Special Programs

The Boxcars, Sierra Hull and Highway 111 will be headlining the two-day DC Bluegrass Festival. The event features a band competition Friday night, and a full day of instrument workshops, jamming and more on Saturday.

In honor of beloved WAMU 88.5 host Jerry Gray, who passed away last week, we have a special tribute featuring excerpts from his shows and tributes from WAMU personalities.

Rubin "Hurricane" Carter recently published a spiritual memoir on his life and experience of wrongful conviction and imprisonment for murder.

Melissa Block will host live as President Obama delivers his last State of the Union before facing the 2012 president re-election campaign.

The "I Have a Dream" speech has become the shorthand of the Civil Rights movement but we might never have heard it, if it weren't for Bayard Rustin.

Melissa Block will host the New Hampshire presidential primary special featuring candidate speeches, newsmaker interviews, and expert analysis.

Ring in the New Year with WBGO's Rhonda Hamilton, as she hosts a live musical countdown to 2012. The program features The Billy Childs Quartet, saxophonist Miguel Zénon, and The Julian Lage Trio.

Documentary winners of the 11th annual TC / Richard H. Driehaus Foundation competition, demonstrate just how powerful radio storytelling can be.

Happy Kwanzaa! "A Season's Griot" is public radio's only nationally syndicated Kwanzaa program.

 These programs feature collections of the best and most requested holiday stories from NPR voices past and present, such as David Sedaris, Bailey White and John Henry Faulk.

WAMU 88-5 invites you to spend your Christmas Eve with The Big Broadcast starting at 8 p.m.

Jenn Hitt, host of Capital Americana on Bluegrass County, presents an hour of acoustic-focused seasonal musical celebration featuring songs of snow and light from a variety of musical disciplines.

Why is play so important, regardless of where we grow up?

The Animal House is a weekly discussion that explores the latest in animal science, pet behavior, and wildlife conservation.

Join Lynne Rossetto Kasper, the award-winning host of public radio's national food show, The Splendid Table, for turkey triage. 

Radiolab is a show where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries between science, philosophy and human experience are blurred.

Bringing Oxford-style debates to New York City, Intelligence Squared presents debates on a variety of provocative topics.

Latitudes is an hour-long  radio show that takes you into the lives of everyday people around the world. The stories are unexpected, rich in sound and riveting to hear -- they engage the intellect, the conscience and the imagination. They feature people who are finding constructive solutions to some of life’s toughest challenges.

Diane Rehm talks with Sheila Bair, who recently stepped down as chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Reflecting on the tumultuous period she served, Bair said the FDIC's job is "to protect bank customers, not banks."

Voices From Afghanistan is an hour-long special marking a decade of U.S. troop engagement in Afghanistan. The program offers snapshots of life in Afghanistan today and looks forward to the future.

A first-person oral history of the September 11th attack on the Pentagon.

What's it like to be the only Muslim in the only U.S. town named after an Arab Muslim?

With sounds from the street, eyewitnesses and news reports, this program features actualities from that morning mixed with music. Remix also contains 2001 year-end commentary from various eyewitnesses who wondered about the future.

True stories that dissolve socio-economic barriers, expose vulnerabilities, and quietly suggest ways to overcome challenges and see with new eyes.