Local

By Grant Golden

Buffalo, NY – Theatre Critic Grant Golden reviews the Shakespeare in Delaware Park production of "Hamlet."

Click the "listen" icon above.

By Mary Van Vorst

Chautauqua Institution, NY – Oliver Thomas knows that his credentials are usually listed as Baptist minister, representative of the National Council of Churches and a lot of other big religious groups. But Thomas points out that he's also co-authored a handbook for the ACLU on religion in public schools, protecting the first amendment for everyone. A minister, lawyer, author and community leader, Thomas delivers next Friday's lecture at the Chautauqua Institution, "Church and State in America: Battle Ground or Common Ground."

By Christopher Jamele

Buffalo, NY – WBFO's Christopher Jamele presents his almanac for June 2005. He continues his chronicles of the Lewis and Clark Expedition from 200 years ago. Chris also tells us June is known as National Dairy Month and National Accordian Awareness Month.

Click the "listen" icon above to hear more.

By Grant Golden

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario – WBFO Theatre Critic Grant Golden reviews the Shaw Festival Theatre presentation of "You Never Can Tell," by George Bernard Shaw.

It runs in the Festival Theatre in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario through November 26th.

Golden gives this production his highest rating, adding an "A" to his top rating of "KO," for an "A-KO." Click the "listen" icon to hear his review.

By Christopher Jamele

Buffalo, NY – Here is the May 2005 almanac, written and produced by WBFO's Weekend Edition host, Christopher Jamele. Click the "listen" icon to hear it.

By Christopher Jamele

Buffalo, NY – Click the "listen" icon above to hear Christopher Jamele's presentation of his January 2005 Almanac.

One of Western New York's most acclaimed writers returns home to Buffalo Friday night. Internationally known, award winning poet Lucille Clifton is the special guest of the Locust Street Art Center. Clifton will offer a reading and share memories of her early years growing up on Buffalo's East Side.

By Joyce Kryszak

By Grant Golden

By Mary Van Vorst

Buffalo, NY – The project is called "World of Voices," a collaboration to promote cultural awareness through literature. It's a three part collaboration. One part is the funder, the Oishei Foundation. Another part is the publisher, White Pine Press. And the final part is the literary center, Just Buffalo. The goal is to connect with high-need inner city students.

The first of 12 writers-in-residence is Native American author Maurice Kenny. Click the "listen" icon above to hear Mary Van Vorst's Spoken Arts.

By Joyce Kryszak

Buffalo, NY – Something funny has been going on around here this summer. Wheels. As far as the eye and the imagination could see.

Dozens of local artists put their most creative thoughts into motion earlier this year for "Art on Wheels." Fifty-seven artworks have been on display across the region all summer for "Art on Wheels."

It's getting ready to roll out. But not without one last big "Wheel-O-Rama."

By Grant Golden

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario – The Royal Family by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber continues at the Shaw Festival through November 23rd.

Broadway was at its peak in 1927, the year The Royal Family opened. The ascendancy of the cinema and the effects of the Depression were yet to come, and the power and cachet of the Broadway stage created huge stars who were treated like - royalty!

By Mary Van Vorst

Buffalo, NY – William Kennedy counts it as a gift that he's been able to stay in one place and know it as intimately as he knows Albany. It's been the site of all seven of his novel, including his Pulitzer Prize winning "Ironweed." His latest work is a political novel called "Roscoe."

Click the "listen" icon above to hear Mary Van Vorst's profile of Kennedy in Spoken Arts.

By Mary Van Vorst

Buffalo, NY – Ken Edwards lives in London, where he writes and runs a small publication called "Reality Street Editions." He and his wife vacationed in Buffalo this summer, exchaging homes with a friend.

Click the "listen" icon above to hear Mary Van Vorst's profile of Ken Edwards.

By Mary Van Vorst

Buffalo, NY – Patricia O'Conner is not only a former editor for the New York Times, she's a person who checks her e-mail eight times a day. So, she knows of what she speaks when it comes to e-mail etiquette. O'Conner has come out with a new edition of her book, "Woe Is I: A Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English." She takes on the "wired world" as well as reader questions about "ain't and gonna."

Click the "listen" icon above to hear Mary Van Vorst's interview with O'Conner in Spoken Arts.

By Joyce Kryszak

Buffalo, NY – Fifty-two of the world's most famous paintings are now in Buffalo. "Masterworks from the Phillips Collections" is the latest banner exhibition at the Albright Knox Art Gallery. The exhibit includes rarely traveled paintings from the world-renowned Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. Tens of thousands of visitors are expected to come see the beautiful paintings.

By Mary Van Vorst

Chautauqua Institution, NY – Margaret Somerville is tackling the ethical issues of our times. In her book, "The Ethical Canary," she takes on euthanasia, human reproduction, organ transplants and more.

Somerville began as a lawyer in her native Australia, then earned her PhD in medicine, ethics and law. She appears this Friday during the week three lecture series at the Chautauqua Institution.

Click the "listen" icon above to hear Mary Van Vorst's "Chautauqua Preview."

By Mary Van Vorst

Buffalo, NY – It's a book for word lovers, especially lovers of rare words, which is in fact the name of the book, Rare Words. Written by a father-daughter team, the book is a collection of what the two call "500 arcane but useful words for language lovers." Click the "listen" icon above to hear Jan and Hallie Leighton as they join WBFO's Mary Van Vorst for Spoken Arts.

By Joyce Kryszak

Buffalo, NY – Some of the biggest names in jazz are on stage all this week as the Rochester Jazz Festival continues.

Headlining the event is none other than the legendary and timeless Tony Bennett.

Bennett performs at 8:00 Wednesday night at the Eastman Theatre in Rochester.

WBFO's Joyce Kryszak talked with Bennett by phone about what keeps his career singing.

When Bennett's career began, his fans were screaming teenagers wearing bobby socks. Today, Bennett's fans are just as likely their grandchildren.

By Chris Jamele

Buffalo, NY – WBFO's Chris Jamele presents a new feature on Weekend Edition Sunday. It's a monthly almanac. Click the "listen" icon above to hear the June almanac. In the future, we hope to include Chris' script along with the audio feature.

By Joyce Kryszak

Buffalo, NY – Buffalo climbed one spot to become the number eight arts destination in the country. That's according to this year's reader's poll by AmericanStyle magazine. The results of the top 25 list were released in the June issue that went on sale at newsstands Sunday.

According to AmericanStyle, there's an artistic rebirth of the "rustbelt" going on. And Buffalo is leading the charge. The "Queen City" moved up another rung on the must-see arts city ladder.

By Eileen Buckley

Buffalo, NY – A local ballet company that caters strictly to training young dancers premiers its first full-length ballet Friday and Saturday at UB's Center for the Arts. It's the Greater Buffalo Youth Ballet's production of "Cinderella."

By Joyce Kryszak

Buffalo, NY – A month long poetry celebration ends on Sunday, April 27 with one last, breathless event in Buffalo.

The five-hour long poetry marathon, called Urban Epiphany, will feature non-stop recitations by more than one hundred local poets.

In the last of our special series previewing the event, WBFO's Joyce Kryszak showcases Celia White, one of the founders of Urban Epiphany.

You might say that Celia White breathes poetry.

By Joyce Kryszak

Buffalo, NY – Speaking of poets, William Shakespeare once wrote; "The poet's eye, in a fine frenzy rolling, Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven.

Throughout the month of April, some of Buffalo's finest poets have been sharing with us their glances from earth to heaven.

This special WBFO poetry series is a preview of Urban Epiphany, a poetry marathon event next week featuring about one hundred local poets. This week's poet profile is Brian Lampkin.