Alan Dale says laughing at slapstick is - at its heart - an expression of our sympathy with TV and film characters who get hurt. He says it's also relief that, for once, it's not us in pain.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
We have a new Poet Laureate here in the U.S. Listen in as Natasha Trethewey talks about the history and memory embedded in her work.
You can hear more of Trethewey's poems here.
Rachel Cohen tells Steve Paulson that Ulysses S. Grant owed his publishing success to Mark Twain, and many other unlikely connection stories.
More stories from you -- about precious bits of handwriting you've saved over the years.
Joe Kelly runs a national organization called Dads and Daughters. He gives Steve Paulson some advice for fathers whose daughters are hitting puberty.
Cognitive researcher Douglas Hofstadter explains how gendered words and phrases — like using "guys" to refer to mixed company — can oftentimes reinforce sexist attitudes.
British novelist Nick Hornby has written a funny book about suicide. It's called "A Long Way Down."
M.E. Thomas talks about her book, "Confessions of a Sociopath: A LIfe Spent Hiding in Plain Sight."
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