KWGS NewsRoom

Gershwin, Ellington, Rodgers, and More: The Tulsa Symphony Orchestra's "America" Concert

Tulsa, Oklahoma (2009-11-20) On today's show, we chat with Ron Spigelman, who'll be the Guest Conductor for the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra tomorrow night (Saturday the 21st), when the TSO presents its "America" concert at 7:30pm in the Tulsa PAC.

Hickory Grill-Roasted Turkey, Indiana Persimmon Pudding, Southern Corn Bread and Oyster Dressing, and Other Highlights from "The New Thanksgiving Table"

Tulsa, Oklahoma (2009-11-19) The great American holiday of Thanksgiving arrives one week from today. Attention: All chefs, cooks, and hosts --- are you ready? On this edition of our show, we speak with Diane Morgan, an award-winning cooking teacher, cookbook author, and freelance food writer. Her newest cookbook is "The New Thanksgiving Table: An American Celebration of Family, Friends, and Food."

The Vincent Dowling Theatre Company Presents "The Rivalry"

Tulsa, Oklahoma (2009-11-18) On today's edition of StudioTulsa, we speak with the renowned Irish-American actor, director, and author Vincent Dowling (born in Dublin in 1929; now a resident of Chester, Massachusetts). The Vincent Dowling Theatre Company will soon be presenting "The Rivalry," the famous Norman Corwin play about the historic Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858, at the Gilcrease Museum.

Twentieth-Century Industrial Design: A Selection at Philbrook

Tulsa, Oklahoma (2009-11-17) When --- and why --- does a toaster belong in a museum? We explore such matters on today's edition of StudioTulsa with David A. Hanks, a New York-based independent curator and scholar who will soon be a lecturing on the topic of 20th-century industrial design at a "Third Thursday" event at the Philbrook Museum of Art (on the 19th, from 5:30 till 8pm). The focal point of this event --- and of the remarks and insights that Hanks will be sharing --- is the museum's George R. Kravis II Collection.

Meet A.J. Jacobs: Bestselling Author and Popular "Participatory Journalist"

Tulsa, Oklahoma (2009-11-16) On our show today, we present a chat with the funny and intellectually wide-ranging writer A.J. Jacobs. His books include "The Know-It-All," "The Year of Living Biblically," and "The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an Experiment" (the last of which has just recently been published). Jacobs is also heard every now and again as a commentator on NPR; his amusing, interesting, and thematic brand of "participatory journalism" has won him many loyal fans.

A Chat with the Bestselling Irish-American Novelist, Colum McCann. (Encore presentation.)

Tulsa, Oklahoma (2009-11-13) (Please note: This program first aired earlier this year.) On our show today, we speak with Colum McCann, who has been described as "New York's most visible up-and-coming Irish writer" by The New York Times, and whose previous works of fiction include "Dancer," "Zoli," "Songdogs," and "Everything in This Country Must." He joins our host Rich Fisher to discuss his new novel, just out from Random House: "Let the Great World Spin."

Robert Wright examines humanity's evolving concept of the Divine, in his new book "The Evolution of God." (Encore presentation.)

Tulsa, Oklahoma (2009-11-12) (Please note: This program originally aired earlier this year.) New Republic writer Robert Wright talks about his latest book, "The Evolution of God," which examines how mankind's conception of God has changed over the millennia, from ancient societies with multiple deities who possessed supernatural powers and human tendencies, to the Abrahamic faiths of today, with messages of love and benevolence alongside admonitions of intolerance towards unbelievers.

Folksinger Harry Chapin, Writer Flannery O'Connor, and the Legendary Disc Jockey Known as Cousin Brucie: They're All in the Mix of Larry Baker's "A Good Man"

Tulsa, Oklahoma (2009-11-11) The folk superstar Harry Chapin, the author Flannery O'Connor, the dying if not bygone world of commercial radio, and hurricane season in northern Florida --- oh, and prophets who claim to be delivering the Word of God. The influences and atmospherics at work (or rather, are they at play?) in the new novel by Larry Baker are many and various. The new book is called "A Good Man" --- and Baker (formerly of Tulsa; now a citizen of Iowa City) appears on today's StudioTulsa to discuss it.

Foodies of the World, Unite --- and Dig the New "Foodie Handbook"

Tulsa, Oklahoma (2009-11-10) We chat with Pim Techamuanvivit on today's edition of our show; Pim writes one of the most popular blogs on the Web --- indeed, she's been called "the queen of the food bloggers" (and her blog gets thousands of hits each week). Pim's new book, just out from Chronicle Books, is called "The Foodie Handbook: The (Almost) Definitive Guide to Gastronomy." With chapter titles like "How to Eat Like a Foodie" and "How to Cook Like a Foodie," this book is great fun (and quite mouth-watering) to read.

Newly-Mobilized Native and Indigenous Peoples Taking Political Action in Latin America, and the U.S. Response to This Action

Tulsa, Oklahoma (2009-11-09) Today, we chat with Martin Edwin "Mick" Anderson of the National Defense University, a longtime expert (with notable stints in the areas of journalism, diplomacy, politics, and academia) on various aspects connected to U.S.-Latin American relations. Anderson was recently a guest of the Tulsa Committee on Foreign Relations; while in town, he gave an address on "Indigenous Rights, the Latin Left, and the Slaughter of U.S. Diplomacy."

"Beyond Duty: Life on the Frontline in Iraq"

Tulsa, Oklahoma (2009-11-06) On our show today: Capt. Shannon Meehan, U.S. Army, and Prof. Roger Thompson of the Virginia Military Institute. They've recently co-authored "Beyond Duty: Life on the Frontline in Iraq." (They'll be discussing and signing this book tonight at Steve's in Tulsa, on South Harvard.) Meehan was a leader of a tank platoon for the 1st Cavalry Division of the U.S. Army. He graduated from VMI with distinction, and earned several honors while serving in Iraq --- and he's a former pupil of Thompson's.

Ron Padgett: The Wonderful, Witty, Tulsa-Born, New York City-Based Poet

Tulsa, Oklahoma (2009-11-05) In the 1950s and 1960s, in New York City, an early post-modernist movement with both artistic and literary facets took hold, and it came to be known as the New York School. Indeed, a few of the early-1960s participants in this movement were actually young writers/artists with Tulsa roots. Our guest today is one of those writers, Ron Padgett --- and his latest book is a collection of poems called "How to Be Perfect."

On View at TU's Alexandre Hogue Gallery: "Personal Interiors."

Tulsa, Oklahoma (2009-11-04) The TU School of Art and the Alexandre Hogue Gallery are presenting "Personal Interiors," an exhibit by the contemporary figurative artists Alan Feltus and Lani Irwin. As funded by the Ruth Mayo Distinguished Visiting Artist Endowment, this show will feature their paintings, drawings, and collages, all of which reveal a passion for (and a keen awareness of) the human form. Feltus and Irwin, who are married, are our guests today on StudioTulsa.

The TU College of Law Presents "Asylum Denied: A Refugee's Struggle for Safety in America"

Tulsa, Oklahoma (2009-11-03) Georgetown University law professor and attorney Philip Schrag and political refugee David Ngaruri Kenney will deliver a lecture entitled "Asylum Denied: A Refugee's Struggle for Safety in America" tomorrow night (the 6th) at 6:00pm at the TU College of Law. The lecture is free to the public. On our show today, we speak by phone with Prof. Schrag, who tells us of Kenney's incredible efforts to both seek out and achieve political asylum in the U.S.

A New Children's Book --- "Through Eva's Eyes" --- and the Painful History, and Biography, Behind It

Tulsa, Oklahoma (2009-11-02) On this edition of StudioTulsa, we chat with Eva Unterman, a longtime Tulsan and an active Holocaust survivor and educator. Through her work on the Council for Holocaust Education, Unterman has also done much to bring the personal narratives and experiences of other Holocaust survivors to the Tulsa area. Now, her own story is being told --- in a newly published children's book, "Through Eva's Eyes," which has been written and illustrated by her granddaughter, Phoebe Eloise Unterman.

From Barbara Bradley Hagerty, NPR's religion correspondent: "The Search for the Science of Spirituality." (Encore presentation.)

Tulsa, Oklahoma (2009-10-30) (Note: This program originally aired earlier this year.) We live, of course, in an age of truly incredible, increasingly rapid scientific advancement. So, can science explain the Almighty? And if it cannot do so today --- will it be able to someday? On this edition of StudioTulsa, we speak with Barbara Bradley Hagerty, NPR's award-winning religion correspondent. Her fascinating new book is called "Fingerprints of God: The Search for the Science of Spirituality."

The Methamphetamine Epidemic --- and How It's Ravaging Smalltown America. (Encore presentation.)

Tulsa, Oklahoma (2009-10-29) (Note: This program first aired earlier this year.) Today, we look at the methamphetamine epidemic in the U.S. --- and at its ravaging effects on smalltown America. Our guest is Nick Reding, whose new book is "Methland." The book depicts Oelwein, Iowa, which, like many other villages across the nation, has been left behind by Big Agriculture, a depressed local economy, and a dramatic outward-migration of people. On top of all this, a cheap, long-lasting, highly addictive drug has come to town.

"The Sisters of Sinai: How Two Lady Adventurers Discovered the Hidden Gospels"

Tulsa, Oklahoma (2009-10-28) On this edition of our show, we discuss a recently published book that offers narrative non-fiction at its fascinating best. Our guest is Professor Janet Soskice, whose new volume (available from Knopf) is "The Sisters of Sinai: How Two Lady Adventurers Discovered the Hidden Gospels."

A Chat with the Ceramic Sculptor Laurel Lukaszewski

Tulsa, Oklahoma (2009-10-27) This year's ARTworks Artist-in-Residency program at Holland Hall is happening through the 29th (Thursday); the 2009 visiting artist is ceramic sculptor Laurel Lukaszewski, a Washington, DC-based artist who creates graceful works and installations mainly from clay, and usually in porcelain or stone. (You can view examples of her work at laurellukaszewski.com.) Lukaszewski is our guest today on StudioTulsa.

So, What Exactly Is Going to Happen in 2012? (Or, What Did the Mayans Know, and How Did They Know It?)

Tulsa, Oklahoma (2009-10-26) Wikipedia has defined "the 2012 phenomenon" as "a range of beliefs and proposals positing that cataclysmic or transformative events will occur in the year 2012." But where did this phenomenon come from, and why did it come about? On today's show, we chat with John Major Jenkins, whose new book is "The 2012 Story: The Myths, Fallacies and Truth behind the Most Intriguing Date in History." Jenkins is seen as a pioneer of the 2012 movement. He's written nine previous books on the subject.