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
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Episode Archives
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
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April 20, 2017
How he transformed the iconic film into the critically-acclaimed, award-winning TV series.Read more
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April 18, 2017
Do scientists see the world in a different way? Not really. Just be curious.Read more
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April 16, 2017
In his new poem, Fady Joudah explores questions about exile, suffering and the language of nation states.Read more
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April 13, 2017
Maybe it’s nostalgia. Maybe it’s something more. But analog is back in style.Read more
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April 09, 2017
In this hour, we see how poetry can show us new ways to think about place and personal identity.Read more
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April 02, 2017
Quan Barry is writing a new poem each week in response to current events.Read more
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March 30, 2017
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
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
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March 23, 2017
Why do women have to put up with this? And how do they fight back?Read more
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March 19, 2017
We talk to two experts who think about the role empathy can play in tackling big problems.Read more
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March 16, 2017
What can science reveal about lust, romance, and compassion?Read more
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February 26, 2017
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
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February 24, 2017
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
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February 19, 2017
A garden, a tree, an apple and a serpent. The story of Adam and Eve is as old as sin. But it’s a lot more than a Bible story.Read more
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February 05, 2017
How do you cope with unpleasant people? We consider the adage “hell is other people.”Read more
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January 22, 2017
Every generation has one or two critics with an unparalleled ability to capture the cultural moment they’re living in. Now, that critic may be Mark Greif. He’s one of the founders of the literary magazine n+1, who’s just come out with a new essay collection, “Against Everything.” In this...Read more
Original Air Date:
January 19, 2017
Computer scientists are closing in on the next frontier in artificial intelligence — machines that can create. Make art. Write stories. Compose music. The dream is to open the door to a whole new kind of creativity. Read more
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January 15, 2017
Charles Monroe-Kane talks to David Nagler about adapting Carl Sandburg's poems to music. Read more
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January 12, 2017
It's December and time again for the annual media ritual — the best of list. We're sharing the best of the best of To the Best of Our Knowledge. 2016, the year in interviews.Read more
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December 18, 2016
On the centennial of Shirley Jackson's birth, we explore the great literary work that she left for us — the stories and novels that continue to resonate in our culture.Read more
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December 11, 2016
You get the sense that Freeman Dyson has seen everything. He's a legendary physicist who's had a front row seat on scientific breakthroughs for the past century. Read more
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December 08, 2016