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To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Evelin Sullivan, author of “The Concise Book of Lying,” talks with Steve Paulson about lies of necessity, little white lies, and what sort of deception really makes people angry.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Donald Kraybill tells Steve Paulson that Amish attitudes towards technology are nuanced and complex.  He says they prefer to think through the implications of new technology before they adopt it.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Literary theorist Terry Eagleton's Dangerous Idea? The humanities are dying.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Coleman Barks has made it his life's work to translate the poetry of 13th century mystic and poet Rumi.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Eddy Joe Cotton has been riding the rails for almost a decade. He tells Steve Paulson that the a hobo spends most of his life waiting for one of three things: a bottle, love and the next freight.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Anne here. My conversation with Turkish writer Elif Şafak back in April still sticks with me as the year comes to a close. In many parts of the world, 2016 was the year of the populist leader—especially in Turkey, where Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched a crackdown on free speech and all forms of opposition. 120 journalists have been jailed, more than 2,000 academics have been dismissed from universities, and more than 100,000 public workers have been fired. How did Turkey—once a model of new democratic nations—become such a different place? Not only did Şafak see this coming, she warned that the West should not consider itself immune. 

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

In March of 2000, the conceptual artist Mark Lombardi was found hanged in his studio. In the art world, speculation swirled about whether his death was suicide or murder? Why would anyone want to murder Lombardi? Maybe because his intricate drawings revealed connections between George W. Bush and the bin Laden family, as well as other connections between banking, organized crime and intelligence agencies. Patricia Goldstone is the author of "Interlock: Art, Conspiracy, and the Shadow Worlds of Mark Lombardi." She talks about Lombardi's work and the mystery behind his death.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Norwegian writer Karl Ove Knausgaard recommends a chilling read:  "The Flame Alphabet" by Ben Marcus.

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