St. Louis on the Air
St. Louis Public Radio
St. Louis on the Air creates a unique space where guests and listeners can share ideas and opinions with respect and honesty. Whether exploring issues and challenges confronting our region, discussing the latest innovations in science and technology, taking a closer look at our history or talking with authors, artists and musicians, St. Louis on the Air brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region.
Episodes
Mentioned books
May 12, 2022 • 20min
Soccer is the hook at New Dimensions — but the real goal is teaching life skills
Unlike pricey club sports, New Dimensions is free and offers soccer and life skills training for kids who need it. Co-founder Tom Michler shares what he’s learned about the myriad benefits of unstructured play — and the magic of building community with families from all over the world.
May 12, 2022 • 20min
Soccer is the hook at New Dimensions — but the real goal is teaching life skills
Unlike pricey club sports, New Dimensions is free and offers soccer and life skills training for kids who need it. Co-founder Tom Michler shares what he’s learned about the myriad benefits of unstructured play — and the magic of building community with families from all over the world.
May 11, 2022 • 21min
EcoTones brings music inspired by nature to a Powder Valley trail
Cellist Jody Redhage Ferber’s new concert series brings top musicians to a Kirkwood hiking trail, with small combos on six different stages playing music inspired by the wildlife around them (and even echoing their calls). Ferber explains what inspired her vision — and how she hopes it can bring a new audience to classical music.
May 11, 2022 • 27min
For trans Missouri youth and their parents, legislature’s focus brings anxiety
For the past three years, Missouri lawmakers have introduced legislation that targets trans youth. A bill making headway in the current session would prevent trans girls from playing on girls’ sports teams. Two moms of transgender kids discuss how they mobilized to speak out against the bill — and how it would affect their children.
May 11, 2022 • 21min
EcoTones brings music inspired by nature to a Powder Valley trail
Cellist Jody Redhage Ferber’s new concert series brings top musicians to a Kirkwood hiking trail, with small combos on six different stages playing music inspired by the wildlife around them (and even echoing their calls). Ferber explains what inspired her vision — and how she hopes it can bring a new audience to classical music.
May 10, 2022 • 29min
In ‘Shmuel’s Bridge,’ a St. Louis poet retraces his family’s Holocaust journey
Jason Sommer discusses his new book, “Shmuel’s Bridge,” and the story it tells of his 2001 trip to Eastern Europe with his Holocaust survivor father, Jay. The men retraced the final journey of Jason’s uncle Shmuel, who was shot by German guards after making a desperate bid to flee the cattle car transporting to Auschwitz.
May 10, 2022 • 18min
Joanna Serenko’s next act after ‘The Voice’: an album that shows her ‘Best of Me’
St. Louis singer-songwriter Joanna Serenko discusses how she went from being a finalist on “The Voice” to releasing her debut album — and her plans to travel the country in a van after she gets her nursing degree.
May 9, 2022 • 16min
Bill to ban tents from St. Louis sidewalks raises questions of legality, alderman says
About eight people experiencing homelessness are living in tents in south St. Louis along the River Des Peres. Some members of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen want to make that illegal — to pitch tents in public right of ways. 12th Ward Alderman Bill Stephens shares why he’s asking his colleagues to hit the pause button.
May 9, 2022 • 21min
In ‘The Holy Ghost,’ John Hendrix draws on Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes and life’s big questions
Wash U professor John Hendrix explains how doodling during a sermon led to his new graphic novel, how it was inspired by both his Christian faith and his doubt, and why it took 10 years to bring it to book form.
May 9, 2022 • 15min
Move over, Gateway Arch: St. Charles hopes Riverwalk project will be a destination
St. Charles is putting $350 million into a new riverfront development. They hope to attract younger people and more tourists, and say the Riverwalk project will “redefine the city.” Mayor Dan Borgmeyer discusses his vision for the riverfront and speaks to some criticisms of it.
