First hour: Discussing Rochester's bike lane problem, and the benefits of active transportation
Second hour: Writers & Books' new executive director, Alison Meyers, and the 2019 Ladder Literary Conference
Rochester has a bike lane problem. That’s according to research and reporting done by WXXI’s health reporter, Brett Dahlberg. He spent eight weeks recording video and studying issues related to Rochester’s more than 60 miles of bike lanes. He found the lanes are often filled with parked cars and there’s little cyclists can do about it. What does this mean for a city working to expand travel to and from work by bike? Dahlberg joins us to discuss his reporting, along with the health benefits of commuting by bike or on foot. This conversation comes in advance of an upcoming summit on active transportation hosted by Common Ground Health. Our guests:
- Brett Dahlberg, WXXI health reporter and producer
- Mike Bulger, health communities project coordinator at Common Ground Health
- Susan Levin, vice president of the Rochester Cycling Alliance, and coordinator of the Rochester Women’s Bike Festival
- Mark Fenton, public health planning and transportation consultant
- Kecia L. McCullough, founder of the Rochester chapter of Black Girls Do Bike
Then in our second hour, Writers & Books has a new executive director. Alison Meyers is a poet and fiction writer who previously led literary non-profit organizations in New York City and Connecticut. She joins Writers & Books in time for the 2019 Ladder Literary Conference, which connects aspiring writers with agents, fellow authors, and publishers. This hour, Meyers shares her vision for the future of Writers & Books, and we talk to local authors and Ladder participants about Rochester’s role as a literary community, and how literature can shape and respond to politics and societal issues. Our guests:
- Alison Meyers, executive director of Writers & Books
- Alex Sanchez, local writer and panelist at the Ladder Literary Conference
- CaTyra Polland, local writer and panelist at the Ladder Literary Conference
- Mira Jacob, author and panelist at the Ladder Literary Conference
