Books
‘New Kid’ and ‘The Undefeated’ win Caldecott and Newbery medals in Philly
African American writers and illustrators took the top Newbery and Caldecott awards at the annual library conference.
4 years ago
Listen 1:22‘The Care We Share’ helps families navigate their children’s complex new medical needs
A new guide gathers information and resources to assist parents with the challenge of providing care in the home.
4 years ago
Liz Moore on “Long Bright River”
Liz Moore discusses her new crime novel, "Long Bright River" about two sisters, one a police officer and the other a drug-addict, caught up in Philadelphia's opioid crisis.
Air Date: January 9, 2020 10:00 am
Listen 49:01Posthumously unsealed trove of T.S. Eliot letters reveals ill-fated relationship with Emily Hale
About 1,000 letters written by poet T.S. Eliot to confidante Emily Hale were unveiled Thursday, revealing an intense but ultimately thwarted love affair.
4 years ago
Kiley Reid’s “Such a Fun Age” / Martha Graham Cracker
Kiley Reid discusses her debut novel, "Such a Fun Age," about a black 25-year old babysitter and her wealthy white employer. Then, Philly drag queen Martha Graham Cracker.
Air Date: January 2, 2020 10:00 am
Listen 48:58Carmen Maria Machado: “In a Dream House”
Writer Carmen Maria Machado discusses her memoir. "In a Dream House" about her abusive relationship with another woman writer.
Air Date: December 17, 2019 10:00 am
Listen 49:03Got a fine for overdue books? Philly libraries will soon forgive them
The trustees of the Free Library of Philadelphia voted Wednesday to eliminate fines for overdue books and other materials. The policy is expected to take effect by spring.
4 years ago
Salman Rushdie’s new novel, Quichotte is inspired by the Cervantes’ classic but set in America as a modern road trip.
Air Date: December 10, 2019
Listen 49:01Penn Book Center has a new name: People’s Books & Culture
The 57-year-old bookshop in West Philadelphia is thriving under new ownership.
4 years ago
The real history of the first Thanksgiving
Historian David Silverman tells the troubling history of the first Thanksgiving from the perspective of the Wampanoag.
Air Date: November 26, 2019 10:00 am
Listen 49:00Advocate for nixing library book late fees gives her take on what’s becoming a national trend
Wisconsin librarian Dawn Wacek says waiving late fees helped bring people back to her library. Philadelphia’s libraries are considering doing the same.
4 years ago
Listen 5:39‘Two singular voices’: WURD radio hosts conversation on Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass
Scholars Erica Armstrong Dunbar and C. James Trotman talked about the lives of Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass at the Barnes Foundation.
4 years ago
The reverse underground railroad
Historian Richard Bell tells the story of the "reverse underground railroad" and of five black boys who were kidnapped 1825 Philadelphia and sold into slavery in the south.
Air Date: November 1, 2019 10:00 am
Listen 49:01‘There There’ selected for Free Library’s One Book One Philadelphia
“There There” by Tommy Orange, a Native American novel set in contemporary Oakland, California is The Free Library’s next pick for the One Book One Philadelphia.
4 years ago