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The Public Radio Hour teams up with the Sundial Writers Corner to present a hour of holiday stories with A Sundial Christmas! Featuring Monita Soni. Sara McDaris, Sara Belanger, Doreen Fulcher, Rosemary McMahan, Judy Cameron, Michael Guillebeau, Melissa Ford Thornton and two never-before-broadcast stories from Kathryn Tucker Windham.

What started as the Huntsville Science Festival has this year grown into the Alabama Science Festival … an annual week-long celebration of science and technology that culminates this weekend with two big events.  Saturday (10/29/22) at the VBC in Huntsville, it's STEAMFest from 10am-5pm; a day of dinosaurs, Tesla guns and other activities and demonstrations for all ages. This Friday night (10/28/22) at 7 at UAH’s Roberts Recital Hall, the Festival is hosting a live show called The Science of Music, which features four music professionals and four stories of how science helps them create their art. In this Public Radio Hour, we’ll meet them … Emilio Palame, Steve Trash, Adara and Chris Vrenna. At the end of the show, we’ll carve out some time for a ghost story from Kathryn Tucker Windham.

On this episode of The Public Radio Hour, we get an update on what's happening at Huntsville's Orion Amphitheater from Orion general manager Ryan Murphy, Invisible City host Brad Posey sits down for a lively converstaion with SluiceFest local music festival organizers Ashleigh Jackson and Christina Nava, and Arts Underground host Katy Ganaway delivers another fun-filled edition of 'Funny You Should Ask' with local comedian Christy Montgomery. 

On this episode of the Public Radio Hour, we talk with Marshall Space Flight Center’s new associate director Rae Ann Meyer about battles with shyness, the Near Earth Asteroid Scout, and about her optimism in the new generation of engineers and scientists. We’ll talk with Jason Max Ferdinand and Patricia Hacker about a new community-wide choir festival hosted by Huntsville Master Chorale on Saturday June 4th at 530pm at Trinity United Methodist Church. And we’ll hear from young local musicians, trying to find their way in this crazy world and learn about what’s known as a “Music Performance Assessment”. We'll also make a visit to the Sundial Writers Corner for a big announcement!

On this episode of the Public Radio Hour, Dorrie Nutt brings us some Sundial Writers Corner fun from Danielle Kirkland, as she revisits her dream of being a cowboy. We’ll also hear Katy Ganaway's latest Funny You Should Ask episode, as we meet a hilarious gentleman named, Ogre, who by his own account, likes to ‘kill’ on stage. And as part of her award-winning series called The Hard Part, Katy also talks with Huntsville Police Citizens Advisory Council, (known as the CAC) chairperson Jonathon Rossow …   

On this episode of the Public Radio Hour, we meet two African American women playing key roles at Marshall Space Flight Center in helping humankind get back to the Moon, and to Mars. Tawnya Laughinghouse is the manager of Marshall’s Technology Demonstration Missions … also known at NASA by the acronym TDM … which involves a variety of projects, including propulsion, deep space optical communications, in-space robotic satellite servicing, and entry/descent/landing . Also joining the conversation is Dr. Ruth Jones, an associate manager for Marshall Space Flight Center’s Human Exploration Development & Operations, where she helps manage operations on the International Space Station (ISS) and leads teams working to develop the next generation of rockets, spacecraft, and other technology that will help humans explore the solar system. As we will hear, both women had an early love of numbers and started on career paths much different than where they are today. And both gained the confidence to walk that path because they saw just enough people who looked like them, to make them believe it was possible … something they hope to do for younger generations.

On the February 10th episode of the Public Radio Hour, we explore the importance of African American history in Huntsville. Dr Beth Patin, director of Rocket City Civil Rights, talks about 'cultural competence' and gives us directions for a cool driving tour of local historic sites. NASA's Acting Chief Historian Brian Odom helps us understand the impact of the civil rights movement on Huntsville’s NASA legacy and how it affected Historically Black Colleges and Universities. And Donna Castellano, executive director of the Historic Huntsville Foundation, explores the lives of six women who were part of an early fight for voting rights in Huntsville.   CLICK HERE to listen to the award-winning documentary 'One Giant Leap: How The Integration Of NASA Helped Mankind Reach The Moon'  

This episode of The Public Radio Hour features the original WLRH documentary 'One Giant Leap: how integration at NASA helped mankind reach the moon'. We'll retrace how the integration of Werner von Braun's German rocket team, women and minorities into NASA's workforce was necessary for America's successful lunar mission. We'll hear from Joyce Neighbors, Jeanette Scissum, Ravindra Lal, Arthur Hullett, NASA chief historian Bill Barry, Chasing The Moon filmmaker Robert Stone and Marshall Space Flight Center historian Brian Odom. Special thanks to Brian Odom for helping us gather interviews through the WLRH Community Newsroom for this project.

On this episode of The Public Radio Hour, we hope to boost your holiday spirit with a special selection of stories from members of our Sundial Writers Corner. We'll hear tales and poems from master storyteller Kathryn Tucker Windham, Rosemary McMahan, Melissa Ford Thornton, Cathie Mayne, Sam Mitchell, Judy Cameron, Rosalind Fellwock. We'll also have a few funny Christmas tree memories from WLRH staff members Ginny Kennedy, Jessie LouAllen, Julie Williams, Elaine Oakes, Nate Emery, Katy Ganaway, Tom Froehlich and Dorrie Nutt. And all the love in the world to Alabama Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame member and most beloved WLRH host (now retired) Judy Watters, who cofounded Sundial with her husband, Harry, back in WLRH's earliest days. We hope you enjoy the show!

On this episode of The Public Radio Hour, we explore the evolution of STEM learning and preview STEAMFest 2021, presented by the Huntsville Science Festival, Saturday October 30th from 10am to 6pm at the Von Braun Center's East Hall. We'll talk with Huntsville Science Festival creator and director Joe Iacuzzo, YouTube star and host of Smarter Every Day Destin Sandlin and Northrop Grumman's K-12 STEM and Workforce Development lead Dr. Erica Hopkins. LINKS TO THINGS YOU HEARD IN THIS EPISODE CLICK HERE for The Huntsville Science Festival CLICK HERE for Smarter Every Day on YouTube CLICK HERE for more info on Northrop Grumman's STEM efforts  

On this episode of The Public Radio Hour, we explore the power of storytelling through history, music, dance and spoken word. We'll talk with Historic Huntsville Foundation's Donna Castellano about a historical marker dedication honoring six African-American women who worked for voting rights. The dedication is Sunday, October 24th 2pm at William Hooper Councill High Memorial Park in Huntsville. We'll also hear from Huntsville Ballet choreographer Stephanie Braley-Beutjer about their presentation of 'Carnival of the Animals' October 22-24. Melissa Ford Thornton fills us in on a live storytelling challenge happening at The Princess Theatre called 'StorySlam' Sunday October 24th at 2pm. And master storyteller Kathryn Tucker Windham reminds us to leave room for the silence and other tips to help you tell a great story.

On this episode of The Public Radio Hour ... we've got our minds on the moon as we talk with retired NASA program manager and UAH eminent scholar Dr. Dale Thomas. Downtown Huntsville Inc CEO Chad Emerson updates us on downtown Huntsville activities, including Artemis on the Square on November 6th. And producer Katy Ganaway delivers another exploration of Huntsville's comedy scene in the latest edition of Funny You Should Ask where we'll meet Elliott White.

On this episode of The Public Radio Hour, we'll introduce you to local comedian and co-founder of Shenanigans Comedy Theatre Kimberly Wilson in the latest edition of Funny You Should Ask. Kevin Lay and Erin Huelskamp-Bohn will preview a unique chamber music concert this Sunday at 3pm at Asbury Church titled ‘Palestrina to Poulenc’. And Dr. Neil Lamb, vice president of Educational Outreach at the Hudson Alpha Institute for Biotechnology delivers words of wisdom and hope about COVID's Delta variant.

In this episode of The Public Radio Hour, we get the latest on Huntsville's $40-million, 8000 seat amphitheatre, which is finally under construction. We'll also catch up on the latest episode of Funny You Should Ask and meet local comedian and co-creator of Epic Comedy Hour Scott Eason. And we'll shine the light on winners from this year's Huntsville Literary Association Young Writers contest with an award-winning entry from Madeline Rathz.

On this episode of the Public Radio Hour, our award-winning interview series, The Hard Part, talks with David Person of the Rosa Parks Day Committee of Huntsville/Madison about their request that the Department of Justice take a closer look at Huntsville Police Department operations. We’ll also visit with Robin Pesca and David Brown of the Huntsville Chamber Music Guild. And the WLRH Sundial Writers Corner celebrates three winners of the Huntsville Literary Association’s Young Writers Contest. Zayna Killedar, Jon Macri and Bryan McNeal read their prize winning poems. Find the full interview with David Person here. Find other interviews in our series The Hard Part.

On this episode of The Public Radio Hour, we'll laugh along with the latest episode of Katy Ganaway's Funny You Should Ask series as we meet Huntsville comedian Ty Funny. We'll also talk with Ars Nova's Arianna Maloney and Twickenham Fest's Susanna Phillips and make a stop in the Sundial Writers Corner for a story of a memorable teacher from Sarah Belanger.

On this episode of the Public Radio Hour, producer Dorrie Nutt pays a visit to the 2021 All-State Choral Festival in Huntsville. We'll also talk with Pat Ammons from the US Space and Rocket Center, and Dr. Neil Lamb with the Hudson Alpha Institute for Biotechnology answers the latest COVID vaccine questions. In the second half of our show, our coverage of social justice discussions in Huntsville continues with a new installment to our interview series, The Hard Part. Producer Katy Ganaway talks with Councilman Bill Kling about his plans to respond to a public report from the Huntsville Police Citizens Advisory Council on aggressive defensive tactics used by local law enforcement during social justice protests in downtown Huntsville, Alabama on June 1 and June 3, 2020. (a special episode of the Public Radio Hour discussing responses to the HPCAC report is in production. Find the full HPCAC report here).

In this episode of The Public Radio Hour, we hear a new episode of Funny You Should Ask (from The Arts Underground) featuring Huntsville comedian Rayna Cahill. We'll also get a preview of Panoply weekend with a conversation from The War and Treaty. And Dr. Jason Max Ferdinand launched a new choral group recently at the Live from London Festival. We'll hear about The Jason Max Ferdinand Singers.    

This week, we continue our coverage of the racial justice movement here in Huntsville, and we hear from folks who were present at the protests in downtown Huntsville in early June. Local photographer Aaron Surratt tells us about capturing on film the shift from a peaceful rally to looming clouds of teargas June 1 and 3. Citizen journalists J'Que Ellis and Rita Burkholder join media historian Dr. Butler Cain for a panel discussion. And Eric Edwards reunites with Andrew Kruspe, both of whom attended the June 3 protest in downtown Huntsville. They recount their personal experiences that night and the circumstances in which they met. WLRH's Brett Tannehill hosts this week, with Katy Ganaway. Episode image by Aaron Surratt LINKS: -Aaron Surratt's Protest Photos and Interview:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kfo_W73n0hE&list=PLu_BvXJ4JJEnpDlHYDO5c3N1kx_C0XRif -Huntsville Police Citizens Advisory Council Public Hearing Aug. 12, ft. Rita:  https://www.huntsvilleal.gov/videos/huntsville-police-citizens-advisory-... -Andrew Kruspe's Correspondence w/ HPD & City Officials:  https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bghowxfcgkzy2l7/AABdBKZVXcr93RvPO2fFzaoUa?dl=...

On this episode of The Public Radio Hour, we’ll connect communities across north Alabama, from Bridgeport to Sheffield, with a massive greenway called Singing River Trail. The Arts Underground is spotlighting Huntsville’s comedy scene with a series called Funny You Should Ask … we’ll relive Brandon Ijames *Eyems* first time on stage. And while our amazing performing arts scene faces continued COVID struggles, people are making it work, and that includes The Princess Theatre in downtown Decatur. And we’ll also hear about the new Friends of Rescue Thriftique on Winchester Rd. Thanks for listening.   click here for more info on Singing River Trail click here for more info on Funny You Should Ask on Arts Underground click here for more info on The Princess Theatre click here for more info on Friends of Rescue and their new Thriftique