stories by Manhattan-based radio reporter, newspaper writer and podcast producer Jon Kalish
Downtown Community Television
Listen to a story about Downtown Community Television on NPR’s “Weekend Edition.” DCTV, which is headquartered in an old firehouse in the Chinatown section of Manhattan, is celebrating 40 years as a community video center that also produces hard-hitting documentaries for major broadcast and cable networks.
Gay Orthodox Jews
For Orthodox Jews, being both observant and actively gay is a theological taboo. Listen to four gay Orthodox Jews who are trying to grapple with their two identities. The group includes an ordained Orthodox rabbi and a Hasidic lesbian living in a frum section of Brooklyn. Listen to the podcast on the website of The Forward.
diy.org
Listen to a story on “Here and Now” about a web site where kids can show photos and videos of their do-it-yourself projects. The radio program is produced at WBUR in Boston and is heard around the country. diy.org has some awesome patches for kids who master more than 40 skills!
DARPA-funded High School Hackerspaces
Listen to a report on NPR’s “All Things Considered” about the military putting millions of dollars into hacker spaces. The money is coming from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA. It’s been called the Defense Department’s venture capital firm — in the past it played a key role in the development of GPS systems and the Internet. Now, a big portion of the new money will go to fund hackerspaces in high schools, including one at Analy High School in Sebastopol, California.
Larry Selman Needs a Kitten
Listen to a story about Larry Selman, the Collector of Bedford Street, and the home care attendant who stood by his side during Hurricane Sandy. It aired on The WBGO Journal last night.
It’s the Itzhak and Yitzchak Show!
Listen to a story on NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday about violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman’s collaboration with the cantorial superstar Yitchak Meir Helfgot.
And in the Forward there’s a print story and podcast on the topic. Perlman and Helfgot have a new album called “Eternal Echoes” on the Sony Classics label. On the Forward’s Arty Semite blog there’s a sidebar on Perlman showing this reporter YouTube videos of great cantorial performances.
Brooklyn According to Kalish
This hour-long radio documentary about the Orthodox Jews of Brooklyn resulted in a producer-in-residence gig at KCRW in Santa Monica. The doc was commissioned by WNYC and contains recordings made over a 16-year period while working on stories for NPR, WNYC, Reuters and New York’s daily newspapers.
Newspaper Legend Jimmy Breslin
Listen to a half-hour radio documentary about the legendary New York City newspaper columnist Jimmy Breslin.
Lord Buckley Radio Documentary
Listen to a half-hour radio documentary about the hipster comedian Lord Buckley. More than 50 years after his death, Buckley still has a cult following. This original radio documentary was commissioned by KCRW Santa Monica.
Jim Brown and Major League Lacrosse
The great Jim Brown is considered by many to be the greatest player to grace the gridiron, but he was also a standout lacrosse player in college. Brown has frequently expressed his love of lacrosse. And so, when the opportunity arose to buy a stake in the Long Island Lizards, he jumped at it. Listen to a feature on Jim Brown and the Long Island Lizards this week on Only A Game.
Photo above: A Lizards midfielder known as The Beast autographs a poster after a home game in Uniondale, Long Island.
New Zealand Playwright Michelanne Forster
Thilde Foerster worked in the European film industry in the 1920’s. An affair with a hotshot Hungarian director resulted in a son and a battle for child support waged on two continents. Foerster’s granddaughter, a prominent New Zealand playwright, tells the story in a play titled “Don’t Mention Casablanca.” Newspaper story and podcast in this week’s Forward.
Tiny House Summer Camp
Listen to a report from Vermont’s North East Kingdom where tiny house evangelist Derek Diedricksen and Adirondacks carpenter Bill Rockhill taught 20 people from around the country how to build a tiny house. And check out Deek’s tiny house blog.
Or watch an audio slideshow about Tiny House Summer Camp on the MAKE blog.
The four-day workshop was attended by the notorious Sims Brothers of Madison, Connecticut.
Slot-Together Crib Made by Adam Seim
Check out this beautiful mini-crib made by Adam Seim, the Blissful Bedrooms wunderkind who happens to be a master woodworker.
The Mighty Atom
They don’t make ‘em like Joseph Greenstein any more. Greenstein, a.k.a. the Mighty Atom, was a Jewish strongman who raised 10 kids in Brooklyn. This story starts in Poland, makes stops in Texas and Vaudeville, involves feats of strengths still standing in the record books and includes a tall goy known as Slim the Hammerman who performs with a star of David embroidered on his shirt in honor of “the old Jewish guy.” Listen to the Mighty Atom podcast on Tablet Magazine here. This story would not be possible wothout the help of Ed Spielman.
Andy Statman A Most Happy Fellow
Bluegrass and klezmer virtuoso Andy Statman is a recipient of the NEA’s National Heritage Fellowship. Read about the Brooklyn-based clarinetist and mandolin player on the Arty Semite blog.
Listen to a half-hour radio documentary about Statman commissioned by KCRW.
