

The Colin McEnroe Show
Connecticut Public Radio
The Colin McEnroe Show is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called The Nose for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 1, 2025 • 49min
Remembering Sir Tom Stoppard
In 2014, Colin McEnroe and the playwright and screenwriter Tom Stoppard recorded a live conversation at The Study in New Haven. Stoppard, whom Colin considers “quite possibly the most dizzyingly proficient writer of the English tongue (who) did not grow up speaking English,” has died at the age of 88. In appreciation of Stoppard and his work, we’re republishing their conversation with a note from Colin. GUEST: Tom Stoppard is a Czech-born playwright. His most famous works include "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead" and "Every Good Boy Deserves Favor." He co-wrote the screenplay for the 1998 Academy Award winning film, "Shakespeare in Love." Over the course of his career he has written for radio, television, film and stage. He' received one Academy Award and four Tony Awards for his work. Betsy Kaplan and Chion Wolf produced the hour. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 26, 2025 • 50min
Wednesday is Soylent Day
What if you just don’t really enjoy food very much? What if you’re totally fine eating the same thing every single day? What if you think food is an inefficient way to get what you need to survive? What if, rather than eating “food,” you just mixed a white powder (that is definitely not made of peoplebecause it’s made of soy protein isolate instead) with water and drank that in food’s place? This hour: a look at what you might call the non-foodie movement and the “powdered food” meal replacement product that is Soylent. GUESTS: Carmen Baskauf: Former producer for Where We Live on Connecticut Public Radio Chris Prosperi: Co-owner and chef of Metro Bis in Simsbury, Connecticut Maryam Siddiqi: Lifestyle editor at The Globe and Mail Christina Troitino: A Forbes contributor who covers the business and future of food and agriculture The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Carlos Mejia, and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired June 5, 2019.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 25, 2025 • 50min
The art of the recipe: Gravestones, fictional worlds, and cookbooks (of course)
This hour: recipes. We talk with someone who makes recipes found on gravestones, and we consider what makes an effective recipe, the history of the modern recipe, and the art of the recipe introduction. Plus, a look at the phenomenon of pop culture cookbooks. GUESTS: Dinah Bucholz: Author of The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook and The Unofficial Narnia Cookbook Rosie Grant: Posts gravestone recipes and cemetery stories on her TikTok and Instagram Francis Lam: Host of The Splendid Table and Editor-in-chief at Clarkson Potter Chandra Ram: Cookbook author and food writer Helen Zoe Veit: Associate Professor of History at Michigan State University The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Eugene Amatruda, and Jonathan McNicol contributed to this show, which originally aired November 22, 2022.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 24, 2025 • 49min
‘Betcha can’t eat just one’: The science and art of snacking
Snacking on snacks, savory or sweet, has become a way of life. This hour, we sink our teeth into our snack-food obsessions. GUESTS: Andrea Hernández: Founder of Snaxshot Julia Pistell: Freelance writer and co-founder of SeaTea Improv Chris Prosperi: Chef and owner of Metro Bis Mark Schatzker: Author of The Dorito Effect The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, Cat Pastor, and Lily Tyson contributed to this show, which originally aired July 25, 2022.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 21, 2025 • 50min
A (Paul) Winter’s Tale
This hour, we’re joined in studio by seven-time Grammy Award-winning local musician Paul Winter. His new album, Horn of Plenty, is out today. Winter is known for his annual solstice concerts and his “earth music," which features music from around the world, as well as the sounds of animals like wolves, whales, or wood thrushes. You can find details about his Winter Solstice Celebrations around New England here. GUEST: Paul Winter: Saxophonist, composer, and bandleader of the Paul Winter Consort The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 20, 2025 • 50min
There are rules for punctuation, but we don’t always agree on them
Should people use the Oxford comma? Is there a correct number of exclamation points per email? If someone ends a casual text with a period, does that mean they’re mad at you? This hour: punctuation and how we use it. We talk about the history of punctuation marks, timeless punctuation debates, and how writing for texts and emails has changed the way we use punctuation. GUESTS: RS Benedict: A writer and bureaucrat whose fiction and non-fiction has been published in the New Haven Review, Fangoria, Current Affairs, and a bunch of other places Claire Cock-Starkey: Author of Hyphens and Hashtags: The Stories Behind the Symbols on Our Keyboard Julia Pistell: Founding member of Sea Tea Improv and one of the hosts of the Literary Disco podcast The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired November 3, 2021.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 19, 2025 • 49min
From spiritual to practical: We could learn a lot from modern (and Sixteenth-century!) nuns
What's it like being a nun in 2025? Sister Monica Clare joins us to explain her path to the Community of St. John Baptist and why she is sharing her story on TikTok and in a new memoir. Plus, scholars Ana Garriga and Carmen Urbita explore the lessons about friendship, money, work, and more that we can learn from Sixteenth-century nuns in their podcast and their new book. They join us to explain that "anything you are going through right now has probably already happened to a nun living several hundred years ago.” GUESTS: Sister Monica Clare: Sister superior at the Community of St. John Baptist, an Episcopal convent based in New Jersey. She is also a spiritual counselor specializing in religious trauma, mental illness, and addiction. She is the author of A Change of Habit: Leaving Behind My Husband, Career, and Everything I Owned to Become a Nun Ana Garriga: Co-host of the 'Las Hijas de Felipe' podcast, and co-author of Convent Wisdom: How Sixteenth-Century Nuns Could Save Your Twenty-First Century Life. Ana received her PhD from Brown University in 2024 Carmen Urbita: Co-host of the 'Las Hijas de Felipe' podcast, and co-author of Convent Wisdom: How Sixteenth-Century Nuns Could Save Your Twenty-First Century Life. Carmen will be receiving her PhD from Brown University later this year MUSIC FEATURED (in order): Organ Symphony No 5 in F Minor Op. 42, No. 1 (V. Toccata) – Joseph Nolan, Charles-Marie Widor Dominique – Soeur Sourire (The Singing Nun) Calling All Angels – k.d. lang (ft. Jane Siberry) Maria – Sound of Music Let the Mystery Be – Iris DeMent Song of Bernadette – Jennifer Warnes Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 18, 2025 • 50min
Happy Little Trees: The joy of Bob Ross (and Thomas Kinkade)
It's been over 30 years since Bob Ross's The Joy of Painting went off the air, but the painter is still a household name. This hour: a look at the undying force for permed hair and puffy little clouds and happy little trees that is Bob Ross. Plus: Could we do a show about Bob Ross without also talking Thomas Kinkade? No we could not. And so no we do not. GUESTS: Nathan Badley: Cohost of the Nothing But a Bob Thang podcast Alexis Boylan: Professor of Art History at UConn and the editor of Thomas Kinkade, The Artist in the Mall Justin Croft: Cohost of the Nothing But a Bob Thang podcast Emily Rhyne: Cinematographer at The New York Times Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired September 26, 2019.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 17, 2025 • 49min
All calls: Beware Pandora's crawlspace, it's FULL of sprickets
We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls, calls about anything, everything. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one. This hour, the conversation winds around to a local landmark, stomping, poetry, firewood, music, sprickets, bibliographies. … Anything. (Seemingly) everything. MUSIC FEATURED (in order): Appalachian Morning – Paul Winter Perfect Fit – Van Morrison Salt Then Sour Then Sweet – Sara Bareilles, Brandi Carlile Conservative Christian Right Wing Republican Straight White American Males – Todd Snider Window To The World – Shawn Colvin CUT FOR TIME I’d Miss the Birds – Joy Oladokun, Sheryl Crow Keeper – Courtney Marie Andrews Certified Senior Citizen – Mose Allison Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 14, 2025 • 49min
The Nose looks at ‘SNL’s Trump, Pope Leo’s favorite movies, and ‘Death by Lightning’
This week’s Nose looks at the way Saturday Night Live is using its cold opens to deal with the never-ending firehose of news each week — and the way James Austin Johnson’s recurring impression of President Trump is central to that strategy. Plus: Pope Leo XIV announced his four favorite movies this week ahead of a “World of Cinema” event at the Vatican this weekend. And: Death by Lightning is a four-part Netflix limited series about the James A. Garfield presidency and assassination. Its ensemble cast includes Michael Shannon as Garfield, Nick Offerman as Vice President Chester A. Arthur, and Matthew Macfadyen as assassin Charles Guiteau. GUESTS: David Edelstein: America’s Greatest Living Film Critic Tracy Wu Fastenberg: Associate vice president for development at Connecticut Children’s Bill Yousman: Professor of media studies at Sacred Heart University The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Eugene Amatruda, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


