KERA's Think

[2013-01-24 12:00:00] How much do you notice when you’re out and about and how much are you missing? We’ll find out how to be more observant this hour with writer and teacher Alexandra Horowitz. Her new book is “On Looking: Eleven Walks with Expert Eyes” (Scribner, 2013).

[2013-01-23 13:00:00] How are your resolutions going this year and just how long does it take to make a new activity part of one’s regular routine? We’ll talk this hour with psychologist and blogger Jeremy Dean, author of the new book “Making Habits, Breaking Habits: Why We Do Things, Why We Don’t, and How to Make Any Change Stick” (Da Capo Lifelong Books, 2013).

[2013-01-23 12:00:00] What was life like for Otto Frank’s family before the Nazis arrived in Amsterdam? We’ll explore the current exhibit “Anne Frank: A Private Photo Album” this hour with Sara Abosch and Charlotte DeCoster from the Dallas Holocaust Museum.

[2013-01-22 13:00:00] Why are we fascinated by apocalyptic story lines and what does this attraction to doom say about our culture and our age? We’ll talk this hour with novelist Karen Thompson Walker, whose New York Times bestselling book “The Age of Miracles: A Novel” (Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2013) is now out in paperback. Karen Thompson Walker will appear at the Friends of the SMU Library Lunch Series this Thursday, January 24th at 11:30am.

[2013-01-22 12:00:00] What can we learn about our future from the very few traditional human societies that still exist? We’ll talk this hour with acclaimed UCLA biogeographer Jared Diamond. His new book is “The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies?” (Viking, 2012).

[2013-01-17 13:00:00] What was it like to make some of the biggest undersea discoveries of the 20th Century? We’ll find out this hour and discuss the field of deep sea exploration with National Geographic Explorer-In-Residence Robert Ballard, who is best known for his historic discoveries of hydrothermal vents, the sunken R.M.S. Titanic, the German battleship Bismarck, and numerous other contemporary and ancient shipwrecks around the world. Ballard will appear at National Geographic Live this evening at the AT&T Performing Arts Center Winspear Opera House.

[2013-01-17 12:00:00] What should be the role of the United States in the Middle East and beyond? We’ll spend this hour with Ambassador Ryan Crocker, former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Kuwait, and Lebanon. He’s in town to address the World Affairs Council of Dallas Fort Worth this evening.

[2013-01-16 13:00:00] Who are the modern-day tinkerers and how has tinkering survived our culture’s focus on efficiency, conformity, and planned obsolescence? We’ll talk this hour with Alec Foege, author of “The Tinkerers: The Amateurs, DIYers, and Inventors Who Make America Great” (Basic Books, 2013).

[2013-01-16 12:00:00] How can an art curriculum help students develop critical thinking skills and ultimately be successful in our creative and knowledge-based economy? We’ll explore the topic this hour with Steve Seidel, Ph.D, director of the Arts in Education program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education & former director of Harvard University’s Project Zero. We’ll also be joined this hour by Gigi Antoni, President and CEO of Big Thought, a locally-based organization committed to creative learning in schools. This edition of Think is part of KERA’s American Graduate Initiative.

[2013-01-15 13:00:00] What are the best strategies for living a joyful and positive life while still dealing with the fast-paced “craziness” of society? We’ll talk this hour with psychotherapist and writer Philippa Perry, author of “How to Stay Sane” (Picador, 2012).

[2013-01-15 12:00:00] What roles have African American church communities played in politics and poverty since the Civil Rights Era and what can they do in the future? We’ll spend this hour with Keri Day, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Theological and Social Ethics and Black Church Studies at Brite Divinity School and author of “Unfinished Business: Black Women, the Black Church, and the Struggle to Thrive in America” (Orbis Books, 2012). Day will participate in this year’s Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture Martin Luther King Day Symposium.

[2013-01-14 13:00:00] How has life changed in Haiti in the three years since the devastating 2010 earthquake and what can be done to improve conditions in the country? We’ll talk this hour with journalist Amy Wilentz who writes about the people of Haiti and their lives and history in her new book “Farewell, Fred Voodoo: A Letter from Haiti” (Simon & Schuster, 2013).

[2013-01-14 12:00:00] What’s in store for Dallas students and parents in 2013 and how are administrators facing the growing challenges of educating the youth of North Texas? We’ll talk this hour with Mike Miles, Superintendent of the Dallas Independent School District. This edition of Think is part of KERA’s American Graduate Initiative.

[2013-01-10 13:00:00] How important is the role of creativity and artistic endeavor in each of our lives? We’ll spend this hour with retired architect and life-long photographer Leonard Volk, FAIA Emeritus. He’s just published an incredible collection of photographs and essays called “Everyday: Photographs by Leonard Volk” (Brown Books, 2012).

[2013-01-10 12:00:00] How does fear impact the decisions we make and is it possible to overcome our fears and achieve our biggest dreams? We’ll talk this hour with writer Jaimal Yogis, who studied the power of fear and embraced his own for his new book “The Fear Project: What Our Most Primal Emotion Taught Me About Survival, Success, Surfing . . . and Love” (Rodale Books, 2013).