WABE Arts

Episodes

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  Eric Bendick & Mac Stone on ‘American Amazon’ 12.11.2026 4m

  🎧 Director Eric Bendick and producer Mac Stone spent four years making “American Amazon,” a giant-screen documentary about the rivers, swamps and springs of the Southeast. They share how the project came together and what it took to haul high-end camera gear into Georgia’s Tallulah Gorge, and they introduce the Alpharetta kayaker whose helmet cam puts viewers in the rapids. Bendick also explains how an NPR interview led them to narrator Jon Batiste. The film opens to the public Nov. 14 at Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  ‘Silent Night’ opera brings WWI Christmas truce to Atlanta 10.11.2026 4m

  Director Tomer Zvulun first staged “Silent Night” in Ireland in 2014. Twelve years later, The Atlanta Opera presents it with a rebuilt set. It runs at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre through Nov. 15. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Greg Dulli names a song after his car insurance 05.11.2026 4m

  🎧 Afghan Whigs frontman Greg Dulli answers What's Feeding You? ahead of the band's Nov. 5 show at Variety Playhouse. He shares the radio he's tuned to, from jazz stations in California to FIP in Paris, and what he learned from Curtis Mayfield's strings and horns. Dulli talks about his childhood love of the Atlanta Rhythm Section, OutKast and the Clermont Lounge. He explains how a note in his phone and a call to his car insurance company named the "Soft Control" song "Mariah Luster." Plus: his advice to the band's younger selves, and who he still hopes to write a song with.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  KSU Dance Donors + “Viewpoints” 03.11.2026 4m

  Two new endowed scholarships for Kennesaw State University dance students honor Ivan Pulinkala, the choreographer who founded KSU’s dance program in 2005 and is now the university’s provost. Donors LaSona and Trent Turk and KSU Dance Company seniors Faith Smith and Taitum Callahan talked with WABE ahead of the company’s “Viewpoints” concert, Nov. 12-14 in Marietta. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Kelundra Smith’s ‘Other Paths to God’ centers ICU nurses 29.10.2026 4m

  Playwright Kelundra Smith’s  “The Wash” earned five Suzi Bass Awards. Her new play, “Other Paths to God,” is a hospital whodunit now on stage at Horizon Theatre. Midway through its premiere run, WABE Arts & Culture Editor Sherri Daye Scott caught up with Smith to talk telling untold stories and laughter as a truth-telling tool. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  WABE Arts: Igor Levit and the Boldness of Beethoven 27.10.2026 4m

  🎧 Pianist Igor Levit brings an all-Beethoven program to Spivey Hall at Clayton State University on Oct. 31. He tells WABE Arts & Culture Editor Sherri Daye Scott how Beethoven's music became a love that never ended, starting at age 4. Levit explains why he built this program to show the boldness of Beethoven's writing, from the revolution of Sonata No. 1 to the "Waldstein," which he says split piano music into a before and an after. He also describes "The Tempest" as a Shakespearean drama and reflects on how he has changed since recording all 32 sonatas. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Niladri Kumaar on Zakir Hussain before Sandy Springs show 22.10.2026 4m

  Award-winning sitarist Niladri Kumaar talks Zakir Hussain, the Zitar and 'Space Between the Notes' before his Oct. 30 Sandy Springs show.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  High Museum centennial block party: Atlanta looks ahead 20.10.2026 4m

  The High Museum of Art turns 100 this month, and its director says the museum isn't spending much time looking back. "We're really excited about what's next," Rand Suffolk told WABE on Sunday, Oct. 18, as the High's Centennial Block Party filled a closed stretch of Peachtree Street.  The free afternoon of DJs, dancing and art-making marked 100 years since Hattie High gave her Peachtree Street home to the city in October 1926. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Kathy Griffin brings new stories and shocks to Atlanta's Buckhead Theatre 15.10.2026 4m

  Ahead of her Oct. 18 performance at Buckhead Theatre, comedian, actress and writer Kathy Griffin spoke to WABE Arts contributor Kenny Murry on what audiences can expect from her latest special and her thoughts on coming back to perform in AtlantaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  ‘Play more’: Kendrick Brinson on ‘Sun City’ 13.10.2026 4m

  Atlanta photographer Kendrick Brinson on “Sun City,” her photobook on Arizona retirees, ahead of her Oct. 16 release party at Press Shop.
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  'I'm Spanglish': Monti Carlo on her cookbook and Atlanta 08.10.2026 4m

  🎧 Monti Carlo, senior editor of food and dining at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, will emcee cooking demonstrations at Taste of Atlanta's Grand Tasting Midtown on Oct. 15 at the Epicurean Atlanta hotel. Carlo tells WABE's Sherri Daye Scott what she expects from her first Grand Tasting, and why she still hasn't picked a recipe to demo. She talks about her cookbook, "Spanglish: Recipes & Stories," the "MasterChef" run she says changed her life, and growing up on a dairy farm in Puerto Rico, eating bacalaítos from a nearby fishing village. She also shares what she loves about Atlanta's food scene, from Lazy Betty to So. Fox. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Facts and Feeling: Don Lemon on D.L. Hughley and Atlanta 06.10.2026 4m

  🎧 Former CNN anchor Don Lemon brings the DL + DL "Anything Goes" tour with comedian D.L. Hughley to Atlanta Symphony Hall on Oct. 9. For What's Feeding You?, Lemon tells WABE's Sherri Daye Scott what sharing a stage with a comedian lets him do that the anchor desk didn't, and how he and Hughley learn from each other. He talks about the news sites and blogs he reads, and why he believes the audience has moved to social media. He also looks back on his years in Atlanta, from his Virginia-Highland home to the comfort of living in a Black city, and builds an Atlanta playlist with André 3000, Janelle Monáe and the Ohio Players.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Atlanta Swing Classic: Lindsay Mistretta on what to expect 01.10.2026 4m

  🎧 The Atlanta Swing Classic brings West Coast Swing workshops, competitions and social dancing to t Dunwoody, Oct. 1-4. Atlanta dancer and instructor Lindsay Mistretta tells WABE's Sherri Daye Scott how to tell an improvised dance from a choreographed one, what spectators can expect from the champion division's Jack and Jill, and why this year's Classic marks her first competition back after a nine-month break. She also explains why dancers call their community a "dance family" and why West Coast Swing draws dancers from their teens to their 90s.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Art Out of the Booth: Kelly Freeman on Atlanta Art Fair 29.09.2026 4m

  🎧 The third Atlanta Art Fair opens October 1 at Pullman Yards with more than 80 galleries, the most in the fair’s history. Fair director Kelly Freeman tells WABE’s Sherri Daye Scott how interest in Atlanta has grown beyond the American South to galleries around the world, and why the fair’s public programming is meant to bring art out of the booth. She describes artist Tariqa Waters’ live game show, “I Know Art People,” the “Low Grit Grins” exhibition and ATL CURRENTS, a new initiative for independent Atlanta artists. She also shares tips for first-timers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Back to Hillman: Felicia Pride on 'A Different World' 24.09.2026 4m

  🎧 Netflix's "A Different World" returns to Hillman College, and this time it was filmed in Atlanta, including on the campuses of Clark Atlanta University, Spelman College and Morehouse College. Creator and showrunner Felicia Pride tells WABE's Sherri Daye Scott how a call from Debbie Allen brought her to the project, why now is the time to hear from young Black America, and the four pillars she carried over from the original: warmth, community, the HBCU experience and political consciousness. She also explains how the new series evolves into a single-camera dramedy, with legacy cast members returning in new storylines.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  The Next Generation: MOCA GA Young Artist Project 22.09.2026 4m

  🎧 Four workshops. Four professional artists. One group of high school students at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (MOCA GA) in Atlanta. Educational programming coordinator Lexus Swatz explains how MOCA GA’s Young Artists Project grew out of its Working Artist Project and what’s new this year: a new home, longer workshops and a student exhibition that stays up longer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  The Coyt Fund's assist to author Javier Wallace’s 'Basketball Trafficking' 17.09.2026 4m

  A young athlete from Panama moved in with Javier Wallace's family — and the relationship became a book. "Basketball Trafficking: Stolen Black Panamanian Dreams," Wallace's account of the F-1 student visa pipeline into U.S. basketball, is the inaugural grant recipient of the Tara Coyt Publishing Fund, a new Atlanta effort to get more Black scholars into print. Wallace discusses the book September 17 at the Auburn Avenue Research Library, in conversation with former NBA All-Star Joe Barry Carroll.  Supporting Black scholars  Coyt launched the fund in 2025 with an open call to publishers for manuscripts they'd already accepted but couldn't yet afford to produce. "In the first year, we received about 10 applications," she said.  At its center is the publishing subvention grant — up to $10,000 per book to help cover printing costs. The fund also supports a manuscript review workshop, a final-stage peer-review process for selected manuscripts, run in partnership with a university or professional organization. Recipients are also eligible for an author talk after publication. Which is how Wallace ended up on stage with Carroll. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Ali Siddiq brings life experience and laughter to State Farm Arena 15.09.2026 3m

  Known for his one-of-a-kind storytelling abilities, comedian and writer Ali Siddiq has taken 2026 by storm.  His most recent standup specials, "Mondays" and "My Father," have been released to critical acclaim and high viewership numbers. In addition, on April 19, the performer released "Ali Siddiq: From Inside," a raw and in-depth conversation where Siddiq speaks directly to inmates about accountability, choices, and the reality of recidivism in America.  Now, the comedian has taken to the road, performing across the nation in his Custom Fit comedy tour, which will be arriving in Atlanta on Oct. 16.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Inside BODDO Studio's process, from dream to drop 10.09.2026 4m

  BODDO Studio, Aishah Rashied Hyman, Atlanta design, West African textiles, Amani Women's Co-op, Kuba cloth, Kente cloth, Atlanta Design Festival, High Point Market, WABE Arts, home decor, small-batch design See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Spike Lee — “School Daze” Revisited 08.09.2026 4m

  When “School Daze” premiered in 1988, it was controversial before most audiences ever saw it. Written and directed by Spike Lee, the satirical, music-driven film examines life at Mission College, a fictional historically Black campus, and sparked debate among HBCU leadership even before cameras rolled. Some administrators objected to the film’s portrayal of campus politics, colorism, and internal conflict, concerns that ultimately shaped where and how the movie was filmed. “It wasn’t a little bit,” Lee said of the reaction at the time. He pointed to Hugh Gloster, who was then president of Morehouse College. “He refused to let us shoot on campus. Also, Spelman said, ‘Hell no.’” Denied permission to film at his alma mater and at Spelman, Lee instead shot much of “School Daze” on the campus of what is now Clark Atlanta University, as well as at Morris Brown College.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.