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State Of Things Managing Editor Anita Rao Takes You Behind-The-Scenes

State of Things Managing Editor Anita Rao in the studio. She shares her favorite moments from 2017, including when she filled in as guest host for the show.
Liz Baier
State of Things Managing Editor Anita Rao in the studio. She shares her favorite moments from 2017, including when she filled in as guest host for the show.

2017 marked a unique moment for journalism. Headlines broke each hour, and conversations that long took place in the margins were brought to the center. With all of this barely in the rearview mirror, The State of Things staff takes turns joining host Frank Stasio in the studio to recap their favorite moments of the year.

Managing Editor Anita Rao goes first and shares moments that include a conversation about the surprising power of bird brains, the story of a mail carrier who delivered baked goods on his route, and a conversation about the past, present and future of the feminist movement. She also talks about filling in as a guest host and a memorable conversation she had with John Duberstein, widower of best-selling author Nina Riggs.Managing Editor Anita Rao takes a look back at her favorite moments from 2017.

View a complete list of Anita Rao’s favorite segments below:

Copyright 2017 North Carolina Public Radio

Anita Rao is the host and creator of "Embodied," a live, weekly radio show and seasonal podcast about sex, relationships & health. She's also the managing editor of WUNC's on-demand content. She has traveled the country recording interviews for the Peabody Award-winning StoryCorps production department, founded and launched a podcast about millennial feminism in the South, and served as the managing editor and regular host of "The State of Things," North Carolina Public Radio's flagship daily, live talk show. Anita was born in a small coal-mining town in Northeast England but spent most of her life growing up in Iowa and has a fond affection for the Midwest.
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.