The Berkshire Argus Podcast

AUDIO: Seth Rogovoy on George Harrison

Longtime Berkshires region cultural journalist and rock critic Seth Rogovoy joins Berkshire Argus Editor Bill Shein for an in-depth conversation about Rogovoy's new book, "Within You, Without You: Listening to George Harrison [https://www.sethrogovoy.com]."

AUDIO: Amid Gaza protests and sharp rhetoric, a conversation about nonviolence

Amid brutal wars in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan, and violence and instability in western Africa, Myanmar, and elsewhere, it seems like a good time to talk about nonviolence. It’s an interesting and opportune time to explore this subject: The protests calling for a ceasefire in Gaza have raised issues and created complexities in our discourse about the Middle East, antisemitism, war and violence, and justice and human rights. That’s certainly been true in the Berkshires, as nonviolent rallies held here in the days after the Hamas terrorist attack, and since, have sometimes used rhetoric cheering that violence as an acceptable response to the plight of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. To discuss all of this, last month Berkshire Argus Editor Bill Shein spoke with Eric Stoner, an activist, writer, and journalist who is co-founder and editor of Waging Nonviolence [https://www.wagingnonviolence.org], a nonprofit news website that has, for a decade and a half, provided original news reporting and analysis of nonviolent social movements around the world.

AUDIO: Steven Pedigo, Director of the LBJ Urban Lab

In this Berkshire Argus Podcast [https://www.berkshireargus.com/tag/podcast] episode, a conversation with Steven Pedigo [https://iamstevenpedigo.com/], a professor of urban development and director of the LBJ Urban Lab [https://lbj.utexas.edu/pedigo-steven] at the University of Texas at Austin. Pedigo, who is also a part-time Great Barrington resident, has worked with dozens of cities and communities around the world on leveraging their assets to meet their challenges.

AUDIO: A conversation with Ralph Nader

Earlier this year, the consumer advocate, public-interest lawyer, and (still controversial) former presidential candidate Ralph Nader turned ninety years old. In this Berkshire Argus Podcast conversation, we discuss the American Museum of Tort Law that he established in his hometown of Winsted, Connecticut, his faith in the jury system, and his belief in the ability of citizens to successfully organize and influence their government. A companion profile of the Tort Museum, “The Unlikeliest Museum,” is at https://www.berkshireargus.com/the-unlikeliest-museum/ [https://www.berkshireargus.com/the-unlikeliest-museum/] The Berkshire Argus: Important stories fully told. https://www.berkshireargus.com [https://www.berkshireargus.com]

AUDIO: A conversation with Matt Tannenbaum of 'Hello, Bookstore'

In this episode of the Berkshire Argus podcast, Bill Shein speaks with Matt Tannenbaum, proprietor—since 1976—of The Bookstore [https://www.bookstoreinlenox.com/] in Lenox, Massachusetts, and subject of the 2022 documentary, “Hello, Bookstore [https://www.hello-bookstore.com/].” Tannenbaum recalls learning the book trade as a stock boy at the storied Gotham Book Mart in midtown Manhattan and working for a book distributor in Washington, D.C., before following some artist friends to the Berkshires in 1975. Dreams of becoming a writer took a back seat when he purchased The Bookstore in 1976, just days before his 30th birthday. You’ll also hear about the making of the documentary—which was well underway when COVID-19 arrived—and Tannenbaum’s philosophy of curating a bookstore for an engaged community in the era of discount stores and Amazon.com. (A free screening of “Hello, Bookstore” will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 3, 2024, at Mason Library in Great Barrington. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for refreshments. A talk-back with Tannenbaum and director Adam Zax follows the film.) The Berkshire Argus: Important stories fully told. www.berkshireargus.com [https://www.berkshireargus.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]