Ira’s Everything Bagel | US Arts and Culture Podcasts

Noshing With N.L. Holmes – January 9, 2025

This week, Ira spoke with N.L. Holmes, author of a series of three immersive historical fiction books ("Flowers of Evil," "Web of Evil," and "Wheel of Evil") that unravel the mysteries of life during the ancient Egyptian empire. In this trio episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” N.L. talks about growing up in Texas and becoming a nun at 21; going back to school to pursue archeology and getting a PhD; why she ended up teaching; how she decided to write after retiring; why she picked this period of time and place for her series of three books; why she enjoys writing about the intrigue of mysterious assassinations, forbidden love affairs, and political rebellion; researching for the book; not contradicting anything known for being true; her freedom to embroider as a novelist; using her imagination; why there is no arc of story in this particular series because they are self-contained books; her development of recurring characters; how to solve a mystery when there is no forensic science, the different tools to solve mysteries, including people asking questions and looking for physical clues; and what she sees as the possibility for the books becoming a television series.
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Noshing With Marcia Peck – December 26, 2024

This week, Ira spoke with award-winning writer and accomplished musician Marcia Peck, author of "Water Music:A Cape Cod Story." In this cello episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Marcia talks about starting to play the cello at age five; why classical music moves her; the great composers “get inside us”; why the book was set in a certain place and time; her coming-of-age story which follows eleven-going-on-twelve Lily as she navigates parental and familial conflict at the family’s summer retreat on Cape Cod in 1956; her technique for writing; why the title of the book was important to her; music as magic; and what she wanted to explore in the novel.
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Noshing With Joseph McBride – December 19, 2024

This week, Ira spoke with Joseph McBride, author of "George Cukor's People: Acting for a Master Director." In this celluloid episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Joesph talks about what made Cukor unique; how he worked through his actors; how he used the camera elo-quently; why Cukor believed in “fidelity to the text”; why he was elusive; living the double life; dealing with the boundaries of behavior; why the Hollywood production code was a spur to creativity; and why a great director handles every person differently. (Also Watch Full Podcast Video)

Noshing With Lawrence Spinelli – December 12, 2024

This week, Ira spoke with Lawrence Spinelli, author of "Watergate’s Unexpected Hero: The Life of Peter W. Rodino, Jr.." In this Nixonian episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Lawrence talks about his long relationship with Rodino; why Rodino did not want to profit from his historic role in the Nixon impeachment; why he promised Rodino he would write his biography; finding out surprising details about his early life; Rodino’s struggle to become a lawyer, coming from a rough neighborhood; why he became a national hero; the funny story about Nixon and Rodino after the president left office; how “politics found him”; and why he was very always underestimated.
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“Ira’s Everything Bagel” is also available on Alexa, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pocket Casts, SoundCloud, Spotify, Stitcher Radio, Tunein Radio, and Vurbl.

“Bagels are the only bread that are boiled before baked. Once the bagel dough is shaped into a circle, they are dipped in boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes on each side. After that, they are drained and baked for about 10 minutes.”

Bagels have been to space! “It’s safe to say that the treats from Fairmount Bagels in Montreal are out of this world. In 2008, Astronaut Greg Chamitoff boarded Discovery for a 14-day flight into space. Accompanying him? Eighteen bagels from Fairmount, a shop owned by his aunt.”

“The word Bagel comes from the German word “bougel,” meaning “bracelet,” and by way of the Yiddish “beygl” which means “ring.” So, if it is not in the shape of a ring or bracelet, it is NOT a bagel.”

“What sets bagels apart from other types of bread is the fact that they are boiled. Some imitations are steamed, but they do not have the same chewy and crunchy crust and are not true bagels.”

“The first beugel bakeries were founded in New York City in the 1920s. Later the name was changed and called a bagel.”

“The hole in the middle of your bagel is no mistake. In fact, this bread was baked with a hole so vendors could slide them on to dowel rods, making it easy to transport them to wherever they would be selling their bagel that day.”

“Bagels are the only bread that are boiled before they are baked.”

World Champion Competitive Eater Joey Chestnut won Siegel’s Bagelmania Bagel Eating Competition in Las Vegas January 13, winning the title, a championship belt and $5,000 of the total $10,000 prize pool.