From mid-May to early June, a brood of periodical cicadas (Brood XIV) are emerging for the first time in 17 years. Today on The Common, WBUR Digital News Producer Katie Cole tells us everything we need to know about these noisy summer insects, and what makes this particular brood special. Also, we end with a note from Host Darryl C. Murphy about the conclusion of The Common. Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

This week Team Common is bringing you a story from WBUR arts and culture reporter Amelia Mason. It's a story about one of hip-hop's greatest wordsmiths Lupe Fiasco. Lupe, a visiting scholar at M.I.T., has been writing new music using the artwork on campus, and Amelia got the opportunity to talk to him about it. Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

In February, references to the words 'transgender' and 'queer' were quietly purged from various National Parks Service websites. That includes pages dedicated to Boston’s many national parks.  Among the resources that were taken down from Boston’s National Parks was an audio tour of Downtown and Beacon Hill titled “Their Dreams, Their Rights, and Their Love.” The tour was meant to show how Boston’s LGBTQ+ community has lived and thrived despite oppression and erasure. The tour still exists on the History Project's website, where it was posted after it was removed from the National Parks Service website.  To get a sense of what the "Their Dreams, Their Rights, and Their Love" tour has to offer, The Common met up with Theo Linger, History Project board member and former National Parks ranger; and Meaghan Michel, History Project volunteer and former National Parks ranger.    Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

WBUR's Candice Springer shares three awesome, local events that will get you outside in May. Check them out: Big Queer Food Fest Boston Public Art Triennial WBUR Festival Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Local organizers plan to mark MLK Jr.'s historic 1965 Freedom Rally in Boston by holding a march of their own. Journalist and Historian  Dart Adams is the co-chair of Everyone250. The organization's mission is to highlight stories and histories that often get overlooked — especially during celebrations marking America's independence. Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Martinus Evans' doctor told him he either had to lose weight or risk early death. So he took up running - both out of necessity and perhaps a little spite. Evans has since run several marathons. He also founded the Slow AF Run Club, which is an organization meant to inspire and encourage runners of all shapes and abilities. Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Little self-published booklets known as 'zines' have long been a staple of DIY and counter-culture movements. They have deep roots in underground music scenes like punk. Today, zines are having a renaissance, with more DIY-ers returning to the medium to spread information and stories - as well as to avoid increased censorship. The Common recently visited the Boston Public Library's Jamaica Plain branch to check out the BPL's zine collection with children's librarian and local punk drummer, Chris Strunk.

Where to find zines in Boston

For the month of April, public libraries across the Boston Area are encouraging patrons to dive into zines with their 2025 Zine Library Crawl. Explore these Boston-area zine libraries to participate, or explore on your own any time.

• • Boston Public Library Zine Collection
    • Participating branches include: Central, Codman Square, Connolly, Egleston Square, Grove Hall, Jamaica Plain, Parker Hill, Roslindale, Roxbury,
  • Framingham Public Library
  • Harvard University’s Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America

 

• MassArt Morton R. Godine Library
• School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University’s W. Van Alan Clark Jr. Library
• Somerville Public Library (all locations)
• Watertown Free Public Library

If you're looking for digital zines, you can also visit the online archive of Cambridge's Papercut Library, a free and volunteer-led collection featuring zines and other media from over 16,000 independent creators. Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Catholic nuns and priests led Boston's anti-war movement during the Vietnam era. A new podcast tells the story of the lengths many Irish Catholics went through to protest the war — including breaking into official buildings to steal draft cards. The Common spoke to Host and Producer Brendan Patrick Hughes about his new podcast  "Divine Intervention." Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

When Tim Colegrove decided to open a computer repair store in 2021, it was partially because he was interested in entrepreneurship. He also really needed a place to keep the vintage computers and gear that were piling up in his home. So, The BYTE Shop was born: A computer repair shop AND museum to the modern home computer in Jamaica Plain. The Common visited Tim at The BYTE Shop to talk about the store's fully operational computer history exhibit (that is open for the public to come and try), as well as how community and sustainability play into its mission. Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

WBUR contributing arts critic Lloyd Schwartz joins The Common to discuss classical music. The Somerville poet laureate and Fresh Air classical music critic also shares recommendations from his arts guide to Greater Boston classical events on offer this spring. Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

When you walk in the doors of justBook-Ish in Fields Corner, it is immediately clear that it is more than just a bookshop. The space invites patrons to stay for a while. There is a bar with a menu of snacks and non-alcoholic drinks. Visitors can take a seat at the communal table and chairs, or snuggle up in one of several window reading nooks.

JustBook-Ish was founded by Porsha Olayiwola, who is a former Boston Poet Laureate, and Bing Broderick, who previously served as the executive director at Haley House. Porsha and Bing wanted to provide a 'third place' in the neighborhood. The concept of a 'third place' is one that’s gained a lot of popularity in recent years. It refers to a space that isn’t work or school or home, where folks can relax and connect with their community.

The Common recently took a trip to justBook-Ish to talk to Porsha about why our community needs more 'third places' and why that drives their mission.

Here are other bookstores and 'third places' to check out: 

• Trident Booksellers & Cafe on Newbury Street
• Narrative Bookshop in Somerville
• Lovestruck Books in Harvard Square

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Boston-based comedian Bethany Van Delft thinks the Boston comedy scene is having a moment. Five years since the pandemic began, she reflects on how it has impacted the comedy industry today from sold-out shows to a fervent demand for standup over what she calls "weird" comedy. Here are Van Delft's recommendations for a good laugh:

• Favorite up-and-coming local comedian: Carolina Montesquieu
• A venue for a good show: Goofs Comedy Club in Somerville
• Comedy show producers: Men in Comedy and Don't Tell Comedy

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

WBUR's Darryl C. Murphy drives to Worcester Polytechnic Institute to see its world-class fire lab. He sits down with internationally-recognized fire expert and head of the fire engineering department, Albert Simeoni. Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

WBUR's Darryl C. Murphy sat down with Historian, Author and Newton-native David Greenberg to discuss his latest biography "John Lewis: A Life." The book offers a deep look into the life of the Late John Lewis. The iconic civil rights activist eventually became one of the most revered politicians of his time. Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

If you had $2 million to invest in your community, how would you spend it? If you’re a resident of Boston, you have until Feb. 15 to cast your vote in Boston’s first city-wide participatory budget. Participatory budgeting is when residents come together to collectively decide how to spend public dollars. Bostonians can vote for up to five projects from a list of 14 ideas proposed by fellow residents. Kendra Patterson is a steering committee member of the Better Budget Alliance, a local coalition advocating for greater democratic control over Boston’s budget. She joined WBUR's The Common to discuss this year's projects and the role of participatory budgets in a democracy. Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

If you're looking for some indoor activities during the month of February, WBUR's Candice Springer has a few film screenings to tell you about. The Coolidge Corner Theatre celebrates Black icons, the Wang Theater highlights home and things get 'Looney' at The Brattle. Also, check out a calendar of upcoming events at WBUR's CitySpace. Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

This interview originally aired on The Common in 2024.  Chinatown's streets will come to life on Feb. 9 with thunderous drums and a clang of cymbals as nine lion dance troupes celebrate the Year of the Snake in the Chinese New Year Parade. WBUR's Cici Yu joined The Common to talk about the vibrant history and tradition of the lion dance in Boston. Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

The seafood industry in New England generates more than $20 billion in sales each year and employs more than a quarter million people. But WBUR’s climate and environment correspondent Barbara Moran found it’s not moving fast enough to meet the challenges of climate change, and a new Trump presidency could make things more complicated. This story was produced as part of the Pulitzer Center's StoryReach U.S. Fellowship with additional reporting from Columbia University’s Duh Linh Tu. Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

On January 20th, President Elect Donald Trump will take the reins from outgoing President Joe Biden and make his return to the Oval Office. But this Inauguration Day is a little different than most others, because it also falls on Dr. Martin Luther King Day. We saw this as an opportunity to step back and look at King's legacy, how he's remembered, and if we'll ever truly see the progress he's envisioned. Joining us on The Common to discuss is Donathan Brown, Vice Provost for Faculty Diversity at Northeastern University and co-editor of Dream and Legacy, Revisiting King in a Post Civil Rights Era. Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Boston Globe's food reporter Kara Baskin spoke to multiple local chefs and restaurateurs who struggled with ADHD and dyslexia in school but thrive in the restaurant industry. They said their differences are their superpower.

Darryl C. Murphy spoke with Baskin and Dan Bazzinotti, head chef at Boston’s Blue Ribbon Restaurants and instructor at Johnson & Wales University, for Radio Boston about why the industry supported him in a way the traditional education system never did.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.