Wfuv's Cityscape

WFUV's Cityscape is pleased to bring you Building Brooklyn, a mini-series from Brooklyn Public Library about four neighborhoods that made Brooklyn the vibrant, diverse borough it is today. Episode #2: At the start of World War II, 200 women were employed at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. That number ballooned to 7,000 at the height of the war, but afterward, women workers were gone as rapidly as they appeared. We tell the story using oral histories from women who worked at the yard, and an interview with author Jennifer Egan, who helped create the collection and used it as research for her award-winning novel, Manhattan Beach.

WFUV'S Cityscape is pleased to bring you Building Brooklyn, a mini-series from Brooklyn Public Library about four neighborhoods that made Brooklyn the vibrant, diverse borough it is today. Episode #1: In the middle of the 20th century, a ten square block area in North Gowanus was home to the largest Mohawk settlement outside of Canada. We hear about the Mohawk women who built that community while their husbands and fathers were building skyscrapers. And, we go back hundreds of years in Gowanus and tell the story of the original inhabitants of Brooklyn: the Lenape people, who gave the neighborhood its name.

It’s hard to think of a sector that was not impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic. But, thanks to innovative thinking and persistence, the beat went on for many industries and establishments, including Cowboy Technical Services in Brooklyn. Eric Ambel and Tim Hatfield opened their recording studio more than 20 years ago. On this week’s Cityscape, Eric and Tim share the story behind Cowboy Technical Services, how music production has evolved over the years, and what steps they took to make sure COVID-19 didn’t silence the making of new albums.

For the past 20 years, photographer Frank Ritter has been documenting the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, as well as the rebuilding efforts at the World Trade Center site. His photos capture acts of remembrance, celebrations of heroism, and many other scenes that tell the continuing story of the 9/11 tragedy. Frank's photos are now featured in a new book called 9/11 Remembrance. Renewal. Hope. A Twenty Year Journey. Frank is our guest on this week’s Cityscape.

Curtains are rising again at New York City theaters. Epic Players is among the companies returning to the stage after the COVID-19 pandemic upended live performances. The Brooklyn-based theater company was founded five years ago to provide opportunities for performers with developmental disabilities to represent themselves on stage and screen. Epic Players will be performing its show EPIC Villains: A Wickedly Inclusive Cabaret at Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater on October 24th and 25th at 8 pm. Joining us on this week’s Cityscape are Aubrie Therrien, Executive Artistic Director at EPIC Players, and Ellie Sondock, a New York-based neurodiverse actress and proud member of EPIC Players.

Hummingbears, a red wish tree, and a gorilla who lives in a shopping mall. You'll find all of these fantastical images and more in the children's books of Katherine Applegate. Applegate is a New York Times best-selling author. Her book "The One and Only Ivan" won a Newbery Medal. Applegate is now out with a new book called Willodeen. It's the story of an 11-year-old girl who loves animals and wants to care for the earth. On this week's Cityscape, Applegate shares how she aims to inspire kids to foster a love of reading and a curiosity about the world around them.

Conversations about criminal justice reform often revolve around police and prosecutors. But, our guest this week says it's high time to take a different approach to helping untangle people who are caught up in cycles of criminalization, poverty and incarceration. Emily Galvin-Almanza is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Partners for Justice. She's been a public defender in California and New York.

Dan and Claudia Zanes are our guests on this week’s Cityscape to talk about their new album, Let Love Be Your Guide from Smithsonian Folkways. The album was conceived during the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 Black Lives Matter uprisings, and includes themes of anti-racism, social justice and the joys of community. *** If the name Dan Zanes is familiar to you, it’s because he’s the former lead singer of the 1980s rock band The Del Fuegos.***

In the last decade, it's become easier than ever to find romance without leaving the comfort of your couch. Online dating sites and apps have become increasingly popular, but there are still New Yorkers keeping it old school in their dating lives. On this week's Cityscape, we're delving into the world of matchmaking, relationship coaching and speed dating in New York City to find out why some people are taking a less conventional approach to modern dating.

Even in the concrete jungle, nature is far from elusive. The New York City Parks Department oversees more than 30,000 acres of land in all five boroughs. Parks have long provided a welcome respite from busy street life, but for a lot of people they became even more vital during the COVID-19 pandemic. Urban Park Rangers have been helping New Yorkers and visitors discover and explore the city’s natural world since 1979. In this episode of Cityscape, Urban Park Ranger Andrew Brownjohn talks about his role as an Urban Park Ranger, and discusses some of the most fascinating natural wonders New York City has to offer.

If you’re in Brooklyn this September, don’t be surprised if you pass a few people on the streets in sky-high wigs and even higher heels. Bushwig, an annual festival of drag, music and love takes place September 11th and 12th. The event draws hundreds of drag performers of all styles and sizes. This is the festival’s 10th edition. But if you can’t make it, don’t worry. The vibrant and ever-changing New York City drag scene always has something new and exciting going on, no matter what time of year. This week, we’re exploring the origins of drag in New York City, how it has evolved in the last few decades, and meeting some of the drag performers bringing their own flair to the city’s drag scene today.

From cancel culture to COVID-19 shutdowns, comedians and club owners have had to roll with the punches, while keeping their punchlines sharp. Our guest this week knows quite a bit about the comedy industry and its many phases. Al Martin is a New York City stand up comedian turned comedy club owner. He joins us to talk about the impact of COVID-19 on the comedy business, as well as to reflect on his over 30-year career making people laugh.

For centuries people have had a fascination with gemstones. They've inspired myths, been used for medicinal purposes, as well as to create jewelry. After all, a kiss on the hand may be quite continental, but diamonds are a girl’s best friend, or so sang Marilyn Monroe. But, where do gems that wind up on your ring or necklace come from, and how do they form? On this week’s show, we’re digging into the world of gems and minerals with Doctor George Harlow. He’s a curator emeritus in the American Museum of Natural History’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Division of Physical Sciences. Dr. Harlow joins us to talk about his own journey in geology, as well as the re-opening of the museum’s Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals. The 11,000-square-foot Halls are now back in business after a major overhaul.

If you regularly cross over the George Washington Bridge, then you know that even in a pandemic, traffic can be plentiful. The GWB is one of the region’s most iconic structures. The span connects Fort Lee, New Jersey to Washington Heights in Manhattan. It’s become the busiest bridge in the world, with more than 100 million vehicles crossing it ever year. Michael Aaron Rockland is a writer and professor of American Studies at Rutgers University. In his book, The George Washington Bridge: Poetry in Steel, Rockland details the bridge’s history, its longstanding rivalry with the Brooklyn Bridge and its place in American culture. We spoke with Rockland just before the pandemic took hold in February of 2020.

Family music artist Flor Bromley lives in New York, but is native to Peru. Her new album, Pachamama., focuses on her indigenous roots and fuses native music with popular genres. Bromley is our guest on this week’s Cityscape to talk about her latest work and her musical journey overall.

According to the U.S. government, overdose deaths soared to a record 93-thousand last year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Floyd Mitchell is a harm reduction coordinator at The Alliance for Positive Change in New York City. Given the surge in opioid use – and overdoses nationally – his work has become even more vital. Floyd is a part of the Alliance’s Lower East Side Harm Reduction Center. He is our guest on this week’s Cityscape.

It’s not everyday we think about the role smell plays in our lives. But, its scents like sunscreen that transport us to a day at the beach, or pine that reminds us of summer camp. Scents hold many of our best memories, and perhaps no one knows this better than Sue Phillips. She’s the founder of Scenterprises. Sue has created fragrances for the stars. She’s also helped to develop and market perfumes for companies like Tiffany & Co., Lancome and Elizabeth Arden. Sue is our guest on this week’s Cityscape to talk about how she how she became a "Scentrepreneur," and how she’s now helping people stricken with COVID-19 learn to smell again.

Our guest this week is in the business of helping at-risk kids get on more stable ground. Gabriele Delmonaco is President and Executive Director of A Chance In Life. The international nonprofit provides shelter, food and education to nearly 4,000 homeless, vulnerable and refugee youth in nine countries. They recently opened a facility in the North Shore of Staten Island where 1 out of every 3 kids lives in poverty -- that's twice the national rate. Nearly 20% of the area’s young people are disconnected from school and employment. At A Chance in Life, young people ages 12-24 take part in programs that offer tutoring, financial literacy, mental health counseling, leadership development and more.

Theatre has long helped to break barriers and build community. Queens Theatre is a great example of that. It’s been training Deaf and disabled theatre professionals for years. Their services have become that much more important as people with disabilities grapple with significant job losses due to the pandemic. As cultural institutions continue to reopen, Queens Theatre recently hosted two weeks of workshops to build skills, knowledge and confidence to support participants. Our guests this week are Gregg Mozgala, who leads the Theatre for All programming at Queens Theatre, and Alejandra Ospina, one of the first graduates of the program. They’re with us to talk about the challenges those with disabilities face, how the pandemic has impacted them, and how the Theatre for All program is working to effect changes in the larger industry.

After a year of isolation, a lot of us want nothing more than to get out there and interact with other people. New York City’s public markets are one way to ease your way back into socialization. The company Urbanspace is the brains behind some very nifty food halls and seasonal markets in locations such as Times Square, Bryant Park, Union Square and Columbus Circle. Our guest this week is Urbanspace President Eldon Scott.