Say More

4.3 (78)
NEWS COMMENTARY
UPDATED WEEKLY

Big ideas and big debates, explained through intimate conversations with the compelling personalities who shape them. AI and biotech. Higher education and health care. Climate and sustainability. Politics and the media. Culture and culture wars. Hosted by Boston Globe columnist Shirley Leung.

6D AGO

She Studies Gun Violence. Then a Mass Shooting Shattered her Campus.

Usually after a mass shooting, Ieva Jusionyte has a lot to say. Ieva is a scholar of gun violence at Brown University and is no stranger to the terrible power of firearms. But when a mass shooting took place at her place of work, in a building where she teaches, the words fell away. This week on Say More, Ieva talks to Opinion Editor Jim Dao about why solutions need to go beyond policy and address the deeper culture. Email us at saymore@globe.com Find Ieva’s recent piece for Globe Opinion here.

27 min
DEC 18

Is it a Recession? Or just a Vibe-cession? We Ask Larry Edelman.

Globe business columnist Larry Edelman says if we do have a recession in 2026, it won’t be a crash - more like air leaking out of a big balloon. This week on Say More, host Shirley Leung gets a vibe check on the economy with the author of the Globe’s popular Trendlines newsletter. Larry says consumer spending is up, the numbers are not bad, but the vibes are not great. Email us at saymore@globe.com. Sign up for Trendlines here.

25 min
DEC 11

Why Gish Jen Talks to The Dead

Writer Gish Jen recently had a revelation about her novels: her characters often talk to the dead. But in her most recent work, Bad Bad Girl, the dead talk back. In this book, Jen fictionalizes real details of her mother’s life, immigrating from China to the US in the 1940s and raising a big Chinese American family. The result is an exploration of a fraught mother-daughter relationship, and the elusive grasp of the American Dream. Jen talks to Boston Globe editorial page editor Jim Dao about this personal book, and about how America has changed since she started writing about it. Email us at saymore@globe.com.

29 min
DEC 4

Marco Werman Thinks International News is America’s Secret Weapon

As Americans, we are at our best when we’re engaged with the world - confident and curious. So says Marco Werman, the long-time host of public radio program The World, based at GBH here in Boston. Recent cuts to public media funding mean programs like The World are in trouble, with fewer resources to tell deep stories about the complexities and diversity of our planet, and less awareness about America’s place in it. This week on Say More, Marco Werman sits down with podcast editor Anna Kusmer to talk about the importance of a global perspective, and why he loves The World. Email us at saymore@globe.com.

26 min
NOV 27

Say More LIVE: Ben Cohen Wants to #FreeBenAndJerrys

Recording LIVE from Globe Summit, Shirley Leung talks to Ben & Jerry’s cofounder Ben Cohen about what makes his company stand apart. Activism has been part of the ice cream company’s DNA since launching with Jerry Greenfield four decades ago. While it may turn some customers away, it’s a worthy price to pay staying true to your values, says Ben. Now, Ben is working to #FreeBenAndJerry’s from large corporate owners to try to return the company to its activist roots. He talks to Shirley about this battle and expresses his current feelings through an extended ice cream metaphor. Email us at saymore@globe.com.

25 min
NOV 20

A Boston Veteran’s 57-Year Journey to Find Peace

Globe columnist Kevin Cullen has written countless stories about veterans, but one recent story was the most powerful he’s ever told. This week on Say More, Cullen talks to Globe’s Opinion Editor Jim Dao about one Boston veteran who spent decades finding peace after a devastating experience in Vietnam. Cullen talks about his own motivations for telling these types of stories, and his grief and anger about the treatment of veterans in this country. Email us at saymore@globe.com Read Kevin’s piece here: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/06/metro/end-ed-kochanowskis-wars/

31 min
NOV 13

It’s Affordability, Stupid. Massachusetts’s Disappearing Middle Class

When we think of middle class life, several things come to mind: owning a home, stable childcare, food in the pantry, a sense of security. But as the rich get richer in Massachusetts, the middle class is falling further behind, and making ends meet is no longer a given. People are angry, and politicians seem to be waking up to the crisis. Say More host Shirley Leung talks to the Boston Globe’s Money, Power,Inequality team about their new reporting project “Squeezed” about MA’s disappearing middle class. The episode features project editor Kris Hooks and reporters Katie Johnston and Mara Kardas-Nelson. To read SQUEEZED, click here: https://apps.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/money-power-inequality/squeezed/massachusetts-middle-class/unravel/

23 min
NOV 6

In Boston and New York, Progressive Millennial Mayors are having a MOMENT.

When New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani was asked in a debate which democratic politician was most effective, he answered, “Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.” Wu and Mamdani are both young, progressive and unapologetically ambitious about their visions for their respective cities. They both captured vast coalitions and are being watched closely by the rest of the country, to see if progressive ideas can really translate into policy. Wu has had some success… can Mamdani follow in her footsteps? Say More host Shirley Leung and Globe Ideas writer Abdallah Fayyad discuss. Email us at Saymore@globe.com.

28 min

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TRAILER

Introducing Say More

Since the founding of the Republic, Greater Boston has been a center of American thought, culture, politics, innovation, and science. On Say More, longtime Boston Globe columnist Shirley Leung builds on that grand tradition by bringing you intimate conversations with the doers and thinkers behind the biggest ideas and debates of our time. Find us online at bostonglobe.com/opinion. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

07/06/2023

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3 min

4.3

out of 5

78 Ratings

Cancer podcasts

Jun 2

Old lady Marie

I learned a lot and appreciate you all sharing your experiences.
Great conversation

May 2

BakingNinja

Really appreciated the first episode on cancer - hugely insightful, empathetic, and humane.
Best host!

05/27/2024

HeatherSB_76

Excellent podcast. Shirley is a curious listener, and her questions are often exactly what I am wondering - except for when she’s a few steps ahead of me, in which case I love coming along for the ride.
Mediocre Libs Without Insight

Jan 10

Logical Thinker 2

Tried to listen to the “war on the administrative state” episode. Recognizing that noted deep thinker Shirley Leung was absent, this one was really bad. Lots of feelings and vibes and straw men and very shallow analysis. No understanding of separation of powers and administrative law. Apparently the guest went to law school, not sure if it was ABA accredited. Then tried the Karen Read episode. Shirley has a perfect voice for a newspaper. She really should say less because it’s mostly fluff. Then tried yet again with the Biden biographer with the effeminate and annoying voice. Mild criticism of Brandon but after as if he was a competent President, which is beyond belief.

Big ideas and big debates, explained through intimate conversations with the compelling personalities who shape them. AI and biotech. Higher education and health care. Climate and sustainability. Politics and the media. Culture and culture wars. Hosted by Boston Globe columnist Shirley Leung.