July 3, 2026 - Ron Chernow, Tara Roberts, and a Victorian Gothic Thriller

July 3, 2026 - Ron Chernow, Tara Roberts, and a Victorian Gothic Thriller

Ron Chernow―prizewinning author of seven books, including the National Book Award winner “The House of Morgan,” the Pulitzer Prize winner “Washington: A Life,” and the George Washington Book Prize winner “Alexander Hamilton”―joins The Culture Show to talk about his new biography “Mark Twain.”     From there we talk to National Geographic Explorer  in Residence Tara Roberts. She joins The Culture Show to talk about her book “Written in the Waters: A memoir of History, Home and Belonging.”  Finally, author JM Varese joins The Culture Show to talk about his latest novel, a Victorian Gothic thriller that is rooted in the real-life Victorian scandal when arsenic was used  to make decorative wallpaper. JM Varese is Director of Outreach for The Dickens Project at UC Santa Cruz.

July 2, 2026 - Live from P-town: John Waters, the Town Crier, Avital Sagalyn at PAAM, and Jujubee

Filmmaker, writer, performer and longtime Provincetown presence John Waters [https://tickets.payomet.org/eventperformances.asp?evt=1027] joins The Culture Show during our broadcast from WOMR. He talks with Jared Bowen about Provincetown, his career and his new live show, Going to Extremes [https://tickets.payomet.org/eventperformances.asp?evt=1027], presented by Payomet Performing Arts Center at Provincetown Town Hall on July 23. Provincetown Town Crier Daniel Gómez Llata [https://provincetownmagazine.com/2021/05/19/qa-with-town-crier-daniel-gomez-llata/] takes us into the summer rush of Commercial Street, where local news, history and welcome all meet in one very public role. Culture Show producers Kate Dellis and Max Chow-Gillette caught up with him as his busiest season gets underway. Christine McCarthy [https://paam.org/about-paam/staff/], chief executive officer of the Provincetown Art Association and Museum [https://paam.org/], joins us to talk about PAAM’s place at the center of Provincetown’s art story. Founded by artists in 1914, PAAM continues to collect, preserve and exhibit the work of the artists who made Provincetown an American art colony — and the artists shaping it now. Boston-born, Lowell-raised drag performer, singer and actor Jujubee [https://linktr.ee/jujubeeonline] joins us live from Provincetown. She stars with Ginger Minj in RuPaul’s new movie Stop! That! Train! [https://bleeckerstreetmedia.com/stop-that-train] and reunites with Minj in Licked: For Gay [https://redroom.club/events/132796], running July 9 through July 26 at the Red Room.

July 1, 2026 - Eddie S. Glaude Jr, "Song of Massachusetts," and Megan Hilty

Eddie S. Glaude Jr. joins us to discuss his new book, America, U.S.A.: How Race Shadows the Nation’s Anniversaries, as the country approaches its 250th birthday.  Regie Gibson, the inaugural Poet Laureate of Massachusetts, joins us to discuss Song of Massachusetts, his new collaboration with composer Carlos Simon. Commissioned by the Boston Pops, the piece premieres at the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular [https://www.bso.org/boston-pops-fireworks-spectacular] on July 4. The Tony-nominated actress and singer Megan Hilty also brings her star power to the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular. Ahead of the Fourth of July festivities we talk to her about her career, which has moved between Broadway, television and concert stages. You can also catch Megan Hilty at The Umbrella Arts Center on August 30th. To learn more go here [https://theumbrellaarts.org/evening-megan-hilty].

June 30, 2026 - Boston Symphony Orchestra President and CEO Chad Smith and Julia Swanson on Boston public art

Chad Smith [https://www.bso.org/profiles/chad-smith], president and CEO of the Boston Symphony Orchestra [https://www.bso.org/], joins The Culture Show as the BSO heads into a major summer season shadowed by the decision not to renew music director Andris Nelsons’ [https://www.bso.org/profiles/andris-nelsons] contract beyond the 2027 Tanglewood season. Smith talks with Jared Bowen about the fallout, the questions facing the orchestra, and what comes next. He also previews the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular [https://www.bso.org/boston-pops-fireworks-spectacular] on July 4 and the season ahead at Tanglewood [https://www.bso.org/tanglewood]. We have invited Andris Nelsons on the show to get his perspective. He has not responded to our invitation. Culture Show contributor Julia Swanson [https://www.jscreatesonline.com/] returns for our Public Service Arts Announcement, looking at the public art hiding in plain sight across Boston. Swanson, a multidisciplinary artist and award-winning photographer, is the creator of The Art Walk Project [https://theartwalkproject.com/about], a series of self-guided micro-tours of art across Greater Boston. This month, she takes us from Rixy’s new Greenway mural, The Midnight Ride [https://www.rosekennedygreenway.org/rixy/], to Boston’s fading ghost signs and the brotherly duo working to keep them visible.

June 29, 2026 - Olivia Wilde on "The Invite," the Nantucket Comedy Festival, and Boston Harbor City Cruises at 100

Actor and filmmaker Olivia Wilde joins The Culture Show to talk about The Invite [https://a24films.com/films/the-invite], her new A24 comedy, which she directs and stars in. The film, co-starring Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton, opens in Boston at the Coolidge Corner Theatre [https://coolidge.org/films/invite-2026] on Friday, July 3, before its nationwide release on July 10. Comedian Kevin Flynn, co-founder and executive director of the Nantucket Comedy Festival [https://nantucketcomedy.com/], joins us as the festival marks its 20th year July 9–11. Its youth program, Stand Up & Learn [https://standupandlearn.org/], helps young people build confidence through comedy. Boston Harbor City Cruises [https://www.cityexperiences.com/boston/city-cruises/] is marking 100 years on the water, from ferries and harbor tours to whale watches and Codzilla [https://www.cityexperiences.com/boston/city-cruises/codzilla/]. Jared Bowen talks with Bob Lawler, regional vice president and general manager of Boston Harbor City Cruises, and David Coffin, maritime storyteller, chantey singer and longtime harbor narrator.