Over the years, The Kitchen Sisters have zeroed in on Memphis, Tennessee in a big way. The inspiration for that... more

In 1898, the United States Department of Agriculture created a special department of men, called “Agriculture Explorers,” to travel the... more

Niloufer Ichaporia King lives in a house with three kitchens. She prowls through six farmer’s markets a week in search... more

Little known stories of pioneering architects — Julia Morgan, the first accredited female architect in California, who designed Hearst Castle... more

A look at the President’s kitchen and some of the first cooks to feed the Founding Fathers—Hercules and James Hemings—the... more

Jelly Roll Morton talks of being a “Spy Boy” in the Mardi Gras Indian parades of his youth. Bo Dollis,... more

Sarah “Sally” Pillsbury and Jean B. Fletcher were both architects who married architects. The two women and their husbands were... more

For five years Davia’s father, Lenny Nelson, asked her to go to Rattlesden, England, to visit the Air Force base where he was stationed... more

Deep in the hidden archives of Harvard’s Houghton Library are the butter stained recipes of Emily Dickinson. Who knew? Emily Dickinson was... more

Lou Reed, musician, rock icon, poet, leader of the legendary Velvet Underground, was obsessed with tai chi — the practice,... more

Late autumn is Kimjang season in the Republic of Korea when families and communities come together to make and share... more

Anna Wagner Keichline (1889–1943) was the first registered woman architect in Pennsylvania and was among the first registered women architects... more

In this episode, we borrow a cup of sound from the podcast, What You’re Eating, a production of FoodPrint.org, hosted... more

Since the start of the pandemic, more than 90 colleges have merged or closed permanently. One of these schools, Lincoln... more

Filmmaker Wim Wenders premiered two new films at Cannes this year — Anselm, a 3-D, cutting edge documentary about the... more

When Lena Richard cooked her first chicken on television, she beat Julia Child to the screen by over a decade. At a... more

We delve into the story of the founding of the Hiphop Archive and Research Institute at Harvard by Dr. Marcyliena... more

It was top secret. But everyone in Santa Fe knew there was something going on up on the hill in... more

In 1981, The Kitchen Sisters interviewed filmmaker Jon Else about his Academy Award nominated documentary, The Day After Trinity, a... more

Behind the scenes at the International Congress of Youth Voices when 131 youth activists,13 to 26 years old, from 37... more

Born in 1895 in Lynchburg, VA, Amaza Lee Meredith was an African American architect, artist and educator who taught at... more

In 1983 Prince hired LA sound technician Susan Rogers, one of the few women in the industry, to move to... more

Chris was a man possessed. “El Fanatico,” Ry Cooder called him. A song catcher, dedicated to recording the traditional, regional, down... more

Ada Louise Huxtable, who “invented” the profession of architecture critic, wrote countless articles for two great daily newspapers and had... more

Cab drivers, children’s jump rope rhymes, folk songs, dialects, controversial TV ads, interviews with blacklisted artists and writers during the McCarthy... more

For some eight years now thirty-four Black women have gathered monthly around a big dining room table in the orange... more

Many know Ray Eames as the small, dirndled woman behind her more famous husband, Charles Eames. But Ray was the... more

In 1935, W. E. B. Du Bois, scholar, public intellectual, and social and political activist, published his magnum opus: Black... more

In the early 1980s, Black students and the African American community at American University had been demonstrating for more access... more

Criticisms of fast food often focus on the industrialized system that produces the burgers, buns and fries, or the food’s... more

In 2015 we presented this story about Curtis Carroll, the Stock Market Wizard of San Quentin. Everyone in San Quentin... more

Since the devastating 2019 fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, the ringing of the cathedral’s bells has ceased. Sound... more

Over 7000 hours of interviews, oral histories, songs, field recordings, along with photographs, notebooks, journals, and research material created by... more

Edmond Richardson is an audio producer for Uncuffed, a KALW podcast produced by people in prison. Recently, Edmond and his... more

Each fall, the Ojibwe tribes of northern Minnesota harvest wild rice by hand. It’s a long process that begins with... more

We trace the history of country music in Kenya, dating back to the 1920s and 30s when local populations first... more

As elections loom, we need to get involved, step up to the civic plate, take part in discourse. And that’s... more

The legendary Linda Ronstadt has a new book out. Feels Like Home: A Song for the Sonoran Borderlands — a historical, musical, edible memoir that spans the... more

The story of The Real Ambassadors, a jazz musical created by Dave Brubeck and Iola Brubeck for Louis Armstrong in... more

In the early morning hours of August 16, 2020, 12,000 lightning strikes exploded across northern California, igniting more than 585... more

In August, 2021, a group of young Afghan women journalists, musicians and activists fled their country in fear for their lives... more

A blind oud player from humble beginnings, Sheikh Imam’s destiny changed drastically when he met a dissident poet called Ahmed... more

Originally a Filipino restaurant and music club, The Mabuhay Gardens in San Francisco’s North Beach transformed into a mecca for... more

The story of a group of young Afghan women journalists, musicians and activists, how they fled their country in fear for... more

Long before there was Coachella, Outside Lands Festival, and the popular music gatherings of today, the Monterey Pop Festival was... more

The Egg Wars—a hidden Gold Rush kitchen—when food was scarce and men died for eggs. We travel out to the forbidding... more

As an architect, Florence Knoll was the force behind the seamless integration of furniture, space, textile, art, graphic design into... more

Late last year Hillary Rodham Clinton and best-selling Canadian mystery writer, Louise Penny, came out with a ripping geo-political thriller... more

Helen Fong, one of the few women practicing architecture in the US in the 1950s, is best known for her... more

Norma Sklarek (1926-2012) had many “firsts”. She was often credited at the start of her career as the first Black... more

Coal + Ice, a powerful global exhibition of photographs, videos, and immersive imagery that focuses on the climate crisis and... more

Natalie de Blois loved systems – understanding how things worked.  For her, it wasn’t just pretty buildings, she challenged the... more

We first caught sight of him in a convenience store buying Marlboros and a Coke for the road. He was... more

Cheap rotisserie chicken sold everywhere in markets and grocery outlets. Why is that chicken so cheap? How was it raised... more

In the early 20th century, the largest employer of Black men in the United States was the Pullman Car Company,... more

The Wooster Group, perched on a street corner in Soho in downtown New York, at the forefront of experimental theater... more

On Sunday, December 19, 2021, The Cleveland Clinic and five other major health care institutions in Northeastern Ohio took out... more

She rose every day at dusk and rehearsed, performed, ate and drank until dawn. Then slept all day, woke up and began... more

Hidden Kitchens, the duPont-Columbia and James Beard Award winning radio series on NPR’s Morning Edition, explores the world of unexpected, below the... more

One hundred-twenty-five years after he was arrested for sitting down in a whites-only train car, Homer Plessy may be pardoned... more

Arctic Ice, Extreme Weather, the Reckoning at Standing Rock—a journey into the deep rich world of photographer Camille Seaman. Born to... more

Julia Morgan, the first woman architect to be licensed in California, designed over 700 buildings in California including Hearst Castle... more

The Braveheart Women’s Society, a group of Yankton Sioux grandmothers and tribal elders, have re-established an almost forgotten coming of... more

Betty Reid Soskin, the nation's oldest serving Park Ranger, works at the Rosie the Riveter Home Front World War II... more

An intimate and historic documentary commemorating the life and history of The World Trade Center and its surrounding neighborhood, through... more

In the early morning hours of August 16, 2020, 12,000 lightning strikes exploded across northern California, igniting more than 585... more

John Steinbeck called it the “Mother Road.” Songwriter Bobby Troup described it as the route to get your kicks on.... more

Today we’re thinking about Pack Creek Ranch in southern Utah and an incredible archive of material, gathered by river guide... more

In 1985, Gert McMullin was one of the first San Franciscans to put a stitch on the AIDS Quilt, the... more

Fifty years ago, a group of some of the top musicians from the United States — Ike and Tina Turner,... more