First hour: Examining "Hiroshima," the greatest piece of journalism of the 20th century
Second hour: Danielle Ponder and the Tomorrow People
Seventy years ago this week, the New Yorker published "Hiroshima," arguably the most important piece of journalism in the 20th century. Reporters had covered the atomic bombings in Japan, but none had focused on victims' stories. John Hersey used an extraordinary 31,000 words to tell the story of six people who had survived the bombing of Hiroshima. The piece, titled simply "Hiroshima," went viral decades before viral was a thing. We'll consider the piece in many ways: How effective was Hersey's story-telling, which was narrative in style without inserting himself into the piece? How does it affect our understanding of the bomb's impact? Would modern journalists be afforded an opportunity to tell a story with that kind of depth? And are there are other pieces of journalism that rival it? Our guests:
- William B. Hauser, professor emeritus of history at the University of Rochester
- Eric Grode, regular contributor to the New York Times culture section and director of the Goldring Arts Journalism Program at Syracuse University
- Mari Tsuchiya, senior library assistant at the University of Rochester
In our second hour: We welcome rising stars on the music scene, Danielle Ponder and the Tomorrow People. Ponder's soaring vocals are the obvious draw, but her lyrics provide additional layers of meaning. As a public defender by day, Ponder represents poorer defendants. In her own family, she's watched her brother spend 20 years in prison due to mandatory sentencing laws. Her music focuses on justice in many forms. Next week, Danielle Ponder and the Tomorrow People will headline a show at the Little Theatre, but first, they're our guests:
- Danielle Ponder, lead singer for Danielle Ponder and the Tomorrow People
- Avis Reese, keyboardist and musical director for Danielle Ponder and the Tomorrow People
- Reenah Golden, co-producer for Danielle Ponder and the Tomorrow People
