-producers Peter Schnall and Cyndee Readdean talk about the seiries, and Graham's impact on the world of dance, today. Martha Graham Dance Company will be performing at New York City Center April 8 through 12.

Photo via Bettmann/Getty Images


Special Event: NYC According To 'The Gilded Age's Peggy Scott
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03/25/2026

Last month, Alison Stewart hosted a conversation in partnership with The Tenement Museum about NYC history, through the lens of the character Peggy Scott, from the hit series 'The Gilded Age.' Scott is an educated young Black woman who comes to the city pursuing her ambitions to become a successful writer, during a historical period that has come to be characterized by wealthy white 'robber barons' like Rockefeller, Carnegie and Vanderbilt. Hear a special presentation of the event, which was held before a live audience in The Greene Space, with Tenement Museum researcher Marquis Taylor, historian Leslie Harris...


Mexodus Live In Studio
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03/25/2026

"Mexodus," the musical about the Underground Railroad that lead south to Mexico, has returned to the Off-Broadway stage. Stars and creators Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson return to WNYC to discuss the show, and perform songs live in our studio.

Photo courtesy of the production


Was Her Parents' Marriage an Experiment?
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03/25/2026

Author Dorothy Roberts is the product of an interracial marriage, rare for Chicago in the 1960s. When she got older, Roberts discovered that her dad was interested in studying interracial marriages long before he met her mother, calling into question whether their entire family might have been the product of an experiment. Roberts discusses her new book, The Mixed Marriage Project: A Memoir of Love, Race, and Family.

Cover art courtesy of the publisher


How a Local Med School Emphasizes the Human Side of Healthcare
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03/24/2026

A local medical school has been exploring new ways to teach the next generation of doctors, with more of an emphasis on the parts of healthcare beyond medical science, including bedside manner and how healthcare costs impact patient experiences. Dr. David Elkowitz, Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Educational Culture, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and Director of the Academy of Medical Educators, discusses his institution's approach to medical education.

Image by CHIH CHIEH HSIAO, via Getty Creative


Graphic Memoir Explores How We Teach Medicine
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03/24/2026

A new graphic memoir called See One, Do One, Teach One: The Art of Becoming a Doctor explores doctor and illustrator Grace Farris's journey through her medical education. She discusses the book, and the lessons she's learned about teaching the next generation of healthcare professionals.

Cover illustration by Grace Farris


Whether It's Two Stepping or Line Dancing, Americans Love Honky Tonk
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03/24/2026

A popular nightlife activity in New York these days is two stepping or line dancing at the Honky-Tonk bar. Reporter Will Groff, author of the Wall Street Journal article, "How American Nightlife Went Honky-Tonk," discusses why honky-tonk culture has taken off in cities around the U.S., and listeners share their experience dancing at the country bar.

Photo By Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images


Exploring the History of Black Comedy from Vaudeville to '90s Sitcoms
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03/24/2026

A new book traces how Black comedians developed their craft, from vaudeville and the Chitlin’ Circuit to stand-up stages and 1990s sitcoms. PBS NewsHour co-anchor Geoff Bennett joins us to discuss his latest book, Black Out Loud: The Revolutionary History of Black Comedy from Vaudeville to '90s Sitcoms, ahead of a conversation with comedians and writers Phoebe Robinson and Jordan Carlos this Thursday, March 25th in the Greene Space.

Promotional image for 'In Living Color'


Criterion Channel Celebrates VHS and Video Stores
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03/23/2026

In March, the Criterion Channel is featuring the film series "VHS Forever," a collection of films that involve VHS tapes or video stores, from "Videodrome" to "The Ring." It was curated by Clyde Folley, who discusses the series. Plus, listeners share their favorite experiences with video stores.

Image by José Araújo via Getty Creative


Spring Cleaning With Mindfulness
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03/23/2026

Anjie Cho, Feng Shui expert and architect, shares advice on how to capitalize on the energy of the spring equinox through spring cleaning and other mindfulness practices. Plus, listeners call with their questions and stories about how they're approaching the seasonal transition.

Image by nensuria via Getty Creative


Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera at MoMA
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03/23/2026

This Spring, renowned Mexican artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera are being celebrated by the Museum of Modern Art in a dual exhibition. 'Frida and Diego: The Last Dream,' looks at how Kahlo and Rivera represented a shift in the development of Mexican identity, art, and culture in the early 20th century. The show is presented in conjunction with the Metropolitan Opera, which is presenting 'El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego,' an opera debuting this Spring that explores the relationship between Rivera and Kahlo through a fictional narrative. MoMA worked with the opera's set designer Jo...