If the voice of Kojo Nnamdi sounds different starting Monday, it could because be he's channeling the Bard. Kojo, who once upon a time covered Capitol Hill for WHUR , will helm Kojo at the Capitol: In Partnership with Roll Call, WAMU's Metro Connection, and the Folger Shakespeare Library amid the Folger's dark wood, thousands of manuscripts, vivid oil paintings and stained glass. His eponymous show, on WAMU 88.5 will hit the road from its usual spot at American University, and set up camp Feb. 2-6 on the first floor of the Folger, broadcasting adjacent to the Founder's Room in a book-filled office with a sun-filled greenhouse window to one side and a painting of the great Shakespearean actor David Garrick to the other. The Folger setting is a perfect one for such a partnership. The research institution, the creation of the late Henry Clay Folger and his wife, Emily Jordan Folger, houses the largest collection of works and material by William Shakespeare. It's a private entity amid myriad public ones, namely the U.S. Capitol and the Library of Congress. Henry Clay Folger envisioned the library as a gift to the public, yet it's also an integral part of the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Step into the building any day of the week and you might come across a performance of "Mary Stuart," currently playing in the Folger's theater; scholars spread out across reading rooms; browsers perusing the open stacks; tourists checking out what Associate Librarian Georgianna Ziegler calls the "theatrical tchotckes collection" (personal favorite: the Lego Bard), or the curious checking out the Exhibition Hall's current cryptography display (Just in time for "The Imitation Game"!). The mixing of public and private, town and gown, Congress and local, is at the heart of what we do at Roll Call, what Kojo does with his show and what WAMU does with Metro Connection. Kojo at the Capitol will explore the Capitol as the fascinating place it is, and Capitol Hill as the vibrant neighborhood it is, with discussions of leadership, politics, restaurants, people and everything else that makes things go around up here. So give a listen, from noon to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and for the Politics Hour on Friday at noon, coming to you from Capitol Hill at the Folger. Related: Kojo's #Flashback Friday: Covering Congress, 40 Years Ago Roll Call's Coverage of the Capitol and Congress as a Community The Kojo Nnamdi Show The 114th: CQ Roll Call's Guide to the New Congress Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call in your inbox or on your iPhone.
