Professor Jan Grue, who is disabled himself, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss villains from Disney to 007 – and how these portrayals of people with disabilities spread harmful ideas.
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Joy is made sweeter because we know pain
Author and poet Ross Gay joins us to share his essay collection about finding meaning in bleak times to create compassion, hope, and to better connect to our shared humanity.
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Untangling the true story of a scandalous shipwreck
New Yorker staff writer David Grann joins us to discuss a British warship called the Wager, which wrecked in Patagonia in the 1740s, and the conflicting stories of its surviving castaways.
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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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The changing seasons of friendship
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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What TV and books get wrong about women
Sophie Gilbert from The Atlantic talks about Western beauty standards and how the portrayal of women characters in books, movies and television affects the lives of women in the real world.
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The power of small poems
Poet Billy Collins talks about his new work full of small poems, built to pack an emotional punch in just a few, short lines.
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Novelist Andrew Sean Greer is a hopeful romantic
The hapless, loveable character of Arthur Less from the novel “Less” won Andrew Sean Greer a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2018. And now, he’s back.
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The weird and brilliant stories of George Saunders
Writer George Saunders discusses his newest collection of short stories – many with dystopian themes – and his process for writing them.
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Your fun could be so much funner
Science journalist Catherine Price discusses her definition of true fun and why she feels it can lead us to happier, more fulfilling lives.
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One teen’s quest to become Internet famous
A fictional teen’s need to be recognized by her peers leads down a path of unintended catfishing on social media in Crystal Maldonado’s new YA novel.
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Were we wrong about Tracy Flick in ‘Election?’
Tracy Flick was the ambitious upstart of her high school in the book “Election,” later played by Reese Witherspoon in the movie. So, whatever happened to her? Author Tom Perrotta talks about his follow-up novel that follows Tracy’s life as an adult.
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