December 7, 2023

I’m Jared Bowen. This is The Culture Show.  First up, what do you call three lost souls left on a prep school campus during the holidays? The holdovers. That’s also the title of Alexander Payne’s new film.  Set in the 1970’s, Paul Giamatti plays a scrooge-like New England teacher–stingy with good grades and generosity. But over the winter holiday break, his heart thaws –slightly –and he forges an unlikely fellowship with a student who has been abandoned by his family and the school cook who has just lost her son– a soldier fighting in Vietnam.  I’ll talk to the Oscar-winning filmmaker about the making of what could become a holiday classic, shot here in Massachusetts. Then it’s onto a bibliophile’s bliss. We bring you the ultimate holiday booksellers guide in Boston and beyond. Finally, Tufts professor Kerri Greenidge looks at the life and legacy of Phillis Wheatley – an enslaved person who became one of the best-known poets in 18th century America. That’s next on The Culture Show.