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12/27/2025

So, how did one of America’s most famous 20th-century literary couples come to be buried here, in a small Rockville Catholic cemetery alongside a busy road, with views of condominiums and a shopping center?

Jackson Bryer, a retired English professor and co-founder of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Society, says that question is answered by the author himself.

“He ended up here because his father’s family was from Maryland. He wrote in a letter when he died… it would be nice to snuggle up under a gravestone in Maryland,” Bryer says. He’s joined us at the grave after his own quick jaunt through the suburban cemetery. https://wamu.org/story/25/11/04/author-f-scott-fitzgerald-buried-twice-maryland-rockville-great-gatsby/

12/24/2025

ICYMI: The Cathedral of St. Matthew was quiet but bustling with energy only an hour after Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Prevost was announced to the world as Pope Leo XIV.

Cathedral workers were busy putting up a new bunting – the colored banner that hangs above the cathedral’s main doors – to celebrate the announcement that still rang across the globe: “Habemus Papam”….we have a pope.

Rev. Msgr. Ronald Jameson, the rector of the cathedral for 30 years, was at the base of the steps, directing the workers while also speaking to reporters from media outlets around the world.

“We’ve just taken down one bunting, which had black in it, which was obviously in memory of Francis – one of mourning,” Jameson said. “Here you have yellow and white, which, first of all would be the colors of the Vatican and the papacy, and it’s brighter. [But] it’s also very appropriate that we’re in the season of Easter. We’re in a joyous season of resurrection … in a sense we come now into new light!” https://wamu.org/story/25/05/09/shocked-dc-catholics-share-their-initial-reactions-to-the-first-american-pope/

12/23/2025

Long before The Washington Post critiqued D.C. hardcore punk bands like Swiz in its pages or Pitchfork sought out the members of Fugazi for lengthy interviews, the only publications talking about the city’s tapestry of punk music and culture were zines.

Zines, or fanzines, are independently-produced – and some in a consciously amateur style – publications that focus on a specific topic. As University of Maryland archivist John Davis notes in his new book Keep Your Ear to the Ground: A History of Punk Fanzines in Washington, DC, zines originated in the 1940s with fans of science fiction literature and comic books.

“The ‘for fans, by fans’ elements of fanzines … a portmanteau of ‘fan’ and ‘magazine’ … are generally credited to have come from the science fiction and comic book fanzines generated by those flourishing fan communities, beginning in the first half of the twentieth century,” Davis writes. https://wamu.org/story/25/10/30/in-keep-your-ear-to-the-ground-local-author-and-archivist-traces-the-history-of-d-c-punk-fanzines/

12/21/2025

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. And he’s in Annandale. Well, at least a bone fragment.

Deacon Elmer explains that the small piece of one of the saint’s finger bones came to the church in the 1980s, donated by a parishioner who obtained it in Rome. It’s believed there are fewer than 20 relics of St. Nick currently in the United States.

“It’s been certified by Rome to be authentic. And we are stewards of it,” he says. “A relic can never be bought or sold. There’s no price on it.“

Relics are important in Catholicism. They are often parts of a holy person’s body, or their belongings, that people venerate. Deacon Elmer points out that this is a common practice even outside of Catholicism. https://wamu.org/story/25/12/18/santa-claus-bone-relic-northern-virginia-catholic-church/

12/20/2025

The winter cold and holidays are officially upon us. That makes it the perfect time for a steaming cup of hot chocolate!

So this week for Get Out There, our weekly conversation about ways to explore the Washington region, WAMU’s arts and culture reporter Darryl C. Murphy searched the region for some of the finest sips.

He compiled a short list of places that ought to have what you’re looking for, whether you’re out holiday shopping want a quick drink to warm you up, or simply have a hankering for something chocolatey and sweet. https://wamu.org/story/25/12/19/get-out-there-hot-chocolate/

12/20/2025

Currently on display at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center in D.C. is a unique exhibition of work from artist and D.C. native Lindsay Adams.

The show is called Ceremony and it incorporates Adam’s paintings with historic artifacts to offer a look at how Black people lived and defied social and structural limitations in the early to mid-20th century.

The centerpiece of the show is titled Kind of Blue (1959) which refers to jazz legend Miles Davis’ album that pushed the boundaries of the genre. It’s Lindsay’s largest painting to date, totaling 6 feet by 14 feet and akin to its name, immerses the viewer in dominant layers of blue that allow flashes of hues of earthy red to pop. https://wamu.org/story/25/12/05/dc-art-jazz-lindsay-adams-new-exhibition-ceremony/

12/19/2025

Friday on The Politics Hour with Kojo Nnamdi were joined by Prince George's County's Krystal Oriadha to discuss her new role as council chair. WAMU’s regional politics team will also join the show to discuss this year in politics!

12/16/2025

This just in: every gift made during All Things Considered will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $20,000. Go to wamu.org now to support the program that helps you make sense of the day's headlines!

12/15/2025

WAMU is proud to partner with Passion and Compassion, INC. in their mission to increase food security in Prince George’s County and neighboring communities. See how you can help at wamu.org/food.

12/13/2025

As Chief Pamela Smith prepares to step down after a little over two years leading the Metropolitan Police Department, D.C. officials and activists are thinking about the legacy Smith leaves, and what comes next for the department.

Smith’s brief tenure saw big drops in crime, but also included a period of unprecedented federal intervention.

12/12/2025

The holidays are just around the corner, and the D.C. region has already seen its first snowfall. This makes it the perfect time to lace up a pair of ice skates and glide (or waddle) your day away at a local ice skating rink. This week for Get Out There, our weekly conversation about ways to explore the Washington region, we’re helping you get out on the ice.
Photo: Tyrone Turner

This week on Get Out There, we're getting out on the ice.

12/12/2025

We have a big challenge for day one of our end of year fundraiser: if 100 listeners give during The Politics Hour, WAMU unlocks an extra $10,000. Join the challenge → wamu.org/donate