When Samuel Clemens took on the pen name “Mark Twain,” he was doing more cleverly appropriating a measure of depth. He was also tapping into one of the most well-known sounds along the river: sounding calls. Owen Selles tells about these calls in this piece, adapted from an essay he originally wrote for the online magazine Edge Effects.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
Senator Russ Feingold is a Democrat from Wisconsin who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Steven Johnson talks about his new book, "Future Perfect: The Case for Progress in a Networked Age."
In her book, "Do Metaphors Dream of Literal Sleep?: A Science-Fictional Theory of Representation," Seo-Young Chu argues that science fiction is a kind of "high-intensity realism." She spoke with Jim Fleming.
Tim Friend has written a book about Archaea - a kind of microbe that doesn't fit into any of the traditional categories of life.
Nick Bantock talks about his book, "The Trickster's Hat: A Mischievous Apprenticeship in Creativity."
Journalist Ted Conover tells Steve Paulson that wise guards accept that they rule with the consent of the prisoners, and recalls a few of his most dramatic encounters with inmates.
Sarah Eltantawi talks with Anne Strainchamps on what life has been like for Arab-Americans since 9-11.
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