Politics and History

The Fight That Didn't Change Boxing Enough

Producer Charles Monroe-Kane on how the boxing world has sidestepped brain injury in the ring.More

To Make Big Social Change, Start With The PB&J Sandwiches

Organizer and activist DeRay Mckesson says hoping for big change is great, but it doesn't go anywhere without small actions where people take care of one another.More

Could Getting Mad Empower Women?

Throughout history, there’s been a general, unspoken agreement that getting angry, especially for women, is something to be avoided. But author Rebecca Traister tells us that we should value anger as a catalyst for societal change.More

You Can't Smash The Patriarchy Every Day, But You Can Try

Cristen Conger and Caroline Ervin traced the history of feminist anger and power in their new book, “Unladylike: A Field Guide to Smashing the Patriarchy and Claiming Your Space.”More

Reading History from the Margins

Can we ever know how people used to read, say, 500 years ago? Princeton historian Tony Grafton is obsessed with that question.More

Aimee Mullins on Superpowers

Aimee Mullins is an athlete, fashion model and activist who uses whichever of her 12 pair of prosthetic legs is appropriate for the task at hand.More

Erika Monroe-Kane on Fast

Commentator Erika Monroe-Kane reflects on the appeal of driving really fast. Really fast.More

How One Woman Discovered The Thrill Of The Fight

Kate Sekules is a magazine editor, fiction and travel writer, restaurant reviewer and the last person who ever thought she’d find herself in a boxing ring. Until she did.More

The Ecstasy of the Fight

Writer Kerry Howley on the appeal of mixed martial arts.More

Inside the Mind of a Fighter

Ever wonder what goes through the mind of a fighter in the moments before a fight? Here's one take, courtesy of writer Jonathan Gottschall.More

The Professor Who Became a Cage Fighter

Jonathan Gottschall is an English professor who trained for MMA – mixed martial arts – out of curiosity and wound up in the ring. Steve Paulson talked with him about why, and what it taught him about our relationship with violence.More

'The Hunger Games' Meets Ancient Rome in 'An Ember in the Ashes'

Sabaa Tahir speaks about the inspiration behind her young adult debut.More

Emily Parker on 'Conversation in the Cathedral'

Diplomat and writer Emily Parker say by Peruvian Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa uses fiction to uniquely depict what it actually looks like living day-to-day under a authoritarian regime.More

Voices From The Internet Underground

In her new book, "Now I Know Who My Comrades Are," Emily Parker profiles a few online activists, and writes about how they're transforming life in China, Cuba and Russia.More