Singer/songwriter Lisa Germano played violin for rock artist John Mellencamp. Her own album, “Geek the Girl” contains a song, “The Psychopath,” based on her experiences with an obsessed fan.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
Philosopher Judith Butler took a rigorous look at gender in her 1990 book, “Gender Trouble.” In this EXTENDED conversation, Steve asks her - with transexual and gender queer people more visible than ever - what can we say about the state of gender in North America?
Joan Didion, who died last week at the age of 87, helped shape a highly personal brand of nonfiction that came to be known as the New Journalism. Her early essay collections "Slouching Towards Bethlehem" (1968) and "The White Album" (1979) influenced generations of writers. Her later memoirs, "The Year of Magical Thinking" and "Blue Nights," chronicled the deaths of her husband and daughter. In 2011 Didion talked with Steve Paulson about illness and growing old in the wake of the death of her daughter, Quintana.
Neuroscientist Richie Davidson has developed an entirely new model for understanding the science of emotions. He talks about this paradigm shift and the personal journey that led to it.
Lucy Kaylin tells Steve Paulson that the average age of American nuns is seventy, and that many orders are folding.
“Refrigerator Mothers” was the label wrongly applied to mothers who were falsely believed to have caused their children’s autism. Maria Mombille was such a mother.
Celtic historian John Matthews tells Steve Paulson that Merlin probably was a real person and that wizards are related to our ancient shamans.
Mark Strand is the former Poet-Laureate of the United States, and the author of “Hopper.” He talks about Edward’s Hopper’s classic painting, “Nighthawks.”
Pages
