Though names like Mother Ann Lee and Charles Fourier are not names that ring a bell for most today, they founded two of the most influential utopian movements in US history. 19th Century communes like the Shakers and Brook Farm are gone today their legacy – politically and culturally, are all around us. Chris Jennings is the author of “Paradise Now: The Story of American Utopianism.” Steve Paulson sat down with Jennings and asked him about what is now a dirty word, utopia.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
Anne Karpf tells Steve Paulson our voices communicate all sorts of things, which listeners can understand even if they don't speak the same language.
In his new book “Better Living Through Criticism,” A.O. Scott distills his decades-long career into a simple to read manifesto that not only explains the qualities of a good critic, but argues their fundamental importance to any culture.
Albert Glinsky is the author of “Theremin: Ether Music and Espionage.” The book is a biography of Leon Theremin and a history of the instrument that bears his name.
Amy Borkowsky’s mother leaves unbelievable messages on her answering machine. She tells Steve Paulson that what her mother does is based on love and her devotion to the role of mother.
Ani Pachen is a Tibetan nun who became a warrior after the Chinese invaded. With Adelaide Donnelley, she’s written her story in a book called “Sorrow Mountain: The Journey of a Tibetan Warrior Nun.”
Writer Andre Aciman says a good memoir can capture emotional truth even when certain historical details are fictionalized. He describes the art of the memoir.
Colby Buzzell served as a machine gunner in a Stryker Brigade in Iraq. His war blog became the book “My War: Killing Time in Iraq.”
Pages
