Youngstown, Ohio is the center of the Rust Belt. During steel's heyday, Youngstown was a city of nearly 200,000. Now, it’s under 70,000. The steel mills closed in the 1980’s, people left, and no one replaced them. Steve Paulson sat down with urban planner Justin Hollander talk about what to do next - what Hollander calls "smart decline."
What do you do when you’re an African-American filmmaker living in a country full of people who dress up in blackface at Christmastime? You pick up a camera. Roger Ross Williams talks about his new documentary, "Blackface." It's about the traditional Dutch celebration of "Black Pete" -- a Santa's helper who dresses in blackface, an Afro wig, red lipstick and big hoop earrings.
Art critic, novelist and editor Wendy Lesser reads excerpts from her essay "Hitchcock's Vertigo."
Music historian Will Friedwald is the author of “Stardust Melodies.” He talks with Steve Paulson about the history of the song “My Funny Valentine” and we hear lots of different interpretations.
Steven Poole tells Anne Strainchamps that video games can be an art form and that they will continue to increase in sophistication.
Tom Reynolds risked his mental health to compile "I Hate Myself and Want to Die: The 52 Most Depressing Songs You've Ever Heard."
Jim Fleming read “Kubla Khan” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and philosopher Sadie Plant talks with Steve Paulson about drug use by some famous writers, from Coleridge to Freud.
Exploding urbanism might be the biggest global innovation challenge, Chris Anderson says.
