Essayist B.D. McClay joins us to discuss the many phases of a friendship, from joy to loss, using touchstones from classic stories.
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A YA Novelist Takes On Fatphobia
Author Crystal Maldonado joins us to discuss her YA novel about a young woman dealing with the typical subjects of boys and friends, but also a deepening understanding of how she’s viewed by the outside world.
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The Patricia Highsmith we never knew
Anna von Planta was Highsmith’s primary editor for the later part of her life, and she joins us to discuss Highsmith’s literary legacy, as well as her private life, which was often marked by controversy.
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A conversation with U.S. poet laureate Joy Harjo
The member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation joins us to discuss how she reckons with the loss of ancestral homelands, her personal story, and the rituals that provide her with inspiration.
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Fictional Teens Vs. Real-Life Monsters
Author and educator Liza Wiemer joins us to talk about her YA novel featuring students who must use Nazi propaganda in a debate, the courage it takes for two teenagers to confront anti-Semitism, and the real-life examples the author drew from.
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Polarization Doesn’t Have To Be Permanent
Peter T. Coleman is a professor of psychology and education at Columbia University, and he joins us to talk about applying methods of conflict resolution to work through our differences.
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Segregation In Higher Ed Isn’t A Thing Of The Past
Adam Harris, a staff writer at The Atlantic, joins us to discuss why Black students have always been an afterthought in higher education, the legacy that has created and the road toward reckoning with this discrimination.
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What It’s Like To Gain A Sense
Dr. Susan R. Barry, professor emeritus of biology and neuroscience at Mount Holyoke College, joins us to discuss three case histories, including her own, of people gaining a new way of seeing or hearing at an older age.
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Why We Work Better Under Deadline
Christopher Cox, a visiting scholar at NYU’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute, joins us to talk about why deadlines have a way of motivating us to finish tasks.
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A Modern Take On Greek Mythology
Novelist Stacey Swann joins us to talk about interweaving down-to-earth characters, but with the characteristics of the legendary Greek gods.
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An Immigrant Parent’s American Dream Meets A Child’s Reality
Sabreet Kang Rajeev joins us to talk about understanding her parents’ journey, their hopes for their new life, and connecting those to her own story as a first-generation American.
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The Liberation Of Sharing Family Secrets
Ashley C. Ford joins us to discuss her story of poverty, assault, and the secrets that upended her family.
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