First Person

"First Person" is On Point's radio diary series. Pitch your own story about life during the pandemic at onpoint@wbur.org.

Father Christopher WIlliams walks down the aisle in the Basilica of San Albino on May 2, 2020 in Mesilla, New Mexico, amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Paul Ratje / AFP via Getty Images)

Rev. Joshua Lazard On How COVID Helped The U.S. Appeal 'To Our Better Angels'

'I believe that as a whole, as a country, we have appealed to our better angels. And I think that us as a country, we will be better for it.'

On Point

04:19Jul 14, 2021

Ken Gloss, the proprietor of the Brattle Book Shop. (Photo: Jeffrey Dunn)

First Person: Brattle Book Shop's Ken Gloss On How Family Got Him Through The Pandemic

Ken's positive attitude and perseverance helped his store stay open. But it was not without its struggles.

On Point

03:35Jun 25, 2021

A woman smiles under the sunset. (RunPhoto via Getty Images)

First Person: Adrienne Maree Brown Finds Joy In Finding Her People

Author adrienne maree brown reflects on a year-plus of COVID, and finding joy in the midst of overwhelming world events.

On Point

06:06Jun 18, 2021

A medical worker administers a test for COVID-19 at a facility in Camden, N.J., April 1, 2020. (Matt Rourke/AP)

First Person: Virologist Stanley Perlman Reflects On A Year Of COVID

Dr. Stanley Perlman is a professor of microbiology, immunology and pediatrics at the University of Iowa. He walks through what the past year has been like for him.

On Point

04:38Jun 8, 2021

Supporters of former President Donald Trump protest outside the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. (Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images)

First Person: A Reporter's Recollections Of The Capitol Riot

How do we find the truth about what happened on the day of the Capitol insurrection? CBS reporter Grace Segers reflects on what she remembers from Jan. 6.

On Point

10:23May 19, 2021

First Person: The Sounds, Tastes And Biology Of Cicadas

Cicadas have been an inspiration to researchers well beyond the world of entomology. We hear three stories on the remarkable things humankind has learned from these insects.

On Point

13:23May 7, 2021

Chairman and Chief Software Architect of Microsoft Corporation Bill Gates speaks at an Antitrust press conference in 1998. (Photo by Porter Gifford/Liaison)

First Person: Litigator David Boies On Antitrust, Tech And The Government V. Microsoft

We speak with the litigator the government brought in back in the 1990s for the U.S. v. Microsoft.

On Point

10:27Apr 26, 2021

The John Elliot Bible, from 1661, inscribed with language of the native American Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, who inhabited the area where the Mayflower pilgrims landed in 1620, at the Box Museum in Plymouth south west England, Monday, Sept. 14, 2020. (Alastair Grant/AP Photo)

First Person: Keeping The Wampanoag Language Alive

We speak with Melanie Roderick of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. She's a teacher with the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project.

On Point

05:47Mar 23, 2021

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev. meets with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington in 2014. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Radio Diary: A Walk Through The History Of The Filibuster

There's a sense that the filibuster has been part of the procedures of the U.S. Senate since time immemorial. We asked a historian whether or not that's true.

On Point

06:43Mar 10, 2021

Times Square area near 42nd Street in New York City. This photo is circa 1920s. (AP Photo)

'People Will Bounce Back': How COVID-19 Parallels Past Pandemics

Clinical psychologist Steven Taylor discusses his book "The Psychology of Pandemics" and shares how the COVID-19 pandemic parallels past pandemics.

On Point

05:21Feb 12, 2021

Supporters of U.S. President Trump enter the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in Washington, D.C. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

First Person: The Consequences Of America's 'Stupid Coup'

"This is actually a chance for Americans ... to rejoin the rest of the world. But God knows, it's going to be a painful awakening."

On Point

12:06Feb 5, 2021

How This Photojournalist Captured Barack Obama's Favorite Election 2008 Photo

On election night 2008, photojournalist Matt Mendelsohn went to the Lincoln Memorial and took a picture of the people gathered there. It became Barack Obama's favorite photo from the inauguration....

On Point

07:43Jan 19, 2021

Albert Maghbouleh, far left, and Miles Santamour, 89, with Amigos de Jaibalito Foundation (ADJ) share lunch outdoors guarding social distancing, overlooking the skyline of Los Angeles Monday, Jan. 11. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Radio Diary: How One Cafe Maintains Community Amid LA's COVID Surge

"I think everyone knows someone who has COVID, or is one degree away from someone who is going through COVID."

On Point

05:12Jan 18, 2021

Collage from some of our favorite radio diaries this year. (Courtesy: Mahir, Screenshot of Red Dead Redemption 2, ©Amy Gulick/amygulick.com, Ahmed Al-Zubaidi)

On Point's Year In Radio Diaries

Across 2020, we heard your stories: from health care workers to an unemployed mom to a journalist who was tear-gassed. We listen back to some of our favorite radio diaries.

On Point

47:24Jan 1, 2021

Radio Diary: The Kindness Of A Phone Call

In this radio diary, hear the story of the kindness of a phone call.

On Point

05:40Dec 17, 2020

Ohio State employee Cory Coffey, right, administers a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, in Columbus, Ohio. (Jay LaPrete/AP)

'Did I Do The Right Thing?': An ER Doctor On Ethics Of The Pandemic

In this radio diary, we discuss the ethical complications of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Point

03:27Dec 15, 2020

A graphic from Navajo Nation's “Stay Home, Stay Local, Stay Safe” campaign. (Courtesy)

Radio Diary: Navajo Nation's Coronavirus Surge

The president of the Navajo Nation speaks with us about the current coronavirus wave in Navajo Nation and why it's much more dire than the first COVID outbreak this spring.

On Point

05:30Dec 11, 2020

Megan and Craig Bates and their two sons. (Courtesy)

Radio Diary: A Family's Lessons From Australia's Coronavirus Lockdown

We speak with an Australian family about their experiences in lockdown, and why it was worth it.

On Point

09:19Dec 9, 2020

Radio Diary: A Doctor's Mission To End COVID-19 Racial Health Inequities

At the start of the pandemic, Dr. Ala Stanford heard from her Black friends that they were not able to get coronavirus tests. She decided to change that.

On Point

05:11Dec 2, 2020

A nurse administers care to a patient in the acute care COVID unit at Harborview Medical Center on May 7, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. (Karen Ducey/Getty Images)

Radio Diary: On The Frontlines

A nursing assistant and a nurse practitioner share how they're experiencing the coronavirus surge.

On Point

08:43Dec 1, 2020

BBC Newsday

Rev. Joshua Lazard On How COVID Helped The U.S. Appeal 'To Our Better Angels'

First Person: Brattle Book Shop's Ken Gloss On How Family Got Him Through The Pandemic

First Person: Adrienne Maree Brown Finds Joy In Finding Her People

First Person: Virologist Stanley Perlman Reflects On A Year Of COVID

First Person: A Reporter's Recollections Of The Capitol Riot

First Person: The Sounds, Tastes And Biology Of Cicadas

First Person: Litigator David Boies On Antitrust, Tech And The Government V. Microsoft

First Person: Keeping The Wampanoag Language Alive

Radio Diary: A Walk Through The History Of The Filibuster

'People Will Bounce Back': How COVID-19 Parallels Past Pandemics

First Person: The Consequences Of America's 'Stupid Coup'

How This Photojournalist Captured Barack Obama's Favorite Election 2008 Photo

Radio Diary: How One Cafe Maintains Community Amid LA's COVID Surge

On Point's Year In Radio Diaries

Radio Diary: The Kindness Of A Phone Call

'Did I Do The Right Thing?': An ER Doctor On Ethics Of The Pandemic

Radio Diary: Navajo Nation's Coronavirus Surge

Radio Diary: A Family's Lessons From Australia's Coronavirus Lockdown

Radio Diary: A Doctor's Mission To End COVID-19 Racial Health Inequities

Radio Diary: On The Frontlines