Arts & Life

Coming up on Weekday, May 21 at 9:00 a.m.

Comic Actress Kate Hess Parodies Masterpiece Theater  
Everyone loves Downton Abbey these days and Hollywood is paying attention by hiring British actors for American roles. Is the favor being returned in Great Britain? Not really. Writer and actress Kate Hess reflects on the British invasion in her costume drama parody “Murder Abbey.”

Author Nathaniel Philbrick On "Bunker Hill"
Nathaniel Philbrick’s award-winning books reveal forgotten moments and characters in American history.  His latest effort “Bunker Hill: A City, A Siege, A Revolution”  looks at the tension-filled city of Boston in the months leading up to the American Revolution. Philbrick’s portrait of the city reveals deep divisions over the issue of independence from Britain. And he recounts the little-known story of Dr. Joseph Warren, a young physician whose passion for independence fueled the Patriot cause and led to Warren’s much-lamented death in the Battle of Bunker Hill. KUOW’s Dave Beck speaks with Nathaniel Philbrick.

Coming up on Weekday, May 22 at 10:00 a.m.

Canada, Culture And Commerce
Vancouver Sun political correspondent Vaughn Palmer explains why Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Chief of staff has resigned and what happens now.  Film critic Robert Horton reviews the new "Star Trek" movie. Then in tech news, Todd Bishop reviews the next Xbox which Microsoft released Tuesday.    
 

  Alex Stonehill is the director of "Barzan," a documentary that follows one man’s journey from Iraqi refugee to building a home in Bothell to fighting allegations of terrorism. Ross Reynolds talks with Alex Stonehill about making the movie which is playing at the Seattle International Film Festival.

In "Letter from Zelda," poet Marjorie Manwaring creates an imaginary letter to F. Scott Fitzgerald, written by his wife Zelda from her room in a mental hospital.

City Considers More Permanent Home for Nickelsville
For two years, the temporary homeless camp that goes by Nickelsville has been parked in a vacant Southwest Seattle lot among the warehouses and shipping yards off West Marginal Way. This week city officials are taking up legislation that would allow Nickelsville to have a more permanent home. We talk with City Councilmember Nick Licata.

Worth Listening To: A Music Recommendation
Are you stuck in a music listening rut?  We are surrounded by new music and innovative artists.  Branch out!  New music recommendations every Tuesday at 9:20 a.m.  This time Seattle Weekly classical music writer Gavin Borchert recommends pianist Simone Dinnerstein and roots vocalist Tift Merritt.

Walter Mosley's "Little Green"
It’s been more than 20 years since Walter Mosley introduced readers to L.A. detective Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins in his 1990 mystery “Devil in a Blue Dress.” In "Little Green" the iconic private eye Easy Rawlins returns to investigate L.A.'s Sunset Strip circa 1960. A writer of stories of redemption, Mosley describes this latest work as his "one and only novel of resurrection."

The Weather and Hike of the Week
What happened to our sunshine? Michael Fagin will give us a forecast and a hike to match it.

Coming up on Weekday, May 21 at 10:00 a.m.

Speight Jenkins And The Appeal Of Wagner
May 22nd is the birthday of composer Richard Wagner. In honor of his 200th year the Seattle Opera will be hosting a Wagner singalong. The Puget Sound region has become a destination for Wagner fans and he is still beloved by operaphiles. Seattle Opera General Director Speight Jenkins talks about the the composer’s appeal.

Greendays Gardening Panel
Our gardening panel includes a flower expert, a native plant expert and a vegetable gardening expert.  They answer your gardening questions every Tuesday. Email us at weekday@kuow.org with questions or post a comment on our Greendays Facebook page.

Boeing 787 Back In The Air
Boeing’s 787 has returned to the sky after a four-month grounding by the FAA when an United Airlines Dreamliner took off this morning from Houston en route to Chicago’s O’Hare airport. Richard Aboulafia, aerospace analyst with Teal Group Corporation explains the impact of the 787 on Boeing and its flight future. 

In Search of the Ancient Maya
Archaeologist William Saturno has spent decades studying, excavating and documenting the ancient Mayan culture. He was the first person in 2,000 years to see the San Bartolo murals, and he recently discovered proof that the Maya did not believe the world would end in 2012 as commonly thought. What did that feel like? How did ancient Maya become the center of his work? What can we learn from the Mayans?  

Medical Interventions and the End of Life    
As science and technology improves, medicine changes. As Americans, we’ve come to expect that medical interventions can give us a new knee, help us survive cancer and help extend our lives far longer than in the past. But is intervention always a good idea? Retired doctor Jim deMain blogs about how to make decisions on when to end or extend life. 

Today is National Bike to Work Day and The Conversation’s Hannah Burn asked people in the neighborhood how they got to work or school today. The Census Bureau reports that in 2011, about half a percent of commuters biked to work in the United States. Seattle seems to trend higher as of the 14 people Burn talked to, 28 percent were cyclists.

We’re in the full swing of spring here in Seattle, and with the season come certain rituals like spring cleaning. A lot of the stuff we get rid of ends up at garage sales and yard sales. David Hyde poses the question: What’s the most amazing thing you’ve ever found at a garage sale? Listeners and local garage sale enthusiasts weigh in.