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To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Wisconsin Public Radio

”To the Best of Our Knowledge” is a Peabody award-winning national public radio show that explores big ideas and beautiful questions. Deep interviews with philosophers, writers, artists, scientists, historians, and others help listeners find new sources of meaning, purpose, and wonder in daily life. Whether it’s about bees, poetry, skin, or psychedelics, every episode is an intimate, sound-rich journey into open-minded, open-hearted conversations. Warm and engaging, TTBOOK helps listeners feel less alone and more connected – to our common humanity and to the world we share.

For more from the TTBOOK team, visit us at ttbook.org.

Copyright 2024 by Wisconsin Public Radio

”To the Best of Our Knowledge” is a Peabody award-winning national public radio show that explores big ideas and beautiful questions. Deep interviews with philosophers, writers, artists, scientists, historians, and others help listeners find new sources of meaning, purpose, and wonder in daily life. Whether it’s about bees, poetry, skin, or psychedelics, every episode is an intimate, sound-rich journey into open-minded, open-hearted conversations. Warm and engaging, TTBOOK helps listeners feel less alone and more connected – to our common humanity and to the world we share.

For more from the TTBOOK team, visit us at ttbook.org.

Copyright 2024 by Wisconsin Public Radio
580hr 16min
Thumbnail for "Going for Broke: Making Up Our Minds".
Post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health challenges can push people into poverty. Meanwhile, the experience of financial desperation can also create even more trauma, even more suffering. How do you break the cycle? How do we truly care for people mentally and financially?
Thumbnail for "Everyday Magic".
What would it be like to live in a world where magic is still alive? Not weird, not woo-woo, just ordinary. 400 years ago, consulting a magician in downtown London was as unremarkable as calling a plumber today. Even now, there are places where magic never died – like Iceland, where 54 percent of the population believes in elves, or thinks they might exist.
Thumbnail for "Cultivating Wonder".
Do you ever feel like there’s something missing in your life? You don’t know exactly what it is. And there’s never enough time to really think about it. You might get a glimpse of it if you slow down, or look deeply at something (or someone), or remember some childhood joy. What if that thing you’re missing is a sense of wonder?
Thumbnail for "How Should We Tell Our History?".
America is in the midst of a new debate over how we tell our history. You can see it everywhere – in arguments over critical race theory and AP history classes, in museums and state capitals, in the news and on talk radio. It’s fueled in part by an emerging generation of public historians who are re-shaping our national narratives.
Thumbnail for "Cult of the Self".
In the world of internet influencers and YouTube stars, it’s not enough to be ordinary anymore. You need to be special. But where did this craze for personal branding come from? Why are we so obsessed with ourselves? To understand this cult of the self, we need to go back to 19th century spiritual movements and the rise of the huckster — and also the myth of rugged individualism. But if we’re always shouting “Me me me,” what are we losing? What has it cost us?
Thumbnail for "Deep Time: Infinity is Forever".
Contemplating the infinite is a time-tested way to shrink the present down to size. But if you think about it for very long, infinity can really mess with your mind. There’s something fundamentally paradoxical about it, and beautiful.
Thumbnail for "Avian Obsessions".
It’s summer, and you might be pulling out your binoculars, filling your bird feeders, and looking up as you hear a melodious song. But for many birdwatchers, it's not just a simple pastime. Identifying bird calls, tracking rare breeds through marshes and waters, and watching our feathered friends as they watch you has turned into true love of birds — an avian obsession.
Thumbnail for "In Your Dreams".
What’s the last dream you remember having? Some of us dream every night. But we’re in too much of a hurry to remember our dreams or think about them the next day. Others of us are dream-deprived. What if we embrace our dreams — and our night selves — as a way to understand ourselves better, to connect to each other, even to lead a better life?
Thumbnail for "Beyond Death".
Most of us have no idea what will happen when we die. But some do — people who actually started the process of dying and then came back with remarkable stories — like meeting dead relatives. Science is not only extending the lives of patients who’ve been declared clinically dead; it’s also beginning to tell us what happens in near-death experiences.
Thumbnail for "For The Love Of Moms".
We celebrate Mother's Day with a collection of stories from our archives, by and about moms. Stories about care and about courage — about the work of mothering.
Thumbnail for "Love in the Time of Extinction".
It can be hard to enjoy the natural world these days without anxiety. You notice a butterfly on a flower and wonder why you don’t see more. How’s the monarch population doing this year? And shouldn’t there be more bees? The challenge is to live in this time of climate change – but still find joy and refuge in it.
Thumbnail for "Docupoetry".
Rooted in reality, written with a keen observer’s eye, and shaped with a sense of song, documentary poetry tells the truth in an artist’s voice. For generations, through wars, crisis, and political upheaval, documentary poets have helped make sense of some of our most difficult moments – by expressing what might otherwise be impossible to say. So what are they writing about today?
Thumbnail for "On Pilgrimage with Dorothy Day".
How does someone become an official saint? Meet Dorothy Day — journalist, radical activist, mother and lay minister to the poor who died in 1980 — who is being considered for sainthood by the Catholic Church. Shannon Henry Kleiber walks in her footsteps through New York City, where she lived and worked, looking for miracles, talking with people whose lives were changed by her, and wondering how and why saints matter today.
Thumbnail for "Off The Map".
Maps, whether drawn by hand or by satellite, reflect the time they were drawn for. How will the next generation of cartographers deal with challenges like a world being reshaped by climate change?
Thumbnail for "Welcome to the Island of Knowledge".
Some 500 years ago, the Scientific Revolution transformed civilization. It paved the way for new technology and commerce, but it also created a worldview that set humans above and apart from the rest of nature, leading to the abuse of the planet’s resources. Today, a new scientific paradigm is taking shape; an understanding that all life on Earth — from the tiniest bacteria to the largest ecosystem — is interconnected. Call it biocentrism or “Gaia 2.0.” Anne and Steve travel to the Island of Knowledge in Italy to meet a new generation of scientists and philosophers.
Thumbnail for "Listening to Whales".
What can we learn from whales – and whales from us? Technology like AI is fueling new scientific breakthroughs in whale communication that can help us better understand the natural world. And, there’s an international effort to give whales a voice by granting them personhood.
Thumbnail for "Deep Time: The Cosmos and Us".
Our lives are so rushed, so busy. Always on the clock. Counting the hours, minutes, seconds. Have you ever stopped to wonder: what are you counting? What is this thing, that’s all around us, invisible, inescapable, always running out? What is time?
Thumbnail for "Jazz Migrations".
Music crosses boundaries between traditional and modern, local and global, personal and political. Take jazz — a musical form born out of forced migration and enslavement. We typically think it originated in New Orleans and then spread around the world. But today, we examine an alternate history of jazz — one that starts in Africa, then crisscrosses the planet, following the movements of people and empires -- from colonial powers to grassroots revolutionaries to contemporary artists throughout the diaspora.
Thumbnail for "We Need to Talk About COVID".
It’s been five years since the start of the pandemic. Some 1.2 million Americans died of COVID. That’s a lot of grief. But our loss is much more than death. Many lost the friendship of the workplace. And for a subset of teenagers, there was the loss of two years of high school. And the list goes on. Many of us are still left unmoored. But maybe our collective grief can bring us together.
Thumbnail for "What is tribal sovereignty?".
Most Americans take their sovereignty for granted — the nation’s right to make its own laws and govern its own people. The same rights we recognize in other sovereign nations, with one glaring exception — the Native nations and tribes who were here first. For Native Americans, sovereignty is not some abstract idea. It’s an ongoing, daily struggle.
Thumbnail for "Being Body Conscious".
When you look at your body in the mirror, do you love what you see? Do you pick out the things you don’t like? Maybe you’ve heard of body positivity. But what if we just felt neutral about our bodies? In this episode, we talk about our bodies — how we move through the world in these fleshy vessels, how it feels to exist in our bodies in a world that asks so much from them. How do we live full and embodied lives?
Thumbnail for "Deep Time: The Art of Time".
Some artists work with pen and ink, some use brushes and paint. And some make art out of time. Meet some contemporary artists who are finding new ways to bridge the distance between us and the furthest reaches of time.
Thumbnail for "The Spirit of Jim Thorpe".
Jim Thorpe was one of the greatest athletes the world has ever known — a legend in the NFL, MLB, NCAA, and in the Olympics. Today he is being celebrated by a new generation of Native Americans.
Thumbnail for "Surviving in the Age of Disaster".
Floods and fires have always been with us, but now we may have crossed over into a new stage of permacrisis. So what does resilience look like when you know this fire or flood won’t be the last one? What survival strategies do we need for this age of climate disaster?
Thumbnail for "In Journalism We Trust".
Americans used to believe that news anchors were basically reporting the truth. But in recent years, trust in journalism has largely evaporated. And that’s not an accident as the news media have been weaponized. So what can journalists do to regain the public trust?
Thumbnail for "Retreat from the Day-to-Day Life".
Sometimes the world is just too much. Too much awful news, too many things to worry about, too much to do. When you can’t take another headline, can’t handle another email, when you know inside you need something deeper than a vacation—maybe it’s time for a retreat.
Thumbnail for "Luminous: What Can Psychedelics Teach Us About Dying?".
In the first episode of "Luminous," our series about the philosophy and the future of psychedelics, how can psilocybin ease our fears about dying? And how can psychedelics change the way we approach the end of life?
Thumbnail for "Tasting the Past".
Maybe it’s your grandmother’s molasses cookies, the garlicky tomato sauce your spouse cooked when you were first dating, or the chicken noodle soup you made every week when your kids were little. The sights, smells and tastes of certain foods can instantly remind us of a person or transport us back to a particular time in our lives. In this episode, we’ll meet kitchen ghosts from Kentucky, hear how religion and food are intertwined, and talk about how flavor evokes emotion – from grief to joy.
Thumbnail for "Reframing the Portrait".
Before family photos, or school pictures or Instagram, there were hand-drawn and painted portraits. Throughout the ages, portrait artists have captured expressions and personalities on canvas or paper, and those who view the picture interpret this “likeness” in their own way. We talk with a philosopher, a musician and a novelist about the role of portraits through history, and how we see ourselves —and others — through these deeply personal images.
Thumbnail for "Deep Time: Reclaim the Night".
The longest nights of the year are here, but how many of us will see them? The global spread of light pollution is making it harder to experience dark skies and natural darkness. Learning how to reconnect with the planet’s ancient nocturnal rhythms can be profoundly restorative. Nature writers and darkness activists tell us what we’re missing.
Thumbnail for "Giving Up".
We get the message before we’re out of training pants – when the going gets tough, look on the bright side, make lemonade out of lemons and just do it. We’re going to consider the exact opposite – the wisdom of giving up and letting go. Because sometimes, the strongest and most courageous thing you can do is walk away.
Thumbnail for "Plant Intelligence".
Have you ever wondered how plants find enough light and water? How they ward off attacks from predators? It turns out they’re a lot smarter than you realize. Some plants can hear a caterpillar munching on its leaves and then send out distress signals to activate their immune system. Certain flowers can trick bees into pollinating them, even when there’s no pollen. Plants also have memories. And they may even be able to see.
Thumbnail for "Does AI dream?".
AI can do amazing things – write your term papers, sequence your genes, maybe replace your therapist. But even super-intelligence has limits. So, does AI really have a mind — or a soul? We'll explore the frontiers of artificial intelligence — from robots painting masterpieces to software engineers trying to create god-like machines.
Thumbnail for "The Sum of Our Data".
Every click on your computer, every swipe on your smartphone, leaves a data trail. Information about who you are, what you do, who you love, the state of your mind and body… so much data about you, expanding day by day in the digital clouds. The question is—do you care? Would owning your data, or having more digital privacy, make life better? And what happens to all that data when you die?
Thumbnail for "Let's Celebrate Crying".
We all feel better after a good cry. In fact, humans are the only animals who cry emotional tears. But what about people who don't cry? And have you ever wondered why a sad song or movie makes you cry?
Thumbnail for "Playing with Words".
Sometime in the last couple of years, America’s collective morning routine shifted. We used to start the day with coffee. Now it’s coffee and Wordle. Or Spelling Bee. Or both, plus the crossword. We’re living in a golden age of word games – which is fun, and one way to get just a tiny bit of relief when the world feels out of control.
Thumbnail for "Luminous: Is It The Drug Or Is It The Trip?".
For all the talk about how psychedelics might transform psychiatric care, there's still a fascinating question at the heart of psychedelic science. Is it the mind-blowing experience that fundamentally changes a person’s outlook on life? Or is it the powerful molecules that rewire the brain?
Thumbnail for "Generation Witch".
As a culture we’ve long been fascinated by witchcraft, with witches through the ages practicing magic and making spells. Even through the spread of misinformation, and when they’ve been hunted and silenced. We take you from the 17th century to the online witch communities of today.
Thumbnail for "In Your Dreams".
What’s the last dream you remember having? Some of us dream every night. But we’re in too much of a hurry to remember our dreams or think about them the next day. Others of us are dream-deprived. What if we embrace our dreams — and our night selves — as a way to understand ourselves better, to connect to each other, even to lead a better life?
Thumbnail for "Everyday Magic".
What would it be like to live in a world where magic is still alive? Not weird, not woo-woo, just ordinary. 400 years ago, consulting a magician in downtown London was as unremarkable as calling a plumber today. Even now, there are places where magic never died – like Iceland, where 54 percent of the population believes in elves, or thinks they might exist.
Thumbnail for "One Nation Under God?".
In 2020, Donald Trump won 84 percent of the white evangelical vote. Lately, he’s been leaning even more deeply into the rhetoric of Christian nationalists. Who are they, and what’s their role in the evangelical church? We talk with some Southern Baptists today, whose views may surprise you.
Thumbnail for "Cult of the Self".
In the world of internet influencers and YouTube stars, it’s not enough to be ordinary anymore. You need to be special. But where did this craze for personal branding come from? Why are we so obsessed with ourselves? To understand this cult of the self, we need to go back to 19th century spiritual movements and the rise of the huckster — and also the myth of rugged individualism. But if we’re always shouting “Me me me,” what are we losing? What has it cost us?
Thumbnail for "Beyond Death".
Most of us have no idea what will happen when we die. But some do—people who actually started the process of dying and then came back with remarkable stories—like meeting dead relatives. Science is not only extending the lives of patients who’ve been declared clinically dead; it’s also beginning to tell us what happens in near-death experiences.
Thumbnail for "Docupoetry".
Rooted in reality, written with a keen observer’s eye, and shaped with a sense of song, documentary poetry tells the truth in an artist’s voice. For generations, through wars, crisis, and political upheaval, documentary poets have helped make sense of some of our most difficult moments – by expressing what might otherwise be impossible to say. So what are they writing about today?
Thumbnail for "Off The Map".
Maps, whether drawn by hand or by satellite, reflect the time they were drawn for. How will the next generation of cartographers deal with challenges like a world being reshaped by climate change?
Thumbnail for "What Sparks Creativity?".
Human creativity — whether it’s solving a tough problem or writing a novel — is one of our defining traits. It’s also deeply mysterious. Where does that creative spark come from?
Thumbnail for "Listening to Whales".
What can we learn from whales – and whales from us? Technology like AI is fueling new scientific breakthroughs in whale communication that can help us better understand the natural world. And, there’s an international effort to give whales a voice by granting them personhood.
Thumbnail for "Going for Broke: Can Work Be Love?".
In this final part of our series, we’re talking about work — about the right to meaningful work, the search for jobs that pay enough to live, and what happens to people who look for work while also having a disability that’s invisible to most.
Thumbnail for "Going for Broke: Change of Address".
In the first of three episodes of "Going For Broke" all about the care economy, we're thinking about housing. Many of us would consider it a basic human right. But in America, it can be hard to come by.
Thumbnail for "Love in the Time of Extinction".
It can be hard to enjoy the natural world these days without anxiety. You notice a butterfly on a flower and wonder why you don’t see more. How’s the monarch population doing this year? And shouldn’t there be more bees? The challenge is to live in this time of climate change – but still find joy and refuge in it.
Thumbnail for "Deep Time: The Cosmos and Us".
Our lives are so rushed, so busy. Always on the clock. Counting the hours, minutes, seconds. Have you ever stopped to wonder: what are you counting? What is this thing, that’s all around us, invisible, inescapable, always running out? What is time?
Thumbnail for "What is tribal sovereignty?".
Most Americans take their sovereignty for granted - the nation’s right to make its own laws and govern its own people. The same rights we recognize in other sovereign nations, with one glaring exception — the Native nations and tribes who were here first. For Native Americans, sovereignty is not some abstract idea. It’s an ongoing, daily struggle.
Thumbnail for "Luminous: Can psychedelics be decolonized?".
It’s easy to get caught up in the hype about how psychedelics might revolutionize the treatment of mental illness. But there are also lots of ethical concerns. And probably none are so troubling as the charges of exploitation and cultural appropriation. The fact is, the knowledge about many psychedelics — like magic mushrooms and ayahuasca — comes from the sacred ceremonies of Indigenous cultures. But over the past century, Western scientists and pharmaceutical companies have been going into these cultures, collecting plants and synthesizing their chemical compounds. Even if science is all about building on the knowledge of earlier discoveries, what is the psychedelic industry's ethical responsibility? Can psychedelics be decolonized?
Thumbnail for "Against Capitalism".
Radical politics and radical movements are on the rise everywhere. Against racial violence, and climate change; against gender inequality, corporate greed, low wages, oil pipelines, opioids. Maybe at heart they all have a common cause. Maybe they're all — in one way or another — a rebellion against capitalism.
Thumbnail for "The Spirit of Jim Thorpe".
Jim Thorpe was one of the greatest athletes the world has ever known — a legend in the NFL, MLB, NCAA, and in the Olympics. Today he is being celebrated by a new generation of Native Americans.
Thumbnail for "In Journalism We Trust".
Americans used to believe that news anchors were basically reporting the truth. But in recent years, trust in journalism has largely evaporated. And that’s not an accident as the news media have been weaponized. So what can journalists do to regain the public trust?
Thumbnail for "The Hidden Geometry of Everything".
The human brain is naturally mathematical. But there’s one particular kind of math people have surprisingly strong feelings about — geometry. It's the secret sauce of mathematics — different from everything else, and applicable to everything from gerrymandering to human evolution to romance novels.
Thumbnail for "Avian Obsessions".
It’s summer, and you might be pulling out your binoculars, filling your bird feeders, and looking up as you hear a melodious song. But for many birdwatchers, it's not just a simple pastime. Identifying bird calls, tracking rare breeds through marshes and waters, and watching our feathered friends as they watch you has turned into true love of birds — an avian obsession.
Thumbnail for "Tasting the Past".
Maybe it’s your grandmother’s cinnamon cookies, the garlicky tomato sauce your spouse cooked when you were first dating, or the chicken noodle soup you made every week when your kids were little. The sights, smells and tastes of certain foods can instantly remind us of a person or transport us back to a certain time in our lives. In this episode, we’ll meet kitchen ghosts from Kentucky, hear how religion and food are intertwined, and talk about how flavor evokes emotion – from grief to joy.
Thumbnail for "Being Body Conscious".
When you look at your body in the mirror, do you love what you see? Do you pick out the things you don’t like? Maybe you’ve heard of body positivity. But what if we just felt neutral about our bodies? In this episode, we talk about our bodies — how we move through the world in these fleshy vessels, how it feels to exist in our bodies in a world that asks so much from them. How do we live full and embodied lives?
Thumbnail for "For The Love Of Moms".
We celebrate Mother's Day with a collection of stories from our archives, by and about moms. Stories about care and about courage — about the work of mothering.
Thumbnail for "Reframing the Portrait".
Before family photos, or school pictures or Instagram, there were hand-drawn and painted portraits. Throughout the ages, portrait artists have captured expressions and personalities on canvas or paper, and those who view the picture interpret this “likeness” in their own way. We talk with a philosopher, a musician and a novelist about the role of portraits through history, and how we see ourselves —and others — through these deeply personal images.
Thumbnail for "Giving Up".
We get the message before we’re out of training pants – when the going gets tough, look on the bright side, make lemonade out of lemons and just do it. We’re gonna consider the exact opposite – the wisdom of giving up and letting go. Because sometimes, the strongest and most courageous thing you can do is walk away.
Thumbnail for "Deep Time: How Earth Keeps Time".
Are you ready to think in centuries instead of seconds? Eons instead of hours? It’s time to make thousand-year plans and appreciate how Earth keeps time. 
Thumbnail for "Luminous: Your Brain on Shrooms".
Can neuroscience explain what happens to the brain on psychedelics? And even if we map the brain while it’s tripping, does that tell us why these experiences can be so transformative? 
Thumbnail for "Total Eclipse and Other Wonders".
From our narrow vantage point on Earth, how can we see what's out there, beyond our skies? We look to how scientists and scholars have studied eclipses, dark matter, deep-space transmissions from intelligent life and more, all in the hopes of painting a clearer picture of a vast and invisible universe.
Thumbnail for "Does AI dream?".
AI can do amazing things – write your term papers, sequence your genes, maybe replace your therapist. But even super-intelligence has limits. So, does AI really have a mind - or a soul? We'll explore the frontiers of artificial intelligence - from robots painting masterpieces to software engineers trying to create god-like machines.
Thumbnail for "Let's Celebrate Crying".
We all feel better after a good cry. In fact, humans are the only animals who cry emotional tears. But what about people who don't cry? And have you ever wondered why a sad song or movie makes you cry?
Thumbnail for "Taking Pop Seriously".
Pop music is a gazillion-dollar industry that churns out hits and creates celebrities. It seems like the definition of ephemeral – today’s chart topper is gone tomorrow. But pop music is a powerful vehicle for bringing people together, and fans - from K-pop to the #FreeBritney movement — have something to teach us about community and hope.
Thumbnail for "One Nation Under God?".
In 2020, Donald Trump won 84 percent of the white evangelical vote. Lately, he’s been leaning even more deeply into the rhetoric of Christian nationalists. Who are they, and what’s their role in the evangelical church? We talk with some Southern Baptists today, whose views may surprise you.
Thumbnail for "Decolonizing the Mind".
Colonization in Africa was much more than a land grab. It was a project to replace — and even erase — local cultures. To label them inferior. Music, arts, literature and of course language. In other words, it permeated everything. So how do you undo that? How do you unlearn what you’ve been forced to learn? In this hour, produced in partnership with the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes (CHCI) and Africa is a Country — we learn what it means to decolonize the mind.
Thumbnail for "In Your Dreams".
What’s the last dream you remember having? Some of us dream every night. But we’re in too much of a hurry to remember our dreams or think about them the next day. Others of us are dream-deprived. What if we embrace our dreams — and our night selves —  as a way to understand ourselves better, to connect to each other, even to lead a better life?
Thumbnail for "Luminous: What Can Psychedelics Teach Us About Dying?".
In the first episode of "Luminous," our series about the philosophy and the future of psychedelics, how can psilocybin ease our fears about dying? And how can psychedelics change the way we approach the end of life?
Thumbnail for "To All The Dogs We've Loved".
The bond we share with dogs runs deep. The satisfaction of gentle head scratches or a round of playing fetch is simple and pure, but in other ways, the connection we have is truly unknowable. How do dogs make our lives better? How do they think? And how do we give them the lives they deserve?
Thumbnail for "Listen to this: The What, Why and How of Intellectual Humility".
Today we're bringing you a conversation from "Kelly Corrigan Wonders." In this episode, Kelly talks with researcher and academic Daryl Van Tongeren about how we come to conclusions and what, if anything, can interrupt the creation of overconfident, under-researched, ironclad, and divisive by nature convictions.
Thumbnail for "Cult of the Self".
In the world of internet influencers and YouTube stars, it’s not enough to be ordinary anymore. You need to be special. But where did this craze for personal branding come from? Why are we so obsessed with ourselves? To understand this cult of the self, we need to go back to 19th century spiritual movements and the rise of the huckster — and also the myth of rugged individualism. But if we’re always shouting “Me me me,” what are we losing? What has it cost us?
Thumbnail for "Losing Yourself in Fantasy".
We all need a good fantasy world to retreat to sometimes – whether it's Hogwarts or Middle Earth, Westeros or Wakanda. But magical thinking can be dangerous too. And escapism isn't always innocent. So where do you draw the line between fantasy and reality?
Thumbnail for "Year of Return".
2019 was an important year throughout the African diaspora — the 400th year since enslaved Africans first arrived in the United States. In Ghana — once the center of the European slave trade — 2019 was declared "the year of return" and the start of a campaign to encourage descendants of enslaved Africans to re-connect with the land of their ancestors. Thousands of African-Americans made the trip to Ghana — and many have decided to stay. They're fed up with police brutality and systemic racism in the US, ready to build new lives in Africa — and their number is growing.
Thumbnail for "Docupoetry".
Rooted in reality, written with a keen observer’s eye, and shaped with a sense of song, documentary poetry tells the truth in an artist’s voice. For generations, through wars, crisis, and political upheaval, documentary poets have helped make sense of some of our most difficult moments – by expressing what might otherwise be impossible to say. So what are they writing about today?
Thumbnail for "Deep Time: The Tyranny of Time".
When you’re on the clock, you’re always running out of time – because in our culture, time is money. The relentless countdown is making us and the planet sick. But clock time isn’t the only kind. There are older, deeper rhythms of time that sustain life. What would it be like to live more in tune with nature’s clocks?
Thumbnail for "Out of the Anxiety Box".
You're not even out of bed and you're already worrying. So let's talk about it: How anxious we are, how we got that way, and what to do about it.
Thumbnail for "Cultivating Wonder".
Do you ever feel like there’s something missing in your life? You don’t know exactly what it is. And there’s never enough time to really think about it. You might get a glimpse of it if you slow down, or look deeply at something (or someone), or remember some childhood joy. What if that thing you’re missing is a sense of wonder?
Thumbnail for "Luminous: Is it the drug or is it the trip?".
For all the talk about how psychedelics might transform psychiatric care, there's still a fascinating question at the heart of psychedelic science. Is it the mind-blowing experience that fundamentally changes a person’s outlook on life? Or is it the powerful molecules that rewire the brain?
Thumbnail for "Off The Map".
Maps, whether drawn by hand or by satellite, reflect the time they were drawn for. How will the next generation of cartographers deal with challenges like a world being reshaped by climate change?
Thumbnail for "How Should We Tell Our History?".
America is in the midst of a new debate over how we tell our history. You can see it everywhere – in arguments over critical race theory and AP history classes, in museums and state capitals, in the news and on talk radio. It’s fueled in part by an emerging generation of public historians who are re-shaping our national narratives.
Thumbnail for "Shapeshifting".
There are old folktales and legends of people who can become animals. Animals who can become people. And there’s a lesson for our own time in those shapeshifting stories — a recognition that the membrane between what's human and more-than-human is razor thin.
Thumbnail for "Deep Time: The Cosmos and Us".
Our lives are so rushed, so busy. Always on the clock. Counting the hours, minutes, seconds. Have you ever stopped to wonder: what are you counting? What is this thing, that’s all around us, invisible, inescapable, always running out? What is time?
Thumbnail for "Whose Land Is It? ".
Ever want to quit your job, leave the rat race behind, and head back to the land? Buy an old farmhouse or build a solar-powered home and live self-sufficiently on a few acres of your very own? Generations before you have shared that dream. The reality is more complicated. Even owning your own land is an ethical minefield. 
Thumbnail for "Against Capitalism".
Radical politics and radical movements are on the rise everywhere. Against racial violence, and climate change; against gender inequality, corporate greed, low wages, oil pipelines, opioids.  Maybe at heart they all have a common cause.  Maybe they're all — in one way or another — a rebellion against capitalism.
Thumbnail for "Building Twisted Worlds".
We've always told ghost stories, huddling around campfires, scaring ourselves silly. Today there’s a new venue for spooky stories – YouTube, where creators are turning cobwebby VHS video tapes and other relics of the early internet into a new genre – analog horror. In this hour, we celebrate weird fiction in all its forms, going back to the original eldritch being himself, H.P. Lovecraft.
Thumbnail for "Luminous: Can Psychedelics Be Decolonized?".
The knowledge about many psychedelics comes from Indigenous cultures — which raises ethical questions for the Western scientists studying them. Can psychedelics be decolonized?
Thumbnail for "The Spirit of Jim Thorpe".
Jim Thorpe was one of the greatest athletes the world has ever known — a legend in the NFL, MLB, NCAA, and in the Olympics. Today he is being celebrated by a new generation of Native Americans.
Thumbnail for "Astonishing African Futures".
Wakanda is a very American version of an idealized African future. So how do African science fiction writers tell stories about their own imagined future? In this hour, produced in partnership with the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes (CHCI), we explore Africanfuturism and beyond.
Thumbnail for "Being Body Conscious".
When you look at your body in the mirror, do you love what you see? Do you pick out the things you don’t like? Maybe you’ve heard of body positivity. But what if we just felt neutral about our bodies? In this episode, we talk about our bodies — how we move through the world in these fleshy vessels, how it feels to exist in our bodies in a world that asks so much from them. How do we live full and embodied lives?
Thumbnail for "Reframing the Portrait".
Before family photos, or school pictures or Instagram, there were hand-drawn and painted portraits. Throughout the ages, portrait artists have captured expressions and personalities on canvas or paper, and those who view the picture interpret this “likeness” in their own way. We talk with a philosopher, a musician and a novelist about the role of portraits through history, and how we see ourselves —and others — through these deeply personal images.
Thumbnail for "Rethinking David Foster Wallace".
Fifteen years ago, David Foster Wallace died by his own hand. He was a celebrated writer, but he now faces renewed criticism over his treatment of women, in his life and his books. After years of adulation, Wallace has become a symbol of lit-bro culture, and he's now facing a moment of reckoning. So how should we read him today? This week, we talk with Wallace fans and critics. Many still consider him the greatest voice of his generation — even as they grapple with new details about his life. We also hear from Wallace himself — including a notable conversation he had with us on the eve of his greatest literary success.
Thumbnail for "Going for Broke: Can Work Be Love?".
In this final part of our series, we’re talking about work — about the right to meaningful work, the search for jobs that pay enough to live, and what happens to people who look for work while also having a disability that’s invisible to most.
Thumbnail for "Going for Broke: Making Up Our Minds".
Post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health challenges can push people into poverty. Meanwhile, the experience of financial desperation can also create even more trauma, even more suffering. How do you break the cycle? How do we truly care for people mentally and financially?
Thumbnail for "Going for Broke: Change of Address".
In the first of three episodes of "Going For Broke" all about the care economy, we're thinking about housing. Many of us would consider it a basic human right. But in America, it can be hard to come by.
Thumbnail for "Deep Time: How Earth Keeps Time".
Are you ready to think in centuries instead of seconds? Eons instead of hours? It’s time to make thousand-year plans and appreciate how Earth keeps time. 
Thumbnail for "Forged By Hand".
In the 21st century, there are a lot of old crafts we think we don’t have much use for anymore. Blacksmithing. Wood turning. Spinning and basket-making. But here's the funny thing — as our world gets more and more virtual, traditional skills are starting to look better and better to a lot of people.
Thumbnail for "Let's Celebrate Crying".
We all feel better after a good cry. In fact, humans are the only animals who cry emotional tears. But what about people who don't cry? And have you ever wondered why a sad song or movie makes you cry?
Thumbnail for "Taking Pop Seriously".
Pop music is a gazillion-dollar industry that churns out hits and creates celebrities. It seems like the definition of ephemeral – today’s chart topper is gone tomorrow. But pop music is a powerful vehicle for bringing people together, and fans - from K-pop to the #FreeBritney movement — have something to teach us about community and hope.
Thumbnail for "In Search of 'Real' Food".
What makes food "authentic"? Do we need to feel close to where it's made? Know the complete history of where it comes from? Be able to diagram the chemistry of how it dances along our taste buds? How can we quantify the romance between eaters and the food they love? In this hour, we talk about what it means to truly love what you eat and drink — and we ask why it matters.
Thumbnail for "Luminous: Your Brain on Shrooms".
Can neuroscience explain what happens to the brain on psychedelics? And even if we map the brain while it’s tripping, does that tell us why these experiences can be so transformative? 
Thumbnail for "You Had To Be There".
When was the last time you got up off your couch and actually went out to see a movie? Or a play or a concert? It’s fun to go see things in person, but at the end of a long day, Netflix is streaming and the couch is two feet away. But what happens when everyone stays home? When the movie theaters and art houses and performance spaces sit empty? Do we lose something in the process?
Thumbnail for "On the Road Again".
Now that road trip season is upon us, we take a deep look at the open road. We’ll talk with interstate long-haulers, join an elephant named Solomon on his journey across 16th century Europe, and take the “blackest road trip ever.” And Manal al-Sharif tells the story of her radical road trip — being a Saudi woman who learned how to drive.
Thumbnail for "Your Miraculous And Mysterious Body".
Sometimes, we take our body for granted. But even the everyday things it can do – keep our heart beating, fight off illness – are pretty extraordinary. Do you know what your body can do? We explore a kidney transplant, a chronic illness and a common fever, and find the mystery and the familiar in the anatomy of ourselves.
Thumbnail for "Avian Obsessions".
It’s summer, and you might be pulling out your binoculars, filling your bird feeders, and looking up as you hear a melodious song. But for many birdwatchers, it's not just a simple pastime. Identifying bird calls, tracking rare breeds through marshes and waters, and watching our feathered friends as they watch you has turned into true love of birds — an avian obsession.
Thumbnail for "To All The Dogs We've Loved".
The bond we share with dogs runs deep. The satisfaction of gentle head scratches or a round of playing fetch is simple and pure, but in other ways, the connection we have is truly unknowable. How do dogs make our lives better? How do they think? And how do we give them the lives they deserve?
Thumbnail for "Deep Time: The Tyranny of Time".
When you’re on the clock, you’re always running out of time – because in our culture, time is money. The relentless countdown is making us and the planet sick. But clock time isn’t the only kind. There are older, deeper rhythms of time that sustain life. What would it be like to live more in tune with nature’s clocks?
Thumbnail for "Eye-To-Eye Animal Encounters".
There's a certain a kind of visual encounter that can be life changing: A cross-species gaze. The experience of looking directly into the eyes of an animal in the wild, and seeing it look back. It happens more often than you’d think and it can be so profound, there’s a name for it: eye-to-eye epiphany. So what happens when someone with feathers or fur and claws looks back? How does it change people, and what can it teach us?
Thumbnail for "Why Do We Have So Much Stuff?".
If you wrote a list of all the things you own in your house, how long would it be? We surround ourselves with possessions, but at what point do they start to possess us?
Thumbnail for "For The Love Of Moms".
We celebrate Mother's Day with a collection of stories from our archives, by and about moms. Stories about care and about courage — about the work of mothering.
Thumbnail for "A Parenting Revolution".
The pandemic has made it clear that parents are walking a tightrope with no safety net. We talk to parents about how they want to change the system, what it's like to raise black boys in a time of racial injustice, and how we might learn from ancient cultures to improve our parenting skills.
Thumbnail for "Decolonizing the Mind".
Colonization in Africa was much more than a land grab. It was a project to replace — and even erase — local cultures. To label them inferior. Music, arts, literature and of course language. In other words, it permeated everything. So how do you undo that? How do you unlearn what you’ve been forced to learn? In this hour, produced in partnership with the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes (CHCI) and Africa is a Country — we learn what it means to decolonize the mind.
Thumbnail for "The World is a Laboratory".
In some of our favorite science interviews — discover the joy of studying fossils, the invention of a paper microscope, the science of flow states, pioneering field studies of great apes, and the astrophysics of making a hard-boiled egg.
Thumbnail for "Losing Yourself in Fantasy".
We all need a good fantasy world to retreat to sometimes – whether it's Hogwarts or Middle Earth, Westeros or Wakanda. But magical thinking can be dangerous too. And escapism isn't always innocent. So where do you draw the line between fantasy and reality?
Thumbnail for "Luminous: What Can Psychedelics Teach Us About Dying?".
In the first episode of "Luminous," our series about the philosophy and the future of psychedelics, how can psilocybin ease our fears about dying? And how can psychedelics change the way we approach the end of life?
Thumbnail for "Year of Return".
2019 was an important year throughout the African diaspora — the 400th year since enslaved Africans first arrived in the United States. In Ghana — once the center of the European slave trade — 2019 was declared "the year of return" and the start of a campaign to encourage descendants of enslaved Africans to re-connect with the land of their ancestors. Thousands of African-Americans made the trip to Ghana — and many have decided to stay. They're fed up with police brutality and systemic racism in the US, ready to build new lives in Africa — and their number is growing.
Thumbnail for "Out of the Anxiety Box".
You're not even out of bed and you're already worrying. So let's talk about it: How anxious we are, how we got that way, and what to do about it.
Thumbnail for "Cultivating Wonder".
Do you ever feel like there’s something missing in your life? You don’t know exactly what it is. And there’s never enough time to really think about it. You might get a glimpse of it if you slow down, or look deeply at something (or someone), or remember some childhood joy. What if that thing you’re missing is a sense of wonder?
Thumbnail for "Journeys Through Gender".
Sharing of personal pronouns has become standard practice on resumes, business cards, email signatures and more. And that’s just one sign of an increasingly widespread shift in how we think about gender. So what’s next? And what would it take to actually celebrate gender freedom? To have trans joy?
Thumbnail for "As Read By The Author".
As audio producers, one of the most fun things we get to do is bring the soundscape of a novel to life — cue the monsters, the storms, the footsteps of a creature emerging slowly from the ocean. So that’s what we’re bringing you today: Great writers, epic sound design.
Thumbnail for "How Should We Tell Our History?".
America is in the midst of a new debate over how we tell our history. You can see it everywhere – in arguments over critical race theory and AP history classes, in museums and state capitals, in the news and on talk radio. It’s fueled in part by an emerging generation of public historians who are re-shaping our national narratives.
Thumbnail for "Walk With Me".
We all know we should walk more. The evidence just keeps accumulating – walking makes us healthier, happier, smarter, more relaxed, more resilient – not to mention longer-lived. But even with the best of intentions, sometimes we all need a little push to get out the door.
Thumbnail for "Against Capitalism".
Radical politics and radical movements are on the rise everywhere. Against racial violence, and climate change; against gender inequality, corporate greed, low wages, oil pipelines, opioids.  Maybe at heart they all have a common cause.  Maybe they're all — in one way or another — a rebellion against capitalism.
Thumbnail for "Shapeshifting".
There are old folktales and legends of people who can become animals. Animals who can become people. And there’s a lesson for our own time in those shapeshifting stories — a recognition that the membrane between what's human and more-than-human is razor thin.
Thumbnail for "How To Be An Ethical Traveler".
Before the pandemic upended all world travel, we aired a show about what it means to be an ethical traveler. Between masks and vaccinations, COVID-19 has added even more to the ethical baggage we carry with us when we travel. But part of recovering from the pandemic involves getting back out there and seeing the world.
Thumbnail for "You're Not Ok. That's Ok.".
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, producer Charles Monroe-Kane made 300 yard signs that read "You're not ok. That's ok." He put them on his porch. Soon they were gone.
Thumbnail for "The Spirit of Jim Thorpe".
Jim Thorpe was one of the greatest athletes the world has ever known — a legend in the NFL, MLB, NCAA, and in the Olympics. Today he is being celebrated by a new generation of Native Americans. 
Thumbnail for "The Hidden Geometry of Everything".
The human brain is naturally mathematical. But there’s one particular kind of math people have surprisingly strong feelings about — geometry. It's the secret sauce of mathematics — different from everything else, and applicable to everything from gerrymandering to human evolution to romance novels. 
Thumbnail for "Time Beyond The Clock".
Clocks and calendars chop time into increments – minutes, hours, days, years. It’s efficient, and it helps us get to meetings on time. But when we invented artificial time, we gave up natural time, and a deep sense of connection to the larger universe. What does time feel like when you stop counting it?
Thumbnail for "When Mountains Are Gods".
If you look at a mountain, you might see a skiing destination, a climbing challenge, or even a source of timber to be logged or ore to be mined. But there was a time when mountains were sacred. In some places, they still are. What changes when you think of a mountain not as a giant accumulation of natural resources, but as a living being?
Thumbnail for "Writing As A Political Act".
In peaceful times, and in moments of violence, writers have used their art as protest, remembrance, and sometimes, political acts. We talk with poets and novelists about how they deeply notice the historical time we live in — through their words and voice.
Thumbnail for "Astonishing African Futures".
Wakanda is a very American version of an idealized African future. So how do African science fiction writers tell stories about their own imagined future?
Thumbnail for "Forged By Hand".
In the 21st century, there are a lot of old crafts we think we don’t have much use for anymore. Blacksmithing. Wood turning. Spinning and basket-making. But here's the funny thing — as our world gets more and more virtual, traditional skills are starting to look better and better to a lot of people.
Thumbnail for "Taking Pop Seriously".
Pop music is a gazillion-dollar industry that churns out hits and creates celebrities. It seems like the definition of ephemeral – today’s chart topper is gone tomorrow. But pop music is a powerful vehicle for bringing people together, and fans - from K-pop to the #FreeBritney movement — have something to teach us about community and hope.
Thumbnail for "Going for Broke: Can Work Be Love?".
In this final part of our series, we’re talking about work — about the right to meaningful work, the search for jobs that pay enough to live, and what happens to people who look for work while also having a disability that’s invisible to most.
Thumbnail for "Going for Broke: Making Up Our Minds".
How we live is indelibly intertwined with the care and empathy we give to each other. What if we put care into helping Americans find homes and build dwellings, into keeping their bodies and minds sound, and finding meaningful and well-paid work? In this three part series, "To The Best Of Our Knowledge" and the Economic Hardship Reporting Project bring you real life stories about economic struggle in our time, as well as ideas for solutions. Post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health challenges can push people into poverty. Meanwhile, the experience of financial desperation can also create even more trauma, even more suffering. How do you break the cycle? How do we truly care for people mentally and financially?
Thumbnail for "Going for Broke: Change of Address".
How we live is indelibly intertwined with the care and empathy we give to each other. What if we put care into helping Americans find homes and build dwellings, into keeping their bodies and minds sound, and finding meaningful and well-paid work? In this three part series, "To The Best Of Our Knowledge" and the Economic Hardship Reporting Project bring you real life stories about economic struggle in our time, as well as ideas for solutions.
Thumbnail for "Generation Witch".
As a culture we’ve long been fascinated by witchcraft, with witches through the ages practicing magic and making spells. Even through the spread of misinformation, and when they’ve been hunted and silenced. We take you from the 17th century to the online witch communities of today.
Thumbnail for "Our Time of Mourning".
Is there a better way to talk about death? And to grieve? So many people have died during the pandemic — 4.8 million and counting — that we're living through a period of global mourning. And some people — and certain cultures — seem to be better prepared to handle it than others.
Thumbnail for "The Tangled Roots of War and Peace".
Ghosts from the past stalk Europe again today in the wake of Russian tanks and missiles. To find a path forward, we might need to look back.
Thumbnail for "Can An Evil Man Be A Decent Person?".
How can someone be a monster — a brutal dictator, a mass murderer, a serial killer — and up close seem like a decent, caring person? In this hour, we tackle a complicated question: what happens when our moral categories fail and we find ourselves feeling empathy for monsters? Is that wrong? And what does it say about us?
Thumbnail for "To All The Dogs We've Loved".
The bond we share with dogs runs deep. The satisfaction of gentle head scratches or a round of playing fetch is simple and pure, but in other ways, the connection we have is truly unknowable. How do dogs make our lives better? How do they think? And how do we give them the lives they deserve?
Thumbnail for "Writing Truth and Lies".
We all tell stories about our lives: funny stories, happy stories, sad stories. But are they true stories? In an age of “alternative facts” and “fake news,” we’re all thinking harder about why truth matters – not just in politics, but in our personal lives. A biographer, a poet, a memoirist and a filmmaker describe the moral struggle and personal cost involved in telling not just the truth, but the whole truth.
Thumbnail for "Losing Yourself in Fantasy".
We all need a good fantasy world to retreat to sometimes – whether it's Hogwarts or Middle Earth, Westeros or Wakanda. But magical thinking can be dangerous too. And escapism isn't always innocent. So where do you draw the line between fantasy and reality?
Thumbnail for "Telling A Life".
How do you tell the story of your life? Do you focus on meaning, accomplishment and hope — or on failure and loss? Psychologists say telling a good life story can make you happier. But do we also create an inauthentic version of ourselves if we turn everything into a narrative? We explore the idea of life stories, and hear why poet and singer Patti Smith chose to "write about nothing" when writing about her own life.
Thumbnail for "Year of Return".
2019 was an important year throughout the African diaspora — the 400th year since enslaved Africans first arrived in the United States. In Ghana — once the center of the European slave trade — 2019 was declared "the year of return" and the start of a campaign to encourage descendants of enslaved Africans to re-connect with the land of their ancestors. Thousands of African-Americans made the trip to Ghana — and many have decided to stay. They're fed up with police brutality and systemic racism in the US, ready to build new lives in Africa — and their number is growing.
Thumbnail for "The Secret Language of Trees".
Using a complex network of chemical signals, trees talk to each other and form alliances with fellow trees, even other species. In fact, whole forests exist as a kind of superorganism. And some trees are incredibly old. Did you know a single bristlecone pine can live up to 6,000 years? And the root mass of aspens might live 100,000 years? We explore the science and history of trees and talk with Richard Powers about his epic novel "The Overstory."
Thumbnail for "Eye-To-Eye Animal Encounters".
There's a certain a kind of visual encounter that can be life changing: A cross-species gaze. The experience of looking directly into the eyes of an animal in the wild, and seeing it look back. It happens more often than you’d think and it can be so profound, there’s a name for it: eye-to-eye epiphany. So what happens when someone with feathers or fur and claws looks back? How does it change people, and what can it teach us?
Thumbnail for "Saving Democracy from Demagogues".
Around the world, authoritarian leaders are on the rise – from Russia and Hungary to the U.S. They're working from a common playbook: They use violent rhetoric. They attack the media. They see their political rivals as existential enemies to the nation. We examine the return of the Strongman — and how to save democracy.
Thumbnail for "Journeys Through Gender".
Sharing of personal pronouns has become standard practice on resumes, business cards, email signatures and more. And that’s just one sign of an increasingly widespread shift in how we think about gender. So what’s next? And what would it take to actually celebrate gender freedom? To have trans joy?
Thumbnail for "Walk With Me".
We all know we should walk more. The evidence just keeps accumulating – walking makes us healthier, happier, smarter, more relaxed, more resilient – not to mention longer-lived. But even with the best of intentions, sometimes we all need a little push to get out the door.
Thumbnail for "Reading While Young".
Remember when reading still felt magical? When a book could sweep you off your feet into another world? It might be that the best way to find your way back the magic is through a kid’s book. We talk to authors about Wonderland, magic wands, unicorns and other children's stories that inspire.
Thumbnail for "Whose Land Is It?".
Ever want to quit your job, leave the rat race behind, and head back to the land? Buy an old farmhouse or build a solar-powered home and live self-sufficiently on a few acres of your very own? Generations before you have shared that dream. The reality is more complicated. Even owning your own land is an ethical minefield. 
Thumbnail for "Decolonizing the Mind".
Colonization in Africa was much more than a land grab. It was a project to replace — and even erase — local cultures. To label them inferior. Music, arts, literature and of course language. In other words, it permeated everything. So how do you undo that? How do you unlearn what you’ve been forced to learn?
Thumbnail for "Are you ready for the psychedelic revolution?".
The psychedelic revolution in mental health treatment is on the way, with FDA approval likely in just a few years. Which means that before long, the treatment of choice for depression and addiction could be a hallucinogen like psilocybin. And more psychedelic compounds are in the pipeline for PTSD and other disorders.
Thumbnail for "Shapeshifting".
There are old folktales and legends of people who can become animals. Animals who can become people. And there’s a lesson for our own time in those shapeshifting stories — a recognition that the membrane between what's human and more-than-human is razor thin.
Thumbnail for "You're Not Ok. That's Ok.".
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, producer Charles Monroe-Kane made 300 yard signs that read "You're not ok. That's ok." He put them on his porch. Soon they were gone.
Thumbnail for "Mysteries of Migration".
If you had to travel 500 miles across country, on foot, with no map, no GPS, without talking to anyone — to a destination you've never seen, could you do it? It sounds impossible, but millions of creatures spend their lives on the move, migrating from one part of the Earth to another with navigation skills we can only dream of. How do they do it — and what can we learn from them?
Thumbnail for "As Read By The Author".
As audio producers, one of the most fun things we get to do is bring the soundscape of a novel to life — cue the monsters, the storms, the footsteps of a creature emerging slowly from the ocean. So that’s what we’re bringing you today: Great writers, epic sound design.
Thumbnail for "The Hidden Geometry of Everything".
The human brain is naturally mathematical. But there’s one particular kind of math people have surprisingly strong feelings about — geometry. It's the secret sauce of mathematics — different from everything else, and applicable to everything from gerrymandering to human evolution to romance novels. 
Thumbnail for "Living With Loneliness".
After a pandemic year of social isolation, we knew loneliness would be a problem. But public health officials have been warning for years that in countries all over the world, rates of loneliness are skyrocketing. How did loneliness become a condition of modern life?
Thumbnail for "How To Be An Ethical Traveler".
Before the pandemic upended all world travel, we aired a show about what it means to be an ethical traveler. Between masks and vaccinations, COVID-19 has added even more to the ethical baggage we carry with us when we travel. But part of recovering from the pandemic involves getting back out there and seeing the world. So before you take your next trip abroad, we thought we would revisit some thoughts and advice in that episode. Safe journeys.
Thumbnail for "Writing As A Political Act".
In peaceful times, and in moments of violence, writers have used their art as protest, remembrance, and sometimes, political acts. We talk with poets and novelists about how they deeply notice the historical time we live in — through their words and voice.
Thumbnail for "Our Virtual Reality".
Not everyone has a nice, big yard to stretch out in while sheltering in place from COVID-19. But maybe you don't need one. People are using virtual spaces to live out the real experiences they miss — like coffee shops, road trips, even building your own house on a deserted island, or Walden Pond. In a world where we're mostly confined to our homes and Zoom screens, does the line between virtual and real-life space mean much anymore?
Thumbnail for "Listen to This: Talk Easy featuring Ocean Vuong".
We’re sharing a special preview of a podcast we’ve been enjoying, Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso, from Pushkin Industries. In this preview, Sam talks with author Ocean Vuong about his autobiographical novel, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, remaining creative in the face of oppression, and wrestling with the grief of his mother’s passing.
Thumbnail for "Poetry in a Troubled Time".
Why do people turn to poetry during troubled times? We saw it after 9/11 and we're seeing it now as the coronavirus travels around the world. When the world seems broken, poetry is often the one kind of language that helps.
Thumbnail for "Plants As Persons".
Over the past decade, plant scientists have quietly transformed the way we think of trees, forests and plants. They discovered that trees communicate through vast underground networks, that plants learn and remember. If plants are intelligent beings, how should we relate to them? Do they have a place in our moral universe? Should they have rights?
Thumbnail for "Forged By Hand".
In the 21st century, there are a lot of old crafts we think we don’t have much use for anymore. Blacksmithing. Wood turning. Spinning and basket-making. But here's the funny thing — as our world gets more and more virtual, traditional skills are starting to look better and better to a lot of people.
Thumbnail for "Writing the Climate Change Story".
One of the toughest things about trying to understand climate change – arguably the most important story of our time - is wrapping our minds around it. To even imagine something so enormous, so life-changing, we need a story. Some characters, a metaphor, and even some lessons learned. For that, we turn to the novelists and journalists telling the story of climate change – as we – and our children – live it.
Thumbnail for "Taking Pop Seriously".
Pop music is a gazillion-dollar industry that churns out hits and creates celebrities. It seems like the definition of ephemeral – today’s chart topper is gone tomorrow. But pop music is a powerful vehicle for bringing people together, and fans - from K-pop to the #FreeBritney movement - have something to teach us about community and hope.
Thumbnail for "Secrets of Alchemy".
Once upon a time, science and magic were two sides of the same coin. Today, we learn science in school and save magic for children’s books. What if it were different? What would it be like to see the world as an alchemist?
Thumbnail for "When Mountains Are Gods".
If you look at a mountain, you might see a skiing destination, a climbing challenge, or even a source of timber to be logged or ore to be mined. But there was a time when mountains were sacred. In some places, they still are. What changes when you think of a mountain not as a giant accumulation of natural resources, but as a living being?
Thumbnail for "The Tangled Roots of War and Peace".
Ghosts from the past stalk Europe again today in the wake of Russian tanks and missiles. To find a path forward, we might need to look back.
Thumbnail for "Growing Justice".
A new generation of Black farmers are working to reclaim land, hoping to grow justice along with vegetables and plants.
Thumbnail for "Worshipping Waterfalls: The Evolution of Belief".
Jane Goodall has seen wild chimpanzees dance and bristle with excitement around roaring waterfalls — and she thinks it’s an experience of awe and wonder — and possibly a precursor to animistic religion. But can we ever know why our ancient human ancestors developed spiritual beliefs? Can evolutionary science uncover the roots of religion?  
Thumbnail for "Rewriting the Romance Script".
We take a look at the romantic tropes of modern love and how they’re changing. Do the old dreams of true love and happiness ever after fit our new lives and new identities?
Thumbnail for "To All The Dogs We've Loved".
The bond we share with dogs runs deep. The satisfaction of gentle head scratches or a round of playing fetch is simple and pure, but in other ways, the connection we have is truly unknowable. How do dogs make our lives better? How do they think? And how do we give them the lives they deserve? 
Thumbnail for "Our Time of Mourning".
Is there a better way to talk about death? And to grieve? So many people have died during the pandemic — 4.8 million and counting — that we're living through a period of global mourning. And some people — and certain cultures — seem to be better prepared to handle it than others.
Thumbnail for "Searching for Order in the Universe".
When things don't go the way they're supposed to — viruses, star systems, presidents, even fish — we're often desperate to explain the chaos. In this episode, we search for order in the universe.
Thumbnail for "Journeys Through Gender".
Sharing of personal pronouns has become standard practice on resumes, business cards, email signatures and more. And that’s just one sign of an increasingly widespread shift in how we think about gender. So what’s next? And what would it take to actually celebrate gender freedom? To have trans joy?
Thumbnail for "A Parenting Revolution".
The pandemic has made it clear that parents are walking a tightrope with no safety net. We talk to parents about how they want to change the system, what it's like to raise black boys in a time of racial injustice, and how we might learn from ancient cultures to improve our parenting skills.
Thumbnail for "Time Beyond The Clock".
Clocks and calendars chop time into increments – minutes, hours, days, years. It’s efficient, and it helps us get to meetings on time. But when we invented artificial time, we gave up natural time, and a deep sense of connection to the larger universe. What does time feel like when you stop counting it?
Thumbnail for "The Power of Pleasure and Joy".
What if the most unselfish thing you could do was to pursue pleasure? To look for delight? To feel joy? We make the case for the transformative power of joy, pleasure and delight.
Thumbnail for "Whose Land Is It?".
Ever want to quit your job, leave the rat race behind, and head back to the land? Buy an old farmhouse or build a solar-powered home and live self-sufficiently on a few acres of your very own? Generations before you have shared that dream. The reality is more complicated. Even owning your own land is an ethical minefield. 
Thumbnail for "Reading While Young".
Remember when reading still felt magical? When a book could sweep you off your feet into another world? It might be that the best way to find your way back the magic is through a kid’s book. We talk to authors about Wonderland, magic wands, unicorns and other children's stories that inspire.
Thumbnail for "If Your Clothes Could Talk".
Whether you know it or not, your closets are filled with personal information. About your identity, your values, your personality. And every day, you wear it all right out the door for the whole world to see. Do you think about what are you saying with your clothes?
Thumbnail for "Rethinking the Holidays".
We’re in the holiday season of the worst pandemic of our lives. Canceling our gatherings is the safe thing to do. But, how can we still — creatively and safely — connect with the people we love? Maybe there are some opportunities for us this year, too.
Thumbnail for "Shapeshifting".
There are old folktales and legends of people who can become animals. Animals who can become people. And there’s a lesson for our own time in those shapeshifting stories — a recognition that the membrane between what's human and more-than-human is razor thin.
Thumbnail for "Living With Loneliness".
After a pandemic year of social isolation, we knew loneliness would be a problem. But public health officials have been warning for years that in countries all over the world, rates of loneliness are skyrocketing. How did loneliness become a condition of modern life?
Thumbnail for "Decolonizing the Mind".
Colonization in Africa was much more than a land grab. It was a project to replace — and even erase — local cultures. To label them inferior. Music, arts, literature and of course language. In other words, it permeated everything. So how do you undo that? How do you unlearn what you’ve been forced to learn? In this hour, produced in partnership with the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes (CHCI) and Africa is a Country — we learn what it means to decolonize the mind.
Thumbnail for "Generation Witch".
As a culture we’ve long been fascinated by witchcraft, with witches through the ages practicing magic and making spells. Even through the spread of misinformation, and when they’ve been hunted and silenced. We take you from the 17th century to the online witch communities of today. 
Thumbnail for "Solace of Nature".
Rustling of leaves, sploshing of water, birds calling, bees buzzing. Wherever you live — city or country, East coast, West coast, or in between — we share common, contemplative experiences on our walks outside. In this hour, we assemble a sonic guide to finding solace in nature.
Thumbnail for "Mysteries of Migration".
If you had to travel 500 miles across country, on foot, with no map, no GPS, without talking to anyone — to a destination you've never seen, could you do it? It sounds impossible, but millions of creatures spend their lives on the move, migrating from one part of the Earth to another with navigation skills we can only dream of. How do they do it — and what can we learn from them?
Thumbnail for "Jazz Migrations".
Music crosses boundaries between traditional and modern, local and global, personal and political. Take jazz — a musical form born out of forced migration and enslavement. We typically think it originated in New Orleans and then spread around the world. But today, we examine an alternate history of jazz — one that starts in Africa, then crisscrosses the planet, following the movements of people and empires -- from colonial powers to grassroots revolutionaries to contemporary artists throughout the diaspora. This history of jazz is like the music itself: fluid and improvisatory.   In this hour, produced in partnership with the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes (CHCI) — a global consortium of 270 humanities centers and institutes — we hear how both African and African-American music have shaped the sound of the world today.
Thumbnail for "What Afghan Women Want You to Know".
The women of Afghanistan are elected officials, school teachers, actors, TV contest winners, ancient rug weavers, and whisperers of forbidden poetry. The Taliban are starting to put down their thumb. But these women want you to know they are more than the timid victim under a burqa.
Thumbnail for "Finding Meaning in Desperate Times".
We’ve all been changed by the experience of living through a pandemic. We figured out how to sanitize groceries, mute ourselves on Zoom and keep from killing our roommates. But we’re also tackling bigger, existential questions — how can we, individually and collectively, find meaning in the experience of this pandemic?
Thumbnail for "The Secret Language of Trees".
Using a complex network of chemical signals, trees talk to each other and form alliances with fellow trees, even other species. In fact, whole forests exist as a kind of superorganism. And some trees are incredibly old. Did you know a single bristlecone pine can live up to 6,000 years? And the root mass of aspens might live 100,000 years? We explore the science and history of trees and talk with Richard Powers about his epic novel "The Overstory."
Thumbnail for "Is War Ever Worth It?".
For all the commentary, the sorrow and rage, all the second-guessing about everything that followed, it’s still hard to fathom what happened on 9/11. Photographer James Nachtwey was in New York that day, and he took some of the iconic photos of the Twin Towers as they crumbled. "I’ve actually never gotten over it," he says. On the twentieth anniversary of 9/11, Nachtwey reflects on his life as a war photographer, and we consider the deep history of war itself. We also examine a very difficult question: Is war ever worth it?
Thumbnail for "Traveling By Book".
Before the time of commercial flights and road trips, we traveled to far off places without taking a single step. All you had to do was open a book. From Africa to England, to a kamikaze cockpit, and to realms of fantasy. Books aren’t just books. They’re passports to anywhere.
Thumbnail for "Our Virtual Reality".
Not everyone has a nice, big yard to stretch out in while sheltering in place from COVID-19. But maybe you don't need one. People are using virtual spaces to live out the real experiences they miss — like coffee shops, road trips, even building your own house on a deserted island, or Walden Pond. In a world where we're mostly confined to our homes and Zoom screens, does the line between virtual and real-life space mean much anymore?
Thumbnail for "Plants As Persons".
Over the past decade, plant scientists have quietly transformed the way we think of trees, forests and plants. They discovered that trees communicate through vast underground networks, that plants learn and remember. If plants are intelligent beings, how should we relate to them? Do they have a place in our moral universe? Should they have rights?
Thumbnail for "Writing the Climate Change Story".
One of the toughest things about trying to understand climate change – arguably the most important story of our time - is wrapping our minds around it. To even imagine something so enormous, so life-changing, we need a story. Some characters, a metaphor, and even some lessons learned. For that, we turn to the novelists and journalists telling the story of climate change – as we – and our children – live it.
Thumbnail for "Living In Skin".
We all miss touching things — groceries, door knobs, hands, faces. And most of all, skin. The living tissue that simultaneously protects us from the world, and lets us feel it. In this episode, the politics, biology, and inner life of your skin.
Thumbnail for "Sprinting for the Finish Line".
What does it take to win Olympic gold? To become "the world's fastest human"? This hour, Olympic fame, the politics of sports, and the science of running.
Thumbnail for "When Mountains Are Gods".
If you look at a mountain, you might see a skiing destination, a climbing challenge, or even a source of timber to be logged or ore to be mined. But there was a time when mountains were sacred. In some places, they still are. What changes when you think of a mountain not as a giant accumulation of natural resources, but as a living being?
Thumbnail for "How Africans Are Building The Cities Of The Future".
Africans are moving into cities in unprecedented numbers. Lagos, Nigeria, is growing by 77 people an hour — it's on track to become a city of 100 million. In 30 years, the continent is projected to have 14 mega-cities of more than 10 million people. It's perhaps the largest urban migration in history. These cities are not like Dubai, or Singapore, or Los Angeles. They’re uniquely African cities, and they’re forcing all of us to reconsider what makes a city modern. And how and why cities thrive. To find out what's going on, we go to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to talk with entrepreneurs, writers, scholars and artists. In this hour, produced in partnership with the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes (CHCI) — a global consortium of 270 humanities centers and institutes — we learn how the continent where the human species was born is building the cities of the future.
Thumbnail for "Everything is Exhausting".
Why don’t we all just take moment to acknowledge that we are collectively exhausted? The pandemic, the protests, the President’s Twitter feed — everything is exhausting. But maybe it doesn’t have to be?
Thumbnail for "As Read By The Author".
As audio producers, one of the most fun things we get to do is bring the soundscape of a novel to life — cue the monsters, the storms, the footsteps of a creature emerging slowly from the ocean. So that’s what we’re bringing you today: Great writers, epic sound design.
Thumbnail for "Eye-To-Eye Animal Encounters".
There's a certain a kind of visual encounter that can be life changing: A cross-species gaze. The experience of looking directly into the eyes of an animal in the wild, and seeing it look back. It happens more often than you’d think and it can be so profound, there’s a name for it: eye-to-eye epiphany. So what happens when someone with feathers or fur and claws looks back? How does it change people, and what can it teach us?
Thumbnail for "Our Time of Mourning".
Is there a better way to talk about death? And to grieve? So many people have died during the pandemic — 4.8 million and counting — that we're living through a period of global mourning. And some people — and certain cultures — seem to be better prepared to handle it than others.
Thumbnail for "The Resilient Brain".
New experiences actually rewire the brain. So after all we’ve been through this year, you have to wonder — are we different? We consider the "COVID brain" from the perspective of both neuroscience and the arts. Also, we go to Cavendish, Vermont to hear the remarkable story of Phineas Gage, the railroad worker whose traumatic brain injury changed the history of neuroscience.
Thumbnail for "Secrets of Alchemy".
Once upon a time, science and magic were two sides of the same coin. Today, we learn science in school and save magic for children’s books. What if it were different? What would it be like to see the world as an alchemist?
Thumbnail for "Why Do We Have So Much Stuff?".
If you wrote a list of all the things you own in your house, how long would it be? We surround ourselves with possessions, but at what point do they start to possess us?
Thumbnail for "A Parenting Revolution".
The pandemic has made it clear that parents are walking a tightrope with no safety net. We talk to parents about how they want to change the system, what it's like to raise black boys in a time of racial injustice, and how we might learn from ancient cultures to improve our parenting skills.
Thumbnail for "Growing Justice".
A new generation of Black farmers are working to reclaim land, hoping to grow justice along with vegetables and plants.
Thumbnail for "The Weird, Wild World of Mushrooms".
We owe our past and future existence on Earth to fungi. Some can heal you, some can kill you, and some can change you forever. And the people who love them are convinced that mushrooms explain the world.
Thumbnail for "Reading While Young".
Remember when reading still felt magical? When a book could sweep you off your feet into another world? It might be that the best way to find your way back the magic is through a kid’s book. We talk to authors about Wonderland, magic wands, unicorns and other children's stories that inspire.
Thumbnail for "Searching for Order in the Universe".
When things don't go the way they're supposed to — viruses, star systems, presidents, even fish — we're often desperate to explain the chaos. In this episode, we search for order in the universe.
Thumbnail for "The Power of Pleasure and Joy".
What if the most unselfish thing you could do was to pursue pleasure? To look for delight? To feel joy? We make the case for the transformative power of joy, pleasure and delight.
Thumbnail for "Living With Loneliness".
After a pandemic year of social isolation, we knew loneliness would be a problem. But public health officials have been warning for years that in countries all over the world, rates of loneliness are skyrocketing. How did loneliness become a condition of modern life?
Thumbnail for "Music On Your Mind".
Millions of people are caring for someone with severe memory loss, trying to find ways to connect. One of the best ways anyone has found is music. We examine the unexpected power of song to supercharge the human mind.
Thumbnail for "Who Owns Seeds?".
It's easy to take seeds for granted, to assume that there will always be more corn or wheat or rice to plant. But as monocropping and agribusiness continue to dominate modern farming, are we losing genetic diversity, cultural history, and the nutritional value of our food? We speak to farmers, botanists and indigenous people about how they are reclaiming our seeds.
Thumbnail for "Decolonizing the Mind".
Colonization in Africa was much more than a land grab. It was a project to replace — and even erase — local cultures. To label them inferior. Music, arts, literature and of course language. In other words, it permeated everything. So how do you undo that? How do you unlearn what you’ve been forced to learn?
Thumbnail for "Discovering America's Black DNA".
DNA tests are uncovering family histories. In some cases they're also revealing mixed bloodlines and the buried history of slavery. For African Americans, this can be emotionally-charged. What do you do when you find out one of your direct ancestors was a slave owner? And does it open the door to new conversations about racial justice and social healing?
Thumbnail for "Jazz Migrations".
Music crosses boundaries between traditional and modern, local and global, personal and political. Take jazz — a musical form born out of forced migration and enslavement. We typically think it originated in New Orleans and then spread around the world. But today, we examine an alternate history of jazz — one that starts in Africa, then crisscrosses the planet, following the movements of people and empires -- from colonial powers to grassroots revolutionaries to contemporary artists throughout the diaspora.
Thumbnail for "Going Underground".
Scientists and explorers have found a whole new world, ripe for discovery, under our feet. The earth's underground is teeming with life, from fungal networks to the deep microbiome miles below the planet's crust. It's an exciting place, and it's changing what we know about the planet and ourselves.
Thumbnail for "Mysteries of Migration".
If you had to travel 500 miles across country, on foot, with no map, no GPS, without talking to anyone — to a destination you've never seen, could you do it? It sounds impossible, but millions of creatures spend their lives on the move, migrating from one part of the Earth to another with navigation skills we can only dream of. How do they do it — and what can we learn from them?
Thumbnail for "Rewriting the Romance Script".
We take a look at the romantic tropes of modern love and how they’re changing. Do the old dreams of true love and happiness ever after fit our new lives and new identities?
Thumbnail for "Hope: Are We Really Doomed?".
Hope means believing there’s a future. But can hope co-exist with cataclysmic realities like climate change, or disruptive technological advances like artificial intelligence? What’s ahead for future generations?
Thumbnail for "Hope: How Do You Make It?".
We’ve all been there, that place where we feel hope slipping away. Maybe we’ve even lost hope. This hour we talk with people who’ve turned that around and made hope real, whether it’s through political activism, faith, music, or reading a life-changing novel.
Thumbnail for "Hope: Where Does It Come From?".
Is hope something we’re innately born with, or something we can choose to have? We talk with people who tell us where they think hope lives in ourselves and our communities.
Thumbnail for "The Vaccine Trackers".
We’re in the midst of the largest vaccine rollout of our lives. A turning point, we hope. But it’s complicated — medically, logistically, philosophically. Who will get it first? Will it work? And, as a new variant of the virus emerges, will we get it in time? We decided to take you behind the scenes, talking with people who volunteered for trials, and to those scientists and reporters who trace every part of our search for immunity.
Thumbnail for "Our Virtual Reality".
Not everyone has a nice, big yard to stretch out in while sheltering in place from COVID-19. But maybe you don't need one. People are using virtual spaces to live out the real experiences they miss — like coffee shops, road trips, even building your own house on a deserted island, or Walden Pond. In a world where we're mostly confined to our homes and Zoom screens, does the line between virtual and real-life space mean much anymore?
Thumbnail for "Deep Tracks: Live In Studio".
In times of crisis, we need music. We look at how far people will go — even under quarantine, during a pandemic — to find ways to make music together.
Thumbnail for "Finding Meaning in Desperate Times".
We’ve all been changed by the experience of living through a pandemic. We figured out how to sanitize groceries, mute ourselves on Zoom and keep from killing our roommates. But we’re also tackling bigger, existential questions — how can we, individually and collectively, find meaning in the experience of this pandemic?
Thumbnail for "Plants As Persons".
Over the past decade, plant scientists have quietly transformed the way we think of trees, forests and plants. They discovered that trees communicate through vast underground networks, that plants learn and remember. If plants are intelligent beings, how should we relate to them? Do they have a place in our moral universe? Should they have rights?
Thumbnail for "Living In Skin".
We all miss touching things — groceries, door knobs, hands, faces. And most of all, skin. The living tissue that simultaneously protects us from the world, and lets us feel it. In this episode, the politics, biology, and inner life of your skin.
Thumbnail for "Traveling By Book".
Before the time of commercial flights and road trips, we traveled to far off places without taking a single step. All you had to do was open a book. From Africa to England, to a kamikaze cockpit, and to realms of fantasy. Books aren’t just books. They’re passports to anywhere.
Thumbnail for "Rethinking the Holidays".
We’re in the holiday season of the worst pandemic of our lives. Canceling our gatherings is the safe thing to do. But, how can we still — creatively and safely — connect with the people we love? Maybe there are some opportunities for us this year, too.
Thumbnail for "Poetry in a Troubled Time".
Why do people turn to poetry during troubled times? We saw it after 9/11 and we're seeing it now as the coronavirus travels around the world. When the world seems broken, poetry is often the one kind of language that helps.
Thumbnail for "Solace of Nature".
Rustling of leaves, sploshing of water, birds calling, bees buzzing. Wherever you live — city or country, East coast, West coast, or in between — we share common, contemplative experiences on our walks outside. In this hour, we assemble a sonic guide to finding solace in nature.
Thumbnail for "The Personal Politics of Sports".
What do you do when the headlines are freaking you out and the news is making you tense? A lot of people find sports takes their mind off things. It’s like this one worry-free, politics-free zone. Until it isn’t.
Thumbnail for "Rituals of Fear".
Be still. Prepare the altar. Gather around in a circle. Light the fire. And join us for rituals that will put fear in your heart. Because what if experiencing your fears — the dread, the horror of it all — is good for you?
Thumbnail for "Everything is Exhausting".
Why don’t we all just take moment to acknowledge that we are collectively exhausted? The pandemic, the protests, the President’s Twitter feed — everything is exhausting. But maybe it doesn’t have to be?
Thumbnail for "Democracy on the Ballot".
Americans are getting ready to vote. But this election is different from other years. What's really on the ballot?
Thumbnail for "The Resilient Brain".
New experiences actually rewire the brain. So after all we’ve been through this year, you have to wonder — are we different? We consider the "Covid brain" from the perspective of both neuroscience and the arts. Also, we go to Cavendish, Vermont to hear the remarkable story of Phineas Gage, the railroad worker whose traumatic brain injury changed the history of neuroscience.
Thumbnail for "Eye-To-Eye Animal Encounters".
There's a certain a kind of visual encounter that can be life changing: A cross-species gaze. The experience of looking directly into the eyes of an animal in the wild, and seeing it look back. It happens more often than you’d think and it can be so profound, there’s a name for it: eye-to-eye epiphany. So what happens when someone with feathers or fur and claws looks back? How does it change people, and what can it teach us?
Thumbnail for "How Africans Are Building The Cities Of The Future".
Africans are moving into cities in unprecedented numbers. Lagos, Nigeria, is growing by 77 people an hour — it's on track to become a city of 100 million. In 30 years, the continent is projected to have 14 mega-cities of more than 10 million people. It's perhaps the largest urban migration in history. These cities are not like Dubai, or Singapore, or Los Angeles. They’re uniquely African cities, and they’re forcing all of us to reconsider what makes a city modern. And how and why cities thrive. To find out what's going on, we go to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to talk with entrepreneurs, writers, scholars and artists. In this hour, produced in partnership with the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes (CHCI) — a global consortium of 270 humanities centers and institutes — we learn how the continent where the human species was born is building the cities of the future.
Thumbnail for "Secrets of Alchemy".
Once upon a time, science and magic were two sides of the same coin. Today, we learn science in school and save magic for children’s books. What if it were different? What would it be like to see the world as an alchemist?
Thumbnail for "Books We Can't Forget".
Is there a book you can’t forget? A book that left a mark on you? On Bookmarks, our micropodcast, we share tiny stories from writers, about the books they love most. This week, we’ll preview Season One and celebrate books and reading with an eclectic cast of writers from around the country.
Thumbnail for "Why Do We Have So Much Stuff?".
If you wrote a list of all the things you own in your house, how long would it be? We surround ourselves with possessions, but at what point do they start to possess us?
Thumbnail for "Up All Night".
How well do you sleep? Every night, millions of us turn out the lights hoping and praying for a good night’s sleep. And every night, millions of us lie awake in the dark. We explore what keeps us up, and what happens when we embrace the times when we just can't seem to rest.
Thumbnail for "Growing Justice".
A new generation of Black farmers are working to reclaim land, hoping to grow justice along with vegetables and plants.
Thumbnail for "Out Of The Mental Illness Box".
When treating mental illness, you know the drill. Take your meds. Call me in the morning. Let's check in on how you feel in a few months. Repeat. But maybe there’s something else you can add to that toolkit. We talk with a psychiatrist who prescribes exercise as medicine, a woman who treats her anxiety with horror films, and the scientists examining how depression can be treated with psychedelics.
Thumbnail for "Searching for Order in the Universe".
When things don't go the way they're supposed to — viruses, star systems, presidents, even fish — we're often desperate to explain the chaos. In this episode, we search for order in the universe.
Thumbnail for "Loving Bees".
Bees stir each one of our senses — the zen-like hum, the sweet honey, the waxy smell of wildflowers mixed with hard work, the vibrant orange and black bodies attached to window-paned wings. If they land on us, and we are calm, say beekeepers, it will be a gentle touch; they will sting only to save their lives. Bees are endangered, but all over the world, people are stepping up to save them — in backyards, science labs, and the abandoned lots of urban Detroit. We explore the art to building a relationship with bees, and the science of how they thrive and what we might do to preserve them for future generations.
Thumbnail for "Mysteries of Migration".
If you had to travel 500 miles across country, on foot, with no map, no GPS, without talking to anyone — to a destination you've never seen, could you do it? It sounds impossible, but millions of creatures spend their lives on the move, migrating from one part of the Earth to another with navigation skills we can only dream of. How do they do it — and what can we learn from them?
Thumbnail for "Going Underground".
Scientists and explorers have found a whole new world, ripe for discovery, under our feet. The earth's underground is teeming with life, from fungal networks to the deep microbiome miles below the planet's crust. It's an exciting place, and it's changing what we know about the planet and ourselves.
Thumbnail for "The Power of Pleasure and Joy".
What if the most unselfish thing you could do was to pursue pleasure? To look for delight? To feel joy? We make the case for the transformative power of joy, pleasure and delight.
Thumbnail for "Jazz Migrations".
Music crosses boundaries between traditional and modern, local and global, personal and political. Take jazz — a musical form born out of forced migration and enslavement. We typically think it originated in New Orleans and then spread around the world. But today, we examine an alternate history of jazz — one that starts in Africa, then crisscrosses the planet, following the movements of people and empires -- from colonial powers to grassroots revolutionaries to contemporary artists throughout the diaspora. This history of jazz is like the music itself: fluid and improvisatory.   In this hour, produced in partnership with the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes (CHCI) — a global consortium of 270 humanities centers and institutes — we hear how both African and African-American music have shaped the sound of the world today.
Thumbnail for "Music on Your Mind".
Millions of people are caring for someone with severe memory loss, trying to find ways to connect. One of the best ways anyone has found is music. We examine the unexpected power of song to supercharge the human mind.
Thumbnail for "Breaking the Chains".
America is in the midst of what seems like a race revolution. Street protests are continuing across the country. Police departments are enacting changes. Confederate statues are coming down. What's next in the fight for Black equality? We take a hard look at how racism infects not only the police, but the entire criminal justice system.
Thumbnail for "More Than Just a Game".
We play them to pass the time at family functions, or to relax after a long day of work or school. But board games say so much more than we think — about our relationships, our politics, our histories. We learn the storied history of Mahjong, play a few classic games with some modern twists, and consider the mental brutality that is competitive chess.
Thumbnail for "Filtering Free Speech".
The line between free speech and hate speech isn't always clear. When college students shout down a campus speaker, when a woman yells racial slurs in a parking lot, or when HR calls with a reprimand — when does free speech violate safe space? When does sensitivity become censorship?
Thumbnail for "Who Owns Seeds?".
It's easy to take seeds for granted, to assume that there will always be more corn or wheat or rice to plant. But as monocropping and agribusiness continue to dominate modern farming, are we losing genetic diversity, cultural history, and the nutritional value of our food? We speak to farmers, botanists and indigenous people about how they are reclaiming our seeds.
Thumbnail for "Finding Meaning in Desperate Times".
We’ve all been changed by the experience of living through a pandemic. We figured out how to sanitize groceries, mute ourselves on Zoom and keep from killing our roommates. But we’re also tackling bigger, existential questions — how can we, individually and collectively, find meaning in the experience of this pandemic?
Thumbnail for "Our Virtual Reality".
Not everyone has a nice, big yard to stretch out in while sheltering in place from COVID-19. But maybe you don't need one. People are using virtual spaces to live out the real experiences they miss — like coffee shops, road trips, even building your own house on a deserted island, or Walden Pond. In a world where we're mostly confined to our homes and Zoom screens, does the line between virtual and real-life space mean much anymore?
Thumbnail for "Solace of Nature".
Rustling of leaves, sploshing of water, birds calling, bees buzzing. Wherever you live — city or country, East coast, West coast, or in between — we share common, contemplative experiences on our walks outside. In this hour, we assemble a sonic guide to finding solace in nature.
Thumbnail for "The Weird, Wild World of Mushrooms".
We owe our past and future existence on Earth to fungi. Some can heal you, some can kill you, and some can change you forever. And the people who love them are convinced that mushrooms explain the world.
Thumbnail for "Deep Tracks: Live In Studio".
In times of crisis, we need music. We look at how far people will go — even under quarantine, during a pandemic — to find ways to make music together.
Thumbnail for "Living In Skin".
We all miss touching things — groceries, door knobs, hands, faces. And most of all, skin. The living tissue that simultaneously protects us from the world, and lets us feel it. In this episode, the politics, biology, and inner life of your skin.
Thumbnail for "Writing Truth and Lies".
We all tell stories about our lives: funny stories, happy stories, sad stories. But are they true stories? In an age of “alternative facts” and “fake news,” we’re all thinking harder about why truth matters – not just in politics, but in our personal lives. A biographer, a poet, a memoirist and a filmmaker describe the moral struggle and personal cost involved in telling not just the truth, but the whole truth.Original Air Date: November 10, 2018
Thumbnail for " Poetry in a Troubled Time".
Why do people turn to poetry during troubled times? We saw it after 9/11 and we're seeing it now as the coronavirus travels around the world. When the world seems broken, poetry is often the one kind of language that helps.
Thumbnail for "Doctors Give Us Hope".
This week, To the Best of Our Knowledge comes to you from our kitchens and homes. We’re safe, but we’ve all been thinking about the people on the front lines of the pandemic — doctors, nurses and hospital staffs. We’ve been seeing them on social media — the nurses in NYC wearing garbage bags because there aren’t enough sterile gowns.  Doctors figuring out those weird new face masks. Those incredibly brave doctors and nurses in Italy, Spain, France, the U.S. This hour we tell some remarkable stories of doctors and scientists who are saving lives.
Thumbnail for "Music Beyond Genre".
Even with all the music available today, most of us still listen primarily to just a few comfy genres. But there’s so much more out there — and so much of it defies neat, algorithm-friendly categorization.
Thumbnail for "Traveling By Book".
Before the time of commercial flights and road trips, we traveled to far off places without taking a single step. All you had to do was open a book. From Africa to England, to a kamikaze cockpit, and to realms of fantasy. Books aren’t just books. They’re passports to anywhere. This hour, we’re traveling by book.
Thumbnail for "Up All Night".
How well do you sleep? Every night, millions of us turn out the lights hoping and praying for a good night’s sleep. And every night, millions of us lie awake in the dark. We explore what keeps us up, and what happens when we embrace the times when we just can't seem to rest.
Thumbnail for "Why Do We Meet?".
We're always online but still have an innate need to meet in person. How can we make gatherings, from dinner parties to work meetings, more meaningful?
Thumbnail for "Taking Comfort in the Sound of Silence".
Restaurants, bars, coffee shops — is there any public place left that doesn’t play background music? Loudly? In this show, we’re making the case for more silence. Because perhaps some need the drone of TVs, traffic and Muzak, to drown out the pesky sound of thinking, but others go to great lengths to find respite from a blaringly loud world.
Thumbnail for "Out Of The Mental Illness Box".
Are there new ways to treat depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder? We explore some unconventional treatments for mental illness, including exercise, psychedelics and even horror films.
Thumbnail for "Eye-To-Eye Animal Encounters".
Exchanging glances with the natural world happens more often than you’d think. It can be so profound, there’s a name for it: eye-to-eye epiphany.
Thumbnail for "Hope: Are We Really Doomed?".
Hope means believing there’s a future. But can hope co-exist with cataclysmic realities like climate change, or disruptive technological advances like artificial intelligence? 
Thumbnail for " Hope: How Do You Make It?".
This hour we talk with people who’ve turned that around and made hope real, whether it’s through political activism, faith, music, or reading a life-changing novel.
Thumbnail for "Hope: Where Does It Come From?".
Is hope something we’re innately born with, or something we can choose to have? We talk with people who tell us where they think hope lives in ourselves and our communities.
Thumbnail for "Why Go To War?".
What drives us toward armed conflict? And what does it take for peace activists to face down tyrants and military leaders?
Thumbnail for "Time Beyond The Clock".
Clocks and calendars chop time into increments. It’s efficient, and it helps us get to meetings on time. But what does time feel like when you stop counting it?
Thumbnail for "In Search Of Real Food [Rebroadcast]".
What if the guiding principle we used in cooking, eating and growing food was love? From an Iranian-American kitchen to the chocolate forests of Ecuador, we explore new ways to express deep flavors and personal identity through food and cooking.
Thumbnail for "Wintering In The Wild".
On this Winter Solstice, what can we learn from the natural world — from animals, from the water — about surviving and even celebrating the cold?
Thumbnail for "How Africans Are Building The Cities Of The Future".
Africans are moving into cities in unprecedented numbers. Lagos, Nigeria, is on track to have 100 million people. So how and why do cities thrive?
Thumbnail for "Giving Is Complicated [Rebroadcast]".
Even the most welcome gift can spark guilt, resentment, obligation or vulnerability. This hour, unwrapping the tangled emotions behind giving — and getting.
Thumbnail for "More Than Just A Game".
The board games we play tell us so much more about ourselves than we think — our history, our politics and our inner psychology.
Thumbnail for "Is Guilt A Wasted Emotion? [Rebroadcast]".
It creeps into everything: guilt that we're not good enough, fit enough, smart enough. As we peruse Instagram, all we see is the perfection of others reflecting our own failures back at us. Why do we spend so much time feeling guilty? Should we?
Thumbnail for "Books We Can't Forget".
Is there a book you can’t forget? A book that left a mark on you? We celebrate books and reading with an eclectic cast of writers from around the country.
Thumbnail for "The Secret Language of Trees [Rebroadcast]".
Trees talk to each other, and even form alliances with other trees or other species. Some are incredibly old — the root mass of aspens might live 100,000 years. In this hour, we explore the science and history of trees.
Thumbnail for "Going Underground".
Scientists and explorers have found a whole new world under our feet. It's an exciting place, and it's changing what we know about the planet and ourselves.
Thumbnail for "Rituals of Fear".
What if experiencing dread — the horror of it all — is good for you?
Thumbnail for "If Your Clothes Could Talk [Rebroadcast]".
Whether you know it or not, your closets are filled with personal information. Do you think about what are you saying with your clothes?
Thumbnail for "The Power Of Pleasure and Joy".
What if the most unselfish thing you could do was to pursue pleasure and joy? We make the case for the transformative power of joy, pleasure and delight.
Thumbnail for "Your Miraculous And Mysterious Body [Rebroadcast]".
Sometimes, we take our body for granted. But even the everyday things it can do – keep our heart beating, fight off illness – are pretty extraordinary. Do you know what your body can do?
Thumbnail for "Filtering Free Speech".
The line between free speech and hate speech isn't always clear. When does sensitivity become censorship?
Thumbnail for "What Sparks Creativity? [Rebroadcast]".
Where does creativity come from? And what exactly is going on in your brain when the Muse descends?
Thumbnail for "Who Owns Seeds?".
As monocropping and agribusiness continue to dominate modern farming, we speak to farmers, botanists and indigenous people about how they are reclaiming our seeds.
Thumbnail for "New Voices In Native American Writing [Rebroadcast]".
Every so often, a new literary movement coalesces. A new generation of writers finds a voice. This time they’re young, gifted, and Native American.
Thumbnail for "What's Wrong With Work? [Rebroadcast]".
It's not easy in America today to find work that matters, that’s meaningful, and that pays enough to live on. Which is the one thing we don’t talk about. What’s wrong with work — and how do we fix it?
Thumbnail for "Should You Delete Your Facebook Account? [Rebroadcast]".
You're thinking about hitting “delete” on all of it — Facebook, Twitter. But is that the answer, or should we resolve to stick around and make things better?
Thumbnail for "Music On Your Mind".
Millions of people are caring for someone with severe memory loss, trying to find ways to connect. One of the best ways anyone has found is music.
Thumbnail for "Why We Fight".
What makes someone want to walk into a ring and hit someone? Choose to take a punch? Why men — and women — fight. And why so many of us like to watch.
Thumbnail for "Is Anger Useful? [Rebroadcast]".
We’ve been taught to ignore, stifle, or just get over anger for many years — but what if we embraced it?
Thumbnail for "Finding Your Voice".
Your voice is unique. It's how your friends and family know you. But how comfortable are you with your voice? And how freely do you use it?
Thumbnail for "Writing Truth and Lies [Rebroadcast]".
It's a long walk from the truth to the whole truth. A biographer, a poet, a memoirist and a filmmaker describe the moral struggle and personal cost involved.
Thumbnail for "Difficult Summer Reading".
Summer reading lists are full of so-called "beach books." But if you’ve got enough time to lounge by a pool or swing in a hammock, why not tackle something more substantial?
Thumbnail for "Religion Without Doctrine [Rebroadcast]".
What's the essence of religion? God? Scripture? Moral codes? Or is it really about something more unexplainable — primal spiritual experiences?
Thumbnail for "Pick Your Poison [Rebroadcast]".
Covert spies painting nerve agents on doorknobs? It's not the only way to poison someone. We hear stories of radioactive paint, formaldehyde-spiked baby formula, and a beautiful garden full of plants that could kill you.
Thumbnail for "Why Do We Meet?".
We're always online but still have an innate need to meet in person. How can we make gatherings, from dinner parties to work meetings, more meaningful?
Thumbnail for "The Ways We Are Born — Again and Again [Rebroadcast]".
The first birth is when you arrive here, as a wet, wiggling newborn. But there may be other transitions in your life that feel just as difficult and profound. Some people actually call those passages re-birth.
Thumbnail for "The Weird, Wild World of Mushrooms".
We owe our past and future existence on Earth to fungi. Some can heal you, some can kill you, and some can change you forever.
Thumbnail for "Music Beyond Genre".
Even with all the music available today, most of us still listen primarily to just a few comfy genres. But there’s so much more out there — and so much of it defies neat, algorithm-friendly categorization.
Thumbnail for "How To Be An Ethical Traveler".
Over-tourism is ruining some of our favorite places on earth. Maybe it’s time to think more carefully about where and why we go places.
Thumbnail for "Loving Bees [Rebroadcast]".
Bees are endangered, but all over the world, people are stepping up to save them — in backyards, science labs, and the abandoned lots of urban Detroit.
Thumbnail for "Listening to the City [Rebroadcast]".
In this hour, we make the case for exploring your city sonically.
Thumbnail for "Hope: Are We Really Doomed?".
Hope means believing there’s a future. But can hope co-exist with cataclysmic realities like climate change, or disruptive technological advances like artificial intelligence? What’s ahead for future generations?
Thumbnail for "Hope: How Do You Make It?".
We’ve all been there, that place where we feel hope slipping away. Maybe we’ve even lost hope. This hour we talk with people who’ve turned that around and made hope real, whether it’s through political activism, faith, music, or reading a life-changing novel.
Thumbnail for "Hope: Where Does It Come From?".
Is hope something we’re innately born with, or something we can choose to have? We talk with people who tell us where they think hope lives in ourselves and our communities. The first of a three-part series on hope.
Thumbnail for "Making Waves: Live in Milwaukee [Rebroadcast]".
Milwaukee is a city on water, right on the shore of Lake Michigan, split by the historic Milwaukee River. How did all that water shape the city's history, politics, culture, and people? We went on a roadtrip (and boat trip) looking for answers. Then we did a live show at Milwaukee's historic Turner Hall, talking with journalists, brewmasters, historians, comedians, spiritual leaders and one awesome DJ to get at some big underlying questions.
Thumbnail for "Is This The Socialist Moment?".
Look around the political landscape and you see something we haven’t seen for decades — politicians proudly identifying as socialists. What used to be political poison is now catnip for a new generation of voters. So, are we living in a socialist moment?
Thumbnail for "Center of the World [Rebroadcast]".
Shuttered businesses line the familiar streets of producer Charles Monroe-Kane’s hometown in the Rust Belt in northeastern Ohio. The steel mill where his father worked is shut down, locked behind chains. Opioid abuse is rampant, poverty is high, jobs are scarce. But people remain. What keeps them going? What do they hope for? Charles went back to talk with friends, family and community members in a journey to the Center of the World, Ohio. We leave the lives of Ohioans to travel back in time into the lives of Koreans in Japan with Min Jin Lee. Then we head to Brooklyn (well, "Another Brooklyn") with Jacqueline Woodson.
Thumbnail for "Is The Internet Built For Everyone?".
They say "don't feed the trolls" — but why do they get to own the web? Was it built for them, or for all of us? We look at who built the internet, how it became an at times toxic space for women, and how we might build online spaces that are more inclusive to all.
Thumbnail for "If Your Clothes Could Talk".
Whether you know it or not, your closets are filled with personal information. About your identity, your values, your personality. And every day, you wear it all right out the door for the whole world to see. Do you think about what are you saying with your clothes?
Thumbnail for "Being Sincere in a Cynical World [Rebroadcast]".
Why is the world so damn cynical? Rather than surrendering to corrosive, hopeless snark, we look to some unexpected sources — video games, the lives lead by those who leave hate groups, and the optimism of the Afrofuturist art and culture movement — to make the case for sincerity.
Thumbnail for "What's The Real Migration Crisis?".
Debates over immigration are raging all over the world, but sometimes it’s hard to sort out the political posturing from the actual problems. Should we be doing things differently? In a highly connected world, does the idea of a national border even make sense anymore?
Thumbnail for "Your Miraculous And Mysterious Body".
Sometimes, we take our body for granted. But even the everyday things it can do – keep our heart beating, fight off illness – are pretty extraordinary. Do you know what your body can do? We explore a kidney transplant, a chronic illness and a common fever, and find the mystery and the familiar in the anatomy of ourselves.
Thumbnail for "Is Guilt A Wasted Emotion? [Rebroadcast]".
It creeps into everything from exercise to pore size, from diet to personal finance, from relationships to parenting style: guilt that we're not good enough, fit enough, smart enough. And as we peruse Instagram, all we see is the perfection of others reflecting our own failures back at us. Why do we spend so much time feeling guilty? Should we?
Thumbnail for "What Sparks Creativity?".
Human creativity — whether it’s solving a tough problem or writing a novel — is one of our defining traits. It’s also deeply mysterious. Where does that creative spark come from?
Thumbnail for "In Search of "Real" Food [Rebroadcast]".
What makes food "authentic"? Do we need to feel close to where it's made? Know the complete history of where it comes from? Be able to diagram the chemistry of how it dances along our taste buds? How can we quantify the romance between eaters and the food they love?
Thumbnail for "Virtually Anywhere [Extra]".
Remember virtual reality? Back in the 1990’s, it was going to be the technology of the future. Today, it’s here. But we're still figuring out what to do with it. Storytellers and even journalists have begun experimenting — and at forefront is Will Smith. He recently created a virtual reality talk show called “The Foo Show,” in which he interviews game developers inside the environments from their favorite games. Will thinks that eventually virtual spaces will go way beyond games into theater, science, and beyond.
Thumbnail for "New Voices in Native American Writing".
Every so often, a new literary movement coalesces. A new generation of writers finds a voice. This time they’re young, gifted, and Native American.
Thumbnail for "Women Who Rule [Rebroadcast]".
Where do you go to find models of powerful women? Hatshepsut, Circe, Antigone — the ancient world was full of them, real and mythic. For thousands of years, women ruled the world. Today we barely know their names. Why? This week we rediscover the women of ancient myths and legends.
Thumbnail for "What Can We Learn From Teenagers? [Rebroadcast]".
All over the country, a chorus of hope is coming from an unexpected group — teenagers. They are marching, protesting and demanding a better future as we – the adults – watch them with a kind of heartbreaking pride. These teenagers are not waiting for adults to figure things out for them.
Thumbnail for "The Third Act [Rebroadcast]".
If life is a play, what happens during the last act? What’s it like to live knowing you have a limited amount of time left? This week, we’re talking about how to face, and in some cases, embrace your third act, whenever it arrives. Whether you’re looking at retirement, a late-life job change, an illness or just a lot of birthday candles on the cake — how do you live differently when you reach what’s likely to be your final act?
Thumbnail for "Ending With A Flourish [Rebroadcast]".
New Years celebrations are all parties and hats, songs and champagne. No one ever seems to talk about the fact that something big just ended. An entire year of life, come and gone. Shouldn’t we pause to mourn, or mark its passing with a little reverence? We don’t handle endings well, in general. So this hour, let’s learn about how to make a good ending — whether leaving a lover, quitting a job, or getting ready for the end of life itself.
Thumbnail for "Should You Delete Your Facebook Account?".
Your finger’s hovering over the "delete" button on your Facebook app. Your friends are abandoning Twitter. Every day brings fresh revelations of data breaches, privacy abuses, Russian spies, trolls. Is it time to hit “delete” on all of it? But then again, we joined these platforms for a reason. In a more perfect world, what could these platforms be doing for us?
Thumbnail for "The Secret Language of Trees [Rebroadcast]".
Using a complex network of chemical signals, trees talk to each other and form alliances with fellow trees, even other species. In fact, whole forests exist as a kind of superorganism. And some trees are incredibly old. Did you know a single bristlecone pine can live up to 6,000 years? And the root mass of aspens might live 100,000 years? We explore the science and history of trees and talk with Richard Powers about his epic novel "The Overstory."
Thumbnail for "Giving Is Complicated".
Even the most welcome gift can spark guilt, resentment, obligation or vulnerability. We can be inspired by the generosity of others, or unsettled by uncertainty of how to say thank you, or whether an especially generous gift comes with strings attached. This hour, unwrapping the tangled emotions behind giving — and getting.
Thumbnail for "Is Anger Useful?".
We’ve been taught to ignore, stifle, or just get over anger for many years — but what if we embraced it? It seems like most of us are feeling angry these days. But what if we took that emotion and instead of letting it eat us up, used it as fuel to do something, to actually help us feel better? Could anger be a useful emotion?
Thumbnail for "Religion Without Doctrine".
What's the essence of religion? God? Scripture? Moral codes? Or is it really about something more mysterious and unexplainable? In this hour, we explore the roots of religion — religion before it's even called "religion." Because if you strip away all the doctrine, the dogma, the rules for how to live — what’s left are primal spiritual experiences. But what do they tell us about ourselves and our world?
Thumbnail for "We've Had 30 Years Of Prozac. Why Are We Still Depressed? [Rebroadcast]".
Modern anti-depressants have saved a lot of minds. And lives. But our 30-year experiment with modern anti-depressants is taking a toll. What have they done to our bodies? And how do we navigate that trade-off between body and mind? Is it clear that they even work?
Thumbnail for "Writing Truth and Lies".
We all tell stories about our lives: funny stories, happy stories, sad stories. But are they true stories? In an age of “alternative facts” and “fake news,” we’re all thinking harder about why truth matters – not just in politics, but in our personal lives. A biographer, a poet, a memoirist and a filmmaker describe the moral struggle and personal cost involved in telling not just the truth, but the whole truth.
Thumbnail for "Building A Better Ballot Box".
How do we put the fairness and the fun back in American elections? In this hour, we present a few simple ideas for how to remake the electoral process.
Thumbnail for "Even Stranger Things [Rebroadcast]".
Did you know that the U.S. military has a long history of working with psychics to try to discover enemy secrets? We examine this history and take a deep dive into the paranormal.
Thumbnail for "Discovering America's Black DNA [Rebroadcast]".
DNA tests are uncovering mixed bloodlines. For African Americans, this can be emotionally-charged. What do you do when you find out one of your direct ancestors was a slave owner? Does it open the door to new conversations about racial justice?
Thumbnail for "Pick Your Poison".
Covert spies painting nerve agents on doorknobs? It's not the only way to poison someone. We hear stories of radioactive paint, formaldehyde-spiked baby formula, and a beautiful garden full of plants that could kill you.
Thumbnail for "What's Wrong With Men? [Rebroadcast]".
The right-wing politics and bro culture of The Proud Boys is attracting young, white men nationwide. Founder Gavin McInnes believes “95% of American women” would be happier at home. Where does his vision of “being a man” fit in 2018?
Thumbnail for "Listening to the City".
Cities can be cacophonous and loud, a chaos of sonic discord. If, that is, you don't really focus your listening. People who’ve trained their ears to hear urban soundscapes in new ways hear something different.
Thumbnail for "Magical Thinking [Rebroadcast]".
"Magical thinking" gets a bad rap these days. It suggests losing your grip on reality or being so gullible that you'll believe anything - from ghosts to miracles. But what if magic isn't pure fantasy? Maybe it's the gateway to wonder.
Thumbnail for "The Ways We Are Born — Again and Again".
If you think of your life as a series of births, what changes? The first birth is when you arrive here, as a wet, wiggling newborn. But there may be other transitions in your life that feel just as difficult and profound. Some people actually call those passages re-birth. But why does the birth metaphor matter?
Thumbnail for "Rethinking David Foster Wallace".
On the tenth anniversary of his suicide, David Foster Wallace faces renewed criticism over his treatment of women, in his life and work. Fans and critics are re-reading his work, struggling to reconcile genius with misogyny.
Thumbnail for "What's Wrong With Work?".
It's not easy in America today to find work that matters, that’s meaningful, and that pays enough to live on. Which is the one thing we don’t talk about. What’s wrong with work — and how do we fix it?
Thumbnail for "ICYMI: Our Invisible, Treacherous, Cynical, Wise, Miraculous World".
Haven’t listened in a while? In case you missed it, here's a sampling of what we’ve heard on the show recently.
Thumbnail for "Could Psychedelic Drugs Save Your Life? [Rebroadcast]".
Psychedelic science is back — and they could help heal people with addictions, PTSD and end-of-life anxiety.
Thumbnail for "The Einstein You Don't Know [Extra]".
There are the female scientists you can name, and the ones forgotten by history. Like Mileva Marić-Einstein. She might just have been more brilliant than Albert was — but we'll never know.
Thumbnail for "Striving To See in a Vast, Invisible Universe".
From our narrow vantage point on Earth, how can we see what's out there, beyond our skies?
Thumbnail for "Being Sincere in a Cynical World".
Why is the world so damn cynical? Rather than surrendering to corrosive, hopeless snark, we look to some unexpected sources to make the case for sincerity.
Thumbnail for "Is Socialism Making a Comeback?".
It was a dirty word 25 years ago. But now, more and more people are identifying as Socialists…in America and on the ballot.
Thumbnail for "Loving Bees".
Bees are endangered, but all over the world, people are stepping up to save them — in backyards, science labs, and the abandoned lots of urban Detroit.
Thumbnail for "Jeff Kripal at the Edge of Belief [Extra]".
Jeff Kripal is a highly original, even maverick, historian of religion. In this conversation — part of a collaboration with the LA Review of Books — Kripal takes Steve to where all the weird stuff we can’t explain lives ... or hides.
Thumbnail for "Mind of a Terrorist [Rebroadcast]".
When suicide bombers blow up crowded marketplaces, or a lone shooter attacks a nightclub, one question we’re always left with is why. This hour, a look at the underlying psychology of political violence.
Thumbnail for "Worshipping Waterfalls: The Evolution of Belief [Rebroadcast]".
Do chimpanzees have spiritual experiences? A remarkable discovery in West Africa suggests they might.
Thumbnail for "When Is A Road Trip Something More? [Rebroadcast]".
We take road trips and endless highways for granted, but there are other countries where people can pay a heavy price just for getting behind a wheel.
Thumbnail for "In Search of "Real" Food".
What if the guiding principle we used in cooking, eating and growing food was love? From an Iranian-American kitchen to the chocolate forests of Ecuador, we explore new ways to express deep flavors and personal identity through food and cooking.
Thumbnail for "Is Guilt A Wasted Emotion?".
It creeps into everything: guilt that we're not good enough, fit enough, smart enough. As we peruse Instagram, all we see is the perfection of others reflecting our own failures back at us. Why do we spend so much time feeling guilty? Should we?
Thumbnail for "Beyond the Echo Chamber [REBROADCAST]".
We live, work and play in Red and Blue tribal bubbles, filling our social media feeds with news sources that affirm our place in that order, rather than challenging it. What is that isolation doing to us? What can we do to escape it?
Thumbnail for "Women Who Rule".
Where do you go to find models of powerful women? The ancient world was full of them, real and mythic, but today we barely know their names. Why? This week we rediscover the women of ancient myths and legends.
Thumbnail for "Center of the World [REBROADCAST]".
Amidst economic devastation, producer Charles Monroe-Kane asks what it takes to survive in the Rust Belt.
Thumbnail for "What is School For? [REBROADCAST]".
Why do we have schools? To build a workforce? To create democratic citizens?
Thumbnail for "The Third Act".
If life is a play, what happens during the last act? What’s it like to live knowing you have a limited amount of time left?
Thumbnail for "Is The Nation State Splintering?".
All over the world, nation states are splintering. Separatism is on the rise. What causes nation states to erode? And what happens when they do? Should we fight to hold on to our nation states...or let them go in favor of something new?
Thumbnail for "Making Waves: Live in Milwaukee".
Milwaukee is a city on water, right on the shore of Lake Michigan, split by the historic Milwaukee River. How did it shape the city's history, politics, culture, and people? We find out in this live broadcast from Turner Hall in Milwaukee.
Thumbnail for "The Secret Language of Trees".
Trees talk to each other, and even form alliances with other trees or other species. Some are incredibly old — the root mass of aspens might live 100,000 years. In this hour, we explore the science and history of trees.
Thumbnail for "Handwork".
More than 38 million Americans knit or crochet. Not because they crave mittens and afghans, but because they like the way knitting feels. Handwork turns out be a powerful antidote for digital overload.
Thumbnail for "Hip Hop Future".
Hip hop created a sound that changed music, art, fashion, and politics. What's next? Diplomacy? Journalism? Education? Philosophy?
Thumbnail for "Thinking with Animals".
Can we ever get inside the mind of an animal? Can we really know how an octopus or a parrot thinks? Also, the fascinating story of Charles Foster's attempt to act like a badger, when he lived in a hole in the ground and ate worms.
Thumbnail for "Healing Trauma".
As terrible as it sounds, most of us will go through something traumatic at some point in our lives. The experience can be deeply isolating and crushing, but it doesn't have to be. 
Thumbnail for "We've Had 30 Years Of Prozac. Why Are We Still Depressed? ".
Modern anti-depressants have saved a lot of minds. And lives. But what have they done to our bodies? And how do we navigate that trade-off between body and mind?
Thumbnail for "What Can We Learn From Teenagers?".
A chorus of hope is coming from an unexpected group — teenagers. They have superpowers — innocence, idealism, and Instagram — and they aren't waiting for permission to use them to shape the world.
Thumbnail for "Discovering America's Black DNA".
DNA tests are uncovering mixed bloodlines. For African Americans, this can be emotionally-charged. What do you do when you find out one of your direct ancestors was a slave owner? Does it open the door to new conversations about racial justice?
Thumbnail for "Why Make Art?".
We grow up scribbling with crayons and covering sidewalks with chalk, and then around middle school most of us stop. Maybe we think it's childish or just too hard. So what can we learn from the people who never stopped making art? We'll talk with activist artist Molly Crabapple and legendary painter/printmaker Frank Stella. And jazz pianist Craig Taborn reflects on a lifetime of improvisation.
Thumbnail for "How Do You Face The Hate On Your Doorstep?".
For the first time since World War II, far-right and neo-fascist groups are winning converts and votes — all over Europe and also here at home. Why is it happening, and can it be stopped?
Thumbnail for "Magical Thinking".
"Magical thinking" gets a bad rap these days. It suggests losing your grip on reality or being so gullible that you'll believe anything - from ghosts to miracles. But what if magic isn't pure fantasy? Maybe it's the gateway to wonder.
Thumbnail for "Imagining Climate Change".
Imagining Climate Change
Thumbnail for "What's Wrong With Men?".
The right-wing politics and bro culture of The Proud Boys is attracting young, white men nationwide. Founder Gavin McInnes believes “95% of American women” would be happier at home. Where does his vision of “being a man” fit in 2018?
Thumbnail for "In the Company of Wolves".
In the Company of Wolves
Thumbnail for "Can An Evil Man Be A Decent Person?".
Can An Evil Man Be A Decent Person?
Thumbnail for "Who's Watching Us?".
Ever had the nagging suspicion that you’re being watched? You are. We all are.
Thumbnail for "Renunciation".
Renunciation
Thumbnail for "Ending With A Flourish".
We don’t handle endings well, in general. So this hour, let’s learn about how to make a good ending — whether leaving a lover, quitting a job, or getting ready for the end of life itself.
Thumbnail for "Is Capitalism Broken?".
Who really runs the world? Presidents and prime ministers, or CEOs and bankers? And who’s responsible when everything falls apart?
Thumbnail for "Taking Comfort in the Sound of Silence".
Do you ever crave silence? Maybe some can’t stand to hear themselves thinking, but others go to great lengths to find respite from a blaringly loud world.
Thumbnail for "Harassment in the Lab".
Sexism has no boundaries, as we're quickly discovering. But what impact does it have on scientific discovery if sexist behavior drives women out of science entirely?
Thumbnail for "Extra: Making Peace With Monsters".
This is the story of a lonely, disturbed teenager desperately in need of a friend. His name was Jeff. Or as you know him, Jeffrey Dahmer — the serial killer.
Thumbnail for "Burnout".
Across professions, half of Americans surveyed say they’re exhausted from work. More and more of us feel scrambled, tired and drained. Are we facing daily lives more prone to burnout? And what can we do about it?
Thumbnail for "A New Clash Of Civilizations?".
When we hear from politicians and activists that "the West is at risk, that a clash of civilizations threatens Western culture," what does that mean exactly? And who do we think is coming for it?
Thumbnail for "Extra: Discovering the Hidden Roots of Koreans Living In Japan".
One of the finalists for the National Book Award this year is Min Jin Lee, for her novel "Pachinko."
Thumbnail for "Beyond the Echo Chamber".
We live, work and play in Red and Blue tribal bubbles, filling our social media feeds with news sources that affirm our place in that order, rather than challenging it. What is that isolation doing to us? What can we do to escape it?
Thumbnail for "Even Stranger Things".
Did you know that the U.S. military has a long history of working with psychics to try to discover enemy secrets? We examine this history and take a deep dive into the paranormal.
Thumbnail for "Extra: Virtually Anywhere".
Remember virtual reality? Back in the 1990’s, it was going to be the technology of the future. Today, it’s here. But we're still figuring out what to do with it.
Thumbnail for "You Had To Be There".
Home entertainment options have never been richer, but public places like movie theaters and performance spaces are suffering. What do we lose when everyone stays home?
Thumbnail for "Is the Universe a Number?".
For centuries, mathematicians have been looking for the deep design, the mathematical code to explain everything from microorganisms to spacetime. But it’s a dangerous quest.
Thumbnail for "Could Psychedelic Drugs Save Your Life?".
Psychedelic science is back — and they could help heal people with addictions, PTSD and end-of-life anxiety.
Thumbnail for "Rethinking The Reviewer".
If everyone’s a critic online, does it mean that cultural criticism doesn’t matter anymore?
Thumbnail for "Rethinking The Reviewer".
If everyone’s a critic online, does it mean that cultural criticism doesn’t matter anymore?
Thumbnail for "Why We War".
Why We War The Worth of War; War is Beautiful; War is Revenge; Is War Inevitable?; 50th Anniversary of "A Love Supreme".
Thumbnail for "Sentimentality for Silicon".
We explore our complicated relationships with our digital devices in this hour. Mourning Our Lost And Broken Technology; The Internet Has Made Dying More Miserable; How Can Digital Citizens Reclaim Their Voices Online?; Why We're Alone Even When We're Together; The Bad Sort Of Time Travel.
Thumbnail for "Automate It".
Automate It
Thumbnail for "Amusement Parks".
Amusement Parks
Thumbnail for "Why Is The Internet Toxic For Women?".
Why Is The Internet Toxic For Women?
Thumbnail for "Short Stories".
Short Stories
Thumbnail for "Striving To See In A Vast, Invisible Universe".
Striving To See In A Vast, Invisible Universe
Thumbnail for "Awkward".
Awkward
Thumbnail for "Making A Home".
Making A Home
Thumbnail for "Telling a Life".
Telling a Life
Thumbnail for "Shame".
We explore our obsession with public shaming in this hour. Public Shaming on the Internet; Shame-Based Sentencing Instead of Jail Time; The Upside of Shame: Promoting Positive Change; Dangerous Idea: Universal Recess!; Sowing Your Wild Oats in Mid-Life.
Thumbnail for "Check Your Privilege".
Check Your Privilege
Thumbnail for "Get Happy".
Get Happy
Thumbnail for "The Art of Reinventing Yourself".
The Art of Reinventing Yourself
Thumbnail for "Do Protests Still Matter?".
Do Protests Still Matter?
Thumbnail for "When Is A Road Trip Something More?".
When Is A Road Trip Something More?
Thumbnail for "The Real Ways That "Fake News" Shapes What We Believe".
The Real Ways That "Fake News" Shapes What We Believe
Thumbnail for "Time Travel".
We explore our obsession with time travel and what it can teach us about ourselves. Why Are We So Obsessed with Time Travel?; Going Back in Time to Prevent a Tragedy; Reliving Groundhog Day; A Radical New View of Time ; A Novel Based on a Real-Life Time Capsule.
Thumbnail for "Being Broke and White".
Being Broke and White
Thumbnail for "Locked Up".
Locked Up
Thumbnail for "The Whole Truth".
The Whole Truth
Thumbnail for "Peak Performance".
Peak Performance
Thumbnail for "Knowing Animals".
Knowing Animals
Thumbnail for "Gateway Moments: Live from St. Louis".
Gateway Moments: Live from St. Louis
Thumbnail for "Extra: One Woman Who Sounds Like Twenty".
Low-fi artist Syna So Pro loops with love.
Thumbnail for "Wonder Women".
Wonder Women
Thumbnail for "This Will Shock You".
The virtues of transgressive, subversive, rule-breaking art, both as an aesthetic and as a way of life. A Matter of (Bad) Taste; Two Tape Recorders and Twenty Knives; Classical Doesn't Have To Mean Dead; Hiding Yourself Behind Characters.
Thumbnail for "Extra: Changing A Place By Documenting It".
Filmmaker Laura Stewart on how being filmed affects documentary subjects, and how that affects the truth you can tell.
Thumbnail for "Barbecue".
Barbecue
Thumbnail for "Parks and Recreation".
Parks and Recreation
Thumbnail for "Extra: David Byrne is Thinking About How Music Works".
David Byrne talks about how music works.
Thumbnail for "What's In a Name? (Update)".
What's In a Name? (Update)
Thumbnail for "Forgiving the Unforgivable".
Forgiving the Unforgivable
Thumbnail for "Extra: Mark Frost Takes Us Deep Inside the Secret History of Twin Peaks".
Mark Frost takes us deep inside the secret history of Twin Peaks.
Thumbnail for "Skill vs Luck (update)".
Skill vs Luck (update)
Thumbnail for "Worshipping Waterfalls: The Evolution of Belief".
Do chimpanzees have spiritual experiences? A remarkable discovery in West Africa suggests they might. Do Chimpanzees Have Spiritual Experiences?; How “Big Gods” Transformed Human History; An Evolutionary Biologist Searches for God; What Bliss Looks Like In Your Brain.
Thumbnail for "Extra: The Evolutionary Advantage of Faith".
Is there an inherent conflict between science and religion? Jeff Schloss doesn’t think so. He’s a biologist who studies the evolutionary origins of religion. He’s also an observant Christian.
Thumbnail for "Frankly, I Don't Give a Damn".
In this hour, we explore what the superpower of not giving a f--- might allow you to do. Breaking Out of The "Feedback Loop from Hell"; Menefreghismo; Resisting the Self-Improvement Craze; The Impossibility of Actually ‘Having It All’.
Thumbnail for "The Mississippi".
The Mississippi
Thumbnail for "The News From Poems: “November Eyes on Main Street”".
Richard Blanco’s poem begins the day after the November election, as he struggles to make sense of a new political mood.
Thumbnail for "Going Wild".
Looking for wildness, inside and out. Kids Go Wild; How To Reclaim Your Sense of Wonder; The Adventure Gap: Diversity In Outdoor Recreation; "More Hawk Than Human": Helen Macdonald Battles Grief With a Goshawk; BookMark: Werner Herzog on "The Peregrine"; The Dead Lands - Ben Percy's Post-Apocalyptic Wilderness Thriller.
Thumbnail for "The News From Poems: “WTF”".
A near-accident has poet Laura Kasischke marveling at the fearlessness of young adults and also worrying about their future.
Thumbnail for "Handwork".
Handwork
Thumbnail for "Repeat When Necessary".
Repeat When Necessary
Thumbnail for "The News From Poems: “Ode To the Dead of Bowling Green”".
Poet Nick Lantz has been thinking about political spin and how his poems can play off the language of politics. 
Thumbnail for "Extra: "Fargo" Showrunner Noah Hawley".
Noah Hawley talks about turning the Coen Brothers' film, "Fargo," into a critically-acclaimed TV series
Thumbnail for "How To Think Like a Scientist".
How To Think Like a Scientist
Thumbnail for "Yuck".
Yuck
Thumbnail for "The News From Poems: “Brush With Cymbals”".
In his new poem, Fady Joudah explores questions about exile, suffering and the language of nation states.
Thumbnail for "Illuminating Us".
Illuminating Us
Thumbnail for "The Revenge of Analog".
The Revenge of Analog
Thumbnail for "Extra: Nick Offerman on the Craft and Wisdom of Wendell Berry".
The former “Parks and Recreation” star has an unlikely hero: the Kentucky writer and champion of rural culture.
Thumbnail for "Bullies".
This hour, we explore the bullying epidemic, including cyberbullying and a novelist's forty-year search for his childhood bully. Finding a Bully After Forty Years; The Power of Empathy; Once a Bully, Now a Friend; Bullying: Made in America?; Julian Barnes on The Noise of Time.
Thumbnail for "The Poem is You: New Voices in American Poetry".
The Poem is You: New Voices in American Poetry
Thumbnail for "The News From Poems: “Inaugural”".
Quan Barry is writing a new poem each week in response to current events.  And she’s invited other poets to join in. 
Thumbnail for "The Art of Reading (Updated)".
The Art of Reading (Updated)
Thumbnail for "Mad As Hell".
Mad As Hell
Thumbnail for "Extra: Every Time You Troll Me, A Scientist Gets Her Due".
Every time this medical student gets harassed online, she writes a new Wikipedia bio of a female scientist.
Thumbnail for "Mosquitoes Must Die".
Mosquitoes Must Die
Thumbnail for "Extra: Does Empathy Have a Design Flaw?".
We talk to two experts —Chuck Pezeshski and Indi Young— who think about the role empathy can play in tackling massive design and engineering problems.
Thumbnail for "Rethinking Work".
Rethinking Work
Thumbnail for "The Mind of a Terrorist".
The Mind of a Terrorist
Thumbnail for "How to Forget".
How to Forget
Thumbnail for "Could Psychedelic Drugs Save Your Life?".
Could Psychedelic Drugs Save Your Life?
Thumbnail for "Film Junkies (update)".
Film Junkies (update)
Thumbnail for "Love + Evolution: Live in Madison".
Love + Evolution: Live in Madison
Thumbnail for "Extra: What If Richard Dawkins Had It All Wrong?".
Forty years ago Richard Dawkins wrote the landmark book “The Selfish Gene,” where he argued that the gene is what drives evolution. But what if he got it all wrong?
Thumbnail for "StoryWorlds".
In this show, we explore the fictional universes that continue to enchant us.  How to Build Fantastical Fictional Universes; The Secret History of Twin Peaks; A Haunting Story of Lincoln, Love and Loss.
Thumbnail for "The Gun".
The Gun The Cody Firearms Museum; The Gun Myth; the Legend of Sarah Winchester; LIberals! Go Out and Buy a Gun!; Negroes and the Gun; Pistols and Petticoats: 175 Years of Lady Detectives.
Thumbnail for "Extra: Neil Gaiman Brings Us to the End of the World".
Chaotic headlines out of Washington, ice melting in Antarctica, world temps rising and global conflict on the rise… it could be worse.  It could be Ragnarok.  
Thumbnail for "Love By The Numbers".
Love By The Numbers
Thumbnail for "Extra: Philip Glass at 80".
It’s really hard to exaggerate the influence that Philip Glass has had on contemporary classical music. In honor of his eightieth birthday, here's a re-aired conversation with the composer about his memoir, "Words Without Music."
Thumbnail for "Original Sin".
The story of Adam and Eve is as old as sin.  But it’s a lot more than a Bible story. Original Sin at the Heart of All Political Divides; The Imprint of Original Sin on Western Culture; A Blessing in the Garden; When Sin Bears Fruit.
Thumbnail for "A Borderless World?".
A Borderless World?
Thumbnail for "Extra: Daniel Schorr on How Journalists Keep Politicians Honest".
We find ourselves wondering how legendary muckrakers might have reacted to some of these first Trump press briefings.
Thumbnail for "Conspiracy Theories".
In this hour, we explore why we love conspiracy theories and why we believe them. The United States of Paranoia; Suspicious Minds; Hip-Hop and the Illuminati; UFO Conspiracy Theories; Art, Conspiracy, and Mark Lombardi.
Thumbnail for "Hell is Other People".
Hell is Other People
Thumbnail for "Kicked Out In America".
Kicked Out In America
Thumbnail for "Extra: Mark Greif on Why He’s “Against Everything”".
In this podcast, Mark Greif, co-founder of the literary magazine n+1 and author of “Against Everything,” reflects on the art of being a cultural critic.
Thumbnail for "Protest Music".
Protest Music
Thumbnail for "Artificial Creativity".
Computer scientists are closing in on the next frontier in artificial intelligence — machines that can create. But don’t throw away your paintbrush yet. Machine Music Theory 101; Cracking the “Bestseller Code”; My Robot Could Paint That; Creative Differences with Android Lloyd Webber; Nothing Left To Do But Write Songs.
Thumbnail for "Extra: Putting Music to the City of Broad Shoulders".
Charles Monroe-Kane talks to David Nagler about setting Carl Sandburg's poems to music.
Thumbnail for "Life, Art, and Therapy".
Life, Art, and Therapy
Thumbnail for "Man Up".
Man Up
Thumbnail for "Extra: Remembering Huston Smith".
Extra: Remembering Huston Smith
Thumbnail for "Owning the Future".
Owning the Future
Thumbnail for "How to Love Your Body".
How to Love Your Body
Thumbnail for "Self Help".
Self Help
Thumbnail for "Best of 2016".
Best of 2016
Thumbnail for "Animals in Winter".
Animals in Winter Ingenuity of Animals in Winter; How Animals Sound in Winter; The Reindeer People; Women Hunting; Helen Macdonald recommends "The Dark is Rising"; The Dutch Christmas Tradition of Black Pete.
Thumbnail for "Late Bloomers".
Late Bloomers
Thumbnail for "Shirley Jackson".
On the centennial of Shirley Jackson's birth, we explore her life and her stories and novels, which continue to resonate in our culture. A Rather Haunted Life; The Daemon Lover; My Mother, Shirley Jackson; Making My Grandmother's Story Graphic; Under the Influence of Jackson.
Thumbnail for "Freeman Dyson, Sage of Science".
Freeman Dyson, Sage of Science
Thumbnail for "Saving Language".
Saving Language
Thumbnail for "Larry Brilliant, Hippie Doctor".
Larry Brilliant, Hippie Doctor
Thumbnail for "Extinction (Update)".
Extinction (Update)
Thumbnail for "Getting Jazzed".
Getting Jazzed
Thumbnail for "Why the Classics Matter".
Why the Classics Matter
Thumbnail for "Hip Hop Future".
the hip hop future For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood; Hip Hop as Diplomacy. Hip Hop as Journalism.; We Gon' Be Alright; Winner of the 2016 National Book Award.
Thumbnail for "Your Attention Please".
Your Attention Please
Thumbnail for "Traditional Knowledge".
Traditional Knowledge
Thumbnail for "Walking".
Walking
Thumbnail for "Reconciliation".
Reconciliation
Thumbnail for "Election 2.0".
Election 2.0
Thumbnail for "H.P. Lovecraft".
H.P. Lovecraft
Thumbnail for "Narcissism (Repeat)".
Are we living in a Golden Age of Narcissism? The Narcissist Next Door - Jeffrey Kluger; The Americanization of Narcissism - Elizabeth Lunbeck; Unworthy: How to Stop Hating Yourself - Anneli Rufus; Dangerous Idea: We Matter; On Our Minds: Sam Harris.
Thumbnail for "Eric Liu Teaches Power to the People".
Eric Liu is on a campaign to make voting fun again and to restore the power of the people
Thumbnail for "Better-abled".
Why not better-abled? Superpowers - Aimee Mullins; Asking for Help - Haddayr Copley-Woods; Touching Sound - Evelyn Glennie; The Problem With Men's Locker Rooms and Women's Restrooms.
Thumbnail for "Who Owns Water?".
Who Owns Water? Water is for Fighting Over; A Basketball Star Heads to Standing Rock; What Is Water?; Terry Tempest Williams on the novel Tracks by Louise Erdrich; The Massacre at Wounded Knee - 10 Years Later; An Anishinaabe Poem and Creation Story.
Thumbnail for "The Problem With Men's Locker Rooms and Women's Restrooms".
Why Donald Trump's locker rooms and sex-segregated bathrooms are a bad idea
Thumbnail for "Why Some People Shouldn't Vote".
Why Some People Shouldn't Vote
Thumbnail for "Fermentation".
Fermentation
Thumbnail for "Our Mysterious Universe".
Our Mysterious Universe
Thumbnail for "Colson Whitehead's "Underground Railroad"".
Colson Whitehead's "Underground Railroad"
Thumbnail for "Lithium And Lies: A True Story About Sex, Drugs and Mania".
Public radio producer Charles Monroe-Kane confronts the truth about the years he spent self-treating his mental illness with a dangerous mix of hard drugs and alcohol
Thumbnail for "Living Dangerously: Live in Utah".
Living Dangerously: Live in Utah
Thumbnail for "God Talk".
God Talk
Thumbnail for "Cinephilia (Updated)".
In this hour, we explore people's obsessions with movies and talk with legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog. Room 237 - Manohla Dargis; Werner Herzog Strives for the 'Ecstatic Truth'; Frank - Jon Ronson; Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!.
Thumbnail for "Chuck Klosterman Thinks About the Present As If It Were the Past".
This is our extended conversation with Chuck Klosterman re. his book, "But What If We're Wrong?: Thinking About The Present As If It Were the Past."
Thumbnail for "Flammable Fiction".
This hour, we explore flammable fiction as we ask the question, How does fire inspire a writer's imagination? Death by Spontaneous Combustion; Fighting Wildland Fires; The Politics of Arson; Thinking About the Present As If It Were the Past.
Thumbnail for "The History of Ballooning".
  Before the airplane was invented, ballooning was all the rage, and many people thought this was the future of air travel. Cultural historian Richard Holmes describes the remarkable history of the hot air balloon.
Thumbnail for "The Edge of the Run".
The Edge of the Run
Thumbnail for "Hitchhiking (Revised)".
Hitchhiking (Revised)
Thumbnail for "The Voice".
The Voice
Thumbnail for "Critical Intimacy: An Interview with Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak".
Critical Intimacy: An Interview with Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak
Thumbnail for "Hillary's First Speech: Historic 1969 Audio Reveals "Blueprint For Her Future"".
Hillary's First Speech: Historic 1969 Audio Reveals "Blueprint For Her Future"
Thumbnail for "Up In The Air --  Air Travel (Updated)".
Up In The Air -- Air Travel (Updated)
Thumbnail for "Across the Universe (Update)".
Across the Universe (Update)
Thumbnail for "Kip Winger Goes Classical: Studio Session".
Kip Winger Goes Classical: Studio Session
Thumbnail for "Evangelical in America".
Evangelical in America
Thumbnail for "Writing Funny (Update)".
Writing Funny (Update)
Thumbnail for "This Martian Life (Repeat)".
This Martian Life (Repeat)
Thumbnail for "The Art of the Collection".
The Art of the Collection
Thumbnail for "What's In A Name?".
What's your name and what does it say about you? Me, Myself and My Name; What Not To Name Your Baby; The Man Who Wasn't Charles Lindbergh; The Power of Names; Writing With Apples: A Visit To Novelist Jane Hamilton's Family Orchard.
Thumbnail for "The Mass Murderers Among Us (TTBOOK Extra)".
The Mass Murderers Among Us (TTBOOK Extra)
Thumbnail for "Photojournalism".
Photojournalism
Thumbnail for "The Wisconsin Idea (Special)".
The Wisconsin Idea (Special)
Thumbnail for "The Outsider (Updated)".
The Outsider (Updated)
Thumbnail for "Everything on Demand".
Everything on Demand
Thumbnail for "Survival (Updated)".
Survival (Updated)
Thumbnail for "Finding Nirvana (Updated)".
Finding Nirvana (Updated)
Thumbnail for "Everyday Data".
Everyday Data
Thumbnail for "74 Is The New 24".
74 is the new 24 Giorgio Moroder—The 75-year-old Father of Disco—is Back; Buffy Sainte-Marie on Her New Album, "Power in the Blood"; The Benefits of Playing Music in Your Vintage Years; Old Masters and Young Geniuses; Philip Glass on his Memoir "Words Without Music".
Thumbnail for "Depolarize Now!".
How to depolarize American politics How to Depolarize American Politics; The Biology of Political Bias; Elif Shafak on the Pain of Living in a Polarized Culture; Bookmark: Jonathan Chait recommends “What Hath God Wrought” by Daniel Walker Howe; The Future of Left and Right.
Thumbnail for "Dangerous Ideas".
Dangerous Ideas
Thumbnail for "The Mosque".
The Mosque Mosque Architecture in America; Building a Mosque In America; The Burj Khalifa, the Tallest Building in the World; An Architect Under Siege in Syria; From the Islamic Center of Chicago; The Architect's Apprentice.
Thumbnail for "Invisible Workers".
Invisible Workers
Thumbnail for "Reinventing Fiction (Repeat)".
Reinventing Fiction (Repeat)
Thumbnail for "Inside Cuba (Updated)".
Inside Cuba (Updated)
Thumbnail for "Independent Women".
Independent Women
Thumbnail for "The Cook and the Book".
The Cook and the Book
Thumbnail for "Film Junkies".
Film Junkies
Thumbnail for "The Quantified Self (Rebroadcast)".
The Quantified Self (Rebroadcast)
Thumbnail for "Big Soda".
Big Soda
Thumbnail for "Wearing it On Your Sleeve (update)".
Fashion Matters Jacki Lyden on Why Fashion Matters; A Philosophy of Fashion; Gender and Race on the Runway; Fashion, Fast and Slow; The Hindus: An Alternative History.
Thumbnail for "Science Fiction: Thinking the Unthinkable (Updated)".
Science Fiction: Thinking the Unthinkable (Updated)
Thumbnail for "Political Correctness? (Updated)".
Political Correctness? (Updated)
Thumbnail for "A More Perfect Union".
A More Perfect Union
Thumbnail for "The Artist (Repeat)".
The Artist (Repeat)
Thumbnail for "It's All About Cats".
It's All About Cats
Thumbnail for "Procrastination".
We explore procrastination and try to answer the question, Why do we put things off and how can we stop? Procrastination 101; Procrastination Anxiety; Procrastination as Vice; Coping with Procrastination; Moving Past Procrastination; Felicia Day, Geek Goddess.
Thumbnail for "Best of 2015".
Best of 2015
Thumbnail for "Confronting Climate Change".
Confronting Climate Change
Thumbnail for "An Attitude of Gratitude".
Thanksgiving How to Cultivate Gratitude; Raising Gracious Children; The Problem with Gettng Help; Gifting is, well, complicated; Punk Turns 40!; Patti Smith.
Thumbnail for "Very New Poems (update)".
Poetry is back! Elegy for a Dead World; Narrator-in-residence at the Pfister Hotel; A Poet's Glossary; The Poet Laureate of Twitter; Veterans Day.
Thumbnail for "New African Voices".
New African Voices
Thumbnail for "Ghost Stories (update)".
Ghost Stories (update)
Thumbnail for "Religion in a Troubled World".
Religion in a Troubled World
Thumbnail for "Regarding the Pain of Others (update)".
Regarding the Pain of Others (update)
Thumbnail for "The Outsider".
The Outsider
Thumbnail for "Political Engagement (Update)".
We tune in to watch Donald Trump, Jeb Bush and Carly Fiorina trade barbs.  But what would it take to get people politically involved all year round, and not just during election season? Making Democracy Fun; Voices From The Internet Underground; Against Voting; Make Energy Democratic; Lands in Limbo.
Thumbnail for "Writing for a Living (Repeat)".
Writing for a Living (Repeat)
Thumbnail for "The First People".
The First People
Thumbnail for "Death: After Life".
Death: After Life
Thumbnail for "Our National Parks".
Our National Parks
Thumbnail for "Death: The Wake".
Death: The Wake
Thumbnail for "Death: The Last Moment".
Death: The Last Moment
Thumbnail for "Death: Exit Plan".
Death: Exit Plan
Thumbnail for "Remembering David Foster Wallace".
Remembering David Foster Wallace
Thumbnail for "Summer Music Festivals".
Summer Music Festivals
Thumbnail for "Death: The Reckoning".
Death: The Reckoning
Thumbnail for "The Art of Reading".
The Art of Reading
Thumbnail for "Mayors (update)".
What if Mayors Rules the World If Mayors Ruled the World; Participatory Budgeting; SONIC SIDEBAR: Mayor Dave; The Mayor of Reykjavik; A DANGEROUS IDEA!; Keija Parssinen on her novel "The Unraveling of Mercy Louis".
Thumbnail for "Power of Play (Updated)".
Power of Play (Updated)
Thumbnail for "Future Faces (Updated)".
Future Faces (Updated)
Thumbnail for "The Amazing Brain (Update)".
The Amazing Brain (Update)
Thumbnail for "Healing Trauma".
Healing Trauma
Thumbnail for "Finding Nirvana".
Finding Nirvana
Thumbnail for "Split Identities (Repeat)".
Split Identities (Repeat)
Thumbnail for "Japanese Cool".
Japanese Cool
Thumbnail for "Skill vs Luck".
skill versus luck Gambling with 100% Skill; Is there an Equation for Success?; Choreographer Bill T. Jones on the Randomness of Musician John Cage; Poker Legend Annie Duke on Luck; BookMark: Julie Schumacher recommends Saramago's "Elephant's Journey"; On Our Minds: The Eurozone Crisis.
Thumbnail for "Philosophy in the Streets".
Philosophy in the Streets
Thumbnail for "Doing the Math (Updated)".
Doing the Math (Updated)
Thumbnail for "Inside Cuba".
Inside Cuba
Thumbnail for "Food for Thought (Updated)".
Food for Thought (Updated)
Thumbnail for "Hitchhiking (Updated)".
Hitchhiking (Updated)
Thumbnail for "Remembering the Vietnam War".
Remembering the Vietnam War
Thumbnail for "The Thrill of the Fight".
The Thrill of the Fight
Thumbnail for "Building Stories (Update)".
Building Stories (Update)
Thumbnail for "The Quantified Self".
Can the self actually be quantified? This hour, we examine the growth of personal data collection. From Bites to Bytes - Quantifying the Everyday; Does Data Give Life Meaning?; The Sonified Self - Transforming Data Into Music; Our Automated Future; Chronicling, then Letting Go.
Thumbnail for "The Magic Book (Update)".
Magic Books The Codex Seraphinianus; The Talking Book; The Aleppo Codex; Novelist Remembers Armenian Massacre, 100 Years Later; Singer Diamanda Galas: The 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
Thumbnail for "Getting Medieval (Update)".
Getting Medieval (Update)
Thumbnail for "Political Correctness?".
Political Correctness?
Thumbnail for "Re-Remixing".
Re-Remixing
Thumbnail for "Vaccine Wars".
Vaccine Wars
Thumbnail for "Lab Lit".
Lab Lit
Thumbnail for "Drones (Updated)".
Drones (Updated)
Thumbnail for "Race and Justice".
Race and Justice
Thumbnail for "Words and Music (Updated)".
Words and Music (Updated)
Thumbnail for "Why fashion matters".
How clothing shapes our indentities, cultures, economies and environment Jacki Lyden on Why Fashion Matters; A Philosophy of Fashion; Gender and Race on the Runway; Fashion, Fast and Slow; BookMark: Edward Hirsch on "Memorial"; On Our Minds: Quan Barry Writes Vietnam.
Thumbnail for "Workflow (Updated)".
Workflow (Updated)
Thumbnail for "Heart of Darkness (Updated)".
Are humans innately violent? The Act of Killing; The Noble Savage; Better Angels of our Nature; Sonic Sidebar: A Maya Angelou poetry reading; BookMark: "Independent People" by Halldór Laxness; On Our Minds: Being Cold.
Thumbnail for "Future Faces (Updated)".
The privacy arms race over facial recognition Focusing on Faces; Artist Uses Makeup To Fool Surveillance Cameras; Former Model Tells The Story Of Her Face; Meet The Surgeon Behind The World's First Complete Facial Transplant; Dangerous Idea: Downloadable Selves; On Our Minds: Laura van den Berg.
Thumbnail for "Very New Poems".
Poetry is back! Elegy for a Dead World; Narrator-in-residence at the Pfister Hotel; A Poet's Glossary; The Poet Laureate of Twitter; A Dangerous idea from John Waters; On Our Minds: Slavery and Capitalism.
Thumbnail for "Epic Fail (Updated)".
Epic Fail (Updated)
Thumbnail for "1001 Nights (Updated)".
1001 Nights retold 1001 Nights 101; 1001 Nights: A Retelling - Hanan Al-Shaykh; SONIC SIDEBAR: Orhan Pamuk on The Arabian Nights; Salman Rushdie on "Luka and the Fire of Life"; Dangerous Idea: Narcissism is Good; On Our Minds: OKCupid.
Thumbnail for "Weird Fiction (R)".
Weird Fiction (R)
Thumbnail for "Race and Fear (Special)".
Race and Fear (Special)
Thumbnail for "Traveling Time (R)".
Planning a winter getaway? Here's some inspiration to adventure... Old Roads to Rome; Sonic Sidebar: Aboard Niagara; The Road to Tantra - Asra Nomani; The Art of Travel - Alain de Botton; BookMark: Karen Russell on "A High Wind in Jamaica"; On Our Minds: The New High Line.
Thumbnail for "Extinction".
Extinction
Thumbnail for "Investigating Belief (Updated)".
Investigating Belief (Updated)
Thumbnail for "The Artist".
This episode explores the artist and new ways to think about the creative process Steal Like an Artist - Austin Kleon; Powers of Two - Joshua Wolf Shenk; Myopia - Mark Mothersbaugh [Slideshow]; BookMark: Charles Duhigg on "The Children"; On Our Minds: The Great Migration.
Thumbnail for "Just Dance!".
Just Dance!
Thumbnail for "The Future of Listening".
The Future of Listening
Thumbnail for "Fearing the Other".
Fearing the Other
Thumbnail for "The Art of Television (Repeat)".
The Art of Television (Repeat)
Thumbnail for "Writing Funny".
Writing Funny
Thumbnail for "Alan Turing (Updated)".
Alan Turing (Updated)
Thumbnail for "The Secret Language of Plants (Repeat)".
The Secret Language of Plants Thinking Like a Forest - Suzanne Simard; What a Plant Knows - Daniel Chamovitz; Sonic Sidebar: Data Garden Quartet; Plant Intelligence - Jeremy Narby; The Grammar of Animacy; Dangerous Idea: Question Your Beliefs; On Our Minds: Ralph Nader .
Thumbnail for "Science Fiction: Thinking the Unthinkable".
Science Fiction: Thinking the Unthinkable
Thumbnail for "Our Digital Lives".
Our Digital Lives
Thumbnail for "Does Fiction Make Us Good?".
Does Fiction Make Us Good?
Thumbnail for "Cinephilia".
In this hour, we explore people's obsessions with movies and talk with legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog. Room 237 - Manohla Dargis; Werner Herzog Strives for the 'Ecstatic Truth'; Frank - Jon Ronson; Found Film: John Waters; On Our Minds: National Novel Writing Month.
Thumbnail for "Ecotopia (Repeat)".
Ecotopia (Repeat)
Thumbnail for "From philosophy to neuroscience, looking for the truth about beauty.".
From philosophy to neuroscience, looking for the truth about beauty.
Thumbnail for "Do Nations Need States?".
Do nations need states? Do Nations Need States?; Sonic Sidebar: Scotland Votes "No"; Lands in Limbo; The Islamic State; BookMark: Lauren Beukes on “The Three” by Sara Lotz; On Our Minds: Abortion.
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We explore the secret life of sleep in this hour. The Secret Life of Sleep - Kat Duff; The Politics of Sleep - Matthew J. Wolf-Meyer; Sleep Donation - Karen Russell; Sonic Sidebar: Is Sleep Going Extinct?; Dangerous Idea: Life Roller Coaster; On Our Minds: Josh Ruxin.
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With the elections approaching, candidates and campaigns are working hard to get out the vote. But what would it take to get people politically involved all year round? Making Democracy Fun; Voices From The Internet Underground; Against Voting; Dangerous Idea: Differential Technological Development; On Our Minds: Dataclysm.
Thumbnail for "Imagining Possible Worlds (Repeat)".
Imagining Possible Worlds (Repeat)
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Cavemen.   Not Cro-Magnons or Neanderthals, but modern cavemen and women. They eat raw meat, run barefoot and practice throwing heavy stones. Arthur De Vany on Modern Cavemen; Paleofantasy - John Hawks; Cavedigger; Michelle Paver on "Chronicles of Ancient Darkness"; Dangerous Idea: Don't Recycle!; On Our Minds: David Mitchell.
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We explore Creative Writing in this hour with Gary Shteyngart, author of "Little Failure." Little Failure - Gary Shteyngart; Writers and Drinking - Olivia Laing; Sonic Sidebar: John Cheever's "The Swimmer"; The Trickster's Hat - Nick Bantock; Dangerous Ideas: Peace Is Now; On Our Minds - Charlie Parker.
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Super Senses
Thumbnail for "Pranks and Hoaxes (Updated)".
Pranks and Hoaxes (Updated)
Thumbnail for "Making It In America (Repeat)".
Making It In America (Repeat)
Thumbnail for "1001 Nights (Repeat)".
1001 Nights (Repeat)
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The Amazing Brain
Thumbnail for "Lies That Last (Repeat)".
Lies That Last (Repeat)
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With hundreds of millions of people moving into cities we're wondering what shapes urban cultures. Istanbul with Orhan Pamuk; New York via Amsterdam; Unruly Places; Shanghai, Growing; Dangerous Idea: Breaking Up America; On Our Minds: Talking About Racism.
Thumbnail for "Across the Universe (Repeat)".
Across the Universe (Repeat)
Thumbnail for "Global Noir (R)".
Global Noir (R)
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Who knew that the old expression, "bored to death," could actually be true?   We'll discover just how harmful boredom can be. Boredom - Albert Nerenberg; A Philosophy of Boredom -- Lars Svendsen; Doing Nothing - Tom Lutz; BookMark: John Waters; On Our Minds: Protests in Ferguson, Missouri.
Thumbnail for "Finding the Bible".
Finding the Bible
Thumbnail for "Edges of Science".
Edges of Science
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Drones
Thumbnail for "Doing the Math".
Doing the Math
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Making Music
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Hitchhiking
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The Mayor If Mayors Ruled the World; Participatory Budgeting; SONIC SIDEBAR: Mayor Dave; The Mayor of Reykjavik; DEEP TRACKS: Charles Cross on "The Fabulous Sounds of the Pacific Northwest"; On Our Minds: Junot Diaz.
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Eco-Optimism
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Food for Thought
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What do airports and air travel tell us about ourselves? A Week at the Airport - Alain de Botton; Sonic Sidebar: Brian Eno's Music for Airports; Aerotropolis - Greg Lindsay; The Skies Belong to Us - Brendan Koerner; Deep Tracks: Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis; On Our Minds: Theme Parks.
Thumbnail for "Who Is a Patriot?".
Who Is a Patriot?
Thumbnail for "The Power of Play".
The Power of Play
Thumbnail for "Engaging the Enemy".
Engaging the Enemy
Thumbnail for "Future Faces".
Future Faces
Thumbnail for "Heart of Darkness".
The Heart of Darkness The Act of Killing; The Noble Savage; Better Angels of our Nature; Sonic Sidebar: A Maya Angelou poetry reading; Bookmark: Lorrie Moore; On Our Minds: The Fault in our Stars.
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Maybe failure isn't something to avoid, but something to strive for. The Gift of Failure - Sarah Lewis; Twitter's Lovable Misanthrope - Eric Jarosinski; Jodorowsky's Dune - Frank Pavich; BookMark: Nicola Griffith; On Our Minds: The World Cup.
Thumbnail for "Investigating Belief".
Investigating Belief
Thumbnail for "Was Marx Right?".
Was Marx Right?
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We explore the world of work -- including cubicles and how corborations rule the world, Life Inc. - Douglas Rushkoff; Cubed - Nikil Saval; Sonic Sidebar: Waitresses; Industrial Musicals - Steve Young; Dangerous Idea: The LitMode 100; On Our Minds: Arundhati Roy.
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Survival. Erasing Death - Dr. Sam Parnia; The Oldest Living Things in the World - Rachel Sussman; Sonic Sidebar: Patchwork Flight (radio drama); The Knowledge - Lewis Dartnell; Dangerous Idea: Not Believing in God; On Our Minds: Barbara Ehrenreich.
Thumbnail for "Traveling Time".
As summer vacation rolls around, a little inspiration to travel. The Road from Rome; Sonic Sidebar: Aboard Niagara; The Road to Tantra - Asra Nomani; The Art of Travel - Alain de Botton; BookMark: Karen Russell on "A High Wind in Jamaica"; On Our Minds: The High Line.
Thumbnail for "Rethinking Schools".
Rethinking Schools
Thumbnail for "Food to Die For".
Food to Die for The Last Meal - Death Row cook Brian Price; Southern Guide to Cooking at Funerals - Charlotte Hays; Sonic Sidebar: Dane County Farmer’s Market; Wild Foraging - Sam Thayer; Death Dinners - Michael Hebb; BookMark: Poet Billy Collins; On Our Minds: Poet Nikki Giovanni.
Thumbnail for "Regarding the Pain of Others".
Regarding the Pain of Others. Regarding the Pain of Others - Susan Sontag; At the Hour of Our Death - Sarah Sudhoff; Sonic Sidebar: William Christenberry; Potraits of the Mentally Ill - Michael Nye; Dangerous Idea: Gender Choice; On Our Minds - Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
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Selfie Portraits
Thumbnail for "Escape".
Escape Heroin from A to Z - Ann Marlow; How to Disappear - Frank Ahearn; Sonic Sidebar: Kidnapped; The Devil's Highway - Luis Alberto Urrea; Dangerous Idea: Alternative Currency; On Our Minds: Poet Les Murray.
Thumbnail for "Getting Medieval".
Getting Medieval
Thumbnail for "Pranks and Hoaxes".
Pranks and Hoaxes
Thumbnail for "Music and Memory".
Music and Memory

Going for Broke: Making Up Our Minds

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August 10, 202451min 54sec

How we live is indelibly intertwined with the care and empathy we give to each other. What if we put care into helping Americans find homes and build dwellings, into keeping their bodies and minds sound, and finding meaningful and well-paid work? In this three part series, "To The Best Of Our Knowledge" and the Economic Hardship Reporting Project bring you real life stories about economic struggle in our time, as well as ideas for solutions. 

Post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health challenges can push people into poverty. Meanwhile, the experience of financial desperation can also create even more trauma, even more suffering. How do you break the cycle? How do we truly care for people mentally and financially?

If you or someone you know are having mental health struggles, we wanted to make sure you are aware of some resources. The National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day by calling 9-8-8. The National Alliance on Mental Illness reminds us that one in five people in the US has a mental health concern every year. You can find support and education at their web site, nami.org.

Original Air Date: November 12, 2022

Interviews In This Hour:
Trauma and poverty: The perfect storm experienced by U.S. veteransLearning to cope when mental health care feels out of reachMore than one way to treat a mindHow harm reduction disrupts painful cycles of addiction

Guests:
Alex Miller, Katie Prout, Daniel Bergner, Maia Szalavitz


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Going for Broke: Making Up Our Minds
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