Perspectives: Recent Episodes
WDIY 88.1 FM
John Pearce welcomes listeners to conversations about local and regional history, religion, and the humanities through interviews with professors, experts and religious leaders. He also invites Lehigh Valley residents to share their stories, and spotlights community organizations doing good in their neighborhoods.
John Pearce talks with Steven and John Landis about their book Bethlehem Steel: Rusting Relic, including stunning history and photos of the former plant.
John Pearce is joined by Carol Kuniholm, Chair of Fair Districts PA, a group that's pushing to redistricting to ensure residents are effectively represented statewide.
John Pearce welcomes Glenn Pearce, a former worker of USAID, to talk about recent debates over the organization's funding and the work he saw being done while there.
John Pearce talks with Dan Redington of the Mary Meuser Memorial Library about his love for TV Westerns like Gunsmoke and Bonanza.
John Pearce sits down with Dr. Lindsay Burt of Muhlenberg College to answer a common question in today's world: will we see another pandemic, and what could it look like?
John Pearce welcomes Jill Youngken and Joe Garrera of the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum to talk about curating historically valuable items, Joe's retirement, and more.
John Pearce talks with Rev. John Heinsohn and Chadwick Oxford about their experiences with keeping their own beehives containing thousands of honeybees.
John Pearce sits down with Dr. Eric Rosenthal from NCC and Dr. Maribel Diaz from Moravian University to talk about counseling at the college level and why it's important.
John Pearce welcomes Dianne Kareha, Rev. Steve Simmons, and Abby Goldfarb to talk about this year's Crop Hunger Walks in Allentown and Bethlehem.
John Pearce is joined by Lehigh University Professor Dork Sahagian to talk about how the Earth is being changed by global warming and what solutions still exist.
John Pearce talks with Steve Aaronson, a fellow WDIY host and baseball aficionado, about all things baseball, from its earliest days to its present rule changes and his fondest memories of the sport.
John Pearce welcomes Dr. James Higgins to talk about newspapers in the Lehigh Valley, starting at their earliest point in history as something that would be unrecognizable as a newspaper today.
John Pearce sits down with Greg Huber, a barn and house historian, to talk about barn markings, hex signs, and other familiar symbols you might see around the rural roads of Pennsylvania.
John Pearce talks with Rev. Nick Melazzo and Rev. John Heinsohn about their love for the prolific author C.S. Lewis, what drew them to his books, and some of his ideas that impact them the most.
John Pearce invites Jill Youngkin of the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum to talk about some trailblazing women from history whose impact on the world is too often forgotten.
John Pearce is joined in the studio by Jeffrey Finegan, the author of the "I Knew George Washington" book series, to celebrate the first U.S. President's birthday.
John Pearce talks with Kathleen and Peter Dent about their experience with Kenya Connect, an organization working to bring education to children in rural Africa.
John Pearce sits down with Reverend Sue Pizor Yoder to discuss her co-authored book analyzing many young people's shift from finding meaning in religion to finding it in other ways.
On a special Thanksgiving episode, John Pearce welcomes Carla Messinger, a descendant of Lenapes, to give voice to Native American women throughout history and discuss Native heritage.
John Pearce talks with Beth Clausnitzer and Ruthy Cruz about their work on the film "The Fries Rebellion," about the historic event that had a big impact on the Lehigh Valley.
Aurea Ortiz speaks with Andria Zaia from the National Museum of Industrial History and Guillermo Lopez about the history of Bethlehem Steel, preserving community stories, and the upcoming Steel Weekend & Steelworkers Reunion 2023.
John Pearce sits down with Matt Piszel and Rev. Dianne Kareha to talk about the upcoming CROP Hunger Walks on Oct. 8 in Bethlehem and Oct. 22 in Allentown.
Rev. Sherry Blackman joins John Pearce to talk about her book, REV-IT-UP: Tales of a Truck Stop Chaplain.
John Pearce welcomes back Dr. James Higgins, a professor of history at Rider University specializing in the history of medicine.
John Pearce chats with psychologist Dr. Tracy Hill of Mediation and Custody Evaluation Services in Bethlehem about her career, as well as her new book, "The Dog Who Wanted to Go to Church."
John Pearce welcomes Jessica Entwistle from the Refugee Community Center and Kate Woodward of Bethany Christian Services for a conversation about refugees and World Refugee Day.
John Pearce welcomes Dr. Scott Gordon, a Professor of English at Lehigh University to discuss the history of enslavement in the Moravian settlement of Bethlehem in the mid-to-late 1700s.
John Pearce welcomes Judit Garger and Becky Tacca from the The Literacy Center in Allentown to talk about the nonprofit's language, education and workforce development programs.
John Pearce welcomes Joe Garrera, Executive Director of the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum and a passionate historian, to discuss the history and importance of Black History Month.
John Pearce welcomes Lenape descendant and cultural educator Carla Messinger to talk about Native American influences and contributions to sports - particularly football.
John Pearce welcomes Dr. John Kincaid from the Meyner Center for the Study of State and Local Government to talk about the need to educate young people about the federal, state and local governments.
John Pearce welcomes Carla Messinger, a Lenape descendant and Director, Cultural Educator, Consultant and Preservationist at Native American Heritage Programs, for a conversation about the many facets and contributions of Native Americans
John Pearce welcomes professor and author Dr. James Higgins for a discussion about the history of medicine, epidemics and pandemics, and health in Pennsylvania.
John Pearce welcomes Alisa Dupuy - along with Martha Washington, Catherine the Great, and Vera Atkins - to talk about bringing notable "ladies of history" to life.
John Pearce welcomes historian Martha Capwell Fox to talk about her personal involvement from childhood in the Lehigh Valley silk industry. She takes us from the 1880s to the 1960s, covering a period of time during the 20th century when even small towns were home to a silk mill.
John Pearce sits down with fellow WDIY host Sally Handlon to talk about her book: Your Journey to Aging Well: Drink, Move, Eat, Sleep, alternative medicine, her WDIY hosting duties and business background, and more.
John Pearce sits down with Reverend Sherry Blackman from The Presbyterian Church of the Mountain to talk about her book Tales from the Trail: Stories from the Oldest Hiker Hostel on the Appalachian Trail, which details hikers' experiences and adventures up Route 611 along the Delaware River.
John Pearce speaks with local students Andreana Kedyulych, Inara Niaz and Zack Ziegenfus about their submissions to the 2022 National History Day competition, which is themed: Debate and Diplomacy: Successes, Failures, Consequences.
In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, John welcomes Emma Benoit, a survivor of a suicide attempt who will be the guest speaker at the screening of her documentary film My Ascension at the Liberty High School auditorium, Tuesday May 3 from 5:30-8:30 p.m.
On a special "Teen" Perspectives, John Pearce is joined by Rishika Rohatgi and Jess Benninger from the Parkland High School Mental Health Awareness Club, as well as advisor Jacquelyn Zolotsky to talk about destigmatizing mental health conversations and spreading awareness about mental health disorders in schools and the larger community.
John welcomes Bill White to share his perspectives on 26 years of being a blogger and columnist with The Morning Call, covering everything from Christmas Light Tours to Musikfest, animal welfare, adoption, local politics and more.
John Pearce brings focus to the Lenape Indigenous people from the Lehigh Valley region with cultural educator, Lenape heritage conservationist and author Carla Messinger.
On the first episode of Perspectives, John Pearce welcomes Judith Dickerson from Cops 'n' Kids of Easton and Easton Police Department Lt. Dan Bonham of the Easton Police Department to talk about connecting kids and the community through literacy.