In this episode of the podcast “Unwrap Your Candies Now,” Catherine Lu chats with Madison Petaway, Houston’s fifth Youth Poet Laureate. Appointed in November 2019 by Mayor Sylvester Turner through a joint program of Writers in the Schools and Houston Public Library, Petaway is a junior at Westbury High School and a member of the Meta-Four Houston youth slam team. She talks about how poetry changed her life and how she hopes to serve the city’s youth. She also performs her poem “Dictionary.”

Then, Ernie Manouse interviews John Bolton, who stars as “Horace Vandergelder” in the national-touring Broadway production of Hello, Dolly!. Winner of four Tony Awards, including Best Musical Revival, this new production of the classic musical comedy runs January 7 – 12 at The Hobby Center, presented by Broadway Across America.

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Music used: Par la fenêtre de Théo by Alexandra Stréliski from Inscape, Hello Dolly National Tour trailer and “Hello Dolly” from 2017 Broadway Cast Recording