Wgtd's The Morning Show With Greg Berg

Dr. Matt Cecil, Provost for the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, talks about a new initiative which pledges that the faculty, staff and student body of the school will be "A.I. Fluent" by 2028. We discuss the concerns that have prompted this - what its implementation might look like - and the challenges as well as the opportunities that A.I. already represents in the realm of higher education.

Mark Havens and Chris Entwisle, co-authors of "Wail: The Visual Language of Prestige Records." Prestige was an influential, innovative, small independent record label (devoted mostly to Jazz) that came to prominence in the 1950s. The book talks about the unconventional ways in which this company operated- with special focus on the distinctive art work of its album covers.

We speak with Stephanie Sklba, executive director of the Racine County Food Band, and Dawn Merritt, treasurer for Empty Bowls Racine, which is happening this Monday, March 2nd at Racine's Festival Hall. We talk about all that goes into making this exciting event happen- and we also talk about the important work of the Racine County Food Bank. (Empty Bowls Racine also benefits HALO and the Hospitality Center.)

For Black History Month- from 2010- Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Isabel Wilkerson talks about her book "The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration." The book explores the largely untold story of the massive 'migration' of blacks from the south to other parts of the United States over the course of the twentieth century.

For Black History Month- from 2015- Christina Vella, author of "George Washington Carver: A Life."

For Black History Month: Gerald Early, author of "Play Harder: The Triumph of Black Baseball in America." The book explores the remarkably long history of blacks playing baseball in America long before Jackie Robinson - tracing that history to the present day.

We speak with best-selling author Steve Berry about his latest thriller, "The Devil's Bible," which is part of his highly popular Cotton Malone series.

We preview a theatrical production that opens next Wednesday at Carthage College in the studio theater: "Dear Elizabeth" by Sarah Ruhl. We speak with three Carthage seniors: Annaliese Ruhs, who is the director - and Jessie Skonesey and Chase Juster, who comprise the two-person cast. The play is based on letters that were exchanged between two gifted 20th century poets - Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell - over the course of thirty years.

We speak with Steven C. Law, the author of "The Story of Bob: The life and Times of Rev. Robert W. Wood." Rev. Wood was a decorated World War Two veteran who became a United Church of Christ pastor - and he was also a closeted gay man. Rev. Wood was one of the first American clergymen to speak out openly for gay rights - but his story is largely forgotten even in the gay community.

We preview this weekend's performances of "A Streetcar Named Desire" by Tennessee Willams, one of the most beloved masterworks in the history of American theater. The performances are being done by the Kenosha Academy of Performing Arts Repertory Theater. We speak with Braxton Molinaro, Creative Director and the director of this production (in which he is also appearing) .... and Elizabeth McLaughlin (Eunice), who is one of the professional actors brought in to be part of this production. She has appears in things like "Pretty Little Liars" and "Hand of God." Performances of "Streetcar" are Feb,. 20 and 21 at 7:00 and Feb. 22 at 2:00 at Circa on Seventh in Kenosha. Tickets are avalable through kaparep.com.

We speak with Tim Rebers and Andrew Varela, who comprise two-thirds of the trio Tenors MIKE, based in Milwaukee - - - who present concerts that combine elements of opera, musical theater, jazz, and even rock. They are performing a concert at Carthage College (in the Johnson Arts Center Recital Hall) this Thursday evening, February 19th, at 7:00.

We speak with Dr. Jan Yager, author of "Time Masters: 11 Secrets to Greater Productivity and Life Fulfillment."

For Black History Month: Joe Drape discusses his book "Black Maestro: The Epic Life of an American Legend" .... the story of Jimmy Winkfield, the son of a black sharecropper who became one of the country's finest jockeys. (from 2007)

We have been replaying memorable interviews with author Michael Schumacher, a guest on the Morning Show on at least a dozen occasions over the course of three decades. One of my most memorable conversations with Michael on the program was actually the one occasion when he wasn't there to talk about one of his books- but rather to pay tribute to his good friend Bill Guy- long-time news director for WGTD and my predecessor as host of The Morning Show by talking about the art of great interviewing. Earlier that morning, we received word that Bill Guy had just died at the age of 50 after a valiant battle with liver cancer. Consequently, this Morning Show visit from Michael became a memorial tribute to Bill, someone who had interviewed Michael on a number of occasions on the program and always enjoyed the experience.

Part One- for Friday the 13th- we hear about an unlucky turn of events for the Lakeside Players, who are cleaning up from an unfortunate flood in the basement of the Rhode Center for the Arts. We talk with two board members about the flood- what the community can do to help- and how their current production, the musical "The 25th Annual Puttnam County Spelling Bee" is still opening tonight, on schedule. Part Two- For Valentine's Day, we speak with the author and illustrator of a new book for very young children titled "100 Words to Say I Love You." Sandra Magsamen is one of the most acclaimed children's book authors and illustrators before the public today.

For Kailyn Palomares's February visit to the Morning Show, we are talking with Aaron Schiller, Senior Fisheries Biologist for the Wisconsin DNR.

Part One- Investigative Reporter Rico Moore talks about allegations of inhumane conditions in ICE detention facilities. Part Two- from 2019, best-selling author Reyna Grande talks about her book "A Dream Called Home: a Memoir," which explores her own immigrant experience.

We speak with Jan Cress Bondi, author of "The Navigator's Letter: The True Story of Two World War 2 Airmen, a Doomed Mission, and the Woman who Bound Them Together." The story concerns the author's mother Polley, and two men who served our country as airmen: Polley's brother John B. White and Polley's friend and future husband Bob Cress. The two men participated in what turned out to be an ill-conceived air raid on oil fields in Romania - an attack that ended up being the costliest air raid of the war. Bondi was inspired to write the book after looking through hundreds and hundreds of her mother's letters. [Bondi is signing books at Boswell Books, 2559 Downer Avenue in Milwaukee, WI on Thursday, February 12th at 6:30 pm.]

David Brooks has been a well-known columnist for the New York Times for the past 22 years (as well as a prominent political commentator on television.) He recently announced that he is leaving the New York Times and moving to The Atlantic. This is a rebroadcast of my 2024 interview with Mr. Brooks about his remarkable book "How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen. " This interview generated more positive feedback from listeners than any other interview I have done in recent years. It is a pleasure to re-share it today.

On this 60th Super Bowl Sunday, we replay a conversation with one of the authors of "Super Bowl Gold" (from Sports Illustrated) that commemorated the 50th anniversary of the first Super Bowl.