Frank Rich tells Jim Fleming that the Broadway musicals of his childhood were all about dysfunctional families and helped him cope with his own difficult family situation.
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.
What does it mean to be free? And what does it mean to live a personally authentic, honest life with ourselves and with others? These are the questions that Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and their existential friends wrestled with in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Sarah Bakewell makes the case that their late-night conversations are especially relevant today. She's the author of "At the Existentialist Cafe: Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails."
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."
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.
NRBQ has been called the world’s greatest bar band, but prefer to say they play “omni-pop,” and explain that’s why they’ve lasted for over 35 years.
Edward Larson tells Steve Paulson what makes the Islands unique, and why they inspired Charles Darwin to write “The Origin of Species."
David Schmader thinks "Showgirls" is the most brilliant bad movie ever made. He did a commentary for the new DVD edition and tells Steve Paulson why it's so hilarious.
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