Gulf Coast Life

Most people are by now familiar with the term genome — it's essentially a blueprint each person is born with. The exposome is the dynamic, lifelong ledger of every non-genetic exposure a person encounters. It includes thinks like air pollution and pesticides, dietary choices, lifestyle, and chronic stress. We talk with ethnobotanist, Dr. Paul Cox, from the Brain Chemistry Labs in Jackson, Wyoming to learn more about this emerging notion of ‘the exposome’.

McCollum Hall is a two-story building on the corner of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd and Cranford Avenue on the eastern side of downtown Fort Myers, just past the railroad tracks on the western edge of the Dunbar Community. The City of Fort Myers designated McCollum Hall as a local historic landmark in 1998 and it was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2022. Over the years there have been a number of stops and starts in efforts and plans to bring it back to life in some form. The city’s Community Redevelopment Agency took over the property in 2008 and repaired the roof and shored up the structure. The building’s facade got a facelift in 2016 with the help of a state historic preservation grant. Now, the CRA has approved a new conceptual design proposal from Fort Myers architects Parker Mudgett Smith for the restoration and adaptive reuse which includes a restaurant, performing space, retail space and a business center — and the CRA has purchased the adjoining property so it will have a larger footprint.

Players Circle Theater’s summer performance season continues with a production of the Tony-nominated one-man comedy, “Say Goodnight Gracie,” about the marriage and professional partnership of George Burns and Gracie Allen, whose groundbreaking comedy act evolved across vaudeville, radio, film, and television. We will talk with actor Pasquale LaCorte, who stars in the show, and Players Circle Theater Associate Artistic Director Ted Wioncek III.

Former global advertising executive Tim Love's 2025 book “The Medium is the Mirror: The Reformation of Truth Reshaping Our Relationships, Politics and Sacred Beliefs” explores the way our online world works, and how behavior data being collected on us is being used to shape our behavior. It was recently awarded first prize in the Business Marketing & Advertising category in the 2026 International Book Awards so we’re checking back in with him, and former Missouri Congressman and Democratic House Majority Leader, Dick Gephardt, who wrote the book's introduction.

There is always some level of need for food assistance in Southwest Florida, but during times of economic stress — like many people are facing now because of rising prices and increased fuel costs — the need only grows, so we check in with Midwest Food Bank Florida to see how things are going. Through their volunteer-driven operation, Midwest Food Bank Florida provides tens of thousands of meals every month through their partners, and they make and distribute what are called Hope Packs for kids which provide nutritious weekend meals through local school partnerships to children facing food insecurity when school is not in session.

Southwest Florida-based singer/songwriter Melinda “Blou Note” Daniel performs live in the WGCU studio.

Francine Prose has published 232 and at least 10 works of nonfiction. Her 2000 novel Blue Angel was a finalist for the National Book Award. Her brand-new novel, Five Weeks in the Country, taps into historical fact to weave a fascinating account of two geniuses of world renown who really did cross paths in the 19th century about 30 miles east of London, and who really did completely fail to get along.

Juneteenth was declared a federal holiday in 2021 when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. The State of Florida actually recognized Juneteenth back in 1991 under Governor Lawton Chiles, and some Florida municipalities focus their historical Emancipation celebrations on May 20 instead, because that’s the date the Emancipation Proclamation was announced in Tallahassee in 1865. This weekend the Lee County Black History Society is leading the celebrations locally, so we talk with three people directly involved to learn more.

In early 2023, a small group of southwest Floridians met to discuss what they saw as autocratic trends unfolding in Florida and beyond. Not long after that first meeting just over three years ago, they formed a nonpartisan nonprofit called Floridians for Democracy. On Tuesday, June 16 at 7pm they’re presenting a program called “Guardians of Democracy: Speaking Truth to Power." They will also presenting Dr. Robert Hilliard with a Lifetime Achievement award. Dr. Hilliard is a humanitarian, author, educator and former professor and Dean at Emerson College. He is also a veteran of WWII and was Chief of Public Broadcasting at the FCC when the Public Broadcasting Act was signed in 1967.

The Bridging the Gap Center for the Arts will host an immersive pop-up art experience titled “In Living Color: A Juneteenth Art Experience,” featuring Southwest Florida-based artist Richard Bravo. Ahead of the event on June 19, 2026, at McCollum Hall, we talk with the featured artist and Bridging the Gap founder and Executive Director Sonya McCarter.