This month on "Story in the Public Square" - April 2026
"Story in the Public Square" is a national broadcast that unpacks narratives with outside impact on public understanding and public policy. Hosted by Jim Ludes, the show can be seen each week on public television stations across the United States and seeks to study, celebrate and tell stories that matter.
Naomi Baron: April 6-12, 2026
Writing and creative expression are a frequent topic on this show, but scholar Naomi S. Baron challenges all of us to consider the joy, the practice, and even the challenge of reading, especially in a world where artificial intelligence can do the reading for us.
Colin Woodard: April 13-19, 2026
It’s easy, in this 250th Anniversary year of the Declaration of Independence, to find things that divide Americans. But best-selling author Colin Woodard says we’re still bound together as a people by the ideals of our founding.
Rebekah Caruthers: April 20-26, 2026
There is a curious debate about the health of American elections. Some allege they are sick. Others say they are thriving. Fair-elections advocate Rebekah Caruthers peels away competing claims to help us understand the real challenges to American voting rights today.
Sean Wiswesser: April 27- May 3, 2026
After the Cold War, some hoped that the end of superpower competition would usher in a world of lasting peace and cooperation. Former CIA operations officer Sean M. Wiswesser saw where that hope faded only to be replaced by a new era of espionage and covert affairs.
In Rhode Island and southeastern New England, the show is broadcast on Rhode Island PBS on Sundays at 11:00 a.m. and is rebroadcast on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. Check your local public television listings for air times near you!
An audio version of the program airs Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. ET, Sundays at 2:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. and Mondays at 4:30 a.m. ET on SiriusXM’s popular P.O.T.U.S. (Politics of the United States), channel 124.