Arts & Life

The Rise In Heroin Use
There has been an alarming rise in the number of young people using heroin according to a newly released UW study.  What is causing the increase?  Heroin users are hard to monitor. What numbers were crunched to give us these latest statistics? Caleb Banta-Green researched and authored the report on “Heroin Trends Across Washington State.”

Nancy Pearl Recommends Mysteries
Book commentator Nancy Pearl stops by with a brief book recommendation for your summer reading. This week she recommends "The Last Policeman" by Ben Winters and "Crashed" by Timothy Hallinan.
 
What's In The Fridge?
Americans waste a lot of food, partly because we don’t know how to reinvent our leftovers.  The Chef in the Hat regularly helps us imagine new cooking ideas. So look in your fridge, and tell us what you have on hand. Then call 206.543.5869 and Thierry Rautureau will tell invent a new meal for you tonight!  

In "Epiphanette," Woodinville poet Dennis Caswell speculates on what happens to the "carefree cognitive tumbleweed" of his baby daughter's mind when it "is struck by the SUV of enlightenment" in the form of a little epiphany.

Already she baby-knows:
A dance you learn; the dancer you're stuck to.
                                          from "Epiphanette"

 A Trip To The SPD Evidence Warehouse
Crime is in the news every day, and each case has evidence that has to be stored somewhere. The Seattle Police Department’s evidence warehouse is full of guns and drugs as you might expect, but it also houses the unexpected. Items like a massage table, a brass bed, skis and arrows. Katy Sewall takes a peek behind the scenes.

Jerick Hoffer AKA Jinkx Monsoon
Fresh off his win on the fifth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race and ahead of a performance in Hairspray at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theater, we talk with actor, singer and performer Jerick Hoffer, stage name Jinkx Monsoon.

Greendays Gardening
Our expert gardening panel knows flowers, native plants and vegetables. Have a question? They offer guidance for your garden every Tuesday. Email your question to Weekday.

“Alive and Well” At SIFF
The documentary “Alive and Well” takes viewers inside the lives of seven people who have been affected by Huntington’s disease. From those who carry the gene to family members turned caregivers, the film tells the story of what it’s like to live with a genetic, neurological disorder. Huntington’s disease is degenerative, slowly breaking down the nerve cells of the brain. A person with a parent with Huntington’s has a 50/50 chance of inheriting the gene mutation. Director Josh Taft and executive producer Liz Weber  explain their motivation for making the film.

Islam’s “Spiritual Gems”
Nearly a quarter of the world’s population looks to the Qur’an for spiritual guidance. What does the Islamic holy book have to say about life? Katy Sewall talks with Jamal Rahman, author of “Spiritual Gems of Islam.”

Weather and Hike of the Week
Michael Fagin suggests a hike that matches the week’s weather forecast.

In some states you still have to get a blood test before you get married, but no state requires you to get a credit check before getting married. How important is it to sit down with a bottle of wine and talk debt before you walk down the aisle? David Hyde talks to financial expert Jane Bryant Quinn who says it should be at the top of your list. She’s the author of a book called "Making the Most of Your Money Now."

This Week In Olympia
State lawmakers are in deep budget negotiations in the final days of the special legislative session. Everett Herald reporter Jerry Cornfield joins us with a look at what’s happening this week in Olympia.

Cellist Joshua Roman
Cellist Joshua Roman is back in town for a world-premiere performance at Town Hall Seattle, where he’s artistic director of the TownMusic series. He talks with us ahead of a performance tomorrow night with his JACK Quartet.

Sounds Of Our Everyday
Everyday Weekday listeners send us the sound of their day. From a chatty sheep to the crunch of a walk through the snow, we find a variety of natural sounds in our everyday urban environment. Members of the Seattle Phonographers Union explain what attracts us to these sounds in the first place and how we can better appreciate the symphony of our everyday sonic landscape.

There are a lot of songs about love but perhaps there are even more songs about loss and that raises a serious scientific question: Why are so many songs written about heartbreak and what happens to the brains of people who are experiencing a really bad break-up? Biological anthropologist Dr. Helen Fisher studies what happens in our brains when we are in love and when we are heart broken. She says that Tylenol is helpful but staring at pictures of your ex and listening to a sad song when your brain is essentially going through massive dopamine withdrawal, is not.

Jazz vocalist Jane Monheit first visited us in the KUOW studios just after we moved into our then new facility on University Avenue in 1999. 

Public radio listeners and music lovers have followed Monheit's career for more than a decade now.  She made a sensational debut recording shortly after graduating from the Manhattan School of Music in the late 1990s.

Kal Penn is best known for his stoner role as Kumar in the "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle” films. But Penn is also a former member of President Obama’s administration, where he worked on youth, art, and Asian American outreach.