Nerdette show

Nerdette

Summary: Nerdette is a weekly interview show that helps you unwind with fun conversations, inspiring ideas, and delightful recommendations. And join us on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month for the Nerdette Bookclub!

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  • Artist: Greta Johnsen
  • Copyright: Copyright 2015 Chicago Public Media

Podcasts:

 Ode to Pets! | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:15:29

Sure, lots of celebrities are hosting conversations and table reads on social media these days. But author and actor John Hodgman has been hanging out on Instagram Live for months already, interviewing random humans and their pets, in a show he calls … wait for it … “Get Your Pets.” Nerdette host Greta Johnsen talks to Hodgman about why he thinks “Get Your Pets” is maybe, actually some of the most important work he’s done. Plus, we hear from you about some of the creatures keeping you company these days.

 All The Books You’ll Ever Need | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:15:13

A good book can get you through a lot of uncertainty. What’s better than diving into another world and staying there for hours and hours? In this episode, we’ll hear from a BUNCH of listeners about what’s getting you through these weird times. Plus, we’ll check in with Rebecca George, who owns Volumes Bookcafe in Chicago.

 Get Your Stress Bake On | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:12:27

It’s a fair bet that stress baking is on the rise. (See what we did there?) So we thought it was time to check in with baker extraordinaire Shauna Sever, whose cookbook Midwest Made is full of amazing comfort foods. She has a recipe for the only banana bread you’ll ever need, and the name is true. And, of course, we hear from you! Your homework: We’d love to know what you’re reading these days. Are you doubling down on pandemic fiction? Dabbling in a presidential biography? Is your attention too frazzled to read full books so you’re opting for short stories? Whatever you’re enjoying, we want to hear about it! Tell us your book rec, along with your name and where you’re from. You can record yourself on your phone and email the file to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com.

 What's A Weekend | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:14:17

Today we check in with Nerdette book club regular Heather Havrilesky. She also writes the Ask Polly advice column for New York magazine, so she gives us another perspective on how everyone's doing out there. And of course, we hear from a bunch of you, too, which is quickly becoming the best part of this show. If you’d like to chime in, just tell us how you’re adapting, along with your name and where you’re from. You can record yourself on your phone and email the file to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com.

 How To Adapt | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:08:50

A lot of us are looking around and realizing the plans we had aren’t necessarily a reality anymore. Which can be scary and hard, but it’s also a great opportunity to adapt. Today, Greta checks in with her friend Shannon Downey. She’s a crafter with a big online community, but most of the work she does involves meeting people in real life, something that can’t happen right now. Hear what she decided to do, and the voices of Nerdette listeners from all over the place, about what they’re grateful for and how they’re adapting to new normals. If you’d like to chime in, just tell us how you’re adapting, along with your name and where you’re from. You can record yourself on your phone and email the file to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com.

 Gratitude’s The Attitude | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:12:11

One thing for which Greta is grateful? Danielle Kurtzleben, who works on the NPR Politics Podcast team, and whose tweet about wearing a ball gown while working from home is exquisitely delightful. We’ll hear what Danielle appreciates now more than ever, and we’ll also hear from some of you!

 Call Your People! | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:12:27

Today, we ask how we can help ourselves while helping others. We also hear from some of you in this episode, and we want to keep that up! Tell us your name, where you’re calling from, and what you’re grateful for. Just record yourself on your phone and then email the audio file to us at nerdettepodcast@gmail.com. Keep ‘em coming!

 8 Minutes Of Joy | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:08:10

Now more than ever, we could all use a little pick-me-up. Starting today, we’re making regular mini-sodes with ideas on how to work from home, what you should be reading, and some things to help lift your mood.

 Book Club: ‘Uncanny Valley’ | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:33:18

We get help from longtime tech journalist Kara Swisher to dissect Anna Wiener's 'Uncanny Valley,' a fish-out-of-water memoir about a young woman who abandons New York’s publishing industry in favor of big tech and Silicon Valley. Join us! We assure you, the Nerdette book club is just like a normal book club, except we don’t shame you if you didn’t do the reading.  

 Book Club: ‘Such A Fun Age’ | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 01:04:29

Welcome to the Nerdette Book Club! Where we read a book a month and chat about it with a rotating group of panelists. It’s just like a normal book club except no one shames you when you don't do the reading. This episode is all about Kiley Reid’s excellent debut novel, Such a Fun Age. It’s an incisive look at race and class in modern America, (and it also happens to be really funny.) Join Nerdette host Greta Johnsen, New York magazine advice columnist Heather Havrilesky and The Morning AMp and Making Beyoncé host Jill Hopkins. And hey! Next month, we’re reading Anna Wiener’s Uncanny Valley, a memoir about working in the bro-heavy tech industry. Read the book and send us your thoughts by recording your voice with your smartphone, then email the audio file to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com. And tune in for the conversation on Friday, Feb. 28!

 Nerdette Book Club 2020 | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:01:52

Nerdette has always been a podcast for book lovers, but for the first few months of 2020, we’re doubling down. Join host Greta Johnsen and a rotating cast of panelists as they discuss the year’s buzziest books. Whether you can’t wait to dive in or just want to sound like you know what you’re talking about with your book nerd buddies, this is the podcast for you. First up: Such a Fun Age, Kiley Reid’s debut page-turner about race and class in America. Read it, and share your thoughts by recording yourself an emailing the file to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com! Then tune in Friday, Jan. 31 as Greta discusses it with The Cut’s Ask Polly columnist Heather Havrilesky, The Morning Amp’s Jill Hopkins, and YOU!

 Best Books Of The Year! | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:19:50

Books! Books! Books! Greta read 72 books this year, and today she sits down and ranks her 10 favorites. (Plus, she speaks with the author of her favorite book of 2019, ‘Such A Fun Age’ by Kiley Reid.) Here's her full list, and you can get more details on each title at this link:  10. Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes 9. The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman 8. The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo 7. Miracle Creek by Angie Kim 6. Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson 5. Wolfpack by Abby Wambach 4. Little Weirds by Jenny Slate 3. She Said by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey 2. Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson 1. Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid

 George R.R. Martin Still Hangs Out In Westeros | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:21:15

Good gravy! It's George R.R. Martin! If you're unfamiliar, he's the author of that little book series that became one of the most popular TV shows of all time, Game of Thrones. These days, he’s in the midst of writing the final two novels in that series. Before he sat down with Greta, his team told us that he couldn’t answer the question on everyone’s mind ("So, like, when’s the next book coming out?"). So we didn’t ask that one, but Martin did tell us plenty about how writing is going, how he’s managing fan expectations and what he expects for the future of fantasy TV.  Plus! We have a super-special announcement at the end of the interview!

 A Smorgasbord Of Delight | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:19:02

To celebrate the approach of another wonderful two-day break, Nerdette host Greta Johnsen talked with Alison Roman, author of the new cookbook Nothing Fancy, about three ways to make sure you host the most badass dinner party possible (she prefers to call it “having people over”). And did you know that the largest 3D printer in the world just printed the world’s largest 3D-printed boat? We talk to Habib Dagher, the executive director at the Advanced Structures and Composites Center at the University of Maine. His team was responsible for this accomplishment, so we asked him why they did it, how much pizza it took to do it, and what it might mean for the future of innovation and manufacturing. Plus, if you’re a grammar nerd, this episode may tick you right off. Gretchen McCulloch is the author of Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language, and she explains how the internet has given us all access to the writings of normal people, which has led to more and more people writing with less formality and more creativity — and without obeying grammar rules. Then she goes on to tell us why that’s awesome. You'll either love it or hate it! (And oh yeah: Check out this week's Nerdette newsletter and sign up!)

 Book Club: ‘The Testaments’ Part 3 | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:43:32

We’ve finished The Testaments! Press play and join Nerdette host Greta Johnsen, New York Magazine’s Heather Havrilesky and Vocalo’s Jill Hopkins for this final installment of the #NerdetteBookClub. You’ll hear how each of us rated the book on a scale of 1-10 warm milks (10 being the best, obviously), what the professional reviewers thought, and how much your fellow book club members liked it! Plus, if you need post-Testaments-reading recommendations, check out this week's Nerdsletter (and subscribe)! And hey! Thanks for being a part of our inaugural book club. Did you enjoy it? Please send feedback, good or bad, to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com. We want to know what you thought!

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