Dr. Elizabeth Comen on the Myths that Have Influenced Malpractice in Women's Healthcare

For thousands of years, a mix of truth, lies, and down-right myths have shaped medicine’s understanding of the female body. While the modern era has seen progress, Dr. Elizabeth Comen tells us those narratives about women and their bodies continue to shape the care provided women today.   Comen is…

How a Brush with Death Changed One Man’s Perception of the Afterlife with Sebastian Junger

As a best-selling author, Sebastian Junger has taken us to sea with an ill-fated fishing boat and, as a documentarian, shown us the reality of war in Afghanistan. But his new book is his most intensely personal, a look at his own health crisis, the near-death experience it triggered, and how it sha…

One Immigrant’s Journey from El Salvador to the United States with Javier Zamora

Immigration remains a hot-button in American politics, but Javier Zamora tells the story of his own entry into the United States—a journey and a story that put a human face on the issue.    Zamora is the author of “SOLITO,” his New York Times bestselling memoir and is the 2024 Reading Across Rhode…

Tricia Rose on Breaking Free from Systemic Racism

Racism is often described as an individual failing, but Dr. Tricia Rose explains that racism is better understood as the result of a system built over generations and even centuries—and perpetuated by the stories we tell about it today. Rose is the Chancellor’s Professor of Africana Studies and As…

Telling the Story of the World War II Ghost Army with Rick Beyer

At the height of World War II, American military commanders created a unit dedicated to deception to give Allied forces an advantage on the battlefield.  The artists, sound technicians, and radio operators of the so-called Ghost Army remained hidden for decades, but filmmaker Rick Beyer made sure t…

Parental Activism and the Politicization of Public Schools with Laura Pappano

Public education has a long and varied history in the United States. But Laura Pappano says the challenges it faces now from parent-activists and partisan politics is unlike anything America’s schools have seen.   Pappano is an award-winning journalist and author who has written about K–12 and hig…

Vanessa Lillie on the Historical Erasure of Indigenous People and their Current Representation

The novelist has a way of exploring issues—putting flesh on bones—to tell stories about people that can educate, inform, sometimes inspire, and often anger. Vanessa Lillie uses that art form to shine a light on challenges facing native communities and native women, in particular.  Lillie is the au…

Exploring Love and Loss as a Muse with Brian Turner

The poet’s ability to capture meaning with words has long been one of humanity’s great gifts. Brian Turner has that muse and uses poetry to explore enduring questions of love and loss.   Turner is the author of five collections of poetry “Here, Bullet;” “Phantom Noice;” “The Wild Delight of Wild T…

The Contemporary Implications of Europe’s Recent History with Timothy Snyder

The history of 20th century autocracy seemed to race into the distance with the end of the Cold War. But Dr. Timothy Snyder cautions that in the decades since 1989, the West has seen the rise of new autocratic movements—some in traditional adversaries and some much closer to home.   Snyder is the …

News Deserts to Media Startups: Ellen Clegg and Dan Kennedy on America’s News Landscape Today

Thomas Jefferson famously said he’d prefer newspapers without government over government without newspapers. In large parts of the United States today, government exists without independent news sources—undermining accountability and diminishing civic participation. Ellen Clegg and Dan Kennedy tell…