National security, civil liberties, terrorism...those issues obsessed Romans 2,000 years ago just as they obsess us today. Renowned classicist Mary Beard says we have lots to learn from Ancient Rome, including insights into how empires rise and fall.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
Dan Chaon's short story collection, "Stay Awake," is set in post-recession America, where dreamers, losers and troubled souls feel like ghosts in their own lives.
Adam tells Jim Fleming that the emotional worlds of his mentally ill characters are different from those of the rest of us only in degree, not in kind.
Archeologist Alexander Stille talks to Steve Paulson about the paradox involved in his work – sometimes digging up old treasures can destroy them.
Amy Tan talks with Anne Strainchamps and recalls how her mother used to believe the spirits of their ancestors dwelled inside the computer. How else could Amy know all the family secrets?
Ann Patchett's new book chronicles her long friendship with poet Lucy Grealy who became famous after the publication oh her acclaimed memoir “Autobiography of a Face.”
Zen Buddhist Abbot Joan Halifax has been sitting with dying people since 1970. She says the experience has been a profound gift. She says that she has no idea what happens after we die, and that she's comfortable with that mystery.
Alain de Botton tells Steve Paulson how modern readers can derive comfort from philosophy, and sees no conflict between talking about serious ideas and entertaining the reader.
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