Making Friends in Adulthood, NPR’s Ari Shapiro, Legacy of Charles L. Blockson

In his memoir, The Best Strangers in the World: Stories from a Life Spent Listening, NPR host Ari Shapiro shares some of his most memorable, delightful and unexpected encounters from his many years of reporting. He joins us to talk about the book and his life behind the scenes of All Things Considered.

Americans report having fewer close friends than ever before…but making new friends as an adult can be tough and pretty awkward. We’ll get some tips about making connections in adulthood and discuss why these friendships are so important with psychologist Marisa Franco, author of Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make – and Keep – Friends.

Historian and activist Charles L. Blockson died this year at the age of 89. The Norristown native created one of the largest collections of African American artifacts and history in the world — books, manuscripts, pamphlets, and photographs. He donated his collection of over 700,000 items to Temple University in 1984. Curator Diane Turner joins us.