Novelist Olivia Laing's Dangerous Idea? Loneliness is a gift.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
Historian Elizabeth Abbot talks with Judith Strasser about the history of celibacy — from the ancient Greek goddess Athena to boxing superstar Mohammed Ali.
David Eagleman is a neurologist and the co-author of the book "Wednesday is Indigo Blue: Discovering the Brain of Synesthesia."
Etgar Keret tells Steve Paulson how his writing career began after a traumatic event.
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.
Writer and journalist Christopher Hitchens tells Steve Paulson that Orwell got it right about imperialism, fascism and communism.
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.
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.
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