Catherine Shen
Host, Where We LiveCatherine is the Host of Connecticut Public’s morning talk show and podcast, Where We Live. Catherine and the WWL team focus on going beyond the headlines to bring in meaningful conversations that put Connecticut in context.
Before her current position, Catherine was Connecticut Public’s education reporter for just over a year. She covered a variety of stories like student mental health, childcare shortages, and teacher burnout. She joined Connecticut Public's newsroom in 2021. The Los Angeles native came to CT Public after a decade of print and digital reporting across the country.
She started her journalism career in the Los Angeles fashion scene. While that was an exciting time, Catherine ultimately needed to get back to her news roots. She was soon traipsing all across California’s Central Coast as a freelance news reporter for several newspapers, where she broke stories about local government, law enforcement, and education. She also covered crime, healthcare, business, as well as arts and culture.
After finding herself on the East Coast, she continued reporting in New Jersey, covering a mix of academic news, nonprofit projects, and human feature stories both off and on camera. Then she moved to Connecticut and started reporting for the New Britain Herald, where she won several Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists awards for her coverage on the COVID-19 pandemic, social justice movements, and police accountability.
Catherine received an undergraduate degree in broadcast journalism from Washington State University’s Edward R. Murrow College of Communication. While an undergraduate student, she was a reporter for the university newspaper and its student-run television station, Cable 8 News. She’s also a proud member of the Asian American Journalism Society.
In her downtime, she tries her best to catch up on her reading list but often fails due to a variety of distractions, including reorganizing her bookshelves, scavenging library book sales, and thinking about reading books.
Catherine can be reached at cshen@ctpublic.org and follow her on Twitter at @catshenwnpr.
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Black holes have fascinated scientists for generations, but there is still so much we don’t know about them. Today, Yale astrophysicist Priya Natarajan joins us to talk about her research into the depths of black holes. -
New England’s coastal culture is built on shellfish. But rising temperatures and shifting ocean conditions threaten that tradition. This hour, how the shellfish industry is adapting. -
Nuclear power: a controversial but clean way to generate electricity. This hour, we learn about efforts to revive this energy source and how it could impact Connecticut. -
There’s a lot of questions about what to do with your money right now while there is so much financial uncertainty. Today, we learn how to take care of your financial wellbeing during turbulent times. -
Kelp Week 2025 is nearly here, and Connecticut’s kelp is a sea veggie you don’t want to overlook. This hour, how you can use this farmable resource and how it helps keep our oceans healthy. -
The best stories teach us that it’s about the journey, not the destination. Today, we speak with local authors Amity Gaige and Ethan Rutherford. They each have new books out that center on the quest. -
This hour on Where We Live is our annual spring gardening hour with horticulturist and gardener Charlie Nardozzi. Gather New Haven and Chicks Ahoy Farm also join us. -
The skincare industry has tapped into a new market – children and tweens. This hour, we explore Connecticut’s investigation into Sephora’s marketing practices and the beauty industry’s impact on kids. -
This hour on Where We Live, how are international students faring in a political moment where speech and peaceful protest puts them at risk of arrest or deportation? -
Next year will mark 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This hour, we hear how different Connecticut institutions plan to recognize the anniversary.
