We end this season the way it began, with a roundtable discussion on the state of American democracy. In this episode, Democracy Works hosts Michael Berkman, Chris Beem and Candis Watts Smith reflect on the January 6 insurrection, the one-year anniversary of George Floyd's death, and the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Massacre.

Neighborhoods were greeted with car honks and rainbow balloons as decorated cars traveled through State College for the borough’s first Pride parade on Saturday. The event fell on the fifth anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub shooting.

The car parade started at State College Area High School and ended with a gathering at Sidney Friedman Park.

Many community members, including mayoral candidate Ezra Nanes, were excited to see a Pride event unfold in State College.

An archive recording of the WPSU Blues show as aired on June 12, 2021 and hosted by Max Spiegel. 

In the first hour, hear tracks from John Butler Trio, Pete Wingfield, Tom Hanway & Vassar Clements, Hoots & Hellmouth, Gil Scott-Heron, Alice Gerrard & Hazel Dickens, David Bromberg Quartet, Mississippi John Hurt, Taj Mahal, Russel Garcia, Elizabeth Mitchell, Johnny Winter, and more.

An archive recording of the WPSU Jazz Show (from home edition) as broadcast on June 11, 2021, and hosted by Greg Petersen. 

In the first hour, hear Boz Scaggs, Asleep At The Wheel, Cowboy Junkies with Elvis Costello, Dexter Gordon, Diana Krall, Ella Fitzgerald, The Jacques Loussier Trio, Tony Bennett, and more.

In the second hour, hear Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet with Jackie Ryan, Wycliffe Gordon, Bill Evans Trio, Freddy Cole, Gene Krupa, Gerry Mulligan, Jeremy Davenport, Louis Armstrong & Oscar Peterson, and more.    

On this episode of Take Note, we talk with Judy Grisel, a professor of psychology at Bucknell University. Grisel does research in addiction at the university after experiencing addiction as a teenager. It motivated her to write her 2019 book "Never Enough."

Here is the interview:

It can be hard to grasp that as many as 1.5 million cicadas can turn up on one acre of land. That is, until you hear them.

“They get so loud, you can hear them over the sound of the mower,” said Bret Satzler, referring to the sound coming from the periodical cicadas filling the trees in his yard, the wooded area behind it and just about everywhere you can think of.

“Caveat Emptor: The Secret Life of an American Art Forger" by Ken Perenyi gives readers an inside look at some of the more obscure, and less than honorable, aspects of the art world.

The Blair County Chapter of the NAACP has named a new leader and a slate of new officers, after longtime president Don Witherspoon passed away and three other senior positions were vacated.

WPSU’s Min Xian talks with the new President and CEO, Andrae Holsey, about his background and his visions for the role.

Here’s the conversation:

Min Xian: Andrae Holsey, thank you for joining us. 

Andrae Holsey: Absolutely. It's my honor and my pleasure.