Smarty Pants

André Aciman gives us a primer on W. G. Sebald, who blurred the line between memory and fiction; Rowan Ricardo Phillips talks about the biomechanics of poetry; and Julian Gewirtz unveils the travel itinerary of the least likely visitor to communist China you’d expect: Milton Friedman. Mentioned in this episode: • André Aciman on W. G. Sebald and “The Life Unlived” • “Halo,” a poem by Rowan Ricardo Phillips and Langdon Hammer’s introduction • Julian Gewirtz’s essay, “Milton Friedman’s Misadventures in China” Tune in every two weeks to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from literature, the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Julia Lichtblau takes us to an elite secondary school in Abidjan that’s changing the lives of African girls; Steve Early shows how Richmond, California, became a progressive beacon; and Phillip Lopate tells us what he thinks about confiding your darkest secrets. Mentioned in this episode: • Julia Lichtblau on the smart girls of Côte d’Ivoire • Phillip Lopate’s collection of essays for us on his blog, Full Disclosure • Emily Fox Gordon’s essay on the central conflict of the memoir, whether to confess or confide Tune in every two weeks to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from literature, the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on cutting-edge works in progress; long-form narratives;...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Amanda Kolson Hurley gives us a tour of the Trump Hotel; our editorial assistant Noelani Kirschner introduces the Scholar’s newest blog; and a chorus of voices tells us why they went to Washington for the Women’s March. Mentioned in this episode: • Amanda Kolson Hurley on Trump’s influence over public space in Washington, D.C. • Barry Goldstein’s portrait series of March attendees and of protesters • The first post in our new blog, Portrait of the Artist Tune in every two weeks to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Madeleine Thien talks about art and music under totalitarianism, along with her novel, Do Not Say We Have Nothing, shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize; Scholar managing editor Sudip Bose explains how Neville Marriner, conductor of the now-ubiquitous Academy-of-St.-Martin-in-the-Fields, used to be a rebel; and beloved former Scholar blogger Jessica Love catches us up on the radical changes she’s made to her book on psycholinguistics. Mentioned in this episode: • Listen to the Spotify playlist we curated to accompany Do Not Say We Have Nothing, featuring every recording mentioned in the novel (that’s 23 hours and 40 minutes of music!) • Read Sudip Bose’s ode to the great Neville Marriner in our Winter 2017 issue • Check out the archives of See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Keramet Reiter talks about what happens to prisoners who spend decades in solitary confinement; Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and Dina Gilia-Whitaker offer some historical perspective on the crisis at Standing Rock; and Sandra Gilbert reflects on the importance of Adrienne Rich and reads her favorite poem. Mentioned in this episode: • Read an excerpt from Keramet Reiter’s new book, 23/7: Pelican Bay Prison and the Rise of Long-Term Solitary Confinement • Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and Dina Gilio-Whitaker’s new book, “All the Real Indians Died Off”: And 20 Other Myths About Native Americans • Sandra Gilbert reviews Adrienne Rich’s Collected Poems, plus: See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Harriet Washington discusses how our current Zika crisis fits into the (tragic) pattern of ignoring tropical diseases until they hit our shores; Brian Doyle tries to justify watching 50 John Wayne movies in a row; and Ruth Scurr tells funny stories about John Aubrey, the most curious biographer of the Elizabethan age. Mentioned in this episode: • Harriet Washington’s cover story on neglected tropical diseases and mental health, “The Well Curve” • Brian Doyle on John Wayne • … and on his dog’s crush on Peter O’Toole • “You Remember John Aubrey. Chased by Debt Collectors, Chaser of Whores,” a New York Times review of John Aubrey, My...   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Take a crash course in Indie Publishing 101 with the founders of Restless Books; hear Scholar senior editor Bruce Falconer explain how John le Carré burned the bridge between genre and literary fiction; and learn from Witold Rybczynski how an iconic modern chair was inspired by an ant. Mentioned in this episode: • Bruce Falconer’s review of The Pigeon Tunnel • Our list of 13 “Spooktacular” Books and Michael Dirda’s attempt to out-scare us with a list of his own • An excerpt from How to Travel Without Seeing by Andrés Neuman, published by Restless Books, which offers a glimpse inside the surreal operations of Venezuela’s book...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Patrick Phillips recounts the ugly history of a southern county that brutally expelled its African-American residents and remained entirely white for most of the 20th century; Ross King reveals some of Claude Monet’s more unusual painting habits, including his obsession with a certain flower; and Paula Becker introduces the memoir of a beloved American children’s book author. Mentioned in this episode: • Read more about Forsyth in Patrick Phillips’s new book, Blood at the Root • Watch Oprah Winfrey’s televised 1987 visit to Forsyth County, Georgia • Take a virtual tour of the Musée de l’Orangerie’s rooms of the Water Lilies • Read The Seattle Times’s review of Betty MacDonald’s memoirs on the See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Meredith Tax explains how the Rojava Kurds—and their democratic, feminist, and environmentally conscious society—are fighting back against ISIS; Ed Yong takes us on a tour of the ecosystems lurking inside our bodies; and Amy Whitaker, alias “Agony Amy,” our resident agony aunt, gives advice about balancing a creative life. Mentioned in this episode: • View a slideshow of Joey Lawrence’s photographs from Rojava, and read an excerpt from A Road Unforeseen • “The Revolution in Rojava”, Meredith Tax’s article in Dissent magazine that sparked the book • Read an excerpt from Ed Yong’s new book I Contain Multitudes on our regular books feature, Shelf Life Tune in every two weeks to catch...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Charles Johnson questions the stories we tell ourselves about black America, eight years after President Obama’s election; Barry Goldstein gives us the inside story on covering the 2016 Republican and Democratic national conventions; and David Lehman explains what crowdsourcing and poetry have in common. Mentioned in this episode: • Charles Johnson’s original 2008 essay, “The End of the Black American Narrative” • David Lehman’s “Next Line, Please” blog • Barry Goldstein’s portraits from the conventions Tune in every two weeks to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from literature, the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on cutting-edge works in progress; long-form narratives; and...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Terry Tempest Williams talks America’s national parks and her new book, “The Hour of Land;” James Conaway explains how to survive a California wildfire while downing petit syrah; and Ted Levin sticks up for the beleaguered timber rattlesnake. Mentioned in this episode: • Our Summer 2016 cover story about America’s national parks, “The Taming of the Wild” • James Conaways’s essay about the Valley Fire, “Waiting for Fire” • Ted Levin’s Shelf Life excerpt Tune in every two weeks to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from literature, the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on cutting-edge works in progress; long-form narratives; and compelling excerpts from new books. Hosted by Stephanie...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How do you run a literature course for convicts, and what do a headless chicken and Pinochet have in common? Mikita Brottman discusses her new book, The Maximum Security Book Club; Idra Novey reads a short story; and we venture underground to check out what's happening to the abandoned streetcar tunnels under Washington, D.C. Mentioned in this episode: • Idra Novey’s short story, “Under the Lid” • Our original coverage of the Dupont Underground • Mikita Brottman’s essay, “Jane Austen’s Ivory Cage” Tune in every two weeks to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from literature, the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on cutting-edge works in progress; long-form narratives; and compelling excerpts from...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What do the X-Men have to do with feminism, and how did the Fantastic Four get caught up in the radical politics of the New Left? Learn about the queer history of superhero comics with Ramzi Fawaz, and check in on reporter Karen Coates's documentary project on world hunger, "Bellyache."  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hear about weird military science from Mary Roach, learn bizarre Elizabethan recipes, and catch an excerpt from a new book about Shakespeare's strange appeal.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tune in every two weeks to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from literature, the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on cutting-edge works in progress; long-form narratives; and compelling excerpts from new books. Hosted by Stephanie Bastek.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.