Community Calendar

Join Stateside host April Baer in a discussion with Sam Sanders, Journalist and host of The Sam Sanders Show, the cult-classic pop-culture and entertainment podcast heard on Michigan Public. The two will recount Sanders' past as a political journalist, discuss his evolution into a pop-culture podcast host, and look at what's on the horizon for him in the new year.

Sam Sanders, a journalist and podcast host, has been a national news figure since 2015. For over 10 years, Sanders has covered a wide range of topics, from politics to pop culture, and has been a leading national voice for all of us.

Starting in 2015 within NPR’s Election unit, he covered Bernie Sanders’s 2016 election campaign and co-founded NPR’s Politics Podcast. In 2017, he launched It’s Been a Minute—the cult classic pop culture podcast and radio show from NPR. Sanders left NPR in 2022 to create the Sirius XM podcast Vibe Check, and recently returned to public media with his PRX show The Sam Sanders Show.

Join Stateside host April Baer for the latest Speaker Series from Michigan Public. She’ll lead Sanders in a discussion looking back at the last 10+ years of his career, including the creation of NPR’s Politics Podcast, leaving public media, and launching his most recent show, The Sam Sanders Show. Join Michigan Public for this unique, after-hours discussion with one of public media’s most notable figures!

Ira Glass, one of America’s most influential storytellers, returns to Ann Arbor for his fifth A2SF appearance for an evening filled with insight, creativity, and unforgettable moments. As the creator and host of This American Life, the award-winning public radio program heard by more than 5 million listeners each week, Glass has shaped how a generation thinks about narrative and the power of everyday stories.

In this special A2SF appearance, Glass blends live storytelling with audio clips, music, video, and audience Q&A to share how he builds a story from the ground up. He reflects on what inspires him, how challenges evolve into breakthroughs, and what he has learned from a life devoted to curiosity and craft.

Under his leadership, This American Life has earned nine Peabody Awards, the first Pulitzer Prize for audio journalism, and induction to the Library of Congress. His programs were also ranked among Time magazine’s 100 Best Podcasts of All Time.

Tickets can be purchased here.

A limited number of tickets to a pre-show VIP Meet & Greet reception with Mr. Glass are available to ticket buyers. Meet & Greet tickets are $30 and capacity is limited. The reception will take place in the Power Center lobby before the performance and will include refreshments. This add-on can be purchased here.

David Sedaris will return to the Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St., at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 25, 2026.

His event, titled “An Evening With David Sedaris,” is part of his 2025-26 tour across North America and Europe.

Sedaris, whose works regularly appear in the New Yorker, can often be heard on the public radio show “This American Life.” He has been nominated for five Grammy Awards for Best Spoken Word and Best Comedy Album.

He has published 14 books and essay collections, one in collaboration with his sister, Emmy-nominated comedian Amy Sedaris.

Tickets start at $79 per person.