Ken Burns on the Complications of History
When it comes to history—particularly American history—nothing is ever definitive, says documentarian Ken Burns. Much of his work has focused on capturing that history in film, but in his new book, Ou...
16 Nov 202252min
Mary Gaitskill on Subjects That Are Vexing Everybody
Mary Gaitskill's knack for writing about the social and physical world with unapologetic clarity has led to her style being described both as "cold and brutal" and "tender and compassionate." Tyler co...
2 Nov 202245min
Reza Aslan on Martyrdom, Islam, and Revolution
Reza Aslan doesn't mind being called a pantheist. In his own "roundabout spiritual journey" and study of the world's religions, which has led him to write books on Islam, the life of Jesus Christ, ...
19 Okt 202253min
Walter Russell Mead on the Past and Future of American Foreign Policy
A leading expert in foreign policy, Walter Russell Mead believes his lack of a PhD—and interest in actually going places—has helped him avoid academic silos and institutional groupthink that's rendere...
5 Okt 202251min
Byron Auguste On Rewiring the U.S. Labor Market
When looking at the U.S. labor market, Byron Auguste sees too many job seekers screened out based on shallow signals like a bachelor's degree, and too few 'screened in' by directly demonstrating the s...
21 Sep 202254min
Vaughn Smith on Life as a Hyperpolyglot
Vaughn Smith is fluent in eight languages but with a beginner's grasp of at least thirty-six (and counting). His talents are so remarkable that the Washington Post did a feature story on him and neur...
7 Sep 202249min
Cynthia L. Haven on René Girard, Czeslaw Milosz, and Joseph Brodsky
As a little girl, Cynthia Haven loved reading classic works of literature. At sixteen, she began her career as a reporter. And years later, those two interests converged as they led her to interview a...
24 Aug 202244min
