How To Be A Hero

April 16, 2021 Education, Health, History, Mental Health, Politics

William H. McRaven joins us to talk about what we can all learn from those who acted with valor when the moment required it.

Growing Up Racially Black … But Not Culturally Black In America

April 15, 2021 Culture, Education, Language, Race/Identity

Louis Chude-Sokei, director of the African American studies program at Boston University, joins us to talk about his journey to understand his place in the Black diaspora.

The Weird Racial Phenomenon Of ‘Reverse-Passing’

April 14, 2021 Culture, Education, Mental Health, Race/Identity

Helen Lewis of The Atlantic joins us to talk about the people who take on the roles of different ethnicities and asks if a form of Munchausen syndrome could actually be at play.

Darwin’s Guide To Alien Life

April 13, 2021 Education, Environment, History, Science and Technology

Arik Kershenbaum, a zoologist and fellow at Girton College, University of Cambridge, joins us to talk about understanding evolution on Earth and how that might parallel alien life forms elsewhere.

Asian Americans And The Rise In Racism

April 12, 2021 Culture, Current Events, Education, History, Race/Identity

Vishakha N. Desai, chair of Columbia University’s Committee on Global Thought and a past president of the Asia Society, joins us to talk about these troubling statics, how Asians regularly face racist ideas that question their place in American society and what needs to happen to fight back.

After Vaccination, The Next Steps To Normal

April 8, 2021 Current Events, Economics, Education, Global Issues, Health, Politics, Science and Technology

Dr. Celine Gounder joins us to talk about how we should think about reopening schools, offices and maybe even our vacation plans as more and more people become vaccinated.

Student Debt Is Crushing Parents, Too

April 7, 2021 Culture, Economics, Education, History

Caitlin Zaloom, associate professor of social and cultural analysis at New York University, joins us to discuss how college-minded parents are taking on enormous debts to fund higher education and why the middle-class is especially crunched.

The Pressure To Act Happy When Your Child Has Special Needs

April 5, 2021 Culture, Education, Health, Mental Health

Heather Lanier joins us to discuss the personal struggles she faces parenting her daughter, a child with a very rare genetic disorder, while navigating a world that expects parents to raise high-achieving children.

Was Closing Schools The Right Move For American Teens?

March 31, 2021 Current Events, Education, Health, Mental Health, Politics

Alec MacGillis covers politics and government for ProPublica, and he joins us to tell the stories of teenagers in two small towns, one in New Mexico and one in Texas, where governors took very different approaches to public safety.

New To America? Here’s Where To Start

March 25, 2021 Culture, Current Events, Education, History, Race/Identity

Roya Hakakian joins us talk about her instruction manual for newcomers to this country, acting as tour operator for all the wonder of American sights and sounds.

A Case For A Great Migration Back To The South

March 24, 2021 Culture, Education, History, Race/Identity

New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow joins us to talk about his ideas for how to create lasting social change, honor culture and memory, and fight back against systemic racism.

The Genesis Of The Bible

March 22, 2021 Culture, Education, History, Language, Literature

Kristin Swenson is an associate professor of religious studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, and she joins us to talk about approaching the Bible anew with a sense of wonder and context.