What the South has to say about America

March 16, 2022 History, Literature, Race/Identity

Imani Perry discusses her return to her Southern home in Alabama with fresh eyes, weaving in the stories of the good-tempered with a darker history.

Life is different on the other side of cancer

March 14, 2022 Health, Literature, Race/Identity

Suleika Jaouad joins us to talk about the cancer that left her fighting for life at a young age and how she’s reimagined what the future holds now that she’s cancer-free.

Life as the daughters of immigrants

March 7, 2022 Culture, Literature, Race/Identity

Daphne Palasi Andreades discusses her new novel, where five daughters of immigrants become friends for life but are tested when views on ambition, loyalty and class begin to diverge.

The power of banned books

March 3, 2022 Education, Literature

Kate Cohen considers why naming books as illicit increases demand, and why that means the written word still resonates with today’s youth.

Motherhood: The pressure to be perfect

February 17, 2022 Culture, Literature

Author Jessamine Chan discusses her novel “The School for Good Mothers,” which focuses on a Big Brother-like future in which perfect parenting is judged by the state.

Your fun could be so much funner

February 15, 2022 Literature, Science and Technology

Science journalist Catherine Price discusses her definition of true fun and why she feels it can lead us to happier, more fulfilling lives.

His violin was his ticket out. Then it went missing

February 11, 2022 Literature, Race/Identity

Author Brendan Nicholaus Slocumb joins us to talk about his novel, a thriller called “The Violin Conspiracy.”

The changing seasons of friendship

February 9, 2022 Culture, Literature

Essayist B.D. McClay joins us to discuss the many phases of a friendship, from joy to loss, using touchstones from classic stories.

Cover of the book "Fat Chance, Charlie Vega."

A YA Novelist Takes On Fatphobia

January 18, 2022 Culture, Literature, Mental Health, Race/Identity

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.

The Patricia Highsmith we never knew

November 24, 2021 Literature, Think

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.

A conversation with U.S. poet laureate Joy Harjo

October 8, 2021 Culture, Literature, Race/Identity

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.

School classroom with school desks and blackboard

Fictional Teens Vs. Real-Life Monsters

September 22, 2021 Education, History, Literature, Race/Identity

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.