Get Connected

New York City's 30 and 60-day shelter limits may be at risk thanks to a proposed bill in Albany. Though no matter what happens, the city's homeless need a clear pathway to permanent housing. Our guest is Scott Short, CEO of RiseBoro Community Partnership, one of the largest nonprofit developers and providers of affordable housing in New York City, discussing the the city's shelter system, and what would be a coherent "exit strategy" to move people in need to permanent housing. For more, visit riseboro.org.

As we approach Earth Day 2024 on April 22, our guest is John Opperman, Executive Director of Earth Day Initiative, host the annual Earth Day Festival in Union Square, on Sunday April 14th. For details on vendors and activities at this free event, resources for climate action, tax credits and rebates, visit dayinitiative.org.

In anticipation of the total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, our guest is Rori Baldari of the Amateur Astronomers Association, co-hosting a watch event at The Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. The Amateur Astronomers Association is a volunteer run non-profit that promotes the study and public awareness of the cosmos through observing, education, outreach, astrophotography, and more. For more visit aaa.org, and green-wood.com.

Do you think you might have a book in you? What is the story you want to tell, and how do you tell it? Our guest is Philip Cioffari, who’s spent decades teaching writing as a professor--currently at William Paterson University with a PhD from NYU--and fiction teacher for Gotham Writers in New York City. He’s written six well-received, character-driven novels and short story collections including his latest: NIGHT & ITS LONGINGS.

When a family member is ill, and entire family can be in need of care. Our guest is Stephanie Mastropaolo, LMSW and Director of Calvary Hospital’s Family Care Center. Calvary is New York’s palliative, end-of-life and hospice specialist, caring for up to 6000 patients a year, plus their families.  As a non-profit based in the Bronx, Calvary operates through most of New York City as well as Nassau, Westchester, and Rockland with in-home hospice. Calvary Hospital is the only fully accredited acute care specialty hospital in the U.S. exclusively providing palliative care for adult patients with advanced cancer and other life-limiting illnesses. More at Calvaryhospital.org

Writer, cultural influencer and former professor Lyn Slater tracks her story of becoming famous at 59, and then turning her back on a public life at 70. Lyn Slater has been featured by the TODAY Show, Cosmopolitan, W Magazine, and The Cut.

Construction, utilities and maintenance. Chance are, when you picture the worker, you picture a man. The organization Non-Traditional Employment for Women has been training and placing women in trade careers since 1978. Our guest is the Leah Rambo, President of NEW, the first woman of color and tradeswoman to serve in the role—bringing 35 years of experience in the labor movement, with a focus on equity and inclusion in the construction workforce. For more, visit new-nyc.org.

What are normal curves in the spine, and what does a diagnosis of scoliosis signify? We talk about spine issues and treatment options for a child or teen diagnosed with an abnormal curvature of the spine, with Dr. Dr. Nicholas Post of New York Spine Institute.  Dr. Nicholas Post is a board-certified neurosurgeon, in practice for 17 years.  Dr. Post is also a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at NYU Langone Medical Center and NY Presbyterian in Lower Manhattan.  For more, visit NYSpine.com.

As New Yorkers follow current events in Israel and Palestine, what are the rights for New Yorkers who want to express their opinion?  What are the best ways to contribute and find common ground in our own city?  Our guest is Sahar Alsahlani, representing CAIR-NY, the Council on American-Islamic Relations. CAIR is America’s premiere Muslim Civil Rights group, working for more than 25 years to defend the constitution. The New York Chapter is one of the busiest of CAIR’s 35 nationwide affiliates, defending, representing and educating nearly on million Muslims in the area. For more, visit CAIR-NY.org.

SLEEPLESS: Unleashing the Subversive Power of the Night Self, by Annabel Abbs-Streets, is a blend of memoir, science and history that traces women's relationship with the darkness, grief, insomnia and creative opportunities waiting in wakefulness. Annabel Abbs-Streets is a writer of highly researched, award-winning fiction as well as both narrative and practical non-fiction.

As New York City's homelessness crisis persists, the non-profit Institute for Community Living has launched a first-of-its-kind program to provide a new path to permanent housing for people with histories of homelessness. Our guest is Jose Cotto, Senior Vice President of Residential Treatment at ICL, to discuss "Changing Spaces.” ICL helps New Yorkers with behavioral health challenges live healthy and fulfilling lives by providing comprehensive housing, healthcare, and recovery services, serving more than 12,000 people every year in 128 programs across the five boroughs. For more, visit iclinc.org.

Elisa Rossi's new cookbook is HAPPY SKIN KITCHEN: Over 100 Plant-Based Recipes to Nourish Your Skin from the Inside Out. The book is a delicious guide to caring for your skin from within. Backed by the latest science-based research, recipe developer Elise Rossi delivers a collection of soulful soups and stews, fermented foods, bountiful breakfasts, satisfying salads, sweets and snacks. For more, visit happyskinkitchen.com.

The Food and Drug Administration Advisory Panel has recently concluded that the decongestant phenylephrine, contained in many over-the-counter cold remedies for decades, is ineffective when taken orally. So, what is an effective over-the-counter option to fight seasonal flu, RSV, or Covid-19? We also asked our guest, Su Robotti, about the FDA drug approval process. Su Robotti is the Consumer Representative on the FDA Drug Risk and Advisory Council, and founder of MedShadow Foundation, the independent non-profit health news journalism site. For more, visit MedShadow.org.

Our guest is New York City’s recently appointed Director of Rodent Mitigation, Kathleen Corradi. Her work on reducing the City's rat population is a blend of biology, ecology, and psychology aimed at improving the quality of life for New Yorkers. Find out more about rats, including prevention best-practices and free training at nyc.gov/rats.

For Black History Month, a look into American History, with author and historian Dr. Hannah Durkin. Her epic book is THE SURVIVORS OF THE CLOTILDA: The Lost Stories of the Last Captives of the American Slave Trade. Dr. Durkin is a historian specializing in transatlantic slavery and African diasporic art and culture, and is an advisor to the History Museum of Mobile, which is working to memorialize the Clotilda survivors.

According to the American Library Association, in the last year more than 1900 books were targeted for banning. Most of the the books challenged are written about, or by, LGBTQ+ topics or people of color. Our guest is Jennie Pu, Director at Hoboken Public Library, which became the first book sanctuary in New Jersey. Jennie Pu is also co-chair of the NJ Library Association Public Policy Committee, and works with the national American Library Association’s Policy Corps Unite Against Book Bans. For more, visit HobokenLibrary.org and UniteAgainstBookBans.org.

Cecilia Gentili, activist, actress and founder of Transgender Equity Consulting, passed away recently at the age of 52. I had the pleasure of speaking with her in 2021 about her work developing LGBTQ+ affirming services, her love of community, and finding equity for Trans people in the workplace and beyond. For more, visit transequityconsulting.com.

TADA!, co-founded in 1984 Nina Trevens, is a unique, award winning NYC non-profit theater, producing original musicals by and for young kids and teens. Nina Trevens and Director of Education Katy Knowles talk about their upcoming shows and getting kids prepared to perform. Based in Chelsea, Tada Theater is online at tadatheater.com.

OF GREED & GLORY: IN PURSUIT OF FREEDOM FOR ALL is an an argument against the systemic abuse of justice as a weapon of oppression, by Deborah G. Plant, drawing on parallels between her brother’s incarceration and years of thorough research dating all the way back to the creation of our US Constitution. DEBORAH G. PLANT is an African American and Africana Studies Independent Scholar, Writer, and Literary Critic specializing in the life and works of Zora Neale Hurston. She is editor of the New York Times bestseller Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” by Zora Neale Hurston and the author of Alice Walker: A Woman for Our Times, a philosophical biography.

January is National Mentoring Month. At The Children’s Village, a beacon of hope for young adults throughout New York City who have navigated the challenges of foster care, overcome substance abuse, and/or emerged from incarceration, is a group of inspirational individuals is making a significant impact. These are credible messengers who have triumphed over similar life struggles and are dedicating themselves to mentoring others facing similar obstacles. Our guest is Carl Johnson, Division Director of Transformative Mentoring Initiatives at the The Children’s Village, for a thoughtful conversation about these life-saving connections. For more, visit Children’s Village.org.