Kate Cohen considers why naming books as illicit increases demand, and why that means the written word still resonates with today’s youth.
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Motherhood: The pressure to be perfect
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.
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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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His violin was his ticket out. Then it went missing
Author Brendan Nicholaus Slocumb joins us to talk about his novel, a thriller called “The Violin Conspiracy.”
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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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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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