32 RTB Books in Dark Times 8: Paul Saint-Amour (JP 5/20)
Who better to talk about Dark Times than the author of an unforgettable scholarly book about the grimness of the interwar years, Tense Future? Paul Saint-Amour, Professor of English at University of P...
21 Touko 202034min
31 RTB Books in Dark Times 7: Vanessa Smith (JP)
U. Sydney professor Vanessa Smith–author of Intimate Strangers, and also of this lovely short piece about Marion Milner–joins John to discuss her pandemic reading. She praises a Milner (quasi)travel b...
14 Touko 202019min
30 In Focus: Nir Eyal on (the deontology of) “Challenge Testing” a Covid Vaccine
On April 27, David D. Kirkpatrick reported in the N. Y. Times that Oxford’s Jenner Center is close to starting human trials on a potential Covid-19 vaccine. According to Kirkpatrick, “ethics rules, as...
7 Touko 202029min
29 RTB Books in Dark Times 6: Kim Stanley Robinson (JP)
Kim Stanley Robinson, SF novelist of renown, has three marvelous trilogies: The Three Californias, Science in the Capital and, most celebrated of all, Red Mars, Green Mars and Blue Mars. His honors in...
30 Huhti 202022min
28 RTB Books in Dark Times 5: Seeta Chaganti (JP)
Seeta Chaganti, medievalist extraordinaire (Strange Footing and The Medieval Poetics of the Reliquary) joins John to discuss–wait for it–data visualization in the work of W. E. B. Du Bois, philosopher...
23 Huhti 202028min
27 RTB Books in Dark Times 4: David and John Plotz
Aside from being John’s (younger, brighter, handsomer–and definitely hirsuter) brother, what has the inimitable David Plotz done lately? Only hosted “The Slate Political Gabfest“, written two books (“...
16 Huhti 202019min
26 RTB Books in Dark Times 3: Plotz/Ferry
For the third installment of Books in Dark Times, inspired by our global moment, Elizabeth and John turned inward. We started with a book that you might not think would be so comforting, Daniel Defoe’...
9 Huhti 202024min
25 RTB Books in Dark Times 2: Stephen McCauley (JP)
On March 20th, John talked to Stephen McCauley, author of such brilliant comic novels as Object of My Affection (also a Jennifer Aniston movie) and most recently My Ex-Life. Steve brings light to dark...
2 Huhti 202023min
