Sharing the Mic

This is a very special edition of Sharing the Mic with David Phillips. In cooperation with The WHRO Voice and WHRO Public Media, we are bringing you a production of the radio drama, Charles Dickens’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL by The WHRO Voice Players, featuring David Phillips as Ebenezer Scrooge. From Christmas Eve through the Feast of the Epiphany (January 6) you will be able to enjoy this classic and beloved holiday tale. From the Barrier Island’s Center to you . . . Merry Christmas and ENJOY!

Andrew Barbour is a former travel editor and transplant to the Eastern Shore and has written three children’s books for the Barrier Islands Center.  Andrew and David will discuss his background, how he came to write these books, and much more.  

Bert Schmidt has been a leader in public media for over 28 years.  His face is a familiar one to those who have watched public television because of his frequent appearances during fund drive season. Bert has passionately sought ways to support local communities through programming and educational services in his 14 years as president and CEO of WHRO Public Media.  

This is our neighbor, Admiral Joseph W. Prueher, since retirement as a 4-Star Admiral in the United States Navy and as the United States Ambassador to China.  He lives in Virginia Beach and spends time on his Eastern Shore Farm.  Admiral Prueher will talk about his time in the Navy and as Ambassador.  His insights are captivating.

Margaret Upshur is a descendent of an old Eastern Shore family, and she and guest host, Max Patten, talk about her work in environmental activism.  Margaret was the first BIC intern - the position which Max now occupies.

Mike Noseworthy is a stellar volunteer at the Barrier Islands Center who retired to the Eastern Shore of Virginia from New York City where he was on the engineering staff of NBC News.  His expertise makes possible the BIC’s series “Conversations in the Kitchen.”

Max Patten is a rising 4th-year student at the University of Virginia and he was a summer intern at the Barrier Islands Center assisting with this podcast, as well as “Conversations in the Kitchen” and filming of the latest Jim Spione BIC documentary.

Wayne Bell, Jr. is an Eastern Shore native and CEO of Children’s Harbor – an early education and childhood facility.  He a member of the Barrier Islands Center’s Board of Directors.  We will discuss Wayne’s childhood in Eastville and the influences in his life and what lead him to pursue his career and avocational interests.  

Sheri Reynolds is an Eastern Shore of Virginia’s Cape Charles resident and author of The New York Times #1 bestseller, The Rapture of Canaan.  Steeped in the rich tradition of southern writers like Carson McCullers and Sue Monk Kidd, her new book The Tender Grave is a gripping story of two estranged sisters who find their unlikely way toward forgiveness and each other through a gruesome and disturbing set of circumstances.  We will discuss writing in general and Sheri will read from The Tender Grave.

David Phillips’ guest on Episode 3 of Sharing the Mic is Devlin Barrett whose grand-parents owned the land on which the Barrier Islands Center occupies. It was purchased in the late 1990s. Mr. Barrett and his family spent most of the time during the Pandemic on the family farm which is now adjacent to the Barrier Islands Center. Devlin Barrett writes about the FBI and the Justice Department for the Washington Post, and is the author of "October Surprise: How the FBI Tried to Save Itself and Crashed an Election." He was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for National Reporting, for coverage of Russian interference in the U.S. election. In 2017 he was a co-finalist for both the Pulitzer for Feature Writing and the Pulitzer for International Reporting. He has covered federal law enforcement for more than 20 years, and has worked at The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press, and the New York Post.