Here’s a very short taste of the power of music. It’s the Finnish acapella group Värttinä.More
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Interviews By Topic
Famed novelist Kazuo Ishiguro recommends “Prayers for the Stolen,” by Jennifer Clement —a harrowing tale about young children who are abducted in the midst of Mexican drug wars.More
Singer/songwriter Tori Amos tells Steve Paulson that her new album, "The Beekeeper," is all about reclaiming representatives of the sacred feminine tradition who weren't afraid of their own sexuality.More
Producer Charles Monroe-Kane's son goes to a school with a 13.8% non-vaccination rate. So why aren't his neighbors vaccinating their kids? Charles went out searching for the answer.More
British novelist Zadie Smith tells Steve Paulson why she admires writers who don’t sound just like her. Her book “On Beauty” owes a lot to E.M. Forster...More
Long before Timothy Leary's study of LSD, psychiatrist Stanislav Grof launched his own investigation of psychedelics. Since then he's devoted his life to exploring non-ordinary states of consciousness.More
Cultural critic Stanley Crouch tells Steve Paulson that Americans have some pretty messed up ideas about what it means to be authentic.More
How does a suburban dad with three kids find meaning in Thoreau's "Walden"? Tom Fate says Thoreau helps us examine a basic question: How much is enough?More
In 2008, journalist Anand Gopal travelled to Afghanistan to speak with civilians, warlords and Taliban fighters about the US-led war in the country. In his book, "No Good Men Among the Living," he argues the distinction between America's allies and enemies in the country isn't always clear.More
In this look behind the scenes, producer Veronica Rueckert and Anne Strainchamps remember our interview with Amy Wallace-Havens, the sister of the late David Foster Wallace. More
In 2005, David Foster Wallace addressed the graduating class at Kenyon College in California. Anne Strainchamps looks back at this recording and what it's come to mean to her and her family.More
Why have some parents started second guessing their pediatrician’s advice, to the point that measles is showing up in Disneyland? Historian Arthur Allen explains how we got here.More
Tucker Malarkey has written a novel called "Resurrection" about the discovery of the Gnostic Gospels in Egypt in 1945.More
What turned David Foster Wallace into a cult icon? He’s more famous today than when he committed suicide 7 years ago. Stephen Burn is editing Wallace's letters. He says there are two kinds of DFW fans.More
Is the American criminal justice system perpetuating racial castes? Civil rights attorney and activist Michelle Alexander breaks down the systemic racism inherent to our justice system.More
How relevant are 1001 Nights today? Well, they’re still a powerful influence for some very famous writers. Here' Turkish author, Orhan Pamuk.More
Nobel Prize-winning writer Orhan Pamuk offers his take on why he writes.More
Losing yourself in wilderness can also be a way of finding yourself, and one place you can do that is in our national parks. Renowned nature writer Terry Tempest Williams reflects on her love for these parks — especially those with desert landscapes.More