Wfuv's Cityscape

The frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic include a long list of characters from healthcare professionals to grocery store workers to truck drivers. But, there’s also an army of girls and young women doing their part to help the nation through this challenging time. In fact, for more than 100 years, the Girl Scouts have been pitching in during all kinds of crises. Meridith Maskara is the Chief Executive Officer of the Girl Scouts of Greater New York.  Cityscape host George Bodarky recently talked with her via Zoom about the organization’s long-standing tradition of helping out in times of turmoil.

Between two world wars, the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, the September 11th terrorist attacks and Superstorm Sandy, the Third Street Music School Settlement on Manhattan’s Lower East Side has seen a lot in its 125 year history. But just how is the nation’s longest-running community music school weathering the storm of the coronavirus outbreak? Cityscape host George Bodarky recently talked with Third Street’s Executive Director, Valerie Lewis, via Zoom.

In times of crisis, strong leadership is critical for an organization. But, how can a leader lead when facing a terrifying illness? Eric Yaverbaum is the CEO of Ericho Communications in New York City. In the midst of leading his company through the coronavirus crisis, Eric himself was diagnosed with COVID-19. Cityscape host George Bodarky talked with him via Zoom about how he’s navigating his company through these challenging times, and to get his advice on how other leaders can do their best in unchartered territory.

Empty sidewalks in New York City mean few if any customers for street vendors. In fact, most street vendors are staying inside themselves. The idea of lugging out their carts for a few dollars and putting themselves in jeopardy of getting sick provides little incentive. To learn more about the impact the coronavirus outbreak is having on street vendors, Cityscape host George Bodarky talked with the Director of the Street Vendor Project, Mohamed Attia, via Zoom. 

New York is a great city for the arts, but just what the art scene will look like in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic remains to be seen. The outbreak is having a devastating impact on the art world. The lights on Broadway have gone dark, museums remain shuttered, and gallery walks have come to a halt. The New York Foundation for the Arts is taking several steps to help artists get through this crisis. On this week's Cityscape, we talk with NYFA’s Executive Director Michael L. Royce via Zoom. Music discovery starts here.                   ON-AIR   ARCHIVES   MEMBERSHIP   SUPPORT   EVENTS   ABOUT PRIMARY TABS View(active tab) Edit Configure   THE ARTS AND THE PANDEMIC   Audio Player       00:00   00:00   Use Up/Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease volume.   by George Bodarky   4.08.20 6:00am New York is a great city for the arts, but just what the art scene will look like in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic remains to be seen. The outbreak is h

Magazines still line newsstands and you’ll see some of them at the checkout counter at the supermarket, but the industry is not as glossy as it used to be. While many magazines have folded, others have transitioned to a digital format.   On this week's show, we're looking back at 50 years of magazine making with Walter Bernard. He's been the designer and art director of many of the best known magazines and newspapers in the United States, including Time, Fortune and the Atlantic.    He also worked at New York Magazine in its early days. The job was offered to him by New York Magazine co-founder Milton Glaser. Bernard and Glaser recount their days working together at New York Magazine and their work on many of the nation’s other best-known publications in a new book called Mag Men. 

Brooklyn resident Jonathan Samson is the first board-certified music therapist in history to receive a Grammy for Best Children's Album.    Jonathan is the founder of CoCreative Music, a private practice in Brooklyn where he offers a unique combination of music therapy, audio/video production, artistic mentoring and life coaching to inspire "The Child Archetype" in all ages.   He joins us this week to talk about his music and music therapy practice. 

Even in a city as densely populated as New York, people can be — or at least feel — very alone. And the fact of the matter is loneliness can have serious consequences on a person’s physical and mental health.   Jillian Richardson is on a mission to make the world less lonely. She's the founder of The Joy List. It’s described as a resource for people to find events that they can go to by themselves, and leave with a new friend. Jillian’s also the author of the book Unlonely Planet: How Healthy Congregations Can Change the World. She's our guest in this special presentation, produced in conjunction with BronxNet Television. 

A favorite family recipe has the power to pass love and culture down through generations.    Our guest on this week's Cityscape believes in this power so much that he decided to write a book about it, highlighting his own heritage and hoping he can reach a new audience with it.   Kevin Noble Maillard’s new children’s book Fry Bread is a celebration of Native American family tradition through a delicious dish. With Juana Martinez-Neal’s illustrations, the book shows a culture Maillard says is all too often excluded from children’s literature.

Our guest this week Bob Eckstein, an award-winning writer, illustrator and cartoonist. Bob's had his cartoons published in the New York Times, MAD Magazine and the New Yorker. They’ve also been featured in the Cartoon Art Museum of San Francisco, the Smithsonian Institute, and the Cartoon Museum of London. Bob's also a snowman expert. He wrote a book called The Illustrated History of the Snowman. Bob’s latest book is Everyone’s a Critic: The Ultimate Cartoon Book. It features a collection of New Yorker cartoons that celebrate “the art of the drawn critique.”    

It’s estimated that 1.1 million people in the United States are living with HIV. New York State is aiming to be the first state in the country to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic by the end of 2020.    Doug Wirth is the President and CEO of Amida Care. Amida Care has a wide network of health care providers throughout New York City and is the largest Medicaid Special Needs Health Plan (SNP) in New York State. Doug joins us on this week's Cityscape to talk about New York’s initiative to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and how Amida care is contributing to that effort. Doug served on Governor Cuomo’s Ending the Epidemic Task Force, which came up with a blueprint to snuff out AIDS. Doug is our guest on this week's Cityscape. 

The repurposing of houses of worship has become a trend across the United States. As congregations face dwindling numbers, they’re often left with the choice of selling the buildings they can no longer afford or finding new uses for them. On this week's Cityscape, we’re looking at what happens when a dying church takes on a new life.   

People move to New York City for a variety of reasons -- for a new job, to make it on Broadway, to go to college. But, for novelist, playwright and activist Joseph Caldwell, it was largely about finding sexual freedom.  Caldwell's new memoir In the Shadow of the Bridge details his life as a gay man and lovestruck writer in New York City. His story captures the before, during and after of the AIDS epidemic, taking us all the way back to when you could rent an apartment in Manhattan for a mere $24 a month. 

Big changes are taking place in the U.S. to keep at-risk kids out of residential treatment centers and safely with their families. It’s a result of the Federal Family First Prevention Services Act. The approach is similar to one New York City has championed to reduce the number of kids in foster care over the past 10 years. Advocates say they are pleased to see the federal government catching up.   Our guests this week are Danielle Gaffney and Vincent Madera from the non-profit organization, The Children’s Village. Danielle has been with Children’s Village for around 30 years. She currently serves as the Vice President of Community Based Foster Care overseeing adoption and foster care, supportive housing and shelter services. Vincent has been with Children’s Village for more than ten years. He started as an assistant manager in the Residential Treatment Center. Today he serves as the Director of the Children’s Village Institute, which includes overseeing their family finding and aftercare programs. 

New York City is among a growing number of places working to develop a more inclusive curriculum in schools. That involves ensuring educators are using materials that represent students of different backgrounds.    Teaching Matters is working with schools in New York City to support its efforts to promote culturally responsive teaching strategies. Our guest this week is Lynette Guastaferro, Teaching Matters CEO.   

It’s estimated that between 25 and 30 million Americans live with a rare disease. In the United States, a rare disease is defined as a condition that affects fewer than 200,000 people.    On this week's Cityscape, we're meeting a Bronx doctor who has devoted her life to identifying rare diseases in children. Dr. Melissa Wasserstein is chief of Pediatric Genetic Medicine at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore and professor of Pediatrics and Genetics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. 

New York City has a lot at stake in 2020. The Census is coming, and if residents aren’t properly counted, the Big Apple stands to lose federal funding and electoral representation. So what are government, community and civic leaders doing to ensure a full and accurate count?    In this week's episode of Cityscape, we’ll be talking with two people on the front lines in the quest for a complete count:   Katie Leonberger is the President and CEO of Community Resources Exchange. CRE is working to help nonprofit and community-based organizations with their 2020 Census education and outreach efforts. Aldrin Bonilla is Manhattan’s Deputy Borough President. Alrdin is heavily involved with making sure there’s an accurate count of Manhattanites in the 2020 Census. He’s also working hard to protect people from census-related scams. 

New York City is famous for its skyscrapers like the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and One World Trade Center. But this week, we’re looking at buildings a little shorter than those prominent structures. Our guest is Adam Friedberg, a New York City-based photographer. His new project is the Single-Story Project, which is currently on display at the Center for Architecture in Manhattan. It highlights single-story buildings in the East Village and Lower East Side.

New York City is home to famously unique bookstores like the Strand, Argosy Bookstore, and the Drama Book Shop. But it’s no mystery why one specialty bookstore in NYC has been open for forty years.    The Mysterious Bookshop is one of the oldest and largest mystery fiction specialty bookstores in the United States. It was originally located in midtown when it opened in 1979, but it now calls Tribeca home. We joined Otto Penzler, the owner, at the shop to talk about the store’s collection of whodunits. 

In a city like New York, it’s hard to imagine anywhere that’s not bustling with people. But, a new book explores sections of the city, Queens in particular, that are much less traveled.    In his new book Abandoned Queens, Richard Panchyk takes us to places that are a bit off the beaten trail like the old Flushing Airport site and what he calls the lost neighborhood of Edgemere in the Rockaways. He's our guest on this week's Cityscape.