April 13, 2026 - Timothy Snyder, Boston Youth Poet Laureate Ailin Sha, and Bill Barclay

Historian and bestselling author Timothy Snyder joins The Culture Show to discuss how democracies weaken, how authoritarianism rises, and what freedom actually requires. Snyder, the inaugural Temerty Chair in Modern European History at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto, will be honored on April 26 at the Literary Lights Gala. Boston Youth Poet Laureate Ailin Sha joins us as our National Poetry Month celebration continues. Originally from Beijing and now a first-year student at Harvard College, Sha writes about migration, language, and belonging — themes that have helped shape both her poetry and her public work across the city. As the Boston Symphony Orchestra heads into a major leadership transition, writer, composer, and director Bill Barclay argues that the conversation about classical music audiences is overdue for a reset. He joins us to talk about why he believes the future audience for live classical music is younger than many people think — and about several upcoming performances: the BSO’s Explorer Concert on Beethoven’s Fifth on April 14, the Boston Symphony Chamber Players’ All-Stravinsky program on April 24, and Boston Baroque’s Idomeneo on April 24 and 26.