Added 5.10.19. Before email, there was this thing called the letter. As most people born prior to the digital age likely know, for many centuries letters served not only as a means of private communication but also as a rich source of material for historians and other scholars. Though we think of letters as typically extemporaneous and personal, they could be more composed, and far-reaching. Milt in this 1997 episode delves into the subject with three experts. They start with the epic and bristling letter from Samuel Johnson to his former patron Lord Chesterfield, and then jump to other points in the historical continuum to reveal the art and effect of the letter in history.

Added 10.24.18. Milt interviews the Peabody Award-winning film documentarist Joseph Dorman upon the 2011 release of his film, “Sholom Aleichem: Laughing In The Darkness.” To many, Aleichem is known mainly as the writer who work gave rise to “Fiddler On The Roof.” Accordingly, Dorman tells Milt, he thought of Aleichem as “a dusty Jewish humorist of the past.” But looking more closely, he says he discovered “the greatest Jewish writer of the modern era.” The conversation explores the how and why, including historical and social context of Aleichem’s work, as Jewish immigrants to the U.S. were bridging the gap between the old and new worlds. The film was one of the top-grossing documentaries of 2011. Dorman co-wrote a famed 2001 documentary on Arctic explorer Ernest Shackleton; produced the 1998 documentary “Arguing The World;” and is at work on new documentaries – one about Israel and the Middle East, and another on a noted AIDS pediatrician. He teaches at NYU, and is a former PBS news magazine senior producer.

Added 10.2.18. Beware of any story that starts out like this: “A friend of my cousin’s wife’s brother’s co-worker saw this happen and could not believe it.” You probably shouldn’t believe it, either. But how tall tales become more or less accepted truth reveals much about us – and our fears, foibles and prejudices, which are all now depth-charged by light-speed digital communications. In this vintage-1986 episode Milt delves back into urban legends with their then-leading chronicler, Jan Harold Brunvand. He had just authored his third related volume, “The Mexican Pet: More New Urban Legends And Some Old Favorites.” The first two were “The Vanishing Hitchhiker” and “The Choking Doberman.” Brunvald was a professor of English at the University of Utah.

Added 9.25.18. When Rachel Bertsche moved to Chicago to be with her boyfriend (soon to be husband) she left behind her “besties,” or best girlfriends, in New York. So, using digital and analog means she intentionally set out to meet – once a week for a whole year – with candidates to take their place. She chronicled the outcomes in an engaging memoir titled “MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search For A New Best Friend.” Milt in this 2012 episode engages Bertsche about what she learned along the way. They explore the nature of friendship, research on the topic, and more.

A good politician knows how to deliver a speech that pulls at the heartstrings. An effective politician knows how to work in a joke or some clever wordplay to put the people at ease. And then there’s the political gaffe, which can sink a campaign or make a mockery of one’s rule. Rich Rubino is a fine political reporter, pundit and author who has given us a great collection of odd and obscure political facts in a previous work. He has just published a collection of humorous political quotations that is great fun. He joined Milt to share some of his favorites.