Midday WYPR 88.1 FM Baltimore

Judith Krummeck's The Deceived Ones reinterprets the classic Twelfth Night in a contemporary Baltimore setting. Her new novel chronicles the journey of twins, Vira and Sevastyan, a brother and sister from Ukraine who escape their war-torn homeland and come to Charm City.

Vira is a talented musician, who becomes begins working on a new opera at the Peabody Institute in the Mount Vernon neighborhood. Inspired by Shakespeare, Krummeck weaves a fun and poignant tale, replete with mistaken identities, heartfelt ardor, and a bit of mischief.
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Slow Time is Antje Rauwerda's debut novel. The Goucher College professor set her story in Govans, the northeast Baltimore neighborhood she calls come. The setting comes alive in Rauwerda's story, and is as vibrantly described as the characters who call Govans home.

At the outset of the story, the book’s protagonists, Danny and Em, know each other only in passing. As their connection deepens, we learn about their pasts, what they have lost, and how they have coped with those losses.
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Dr. Leana Wen joins Tom for Midday Healthwatch for their monthly discussion about the public health of Charm City residents.

Today, Wen will answer your questions about the recent outbreak of bird flu among animal populations, including dairy cows. While documented cases are clustered in just a handful of states, the Maryland Department of Agriculture is taking steps to protect the state’s food supply and residents.

In March there was one documented case of bird flu spreading to a human host, in a person with close contact with cows.

Wen wrote about the spread of the virus for The Washington Post How concerned are public health experts about bird flu?

Wen is a former health commissioner of Baltimore. She’s a columnist on health matters for the Washington Post, a medical expert at CNN, and a scholar at George Washington University and the Brookings Institution.
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Leading Baltimore mayoral candidate Thiru Vignarajah dropped out of the race for the city's top leadership position and endorsed his opponent, Sheila Dixon, ahead of this month’s Democratic primary.

The endorsement came during a surprise announcement Wednesday in Fells Point. Dixon and Vignarajah would not confirm whether a role in Dixon’s administration would be down the road.

Emily Sullivan, City Hall reporter for WYPR's news partner The Baltimore Banner, joins us to discuss the mayoral race and Maryland's 3rd Congressional District race to replace retiring Rep. John Sarbanes.

Plus, early voting in primary elections across Maryland began this week. Residents can register to vote and cast their ballot at an early voting center in the county where they live. Residents can also register on Election Day at their assigned polling place.
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Today is Midday at the Movies, our monthly focus on new films and film-industry trends, with our regular movie aficionado, founding director of the Maryland Film Festival Jed Dietz.

The Maryland Film Festival is this weekend, and promises a slate of films and videos reflecting Charm City's unique culture. Local, national and international screenings covering a broad range of genres are on the festival's lineup.
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In Reading Genesis, author Marilynne Robinson revisits the Scripture and explores the rich themes of the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament.

Robinson argues both academic and fundamentalist interpretations of the Book of Genesis lead to a lack of appreciation for the grand example of literature found within this foundational tome.
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