Deborah Scranton gives cameras directly to soldiers, She edits their footage over the internet.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
Angie da Silva is a historian of black cultural life in the United States, going back to the Civil War. She collects stories, both through oral history and archival research. But she's not merely a writer. She brings these stories to life through historical reenactment, often as a slave character she's created named Lila. She says that the stories she hears and tells are too often left out of our history books.
In this interview, she talks about her work and tells the story of Mary Meachum, a free black abolitionist who worked on the Mississippi in St. Louis.
China Miéville´s new novel is called "Embassytown." It features aliens that speak a strange language in a strange way -- with two voices simultaneously. Miéville spoke with Anne Strainchamps about "Embassytown."
Houston's Rothko Chapel is a shrine to the transformative power of art. Abstract artist Mark Rothko created 14 enormous paintings for this sacred space. Pianist Sarah Rothenberg tells us the history behind the music on her CD "Rothko Chapel," and writer Terry Tempest Williams describes her reverence for the Rothko Chapel.
There are lots of ways to amplify our senses, from hallucinogens to cochlear implants. A few people are taking it further, creating original sensory experiences by implanting new technologies in their bodies.
Artist Neil Harbisson is greyscale color blind. He designed a new electronic body part that would help him experience color.
If you want to hear about the art Neil makes thanks to his new sense, here's his extended interview.
Psychologists John and Julie Gottman are famous for being able to predict with 94% accuracy whether a couple will break up, stay together unhappily, or stay together happily. In their Love Lab, they've identified hidden patterns of behavior that can strengthen or weaken relationships. If we'd known the secret to a good marriage was non-linear differential equations, we might have paid more attention in math class.
Francis M. Nevins is an authority on suspense writer Cornell Woolrich and wrote the introduction for a new anthology called “Night and Fear: A Centenary Collection of Stories by Cornell Woolrich.”
Robin Chase is the co-founder of ZipCar. Her Dangerous Idea? A universal basic income.
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