Karen Armstrong is the author of nearly 20 books on religion. She tells Steve Paulson that traditions from Confucianism to Judaism emerged as responses to the rampant violence of their time. And she says our own time has a lot in common with that age.
Historian and president of Harvard University, Drew Gilpin Faust tells Steve Paulson that Civil War deaths consumed the entire nation with grief and transformed America in many ways.
Azby Brown talks with Jim Fleming about the Japanese ideal of the very small house – sometimes 500 square feet for a family of four.
David Mitchell talks about his latest novel, "The Bone Clocks," why he likes to jump between different literary genres, and how he became obsessed with questions about death and immortality.
Elizabeth Gilbert's early mid-life crisis (including a messy divorce) brought her to India to follow in the footsteps of generations of spiritual seekers from the West.
What makes Cuban music so distinctive? Radio host Jonathan Overby describes its history, which blends African rhythms with Spanish elegance.
Deborah Treisman is fiction editor of The New Yorker magazine. George Saunders is one of her star writers. Treisman and Saunders join Steve Paulson to talk about writing and publishing short stories.
Ethan Watters is the author of “Urban Tribes.” Watters says that the TV show “Friends” is a good example of the kind of social group he’s talking about.
