April 28, 2026 // Forbes Avenue, Interviews
April 28 on Forbes Avenue, we aired part 2 of a 2022 conversation with Hugo-award winning Sci-Fi author John Scalzi. Scalzi is known for approachable fiction that ranges from space operas (his Interdependency and Old Man’s War series) to near-future fiction (his Lock-In and Dispatcher series) to standalone novels that are both humorous and thought-provoking (e.g., Red Shirts, The Kaiju Preservation Society, and Starter Villain).
In this part of the conversation, Scalzi talked specifically about some of his books, his belief that Sci-Fi and speculative fiction often reflects the concerns of the era in which a work was written, and how the events of 2020 and early 2021 led him to stop work on a dark novel to write The Kaiju Preservation Society, a fun novel published in 2022. Along the way, Scalzi gave insight into many of the things a commercially successful writer balances to satisfy himself and his audience. A very engaging conversation!
Listen to the interview: John Scalzi (part 2)
Credits:
Richard Gordon, interviewer, researcher, audio engineer, audio editor
Recorded: August 25, 2022
WRCT debut: April 28, 2026
April 21, 2026 // Forbes Avenue, Interviews
For this episode of Forbes Avenue, we spoke to Shanna Carrick, the executive director of Film Pittsburgh. We talked about Pittsburgh’s cultural scene and why people should still go to the movies in the modern age of streaming.
We also talked about the upcoming JFilm festival! JFilm will be running from April 30 to May 10 this year and showcasing independent Jewish-themed movies. This year, they’ll be showing everything from coming-of-age dramas to documentaries, including “Steal This Story, Please!” which highlights Amy Goodman, the host of independent news program “Democracy Now.” (WRCT is the Pittsburgh affiliate, so you can tune in to “Democracy Now” here every morning at 8am.)
You can find the schedule for JFilm here if you need something to do after the NFL draft!
Listen to the interview: Film Pittsburgh
Riona Duncan, host, audio editor, audio engineer, researcher
Recorded March 20, 2026; WRCT debut April 21, 2026.
April 21, 2026 // Interviews, News
Wednesday April 22’s edition of Whiskey Before Breakfast will have two conversations with folk artists performing in Pittsburgh in the near future.
Tune into WRCT Pittsburgh at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday April 22 to catch all the shenanigans! (Re-broadcast Thursday April 30 at 9:00 a.m.) Like most of the artist visits to Whiskey Before Breakfast, both interviews will be available on demand at Mandorichard’s Mixcloud page after they are broadcast.
