Believe it or not, spring is just around the corner. But it’s been a rough winter for those growing crops and raising livestock.

Today, we hear how this winter season has impacted Connecticut agriculture and farms.

More Connecticut farmers are working to bring new products to market and maybe inspire your tastebuds along the way. We hear from one farm doing just that.

Find your local farm by visiting www.ctgrown.org.

GUESTS:
Commissioner Bryan Hurlburt: Connecticut Department of Agriculture
Mackenzie White: Diversified Livestock Extension Field Based Specialist at the UConn Extension College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources
Spencer Lord: Owner of Oracle Mushrooms Company in Kent, Connecticut
Matt Went: president of the New Connecticut Farmer Alliance

Believe it or not, spring is just around the corner. But it&rsquo;s been a rough winter for those growing crops and raising livestock.
Today, we hear how this winter season has impacted Connecticut agriculture and farms.
More&nbsp;<a href="https://www.grownconnected.org/findfarms">Connecticut farmers</a>&nbsp;are working to bring new products to market and maybe inspire your tastebuds along the way. We hear from one farm doing just that.
Find your local farm by visiting&nbsp;<a href="https://ctgrown.org/">www.ctgrown.org.</a>
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Commissioner Bryan Hurlburt:&nbsp;<a href="https://portal.ct.gov/doag">Connecticut Department of Agriculture</a></li>
<li><a href="https://extension.uconn.edu/2024/11/07/meet-mackenzie-white/">Mackenzie White:</a>&nbsp;Diversified Livestock Extension Field Based Specialist at the UConn Extension College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources</li>
<li>Spencer Lord:&nbsp;Owner of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.oraclemushrooms.com/">Oracle Mushrooms Company</a>&nbsp;in Kent, Connecticut</li>
<li>Matt Went:&nbsp;president of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newctfarmers.com/">New Connecticut Farmer Alliance</a></li>
</ul>

Produced by Connecticut Public, 'Where We Live' puts Connecticut in context. Host Catherine Shen brings us fascinating, informed, in-depth conversations and stories beyond news headlines.  We start local, but we take time to explore domestic and international issues and consider how they impact us personally and here at home.

Produced by Connecticut Public, '<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/where-we-live/about">Where We Live'</a> puts Connecticut in context. Host Catherine Shen brings us fascinating, informed, in-depth conversations and stories beyond news headlines.  We start local, but we take time to explore domestic and international issues and consider how they impact us personally and here at home.

Where We Live is a call-in talk show about who we are in Connecticut and our place in the world.

Where We Live

Produced by Connecticut Public, '<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/where-we-live/about">Where We Live'</a> puts Connecticut in context. Host Catherine Shen brings us fascinating, informed, in-depth conversations and stories beyond news headlines.  We start local, but we take time to explore domestic and international issues and consider how they impact us personally and here at home.

CT farms are bringing some unique crops to the table

Breathe deep and think: What do you smell right now? The sweetness of the spring air? The smoky smells of the highway?

Our noses give us key clues about the environment and provide a critical daily link to some of our most cherished memories.

But smell, and its control over culture and politics, is often undervalued and misunderstood.

Today, we take a nose dive into the olfactory, exploring how humanity has used smell to communicate and control.

Guests:
Ally Louks: Supervisor at the University of Cambridge and author of "Olfactory Ethics: The Politics of Smell in Modern and Contemporary Prose"
Alexandra Segal: Wesleyan University anthropology graduate and winner of the school's "GLASS Prize in Queer Studies" for her 2025 paper, "On the Nose: What to Learn from Funk and Fragheads"
Brittany Koziara: Owner of Forêline Parfumerie
Hsuan Hsu: Professor of English at UC Davis, and author of "The Smell of Risk" and "Olfactory Worldmaking"

Breathe deep and think: What do you smell right now? The sweetness of the spring air? The smoky smells of the highway?
Our noses give us key clues about the environment and provide a critical daily link to some of our most cherished memories.
But smell, and its control over culture and politics, is often undervalued and misunderstood.
Today, we take a nose dive into the olfactory, exploring how humanity has used smell to communicate and control.
Guests:
<ul>
<li>Ally Louks:&nbsp;Supervisor at the University of Cambridge and author of "<a href="https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/items/528f479f-fd3c-43fd-9463-7c2923560573">Olfactory Ethics: The Politics of Smell in Modern and Contemporary Prose</a>"</li>
<li>Alexandra Segal:&nbsp;Wesleyan University anthropology graduate and winner of the school's "<a href="https://www.wesleyan.edu/queerstudies/glass.html">GLASS Prize in Queer Studies</a>" for her 2025 paper,&nbsp;<a href="https://digitalcollections.wesleyan.edu/turnstile-challenge?destination=%2Fislandora%2Fnose-what-learn-funk-and-fragheads">"On the Nose: What to Learn from Funk and Fragheads"</a></li>
<li>Brittany Koziara:&nbsp;Owner of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/forelineparfumerie/">For&ecirc;line Parfumerie</a></li>
<li><a href="https://english.ucdavis.edu/people/hsuan-l-hsu-xuxuan">Hsuan Hsu:</a>&nbsp;Professor of English at UC Davis, and author of&nbsp;<a href="https://nyupress.org/9781479810093/the-smell-of-risk/">"The Smell of Risk"</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.upress.umn.edu/9781517921231/olfactory-worldmaking/">"Olfactory Worldmaking"</a></li>
</ul>

Smell defines our world in hidden and powerful ways

Bestselling author Amy Bloom is widely known for 2022 memoir “In Love.”

The memoir follows her journey with her late husband, who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. The pair made a decision to travel to Switzerland to help him end his life.

Bloom’s latest book is different. “Blunt Instrument” is a vivacious, and often hilarious, murder mystery that’s set in the world of academia. And it’s partly inspired by Wesleyan University.

Bloom recently sat down with us to talk about her book and writing process.

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

Bestselling author Amy Bloom is widely known for 2022 memoir <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/in-love-a-memoir-of-love-and-loss-amy-bloom/5405ff46d067027a?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=dsa_nonbrand&amp;utm_content={adgroupname}&amp;utm_term=aud-1721779758455:dsa-19959388920&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=12440232635&amp;gbraid=0AAAAACfld42h3vW2CTSS2nS7ueRz5Qrqe&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwof_QBhCgARIsADaMzOfAYnKufGutAR5bUsAWwhrJTvl5u1UOVrC1uaJQzRXwtvaJi4eEwMkaAjdlEALw_wcB">&ldquo;In Love.&rdquo;</a>
The memoir follows her journey with her late husband, who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. The pair made a decision to travel to Switzerland to help him end his life.
Bloom&rsquo;s latest book is different. <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/blunt-instrument-amy-bloom/d4e8e5e2f0b50bb7?ean=9781613167601&amp;next=t">&ldquo;Blunt Instrument&rdquo;</a> is a vivacious, and often hilarious, murder mystery that&rsquo;s set in the world of academia. And it&rsquo;s partly inspired by Wesleyan University.
Bloom recently sat down with us to talk about her book and writing process.
Where We Live&nbsp;is available on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/where-we-live/id706066099">Apple Podcasts,</a> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0j08SgnZIU5BmjDyHbgjgP">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/43f3a507-ebfa-4876-b34a-030759a8924c/where-we-live">Amazon Music</a>, <a href="https://tunein.com/podcasts/Government/Where-We-Live-p1207905/">TuneIn</a>, <a href="https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/where-we-live-connecticut-public-radio-lz9NAwSEexh/">Listen Notes,</a> or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Author Amy Bloom on first drafts, writing slowly and making use of every inspiration

It's been more than 60 years since environmentalist Rachel Carson's book, "Silent Spring," challenged the widespread use of synthetic pesticides like DDT and helped launch the modern environmental movement.

This hour, we learn about Carson's life, work and her enduring legacy through a new exhibit at Yale's Beinecke Library.

We'll also examine a current environmental challenge: per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS. This a class of man-made chemicals can be found in drinking water systems across Connecticut and the country. We'll explore the health concerns surrounding PFAS, efforts to limit exposure and what Carson's story can teach us about responding to today's environmental risks.

Guests:
Vasilis Vasiliou: Professor and Chair of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale University
Carla Baricz: Librarian for Literature in English and Comparative Literature, curator for Beinecke Library’s exhibition: “Silent Springs, Windswept Seas: Rachel Carson’s Environmental Vision”
James Kessenides: Kaplanoff Librarian for American History at the Yale Library, curator for Beinecke Library’s exhibition: “Silent Springs, Windswept Seas: Rachel Carson’s Environmental Vision”

It's been more than 60 years since environmentalist Rachel Carson's book, "<a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/silent-spring-rachel-carson/b797631377260b2d?ean=9780618249060&amp;next=t">Silent Spring</a>," challenged the widespread use of synthetic pesticides like DDT and helped launch the modern environmental movement.
This hour, we learn about Carson's life, work and her enduring legacy through a new exhibit at&nbsp;<a href="https://beinecke.library.yale.edu/">Yale's Beinecke Library.</a>
We'll also examine a current environmental challenge: per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS. This a class of man-made chemicals can be found in drinking water systems across Connecticut and the country. We'll explore the health concerns surrounding PFAS, efforts to limit exposure and what Carson's story can teach us about responding to today's environmental risks.
Guests:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://ysph.yale.edu/profile/vasilis-vasiliou/">Vasilis Vasiliou</a>:&nbsp;Professor and Chair of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale University</li>
<li>Carla Baricz:&nbsp;Librarian for Literature in English and Comparative Literature, curator for Beinecke Library&rsquo;s exhibition: &ldquo;<a href="https://events.yale.edu/event/silent-springs-windswept-seas-rachel-carsons-environmental-vision">Silent Springs, Windswept Seas: Rachel Carson&rsquo;s Environmental Vision</a>&rdquo;</li>
<li>James Kessenides: Kaplanoff Librarian for American History at the Yale Library, curator for&nbsp;<a href="https://beinecke.library.yale.edu/">Beinecke Library&rsquo;s</a>&nbsp;exhibition: &ldquo;Silent Springs, Windswept Seas: Rachel Carson&rsquo;s Environmental Vision&rdquo;</li>
</ul>

CT farms are bringing some unique crops to the table

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