Episode Archives

Filter episodes by the year they originally aired.
Joe at Catfish Bend

Filmmaker Laura Stewart on how being filmed affects documentary subjects, and how that affects the truth you can tell.Read more

Original Air Date:

June 01, 2017

David Byrne

The former Talking Heads frontman is one of those artists who just keeps reinventing himself.Read more

Original Air Date:

May 25, 2017

Woman staring into the distance

When you’re hurt and the only way out of toxic bitterness and resentment is to let go, how do you summon the resolve to reach out to the person who hurt you most?Read more

Original Air Date:

May 21, 2017

Twin Peaks  Agent Cooper

"Twin Peaks" co-creator Mark Frost takes a deep dive into the history of the strange Pacific Northwest town and its surreal residents in “The Secret History of Twin Peaks.”Read more

Original Air Date:

May 18, 2017

Chimpanzee

Do chimpanzees have spiritual experiences? A remarkable discovery in West Africa suggests they might.Read more

Original Air Date:

May 14, 2017

Praying in nature

Is there an inherent conflict between science and religion? Jeff Schloss doesn’t think so. He’s a biologist who studies the evolutionary origins of religion. He’s also an observant Christian who’s had his own profound...Read more

Original Air Date:

May 11, 2017

Nope

In this hour, we explore what the superpower of not giving a f--- might allow you to do. Read more

Original Air Date:

May 07, 2017

Fall leaves

Richard Blanco’s poem begins the day after the November election, as he struggles to make sense of a new political mood.Read more

Original Air Date:

May 04, 2017

Stop Light

A near-accident has poet Laura Kasischke marveling at the fearlessness of young adults and also worrying about their future. Read more

Original Air Date:

April 27, 2017

repeat

Whether it’s nail biting or handwashing, most of us have a compulsion we can’t give up. Maybe that’s a good thing?Read more

Original Air Date:

April 23, 2017

fake news

Poet Nick Lantz has a darkly satirical take on American culture. Lately, he’s been thinking about political spin and how politicians speak. In this interview—the third in our series ...Read more

Original Air Date:

April 20, 2017

Fargo quilt

How he transformed the iconic film into the critically-acclaimed, award-winning TV series.Read more

Original Air Date:

April 18, 2017

Stars

Do scientists see the world in a different way? Not really. Just be curious.Read more

Original Air Date:

April 16, 2017

tech love

In his new poem, Fady Joudah explores questions about exile, suffering and the language of nation states.Read more

Original Air Date:

April 13, 2017

vinyl is back

Maybe it’s nostalgia. Maybe it’s something more. But analog is back in style.Read more

Original Air Date:

April 09, 2017

Writing poems

In this hour, we see how poetry can show us new ways to think about place and personal identity.Read more

Original Air Date:

April 02, 2017

Vietnamese refugees

Quan Barry is writing a new poem each week in response to current events.Read more

Original Air Date:

March 30, 2017

Protester

Wherever you turn, it seems like someone’s angry — on Facebook and cable news, in street marches and congressional town halls. It would seem that we’ve entered a new era of increased hostility. But how did we, as a nation, get here?Read more

Original Air Date:

March 26, 2017

Women in STEM

Emily Temple-Wood has been an avid Wikipedia editor since she was pretty young.  And early on, she noticed that Wikipedia has a serious gender bias problem, so she began recruiting more women editors to write more Wikipedia articles about notable women.  And in return she got… rape and...Read more

Original Air Date:

March 23, 2017

Glitch lady

Why do women have to put up with this? And how do they fight back?Read more

Original Air Date:

March 19, 2017

jet engine

We talk to two experts who think about the role empathy can play in tackling big problems.Read more

Original Air Date:

March 16, 2017

The Majestic Theater in Madison

What can science reveal about lust, romance, and compassion?Read more

Original Air Date:

February 26, 2017

People on an island

Forty years ago Richard Dawkins wrote the landmark book “The Selfish Gene,” where he argued that the gene is what drives evolution. But what if he got it all wrong?Read more

Original Air Date:

February 24, 2017

RR cafe sign

In this show, we explore storyworlds — the fictional universes that continue to enchant us.  Like the ghostly supernatural realm in which Abe Lincoln’s dead son, Willie, finds himself and the surreal Pacific Northwest town of Twin Peaks, the home of some damn fine coffee.Read more

Original Air Date:

February 19, 2017

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