Gesamtlänge aller Episoden: 60 days 21 hours 20 minutes
Writer John Vercher trained in mixed martial arts as a young man. His novel, After the Lights Go Out, centers on a veteran MMA fighter who is experiencing memory loss, severe mood swings and tinnitus. The book is also about the fighter's biracial identity.
Also, Nick Quah reviews new podcasts that are directly inspired by reality TV's mechanics and style.
Comic Joel Kim Booster speaks with guest interviewer Sam Sanders about his new film Fire Island (which he wrote and stars in). Inspired by Pride and Prejudice, it's a rom-com about a group of gay friends and explores racism and classism in their community. Booster also talks about his Netflix stand-up special Psychosexual and growing up Asian with white, evangelical Christian parents.
Also, Maureen Corrigan reviews Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh.
We explore the hidden world around us — the sights, smells, tastes, sounds, and vibrations that are imperceptible to humans, but are perceived by various animals and insects. We talk with science writer Ed Yong about his new book An Immense World.
Justin Chang reviews two films from the Sundance Film festival — now streaming — about relationships between a younger man and an older woman, Cha Cha Real Smooth and Good Luck to You, Leo Grande...
T.J. Newman's book, Falling, is a thriller about a hijacking on a commercial flight. The pilot is told he must crash the plane or his family on the ground will be killed. We talk with Newman about her book and about her 10 years in the skies — from pet peeves to scary situations.
Justin Chang reviews Elvis, the latest spectacle from Baz Luhrmann.
How did we get to the point where Roe v. Wade is likely to be overturned, just as we approach its 50 anniversary? We talk with law professor Mary Ziegler. She's written several books about the abortion wars. Her new one, Dollars for Life, is about how the anti-abortion movement helped push the courts to the right, and upended the GOP establishment.
There's a vast world around us that animals can perceive — but humans can't. Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer Ed Yong talks about some of the sights, smells, sounds and vibrations that other living creatures experience. His book is An Immense World.
In her book, author Angela Garbes makes the case that the work of raising children has always been undervalued and undercompensated in the U.S. Then came the pandemic, and everything got harder. We talk about how parents in the U.S. are often isolated, and left without a social safety net, and we contrast that to how domestic labor is handled in the Philippines.
Giddens' album Freedom Highway is an exploration of Black experiences, accompanied by an instrument with its own uniquely African American story: the banjo. Originally broadcast May 11, 2017.
Ken Tucker reviews three new country songs.
Katy Tur's parents ran a helicopter news service in LA in the '80s and '90s. While she loved the rush of flight, her family dynamic was a volatile one. We talk about her unusual childhood and her early career in journalism. She's now an anchor for MSNBC and a correspondent for NBC News. Tur's memoir is Rough Draft...
Juneteenth, formerly Emancipation Day or Jubilee, celebrates the day slavery ended in Texas, June 19, 1865. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Annette Gordon-Reed studies the early American republic and the legacy of slavery. "It was a very, very tense time — hope and at the same time, hostility," Gordon-Reed says. Her book is On Juneteenth.
Also, we remember actor Philip Baker Hall, who died June 12. He appeared in the Paul Thomas Anderson films Boogie Nights and Magnolia...