Pat Willard is the author of “Secrets of Saffron.” She tells Steve Paulson how you harvest saffron and why it’s more than a flavoring.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
Michael Dirda won the Pulitzer Prize for his literary criticism in the Washington Post Book World. Among his collections of essays is Classics for Pleasure.
Novelist Margaret Atwood talks about her latest book, "The Year of the Flood," with Steve Paulson. The book posits a new religion formed after most life on Earth has been obliterated.
So, there’s a serious proposal on the table. Should we genetically engineer disease-carrying species of mosquitoes out of existence? The technology exists and some pretty prominent scientists think we should.
Let’s check in with Sonia Shah. She’s a science journalist who writes about pandemics and pathogens and the social history of disease. She wrote one of the best histories of malaria – a book called “The Fever”, and she has a pretty different perspective on the kill or be killed debate.
Paula Wolfert is one of America’s most admired food writers. Her latest cook book is “The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen.”
Journalist Mark Pendergrast talks with Steve Paulson about the cultural history of coffee.
Economist Juliet Schor co-founded The Center for a New American Dream. Among her many proposals to fix the economy: create more jobs by adopting a 30-hour work week and 3-day weekend.
Rob Nixon grew up near the ostrich farms of South Africa. He tells Steve Paulson about the 19th century fashion craze for ostrich plumes and the fortunes it created.
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