The Scuttleblog: A Local Publication

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   Along with the comprehensive daily schedule that Rachel posts every day on our Facebook wall, we also have a generic paper schedule listing the times and names of all of our programs.  It doesn’t state which midday short story or monthly magazine is being aired on any particular day, it only states that one will be broadcast at the time listed.  This is usually sent to the listeners who call the station to ask for a hard copy or don’t have a computer handy (or perhaps just don’t particularly like looking things up on Facebook.)  In addition, we keep a stack of them at the front desk for the occasional curious visitors who drop by, along with an explanation about the work we do and how we fulfill our mission statement.  It also comes in handy when a guest is interviewed for either Writers’ Forum, Public Affairs, or The Chef Show; I usually write the dates down for them along with the website address so they can easily see when they will be on the air, and so they can tell out of town listeners when to tune in to catch their interviews,

     Occasionally the name of one particular program catches the eye of someone perusing the schedule–listed at 12 noon on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday is the Local Pub.  “Pub” is short for publication, much to the disappointment of many inquiring minds, who hope that perhaps we carry a show extolling the virtues and vices of some of New Orleans’ best bars and dives (which may actually be a pretty good idea, now that I think about it.)  Usually the lineup for the Local Publication program follows a pattern–on Mondays, our audience can hear stories from The Lens, an online news source with breaking political and community interest stories; on Wednesdays, GAMBIT, the free news and special interest tabloid found throughout New Orleans in coffee shops and grocery stores is aired; and on Thursdays, you can hear City Business, which as it’s name suggests, informs our listeners on what’s happening throughout the city on the business, law, tourism and service industry side of things.  The Tuesday version of the Local Pub is potluck (or Russian roulette?) because a wide variety of interesting and dissimilar materials are read: on any given Tuesday you might hear Offbeat, the New Orleans music magazine; Where Y’at? filled with reviews, interviews, and aimed at a “funky hipster” audience; Preservation in Print, the carefully researched and well written architecture and building history magazine; NOLA Baby and Child, a magazine aimed at parents in New Orleans, or Louisiana Health and Fitness, which focuses on keeping active and healthy in a place where every occasion is celebrated with lots and lots of good things to eat. The list is rounded out by a few others, such as Natural Awakenings, Breakthru Media, Art + Design, Amelie G., and New Orleans Living.  Of course, now that baseball season is in full swing, Local Pub has gone through a few minor adjustments.  We now broadcast the Coach’s show from Desi Vega’s Steakhouse every Monday at noon, so the Lens has been moved to Tuesday, making it the permanent publication for that day until we go back to our rotating schedule.

     Today I’m going to be borrowing an idea from our Wednesday Local Publication selection, the Gambit–the Scuttlebut column.  Written as a series of quick news briefs, the Scuttlebut offers tidbits of interesting information from around the city (and City Hall.)  We’ve had a few interesting things happen the past two weeks at WRBH (with more to come) so without further ado, I present:

THE SCUTTLEBLOG

WRBH HAS A WINNER!

As part of the Swine Krewe team, WRBH event planner Rachel Stickney took home the prestigious Porkpourri award at Hogs for the Cause, winning for her airy and delicious Piggy Macarons.  Although her mother, Jean Stickney, is the owner and confection creator at Pralines by Jean…and Cupcakes Too, and Rachel works part time at the shop, she is not a professional baker by any means.  In fact, she first made macarons (a French cookie made with almond meal and egg whites, not the heavy coconut macaroon associated with Passover) when she and her friend Jean Angelico decided to make a French meal on a whim.   By adding bacon and Steen’s syrup to her entry, she transformed the delicate cookie into something spectacular–and adorable, since each macaron sported a sweet smiling porcine grin, courtesy of a pastry pen.  You can find the recipe and more of the story here:  

http://www.nola.com/food/index.ssf/2014/04/exchange_alley_tastes_from_hog.html

UNDER MILK WOOD CAPTIVATES LISTENERS

Last week was a little different for our listening audience: instead of a midday short story on Tuesday and the poetry half hour on Wednesday, they were treated to an ethereal rendition of Under Milk Wood, performed by the Cripple Creek Theatre company, under the direction of former WRBH reader Emilie Whelan.  Mystical and mystifying, the 63 characters voiced in the radio play by Dylan Thomas took us on an amazing journey into the heart of the sad little sea town of Llareggub (read it backwards).  If you missed  last week’s beautifully produced work, you’re in luck, because it will re-air on Wednesday, April 16th at 11 pm.  There will even be a listening party at the Saturn bar on St. Claude Avenue, starting at 10:30 pm.  It’s open to the public, and food and drink will be provided.  RSVP to their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/264566547047542/

Additionally, Under Milk Wood will be broadcast on Easter Sunday, April 20th, at 7:30 pm. 

NEW BOOKSHELF BOOK!

We’ve got a new book off the shelf beginning on April 14th: ARISTOTLE AND DANTE DISCOVER THE SECRET OF THE UNIVERSE written by Benjamin Alire Saenz and read beautifully by Crystal Hinds. You can listen to this uniquely inventive work by a terrific young-adult author at 2:00 pm and again at 8:30 pm on weekdays.  At once controversial and poignant, the novel tells the story of  two teenage boys who share a special friendship that changes their lives forever.

That’s all the Scuttleblog for now–I’ll be filling you all in on the upcoming Golf Tournament next time.