Peter Steiner
WAMC's The Roundtable is an award-winning, nationally recognized eclectic talk program. The show airs from 9 a.m. to noon each weekday and features news, interviews, in-depth discussion, music, and much (much) more! Hosted by Joe Donahue , The Roundtable tackles serious and lighthearted subjects, looking to explore the many facets of the human condition with civility, respect and responsibility.
The show's hallmark is thoughtful interviews with A-list newsmakers, authors, artists, sports figures, actors, and people with interesting stories to tell. Since hitting the airwaves May 1, 2000, The Roundtable's hosts have interviewed the likes of Arthur Miller, Kurt Vonnegut, Maya Angelou, Madeleine Albright, Jimmy Carter, John McCain, Bob Dole, Steve Martin, James Taylor, Stephen King, Melissa Etheridge, Carol Burnett, David Henry Hwang, Lin-Manuel Miranda and lots of other really cool people. Plus, Wilco does our theme song. What more can you ask for?
If you would like to be on the show email us at roundtable@wamc.org. Send your comments or questions for The Roundtable Panel to panel@wamc.org
The Roundtable is also available as a podcast.
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As America prepares to mark its 250th birthday, there's no better time to revisit the people, ideas, triumphs, and contradictions that have shaped the nation. For this special edition of Book Picks, part of our series 'We Still Hold These Truths: America at 250,' we're joined by Mike Hare of Northshire Bookstore. -
Historian Michael Auslin joins us to discuss his new book, 'National Treasure: How the Declaration of Independence Made America.' Rather than viewing the Declaration as a relic of the past, Auslin argues that it remains the nation's defining document—one whose ideals have inspired generations of Americans while continuing to spark debate about the country's promise and purpose.
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For more than half a century, Gail Godwin has earned acclaim for novels that blend emotional depth with intellectual curiosity, receiving three National Book Award nominations along the way. In 'The Art of Becoming a Citizen: A Memoir,' she shifts from fiction to reflection, tracing the experiences that shaped her understanding of democracy, belonging, and public life.Part personal history, part meditation on the responsibilities of citizenship, the memoir explores how private lives intersect with national ideals. Written with the grace and insight that define Godwin's work, it offers a timely and thoughtful perspective on America's current political moment. -
Hudson Valley Shakespeare’s summer season is underway in its first permanent home, the Samuel H. Scripps Theater Center. Designed to immerse audiences and actors in the rich landscape of the Hudson Valley, its unique indoor-outdoor setting for the company’s open-air productions offers an unparalleled theater experience.The 2026 Season includes Shakespeare’s 'As you Like It' and 'King Lear' this month, and in August, a production of 'Les Mis.' Davis McCallum is the Artistic Director and joins us for a preview this morning. -
The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are a senior fellow and faculty member in the Center for the Advancement of Public Action at Bennington College. She is the President of Beyond Plastics and former EPA Regional Administrator. Judith is co-author of the book 'The Problem with Plastic' Judith Enck, The Ulster County Comptroller and the former president and CEO of the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley March Gallagher, Semi-retired, Editor at large/columnist/editorial writer, Times Union Jay Jochnowitz, and a full professor in the History Department at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY) Allison Kavey. -
Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho forever changed movie history with one shocking scene, but novelist Leah Rowan asks a tantalizing question: what if Marion Crane had survived? In her debut thriller, 'Marion,' Rowan reimagines one of cinema's most famous victims as a woman who fights back, setting off a suspenseful story of survival, revenge, and reinvention.A modern, feminist twist on a classic, the novel blends psychological suspense with sharp social commentary as Marion flees the aftermath of a deadly encounter while trying to save her sister from an abusive marriage. It's a bold, unexpected retelling that turns a familiar story on its head. -
Few families have inspired as much fascination as the Kennedys and Britain's royal family. Journalist Caroline Hallemann has spent years covering both as Digital Director of 'Town & Country,' and in her first book, 'The Kennedys and the Windsors: The Story of Two Dynasties, One Born, One Made,' she brings their histories together in a fresh and revealing way.Drawing on extensive archival research and interviews, Hallemann traces nearly a century of connections, rivalries, tragedies, and public mythmaking, showing how America's closest thing to royalty and Britain's actual monarchy have reflected, influenced, and reshaped one another across generations. -
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The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are public policy and communications expert Theresa Bourgeois, Principal, Faith in the Public Square and Co-Principal of The Religious Nationalisms Project The Reverend Peter Cook, an author, lawyer, consultant, public speaker, and entrepreneur; her most recent book is: 'Race Rules: What Your Black Friend Won't Tell You' Fatimah Gilliam, and Former Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan.
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For decades, Cory Doctorow has been one of the sharpest critics of the digital world—a bestselling science-fiction writer, journalist, co-editor of Boing Boing, and longtime advocate for digital rights and an open internet. His latest nonfiction book, 'The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI,' takes aim at the hype, fear, and confusion surrounding artificial intelligence. -
Brad Gooch has spent much of his career telling the stories of larger-than-life figures. The poet, novelist, and acclaimed biographer is known for celebrated books on Keith Haring, Frank O’Hara, Flannery O’Connor, and the 13th-century mystic Rumi.A Guggenheim Fellow and recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship, Gooch has built a reputation for combining literary insight with a keen eye for the personal details that shape a life. In his new memoir, 'Good Morning Moon: A Snapshot of an American Family,' he turns that eye inward. -
The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Lecturer of Cognitive Sciences at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and former Fulbright US Scholar to Egypt Jackie Berry, an educator who teaches drama and humanities at Poughkeepsie Day School in Poughkeepsie Stephen Haff, a former U.S. Army officer and State Department Diplomat who taught at Bard College for six years and is now a Senior Fellow at Bard's Center for Civic Engagement Ambassador Fred Hof, and the Arthur Zankel Chair in Management for Liberal Arts at Skidmore College where she teaches International Affairs and Business Management Pushi Prasad.
