David Gessner discovered the American West as a young man, and the huge mountains and wide open spaces changed his life. He recently took a road trip through the West, following in the footsteps of two literary heroes, Edward Abbey and Wallace Stegner. Gessner says their books help us see the West in all its complexity.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
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Sarah Vowell is obsessed with presidential assassinations. She talks with Steve Paulson about the lingering mystery and drama surrounding the murder of Abraham Lincoln.
Will Birch talks to Doug Gordon about the musical movement in Britain that set the stage for punk rock.
So, is it society, nurture if you will, that creates the monsters among us or is it our nature? Enter the Fierce People - the indigenous Yanomamo Indians of the Amazon.
Shane Harris tells Steve Paulson that our government is collecting masses of data on ordinary people in its efforts to catch terrorists.
Rebecca Dopart was working as a Peace Corps volunteer in Poland, in the mid-90s. While there, she fell in love and got married. Just three weeks after her wedding, her father-in-law died. In this story, Dopart recalls how her husband tended to his father’s body.
For writer and educator Parker Palmer, solitude is essential to recharging and gaining new perspective on life. He's just returned from a week-long retreat in the winter woods of Wisconsin, and stopped by our studio to talk about what what he gains from being alone.
Marion Nestle is a long-time food industry activist and the author of "Soda Politics: Taking on Big Soda (and Winning)." She explains why sodas are about race and class in America.
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