Diana Athill was the editor of some of the most celebrated writers of our time, including John Updike, Simone de Beauvoir, and V.S. Naipaul.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
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Rehman here. This story quite literally hit close to home for me. I grew up just about an hour away from the suburb it takes place in, and until working on this story, I never would have imagined that building a mosque could be so controversial, especially in a place as cosmopolitan as Chicago. Standing under its massive dome, I was struck by the odd realization that a building could simultaneously be a haven and source of community for some, and symbol of fear and hatred for others. Though the story took place more than a decade ago, it seems we’re still wrestling with many of the same questions around religious inclusion and American identity.
Chiori Miyagawa is a playwright in New York and teaches at Bard College. “Comet Hunter” is the story of Caroline Herschel who collaborated with her brother William during the 18th and early 19th centuries and made several important contributions to astronomy.
Karl Marx biographer Francis Wheen tells Steve Paulson his subject was a thoroughly bourgeois man who chose utter penury.
Boz Temple-Morris, the co-founder and Marketing Director of the Enlightened Tobacco Company, tells Steve Paulson the company was all about truth in advertising.
Bob Mankoff, cartoon editor of The New Yorker, recommends E.O. Wilson's "The Meaning of Human Existence."
Legendary tattoo artist Walter Moskowitz learned how to tattoo from his father and passed on the art to his son, Marvin. Before Walter passed away in 2007, his other son, Doug, recorded his dad’s stories.
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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