At Issue with Ben Merens airs every weekday from 4pm to 6pm on the Ideas Network of Wisconsin Public Radio.
Ben and producers Chris Malina and Katie Madsen work together to bring you two hours of call-in programming, dedicated to current events and hard news, including expert guests, policy-makers, commentators, and authors.
To join Ben's program live, call toll-free 1-800-486-8655. You can also e-mail us at talk@wpr.org.
Program Comments & Suggestions
Tips for Callers
Job Line Information
List of Books Discussed on At Issue - Wednesday, December 14 with guest Daniel Goldin
The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach (Daniel's pick of the year)
The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert
The Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard
The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt
Malcom X: A Life of Reinvention by Manning Marable
The Food52 Cookbook: 140 Winning Recipes from Exceptional Home Cooks by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs
The Mill River Recluse (e-book) by Darcy Chan
Missed Connections: Love Lost & Found by Sophie Blackall
The Louvre: All the Paintings by Erich Lessing, Loyrette Henri, Vincent Pomarède and Anja Grebe
Wildwood: The Wildwood Chronicles, Book 1 by Colin Meloy
All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin
Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt
Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry
Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K. Massie
In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff
The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund De Waal
The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht
Cyril Colnik, Man of Iron by Alan Strekow and John C. Eastberg
Gimbels Has It! by Michael J. Lisicky
The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann
The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Christmas Homecoming by Anne Perry
The "S" Word: A Short History of an American Tradition...Socialism by John Nichols
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink
Griftopia: A Story of Bankers, Politicians, and the Most Audacious Power Grab in American History by Matt Taibbi
The Speech: A Historic Fillibuster on Corporate Greed and the Decline of Our Middle Class by Bernie Sanders
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
Grant's Last Victory: Ulysses S. Grant's Heroic Last Year by Charles Bracelen Flood
Semisweet: A Novel of Love and Cupcakes by Roisin Meaney
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Death of the Liberal Class by Chris Hedges
Anything by Eva Ibbotson
There is a Power in a Union: The Epic Story of Labor in America by Phillip Dray
Ghost Story (Dresden Files, #13) by Jim Butcher
The
At Issue Team - Chris Malina, Ben Merens, and Katie Madsen
About Ben Merens
Ben Merens joined the Wisconsin Public Radio network in 1991 when he hosted the program Everybody?s Business and also served as its producer. In 1995 Ben became producer of Conversations with Kathleen Dunn and he was also named Ideas Network fill-in host and election-night anchor. In 2003 he became host of At Issue with Ben Merens. The show is dedicated to current events and hard news, although some lighter fare and lifestyle issues are sprinkled in. He has been with Wisconsin Public Radio for 19 years and celebrated his eighth year as host of At Issue on June 3, 2011.
At Issue's signature program has become "Your Views on the News," the Friday four o'clock hour when listeners are invited to call in with their choice of the week's most significant news story. Additionally, the At Issue staff has reworked and brought back the "Job Line" at five o'clock on the first Wednesday of each month. Ben hosts an hour with economic news, job hunting tips and an open forum for people to post jobs or pitch themselves to potential employers.
Ben is an avid swimmer and is often in the pool at the YMCA near his home in north suburban Milwaukee prior to arriving at work.
As your workday ends and you begin to head home, keep your car radio tuned to Wisconsin Public Radio for an in-depth review of the day's news - with Ben Merens and his guests.
