Wonderful Radio, Marvelous Radio

For the next few weeks, Housing Works Café plays host to the "Liberal Arts" show, in which Al Franken's Air America co-start, Katherine Lanpher, talks things out with various authors and musicians for the next few Wednesdays. Tonight it's Chuck Klosterman and Dar Williams; later shows will feature Sean Wilsey and Jeannette Walls trading childhood horror stories and Melissa Bank being peppered with questions about how book reviews make her feel.

And while Housing Works has your attention, congratulations to New York's favorite used-bookstore-as-charity-fundraiser for its recent out-of-court settlement with New York City. (OK, late May's not so recent, but bear with me.) Nearly a decade ago, the Giuliani administration did its best to run Housing Works out of business for daring to publicly criticize Our Fearless Leader's AIDS policies. This settlement, which specifically covers his attempts to cut off the organization's social services contracts, puts an additional $5 million in Housing Works coffers. I mention this because I hope it's the sort of thing that will come up when Fred Siegel, the author of the recently Times-touted* Giuliani bio The Prince of the City, takes part in a public debate with Robert Polner, the editor of America's Mayor: The Hidden History of Rudy Giuliani's New York at the Jefferson Market Branch of the NYPL (6th Ave. & 10th St.). It's just too bad Jack Newfield isn't around to throw a few more jabs at the "C-plus mayor... who has become an A-plus myth" as well.

* Contrary to James Traub's lead-in statement, "we" don't "miss Rudy" with unanimity; some of us are not only happy to see him gone, but take heart in the possible permanent stalling of his political ambitions by Bernie Kerik's chicanery.