Ep. 20 – American watercolor in the age of Homer and Sargent
Kathleen A. Foster, curator at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, discusses the blockbuster new book and exhibition about American watercolor in the late 19th and early 20th century.
How Erskine Childers Became My Friend
Karen M. Paget— I met Erskine Childers, a former officer of the National Student Association and a distinguished United Nations official, long after he died. If that seems impossible, let me explain. I came to know the young Erskine Childers through letters left behind in the United States National Student
The Networks of U.S. Governance
Anne-Marie Slaughter— Since I write a great deal about networks, interviewers often ask me about Donald Trump’s network, pointing out that he “certainly seems to understand how to use a political network” in a way that bypasses mainstream media and pundits. That’s a fair question, but one that also reveals
Ep. 19 – The Poetry of Pop Music
Can pop artists be poets? Adam Bradley, professor of English, founding director of the Laboratory for Race & Popular Culture (RAP Lab), and author of The Poetry of Pop discusses this and more in a wide-ranging conversation on all things music from Gershwin and the Beatles to Lady Gaga and
The New Power of Popular Protest
Nathan Stoltzfus— The new administration’s condemnation of dissent and the arrogation of more and more power in the president’s hands have made street protest and its images more forceful. The president made his way to power by creating images of himself with broad brush strokes vague enough to appeal to
Ep. 18 – Decoding the Voynich Manuscript
We try to unlock the secrets of the Voynich Manuscript with Raymond Clemens from the Beinecke Library and Joseph Calamia, senior editor at Yale University Press.
When Healthcare Is About ‘Parts and Money’
Abraham M. Nussbaum— As you become a physician, you feel as if you are learning to see people as a compendium of parts and a source of income: parts and money. No one pulls you aside during training and tells you this plainly. Just the same, you learn, as I
Ep. 17 – Thomas Wilfred’s Lumia
Keely Orgeman, assistant curator at the Yale University Art Gallery, discusses Lumia, the nearly-forgotten, but strange and beautiful, art of Thomas Wilfred. YaleUniversity · An Interview with Yale University Art Gallery assistant curator Keely Orgeman
Reports of the Russian-American Détente’s Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated
James Kirchick— On the highly peculiar relationship between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, a conventional wisdom appears to have taken hold: however friendly the two presidents appear towards one another now, their strong personalities are a recipe for geopolitical conflict down the road. Trump and Putin may have exchanged warm
Ep. 16 – The Importance of a Good Night’s Sleep
Everyone could use more sleep, and Dr. Meir Kryger, global sleep expert and author of The Mystery of Sleep, tells us how to get it. We have tips for identifying common sleep problems and getting a better night’s sleep as well as a discussion on what actually happens to your