How Ethan Smith overcame OCD and a crippling fear of self harm.More
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Interviews By Topic
Science writer Sharon Begley on how anxiety drives modern day compulsions.More
Showrunner Noah Hawley's approach for adapting the series captures the classic film's essence.More
Robert Leonard, a radio news director in Pella, Iowa, argues that behind all the issues we argue about today there's an even more fundamental divide. Could a 1500-year-old Christian doctrine really have that much effect on lives and politics today?More
In a new book called "Born Bad," historian James Boyce argues that the concept of original sin is the foundation of Western thought. More
For theologist Danielle Shroyer, what happened in the Garden of Eden is a story of original blessing. More
Laird Hunt has written what is really three stories wrapped around each other: A famous lynching in Marion, the story of a song about it, “Strange Fruit,” and a new novel, which begins on that terrible day. More
Physicist Freeman Dyson reflects on what he learned from Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr and Richard Feynman.More
Despite pining for landline telephones, writer Virginia Heffernan sees magic in the potential of the internet.More
Many of us are living two lives – old-school analog and cutting-edge digital. Author David Sax says that’s okay. More
Writer and producer Damon Krukowski explains why we must take care in eschewing analog imperfection in pursuit of more perfect digital sound.More
MP3 formatting compresses audio so that the file becomes 75 to 95 percent smaller. What's goes missing in the process? Conceptual artist Kenneth Goldsmith explains. More
A hundred years ago, the poet Carl Sandburg turned Chicago into an American icon. He called it "The city of broad shoulders" a gritty...More
Quan Barry is an award-winning poet and novelist who founded the website ASPHODEL.INFO, which is dedicated to publishing a new poem each week in response to current events.More
When you hear "poet", what kind of person comes to mind? Emily Dickinson in her white dress? Robert Frost in the snowy woods, with...More
Anger can separate us into partisan camps, but it can also inspire people to work together to achieve amazing things. Michael Eric Dyson knows this firsthand.More
Brendan Steinhauser was watching Rick Santelli on Squawk Box, listening to the CNBC editor’s now-legendary rant following the 2009 bailout of the financial sector that ended with his call for a “Chicago Tea Party” outside of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Steinhauser thought it sounded like a good idea.More
Psychologist Lisa Feldman Barrett runs a lab where she studies emotions and says that if you pay attention, everyday anger can be a source of wisdom.More