St. Louis on the Air

A new show opens at the Pulitzer this weekend. It’s a retrospective of artist Terry Adkins, who took inspiration from musical instruments, underappreciated historical figures — and the blues. Stephanie Weissberg joins host Sarah Fenske to discuss the Pulitzer show, “Terry Adkins: Resounding,” which opens this Friday. Weissberg is the associate curator at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation.

It’s Saturday night at Bissell Mansion, a nearly 200-year-old home overlooking Interstate 70 in north St. Louis. Dozens of people have gathered together to enjoy a meal — and a murder mystery. Over the course of the evening, dinner theater actors Linda Spall and Charles Huevelman put on a raucous show, “Phantom of the Grand Ole Opry,” in which Spall plays two characters, Tammy Whino and Dolly Pardon, and Huevelman portrays a very drunk Kenny Rogeers. The rest of the cast has been drafted from among audience members, who were each assigned a role as they arrived and provided with a partial script outlining that particular part in the story. By the time salads have been served, one of the characters has been murdered, and it’s up to a wild bunch of country stars to apprehend the killer. The whole scene is one that’s been a fixture at Bissell Mansion for more than three decades and continues to draw a crowd. In this conversation, longtime murder mystery actor John Vullo joins host Sarah Fenske to talk about the goings-on at Bissell and provide a closer look at what it is that keeps diners returning there for more comedic mayhem.

Local businesses and workers could both be impacted by the coronavirus, even if no one on the payroll actually contracts COVID-19. So how are business owners seeking to make sense of these uncertain times? What are universities doing to protect their students, staff and faculty? In this episode, we discuss the potential impact of coronavirus fears — and the likely increase in COVID-19 cases — on the St. Louis region.

Modern American Dance Academy’s new show “Resilience” is not what you might picture when you consider a dance performance. The MADCO show features four pieces, each touching on a type of trauma — everything from losing a child to the loss of one’s sanity — with a focus on battling adversity through movement. Possibly the most unique aspect of the show is that the dancing won’t end after the official performances are through. After the last ticketed show, MADCO’s education director, Darrell Hyche II, will spend the next year bringing related programming to under-served schools in the area, with the hope of giving the kids the tools they need to deal with anger, familial conflict, trauma and more. In this episode, we hear from Hyche as well as MADCO’s interim director, Belicia Beck.

With the St. Louis Blues decision to roll up Pride Night into its "Hockey Is For Everyone" event, some in the LGBTQ community aren't happy. Host Sarah Fenske talks with PrideSTL board members Marty Zuniga and Jordan Braxton about why they're disappointed with the Blues decision to incorporate Pride Night into one fundraising event with other nonprofits.

Scott Phillips may be the most acclaimed novelist living in St. Louis today. Best known as the author of “The Ice Harvest,” he’s won the California Book Award and been a finalist for the Edgar Award and the Hammett Prize. His latest novel, “That Left Turn At Albuquerque,” finds Phillips in familiar territory, with a crime caper, a cast of amoral characters and plenty of dark humor. In this segment he joins us to discuss the book and much, much more. A native of Wichita, Kansas, Phillips lived in Paris and Los Angeles before settling in St. Louis. He is also one of the co-founders of St. Louis’ Noir at the Bar chapter, which has become a must-visit for traveling crime authors and also paved the way for similar groups across the U.S.

Former Missouri State Senator Jeff Smith was sentenced to a year and a day in prison after being charged with two felony counts of conspiracy to obstruct justice following revelations about election law violations during his 2004 campaign. Since his release, he’s dedicated his efforts toward reforming the criminal justice system. One such effort led him to the St. Louis University Transformative Workforce Academy’s “Second Chance Job Fair,” which seeks to connect employers with ex-offenders looking for work. In this interview, Sarah Fenske talks with Smith about the impact of the job fair and what employers stand to gain from hiring ex-offenders. Tracy Stanton, who was hired by an employer after attending the very first job fair two years ago, also joins the conversation.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders sits down with St. Louis on the Air host Sarah Fenske ahead of a campaign rally in St. Louis on Monday. Missouri voters will go to the polls to cast primary ballots on Tuesday. The Vermont senator’s visit follows a campaign stop in St. Louis Saturday by former Vice President Joe Biden, whose campaign did not respond to interview requests from the talk show team. The conversation with Sanders touches on the senator’s strong showing in the 2016 primary, the new coronavirus and who’s best situated to unify the Democratic party and defeat President Trump. It also delved into the potential impact of a transition to Medicare for All on one of the St. Louis region’s biggest employers: the health care industry. In this segment Fenske also speaks with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jo Mannies, who provides analysis of the dynamics in Tuesday’s race.

Host Sarah Fenske talks to experts about the Coronavirus. It’s now here in St. Louis County. What precautions should you take? The family of the first presumed case here has already broken its voluntary quarantine. Do officials see any hope for containing the disease Coronavirus spreads?

Eddie Cox has always been fascinated by words, whether he’s stringing together freestyle raps with his friends or fine-tuning coherent arguments on debate teams. That interest has translated well to his star turn as hip-hop artist Sir Eddie C. The Belleville native is making waves in the St. Louis music scene and recently notched his first performances in New Orleans and Chicago. Cox joins host Sarah Fenske to talk about his musical craft and inspirations.