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
Oct 13, 2020 • 10min
Meet The Mysterious Fiddle Assassin Breaking The Silence In Alton
A masked violinist has been making music while strolling the streets of Alton. There are rumors that she's a ghost from the Mississippi River and that she hasn’t been seen since the 1918 influenza. She calls herself the Fiddle Assassin, and says her only enemy is the coronavirus.
Oct 13, 2020 • 21min
'Forest Park: A Walk Through History' Takes Readers Off The Beaten Track
Carolyn Mueller, a local author and zookeeper at the St. Louis Zoo, has explored the trails of Forest Park for more than a decade. And with locals practicing social distancing as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, some of the spots Mueller highlights in her new book, “Forest Park: A Walk Through History,” are particularly timely.
Oct 13, 2020 • 19min
Tattooed Egyptian Mummies Offer Lessons About Body Art Then And Now
As a scholar who works with human remains, Anne Austin had long looked closely at bones. Her training is in osteology and Egyptology, and for many years she worked to expand the world’s knowledge about the health, medicine and disease of past civilizations. But in 2016, her focus suddenly turned from bones to ancient skin — and body art.
Oct 12, 2020 • 26min
Indoor Theater Production To Be A Pandemic First For St. Louis
Theater returns to a St. Louis stage this month — and for the first time since the region shut down in March, it’ll be indoors and with an in-person audience. Midnight Company's mounting of Eric Bogosian’s “Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll” comes with the ArtSafe seal of approval, and a host of safety precautions.
Oct 12, 2020 • 21min
‘The National Road’ Explores ‘A Changing America’ From The Ground
Tom Zoellner’s new book, “The National Road: Dispatches From a Changing America," is a journey into the uneasy soul of the nation: What unites us, what divides us and what lies in the middle of the cities of the coasts.
Oct 9, 2020 • 50min
Tackling America’s ‘Silent Epidemic’ Of Pedestrian Deaths — In St. Louis And Beyond
Angie Schmitt’s new book, “Right of Way: Race, Class and the Silent Epidemic of Pedestrian Deaths,” examines why more American pedestrians are dying, who makes up these deaths and what simple yet concrete things we could do to save people like them. She discusses her book on St. Louis on the Air, and we hear from a victim's sister and a local transportation policy planner, too.
Oct 8, 2020 • 16min
10 New Restaurants — And Some Ghost Kitchens — To Try In October
New places continue to open in the St. Louis region — often with extensive safety protocols. And they’re offering new items for local food lovers and ways for patrons to get their favorite dishes. Sauce Magazine features 10 new restaurants to check out for this month’s Hit List.
Oct 8, 2020 • 20min
‘Where It Hurts’ Brings Attention To Rural Health Care Access
Missouri has lost seven rural hospitals since 2014. It’s a trend seen in areas across the country, and it’s a topic explored extensively in the new podcast “Where It Hurts.”
Oct 8, 2020 • 14min
Crestwood Elementary P.E. Instructor Is Missouri Teacher of the Year
Crestwood Elementary School physical education teacher Darrion Cockrell hasn’t just overhauled his school’s fitness program. His creative virtual education videos have also caught the attention of influencers such as Chance the Rapper and Ellen DeGeneres. Now, Cockrell has been awarded the distinction of Missouri Teacher of the Year.
Oct 7, 2020 • 28min
SSM Health’s Focus Is On COVID-19, Cancer Care And The Pandemic’s ‘Downstream Effects’
In the summer of 2018, St. Charles resident Cindy Fricke got some really bad news following her annual mammogram: She had breast cancer. The diagnosis put her on a long, two-year path involving chemotherapy, radiation and a partial mastectomy. Now she is cancer free, and as she continues to receive care through SSM Health, her outlook is full of gratitude and optimism, even amid a pandemic.
