The Lowdown with Ira Wood on WOMR-FM

A Most Unlikely Family

Tue, 26 May 2026 19:46:00 GMT

Brad Gooch is an award winning biographer of such gay iconic gay artists as Keith Haring and Frank O'Hara. Having lost his first love to the AIDs epidemic, he was lucky to fall in love again, with a guy who desperately wanted kids and a family. His new book Good Morning Moon tells the story of their quest, in late middle age, to make two kids through in vitro fertilization and his own discovery that, like his own kids, his own parentage is not what is considered 'normal' in our society.

The Secret War Against Hate in America

Wed, 20 May 2026 19:11:26 GMT

After World War Two, 'The Greatest Generation' returned to America determined to enjoy the freedoms of a world liberated from fascism but another group of Americans were equally determined to finish the job Hitler started by annihilating Jews and relocating Blacks to Africa. In his book The Secret War Against Hate, USC Professor of History tells the largely hidden story of those who risked their lives to fight homegrown fascism in America and how its roots still flourish today.

On Grief What to Expect When the Unthinkable Happens

Wed, 13 May 2026 17:34:36 GMT

Journalist Danielle Crittenden lost her 32 year-old daughter to a sudden brain tumor and with that death life as she knew it. She talks with Ira about her new book, Dispatches from Grief, in which she describes how she, and all those who lose a loved one, are dropped into a unfamiliar new landscape without a map.

Body Politics and Reproductive Justice

Mon, 04 May 2026 23:03:12 GMT

Two pioneers of the Reproductive Rights movement, Byllye Avery and Loretta Ross, talk about transforming the landscape of reproductive care in the United States and ensuring three core human rights: to have a child, to not have a child, and to parent children in safe and healthy environments.

How to Disagree Better

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 19:59:43 GMT

Do you hate to disagree with people? Avoid arguments? Shy away from conversations with anyone who is likely to contradict your ideas? It's understandable why many of us in today's contentious society try to minimize discord. But it comes at the cost of friendship, information, and connection. Harvard social psychologist Julia Minson talks about science -backed research that teach you How to Disagree Better so that debating may broaden rather than shrink your life.

How Money Became God

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 18:23:19 GMT

Longtime Wall Street Journal editor Paul Vigna gives us extraordinary take on where money came from, how it evolved, and how it became ‘almightier’ than almighty god.

The Immortal Afterlife of Anne Frank

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 19:20:28 GMT

Since her death at the age of 15, the name and image of Anne Frank have become archetypal symbols of hope for victims the world; her diary adapted for film, television, theatre, dance, classical music, opera, anime, and indie rock. Award winning biographer Ruth Franklin talks about the life of the real Anne that's often overlooked.

Lindy West on Being Fat Polyamorous and Happy

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 16:02:51 GMT

Lindy West is a best-selling author, a comedian and an activist known for her sharp humorous work on feminism, body image, and on-line harassment. She talks about the reality of being a fat role model, contentedly living in a polyamorous relationship, and how she sometimes get a lot of crap for both.

Troublemaker - The Life of Jessica Mitford

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 21:01:35 GMT

Jessica Mitford was born in a wildly eccentric British noble family, a socialist among fascists, and became the best loved, bestselling muckraking writer in America. Award-winning biographer Carla Kaplan talks to Ira about her fierce and unruly life.

The Most Famous Songwriter You have Never Heard Of

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 19:42:51 GMT

Ebony and Jet Magazine Music Writer Margena Christian talks about the woman who wrote some of Motown's biggest hits, and saved the career of Stevie Wonder, but whose name is all but unknown, Sylvia Moy.

Hannibal Lecter A Life

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 20:05:57 GMT

Brian Raftery is a journalist and podcaster specializing in pop culture, film history, and entertainment. He joins Ira to talk about his new book Hannibal Lecter: A Life which traces the history of America's favorite fictional villain and his creator, the enigmatic and rarely-seen novelist Thomas Harris.

Cape Cod and Its Ospreys

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 20:52:30 GMT

Part memoir, part natural history, David Gessner's Return of the Osprey recounts the hilarious story of one young nature writer's obsessive quest to document the reemergence of one of America's most majestic birds of prey to the shores of Cape Cod.

The Magnitude of Making People Know They Matter

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 20:35:13 GMT

NY Times bestselling author Jennifer Wallace talks to Ira about her new book, Mattering, which exposes the ways in which a many Americans, feeling unseen and unappreciated throughout their lives, go on to do harm to themselves and others. Their discussion offers a roadmap and actionable takeaways to remedy the problem.

Why Americans Love Cults and How to Tell If You're In One

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 20:03:50 GMT

Ira talks with bestselling author Daniella Mestyanek Young, cult survivor, US Army veteran, and Harvard-trained organizational psychologist about the proliferation of cults in American society today.