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
Annie Gauger has edited a brand new annotated version of the classic novel "The Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame.
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.”
Adam Sisman and novelist Beryl Bainbridge talk with Steve Paulson about Boswell and Johnson and Boswell’s immortal biography of the brilliant 18th century man of letters.
Ali Allawi tells Steve Paulson why the in-fighting of the transitional government in Iraq forced him to resign and why he feels the American efforts there were doomed.
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.
Alain de Botton tells Steve Paulson how modern readers can derive comfort from philosophy, and sees no conflict between talking about serious ideas and entertaining the reader.
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