Marian Chia-Ming Liu talks about she reclaimed her Chinese middle name after waves of Asian-American violence and the journey that brought her to a new understanding of who she is.
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The Cosmologist who left the streets behind
Hakeem Oluseyi joins host Krys Boyd to talk about his early life, when he struggled with inequality, poverty and addiction, and how he found his way out by studying the stars.
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How kids benefit from seeing their mom’s ambition at work
Lara Bazelon argues that pursuing career goals is central to raising healthy, happy children – and that aspiration is part of the work-life balance.
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A dumpster diver finds the photos we throw away
Jeff Ferrell talks about the thousands of photographs he’s recovered while dumpster diving and the legal and moral questions of owning someone else’s images.
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George Saunders On What Makes A Great Short Story
Novelist George Saunders is the recipient of the Man Booker Prize and many other literary honors, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his book of seven essays about what makes great writing and how readers connect with a page of words.
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Plenty of animals have gay sex, do they also have homophobia?
Frans de Waal discusses challenges to what’s understood about masculinity and femininity and the limitations of gender binary thinking.
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So, you gained weight during the pandemic — you’re not alone
Emily McCombs discusses her own weight gain over the course of the pandemic and why she says no one is allowed to be “fat in peace.”
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Free will in the age of AI
Carissa Véliz discusses the increasingly ever-present A.I. in our lives and what that means for human agency now and far into the future.
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The surprising small beginnings of big social movements
Gal Beckerman explains the origins of big ideas – from the scientific revolution to feminism – and the surprising ways movements spread.
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The descendants of an enslaved man insist his father was George Washington
Jill Abramson contemplates the parentage of West Ford, his possible connection to George Washington, and the fight to save Gum Springs.
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How immigrants use food to connect their old and new lives
Madhushree Ghosh talks about her memoir, taking us on a trip through America to South Asia, where she recounts the recipes that have given her insight into her own rich lived experiences.
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The benefits of being in your feels
Susan Cain discusses bittersweetness – that mix of sorrow and comfort – and why embracing it can lead to creativity and unlock empathy for one another.
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