How Social Clubs Foster Connections Among Strangers

How Social Clubs Foster Connections Among Strangers

A recent New York Times article explores how a new type of social club offers low-cost, low-pressure ways of interacting with others. New York Times reporter Christina Caron joins us to discuss her piece [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/29/nyregion/nyc-lonely-making-friends.html] about how people are finding unique opportunities to make new friends and some of the groups she has come across. Photo by Øyvind Holmstad via Wikimedia Commons Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Everywhere, All At Once: Why New Players are Picking Up Mah-Jongg

The tile game Mah-Jongg has become incredibly popular among American women, spawning clubs, tournaments, and brands, and some have raised concerns about the Americanization and commercialization of the game. Atlantic staff writer Ashley Parker discusses mah-jongg’s recent rise in popularity, as well as her own ‘descent into Mah-Jongg’, which she detailed in a recent article [https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/06/mahjong-set-tiles-popularity/687482/].  Photo by Eric Lee/For The Washington Post via Getty Images: People play "wash" Mahjong tiles during "Mahjong Night" at the Martin Luther King Jr. Library in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, July 22, 2025. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Christopher Myers Installs New Art at the Brooklyn Museum

Artist and author Christopher Myers has a new exhibition of stained glass and tapestries at the Brooklyn Public Library, ahead of his new children's book Night Ride [https://bookshop.org/p/books/night-ride-christopher-myers/2af375875d5dcf92?ean=9798217238460]. Myers discusses the exhibit, called ‘Unbound [https://www.bklynlibrary.org/exhibitions/christopher-myers-unbound],’ which opens in the Grand Lobby of BPL's Central Branch on July 14. Image courtesy of Christopher Myers Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Summer Reading Challenge Updates: U.S. History and Historical Fiction Recommendations

The All Of It Summer Reading Challenge [https://wnyc.org/story/all-it-summer-reading-challenge/] has entered the second month! Producer Jordan Lauf provides recommendations specifically for the U.S. history or historical fiction category. Plus, listeners share what books they are reading for the Challenge.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Two Women Take On a Mob Boss in a New Historical Fiction Novel

Set in 1930s New York, A historical fiction novel follows two women on opposite sides of the law, a prosecutor and a madam, who form an unlikely partnership to take down a notorious mob boss. Authors Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray discuss their new book, A Pair of Aces [https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-pair-of-aces-marie-benedict/21af324328fe06ea]. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.