Exploring Human Displacement as a Result of Climate Change with Jake Bittle

The pantheon of writers focused on climate change ranges from scientists and scholars to poets lamenting the loss of our environment. Jake Bittle documents the impact of climate on people, including the great migration of Americans caused by changes to the Earth’s environment. Bittle is an author …

Azar Nafisi on the Power of Literature in Our World Today

So much of our modern life is built upon simplifying the complex. We reduce social interactions to likes and follows on social media and dilute the “news” in our favorite echo chambers. But Azar Nafisi warns that life is not simple, and the complexity found in great literature is ultimately liberat…

Jessica Grose on the experiences of motherhood in America today

Motherhood is the stuff of childhood play and, often, adult anxieties. Jessica Grose unpacks the realities of motherhood in the United States today, the reasons for those anxieties, and the experience of mothers from various walks of life.    Grose is an established author and opinion writer at th…

Jamila Norman on the Importance of Homegrown Food to Urban Communities

Most of us are used to shopping in stores where one section is devoted to fresh produce, but the rest of the food for sale is either boxed, canned, or shrink-wrapped. Jamila Norman is an urban farmer and food advocate teaching the world about the benefits of growing our own food and eating fresh fr…

Analyzing America’s ever-changing media landscape with Steve Scully

Three months ago, the GOP took control of the United States House of Representatives. Steve Scully cuts through the headlines and the talking points to help us understand what has changed in Washington since the end of 2022, and what has stayed the same.   Scully has worked as a political editor, …

Max Boot on the Threats to American Democracy

In the last two years, from the steps of the U.S. Capitol to the streets of Kiev, the fight for democracy has been joined. Max Boot reviews the struggle and the links between events overseas and the health of American democracy at home.   Named as one of the “world’s leading authorities on armed c…

Documenting America’s History with Slavery with Clint Smith

Slavery has been called America’s original sin, yet its depiction in American history and schools remains surprisingly controversial.  Clint Smith has travelled the country to document the ways in which that story is told, shining a light not just on who we were, but who we are. Clint Smith is a s…

Karyl McBride on Healing from the Harmful Effects of Narcissism

Narcissism is difficult to confront whenever we meet it. It’s even more of a challenge when it overwhelms the dynamics of a family. But Dr. Karyl McBride says there are ways to free ourselves from the harmful effects of narcissism and begin to heal. McBride is a licensed marriage and family therap…

Dissecting the New Wave of Hollywood Cinema with Pete Hammond

In the midst of a year that saw pandemic disease, social unrest, and bare-knuckled politics, Hollywood churned out a tremendous body of work—even while theaters closed, and films created for the big screen streamed directly to our homes. Pete Hammond says this year’s Academy Awards reflect the issu…

Exploring our Hunger for Meaning and Experience with Tara Isabella Burton

In the flush of youth, some of us are prone to great bouts of certainty, seriousness, and risk-taking. Others are more cautious. And some just want to have fun—sometimes at all costs. Tara Isabella Burton is an author whose recent novel explores the timelessness of coming-of-age stories with a very…