June is Infertility Awareness Month.

According to the World Health Organization, around 1 in 6 people are now affected by infertility. A new study suggests that microplastics might be impacting male infertility.

And while technological advances offer opportunities and hope for many would-be parents, treatments like IVF are expensive, and they’re not available for everyone. Plus, they don’t always work.

Navigating infertility can be an emotional for all those seeking parenthood. Today, we'll hear one local's couple journey. And we want to hear yours too. What's your infertility story?

GUESTS:

• Dr. Maya Barsky: Lead Physician at The Center for Advanced Reproductive Services and Assistant Professor in the Department of OB/GYN at UCONN School of Medicine
• Anthony Edwards and Yaneeke Calderon: a couple living in Connecticut.

If you need support, you can call the Resolve Helpline at 866.668.2566 or visit www.resolve.org.

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In 2023, book club event listings grew 24% over the prior year according to the ticketing platform Eventbrite. Celebrities like Reese Witherspoon and RuPaul are among the celebrities who have launched their own book clubs.

This hour, we hear about these new communities of readers, and how the influence of BookTok and BookStagram factors.

We’re joined by one Silent Book Club chapter taking off in New Haven, and a shoreline-area business owner arranging “Blind Dates with a Book.” Plus, Anthony Bagley founded “Black Kidds Read Too” in his hometown.

GUESTS:

• Britt Rivera: Content Creator; Founder, Silent Book Club New Haven
• Anthony "Da Kidd PG" Bagley: CEO and Founder, A Kidd From New Haven
• Alyssa Korzon: Co-Owner, Bookish Babes and Brews

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This week, Muslims across the world celebrate the holiday of Eid-al-Adha or the Feast of Sacrifice.

Today, we are hearing from Muslims around Connecticut celebrating this sacred and special time honoring those who have made the Islamic pilgrimage known as Hajj.

We’ll hear from Connecticut residents, including one who is making the Islamic pilgrimage known as Hajj. If you’re celebrating this holiday, we want to hear from you.

GUESTS:

• Khaleel Rahman: a producer with Audacious with Chion Wolf on Connecticut Public

• Imam Safwan Shaikh: Farmington Valley American Muslim Center

• Asif Chaudhry: Connecticut resident taking a Eid-al-Adha pilgrimage this year

• Dia Fortenberry: Assistant Athletic Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Engagement at Wesleyan University and Speakers Bureau with the Muslim Coalition of Connecticut

Where We Live 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.

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In the LGBTQ community, “found” or “chosen family” can be crucial. It's the idea of a social support system beyond your biological family, and one of the themes Ella Dawson explores in her book, But How Are You, Really?

This hour, the sex and culture columnist from Connecticut joins us to discuss her first novel, found family, burnout, second-chance romances, and much more.

GUESTS:

• Ella Dawson: Sex and Culture Critic; Author, "But How Are You, Really?"

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Fools and wise man, come hither! This summer’s day program of Where We Live will dedicate an hour to the master of comedy and tragedy alike, Sir William Shakespeare.

Outdoor productions of William Shakespeare’s plays go back to well…the time of William Shakespeare! And every summer this tradition comes alive on stages across Connecticut.

Today, we talk about Shakespeare in the park, the common and even - the sound! We’re joined by thespians across the state staging productions of this iconic playwright.

GUESTS:

• James Bundy: Dean and Artistic Director of the David Geffen School of Drama and Yale Repertory Theatre
• Laura Sheehen: Co-founder of Capital Classics Theatre Company in Hartford
• Aaron Simms: Managing and Producing Director of Shakespeare on the Sound in Norwalk, Connecticut

Theater companies featured in this broadcast, including summer 2024 productions:

• Shakespeare on the Sound - Norwalk
  
  • June 12- June 30: Romeo and Juliet, Pinkney Park, Rowayton, CT
• Breakdancing Shakespeare - Hartford Stage
  
  • June 17 – July 27: Hartford Stage
• Capital Classics - Hartford
  
  • July 10 – August 4: The Greater Hartford Shakespeare Festival will feature two full-length productions of Hamlet and The Taming of the Shrew — outdoors — on the campus of the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford.
• Shakesperience - Litchfield Hills (Washington Depot, CT)
  
  • August 7-11: Romeo and Juliet, River Walk Pavilion, Washington Depot, CT (Free Admission)
• Elm Shakespeare - New Haven
  
  • August 16 – Sunday, Sept 1: Richard III, Edgerton Park, New Haven (Free Admission)
• Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theatre - Middletown

Where We Live 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.

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In Connecticut, there are LGBTQ community centers in New Haven, Norwalk and, most recently, Bridgeport. There have also been recent efforts to launch a queer hub in West Hartford.

These spaces are important for community, safety, resources, and even are associated with reduced suicide risk among LGBTQ youth, according to the Trevor Project.

Connecticut Public reported on the New Haven Pride Center’s move to a larger location in January. They say this will allow them to offer more community resources.

This hour, we hear from Juancarlos Soto, executive director of the New Haven Pride Center. We'll also hear from a researcher who has measured the importance of these community hubs, and the resources they offer.

Plus, we get an update on the policies protecting and restricting LGBTQ rights in the U.S. from The 19th's LGBTQ+ reporter Orion Rummler.

GUESTS:

• Orion Rummler: LGBTQ+ Reporter, The 19th
• Juancarlos Soto: Executive Director, New Haven Pride Center
• Dr. Dani Chiaramonte: Associate Research Scientist, Yale LGBTQ Mental Health Initiative

Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

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Connecticut has had its share of intense storms, but this year’s hurricane is expected to be even longer and more intensive than ever before.

Today, we talk about what to expect and how to prepare.

Damage from hurricanes doesn’t just happen on the coast. We hear from farmers inland on how they’re preparing.

Got a question about hurricane season?

GUESTS:

• Juliana Barrett: Extension Educator Emerita, University of Connecticut and the Connecticut Sea Grant College Program
• Evan Lentz: Assistant Extension Educator of Fruit Production and Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture at UConn
• Rebecca Toms: Communications Coordinator, UConn Extension- Sustainable Food Systems

Where We Live 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.

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For decades, there were cities and towns that were all-white on purpose. These communities are known as "sundown towns." Because this practice was both formal and informal, researchers put together a database of these laws, customs and firsthand accounts, under the leadership of the late sociologist and civil rights champion James Loewen.

At the peak of the exclusionary practice in 1970, an estimated 10,000 communities across the U.S. kept out African-Americans through "force, law, or custom." Many sundown suburbs also excluded Jewish and Chinese Americans, and other minority groups.

There are 40 towns listed as possible or probable past sundown towns in Connecticut. This hour, we hear about this history and what it can tell us. You can add to this research too.

GUESTS:

• Dr. Stephen Berrey: Assistant Professor of American Culture and History, University of Michigan

• Logan Jaffe: Reporter, ProPublica

• Paul Saubestre: Volunteer Researcher, Hamden Historical Society

Cat Pastor contributed to this episode which originally aired November 27, 2023.

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