Darryl C. Murphy

Host

Host of WBUR's news and culture podcast The Common

Take a walk through Boston's LGBTQ+ history

References to the words 'transgender' and 'queer' were quietly purged from various National Parks Service websites in February.

That includes pages dedicated to Boston’s many national parks.

Among the resources that were taken down from Boston’s National Parks was an audio tour of Downtown and Beacon Hill titled “Their Dreams, Their Rights, and Their Love.”

The tour was meant to show how Boston’s LGBTQ+ community has lived and thrived despite oppression and erasure. The tour still exists on t...

Things to do in May to help you enjoy Boston's blossoming spring

If you're looking to get outside now that the weather is warmer, WBUR's Candice Springer returns to The Common to offer a few suggestions.

For the foodies, check out the Big Queer Food Fest, which includes several events. This weekend is a gathering called 'The Grand Tasting,' featuring samples from more than 50 chefs — as well as drinks from brewers, distillers and winemakers.

For the artists (and art fans), there's the Boston Public Art Triennial, which kicks off on May 22 and runs until the...

Organizers to mark MLK Jr.'s 1965 Freedom Rally in Boston with march of their own

On April 23, 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led the Freedom Rally in Boston. More than 20,000 people marched from Roxbury to the Boston Common to protest racial inequality.

On Saturday, the organization Everyone250 will mark the rally by holding their own march 60 years later. Everyone250 is a coalition of Boston leaders and organizations; their mission is to highlight often-overlooked stories and histories of communities in Boston.

Journalist, Historian and Everyone250 Co-chair Dart Adams s...

Redux: Slow runner? Join the club!

As the 129th Boston Marathon approaches, revisit a conversation with runner Martinus Evans. He founded the Slow AF Run Club, which is an inclusive community for slow runners and walkers of all paces.

Evans is also the author of "Slow AF Run Club: The Ultimate Guide For Anyone Who Wants To Run."

Evans spoke with Darryl C. Murphy about his journey as a runner and his work to make the sport more welcoming.

This conversation was live at WBUR CitySpace. Check out what's coming up on their events c...

Local libraries encourage readers to hop on a retro trend: zines

Zines are having a moment.

Zines (short for 'magazine') are a type of small circulation, self-published booklet, replicated by a regular ol' photocopier for distribution. Zines have long been a staple of DIY and counter-culture movements through history, with deep roots in underground music scenes like punk. Today, zines are having a renaissance of sorts, with more DIY-ers returning to the medium. Zines are traditionally circulated physically and can be made anonymously, making them an untracea...

Priests, nuns and cat burglars: The history of Boston's anti-war movement

Catholic nuns and priests led Boston's anti-war movement during the Vietnam era. A new podcast, Divine Intervention, tells the story of the lengths many Boston Irish Catholics went through to protest the war — including breaking into official buildings to steal draft cards.

Creator and host Brendan Patrick Hughes joined WBUR's The Common to tell the story of a three-day standoff between anti-war activists and police at a church. He also shared his personal connection to the movement — a love st...

Repair shop offers trip down memory lane with decades-old tech

Tim Colegrove had been collecting old computers for about 10 years when he decided he needed a place to keep all that old gear piling up in his home. In 2021, he finally opened up The BYTE Shop. It's a computer repair shop in Jamaica Plain, that doubles as a museum to the modern home computer.

"Everybody has a different response to this space," Tim said. "Some people are nostalgic. They come in and they see computers that they worked on as a young person."

The Common visited Tim at The BYTE Sh...

Talking symphony strings for the season of spring with Lloyd Schwartz

WBUR contributing arts critic Lloyd Schwartz joins The Common to discuss classical music.

Lloyd, who is Somerville's poet laureate, a 1994 Pulitzer Prize winner and Fresh Air's classical music critic, also shared recommendations from his latest guide to Greater Boston classical events on offer this spring.

Here are some of his picks:

You can read the rest of Lloyd's recommendations, as well as more WBUR arts guides which include theater, film and dance here.

Dorchester bookstore is one of several new establishments offering a 'third place'

When you walk in the doors of justBook-Ish in Fields Corner, it is immediately clear that it is more than just a bookshop. The space invites patrons to stay for a while. There is a bar with a menu of snacks and non-alcoholic drinks. Visitors can take a seat at the communal table and chairs, or snuggle up in one of several window reading nooks.

JustBook-Ish was founded by Porsha Olayiwola, who is a former Boston Poet Laureate, and Bing Broderick, who previously served as the executive director a...

A look inside a lab studying fire in Worcester

Albert Simeoni has dedicated his life to fighting wildfires. While studying for his doctorate in mechanical engineering, he wanted to experience fighting the fires he was researching.

So he became a firefighter in Corsica, France, and real-life experience hit him fast — like the time he inhaled too much smoke.

“I laid down on the road because I couldn’t take it anymore,” he recalled.

Or the time he was trapped in a wildfire inside a canyon, and didn’t know if he would make it out alive.

“I h...

Author on John Lewis's legacy and the split within the civil rights movement

WBUR's Darryl C. Murphy sat down with Historian, Author and Newton-native David Greenberg to discuss his latest biography "John Lewis: A Life." The book offers a deep look into the life of the Late John Lewis. The iconic civil rights activist eventually became one of the most revered politicians of his time.

This conversation originally took place at WBUR's CitySpace in November 2024. You can watch the full live discussion below.

For the first time, Boston residents get some say in how public money is spent

If you had $2 million to invest in your community, how would you spend it?

If you’re a resident of Boston, you have until Feb. 15 to cast your vote in Boston’s first city-wide participatory budget.

Participatory budgeting is when residents come together to collectively decide how to spend public dollars. Bostonians can vote for up to five projects from a list of 14 ideas proposed by fellow residents.

Kendra Patterson is a steering committee member of the Better Budget Alliance, a local coalit...

New England’s fishing industry is struggling to keep up with fast-moving climate change

The seafood industry in New England generates more than $20 billion in sales each year and employs more than a quarter million people. But WBUR’s climate and environment correspondent Barbara Moran found it’s not moving fast enough to meet the challenges of climate change, and a new Trump presidency could make things more complicated.

This story was produced as part of the Pulitzer Center's StoryReach U.S. Fellowship with additional reporting from Columbia University’s Duh Linh Tu.

'Window-dressing' Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy and how we got here

President-elect Donald Trump will take over the Oval Office once again on Monday. Trump's second inauguration also happens to fall on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

We saw this as an opportunity to examine how the day intended to honor Dr. King's legacy first came to be. WBUR's The Common spoke to Donathan Brown, vice provost for faculty diversity at Northeastern University and co-editor of "Dream and Legacy: Revisiting King in a Post Civil Rights Era," about where we fall short in our collective...

Boston chefs say neurodiversity can be a superpower in the kitchen

Boston Globe's food reporter Kara Baskin spoke to multiple local chefs and restaurateurs who struggled with ADHD and dyslexia in school but thrive in the restaurant industry. They said their differences are their superpower.

Darryl C. Murphy spoke with Baskin and Dan Bazzinotti, head chef at Boston’s Blue Ribbon Restaurants and instructor at Johnson & Wales University, for Radio Boston about why the industry supported him in a way the traditional education system never did.
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New year, new goals, new can't-miss events

What do a "rage room," a thought-provoking play, and sandwich recipes of yesteryear have in common? They're all recommendations from Candice Springer, assistant director of WBUR CitySpace, for kicking off 2025.

Candice joins Darryl to discuss these events and experiences, as well as share personal goals for the new year that just might inspire some of your own.

"You can go in, you can suit up, and you can smash the heck out of things," Candice Springer says of this "rage room" in Fitchburg. Bu...
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New biography on hip-hop legend MF DOOM shines light on Boston influence

MF DOOM was a legendary emcee known for wearing a mask and keeping a distance from fame in a genre where artists usually embrace the spotlight.

DOOM passed away in 2020, but his life is documented in a biography recently released called The Chronicles of DOOM: Unraveling Hip-hop’s Masked Iconoclast. In the book, Writer and journalist S.H. Fernando Jr aka SKIZZ sheds light on DOOM’s story, which includes his time spent right here in Boston.

Today on The Common, Darryl's conversation with SKIZZ...
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Cozy up with a movie or comic book this December

It's been a minute, but Candice Springer, assistant director for WBUR CitySpace, is back to give you the low down on what's happening in the city this December.

After a quick recap of the biggest musical movie event of the year ("Wicked"), here's what Candice recommends:

Now in its 15th year, MICE is New England's longest-running independent comics expo. At this totally free event there is something for everyone: workshops for artists of all levels, panel discussions and, of course, a marketpl...
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A closer look at abortion care

When a 2022 Supreme Court ruling ended nationwide protection for abortion access, Massachusetts abortion rights advocates predicted an influx of people from out of state seeking abortions.

Now, WBUR's Martha Bebinger found the number of people who obtained abortion care from Massachusetts providers was up at least 37% in 2023. The increase was mostly driven by patients from outside the state.

Today on The Common, Martha and Dr. Angel Foster, co-founder of Cambridge Reproductive Health Consulta...
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