Great Podversations

This conversation features internationally bestselling author John Grisham, interviewed by political leader and writer Stacey Abrams. They discuss Grisham’s book The French Illusion before a live audience at the Kentucky Author Forum. This conversation was recorded on October 1, 2026. John Grisham is the author of more than fifty consecutive #1 bestsellers, which have been translated into nearly fifty languages. His latest, “The French Illusion”, is a suspenseful page-turner about a Paris honeymoon gone horribly wrong—and the nightmare that follows. The search for clues soon stretches across borders, with the FBI, CIA, and French Intelligence trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. When he's not writing, Grisham serves on the board of directors of the Innocence Project and of Centurion Ministries, two national organizations dedicated to exonerating those who have been wrongfully convicted. Stacey Abrams is a New York Times bestselling author, entrepreneur and political leader. She served as Minority…

This conversation features New York Times bestselling author Kevin Wilson, interviewed by Chief Content Officer of Salon.com, Erin Keane. They discuss Wilson’s book "Run for the Hills," before a live audience at the Louisville South Central Regional Library. This conversation was recorded on September 16, 2026. Kevin Wilson is the author of seven books, including the New York Times bestseller and Read with Jenna Book Club selection, "Nothing to See Here." His most recent novel is "Run for the Hills." Infused with deadpan wit, zany hijinks, and enormous heart, Run for the Hills is a sibling story like no other—a novel about a family forged under the most unlikely circumstances and united by hope in an unknown future. Wilson’s fiction has appeared in two editions of Best American Short Stories and the O. Henry Prize Stories. He lives in Sewanee, Tennessee, where he teaches creative writing at The University of the South. Erin Keane is Salon.com’s Chief Content Officer. Previously, she served as an arts and…

This conversation features New York Times bestselling author Hampton Sides, interviewed by former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke. They discuss Sides’ book “The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook,” before a live audience at the Kentucky Author Forum. This conversation was recorded on May 7th, 2026, at the Kentucky Center in Louisville. Hampton Sides is the author of many acclaimed and bestselling narrative histories. His most recent work, “The Wide Wide Sea,” is an adventure on the high seas and an examination of the complexities of the Age of Exploration. It was a New York Times Ten Best Books of the Year and Barack Obama featured it on his coveted Summer Reading List. Hampton Sides has contributed to many publications, such as The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. He has won the PEN USA Award for nonfiction, and his journalistic work has been twice nominated for National Magazine Awards for feature writing. Beto…

This conversation features Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times Opinion Columnist Maureen Dowd, interviewed by author and journalist Todd Purdum. They discuss Dowd’s book “Notorious: Portraits of Stars from Hollywood, Culture, Fashion and Tech” before a live audience at the Kentucky Author Forum. This conversation was recorded on December 1st, 2025, at the Kentucky Center in Louisville. Maureen Dowd is a columnist for The New York Times Opinion pages and a feature writer for The Times’s Styles and Arts & Leisure sections. Ms. Dowd won the Pulitzer Prize in 1999, has covered ten presidential campaigns, and served as White House correspondent during the first Bush administration and the Clinton administration. Her latest book, “Notorious: Portraits of Stars from Hollywood, Culture, Fashion and Tech,” is a captivating collection of her most compelling celebrity profiles. Todd Purdum is a veteran journalist and author who spent twenty-three years at The New York Times, covering politics from city hall to the…

This conversation features United States Congressman Jim Clyburn, interviewed by former U.S. Congressman John Yarmuth. They discuss Clyburn’s book “The First Eight: A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation” before a live audience at the Kentucky Author Forum. This conversation was recorded on November 24th, 2025, at the Kentucky Center in Louisville. James E. Clyburn is the Congressman representing South Carolina’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. In 2024, he was bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States. Clyburn’s book, “The First Eight” explores the powerful, untold story of the pioneering Black politicians from South Carolina who were elected to Congress in the aftermath of the Civil War, and a revealing explanation of why it took nearly a century before the ninth, James Clyburn, was elected. John Yarmuth is a retired United States Congressman who served eight terms as the representative of…

This conversation features best-selling author Colm Tóibín, interviewed by Silas House, former Kentucky Poet Laureate (2023-2025). They discuss Tóibín’s book “Long Island” before a live audience at the University of Louisville, Kentucky Author Forum. This conversation was recorded on April 14th, 2025, at the Kentucky Center in Louisville. Irish novelist, playwright, and essayist Colm Tóibín has written eleven novels, including the most recent, Long Island, which is the quietly heartbreaking sequel to his novel Brooklyn. Tóibín is a Professor of the Humanities at Columbia University and was named the Laureate for Irish Fiction for 2022–2024 by the Arts Council of Ireland. Tóibín has been shortlisted three times for the Booker Prize. Silas House is a bestselling author of seven novels, one book of creative nonfiction, and four plays. His most recent novel, “Lark Ascending”, was a Booklist Editors' Choice and is the winner of the Southern Book Prize, and other honors. His writing has appeared in The Washington…

This conversation features best-selling author Sebastian Junger, interviewed by NPR Podcast Host Rachel Martin. They discuss Junger’s book “In My Time of Dying: How I Came Face-to-Face with the Idea of an Afterlife” before a live audience at the Kentucky Author Forum. This conversation was recorded on February 3rd, 2025, at the Kentucky Center in Louisville. Sebastian Junger is a bestselling author of many books, award-winning journalist, and documentary filmmaker. Junger’s bestselling book “The Perfect Storm” was made into a major motion picture. His latest book “In My Time of Dying” is part medical drama, part searing autobiography, and part rational inquiry into the mystery of death. Rachel Martin is the co-creator and host of the NPR podcast Wild Card, an interview game show about life’s biggest questions. Martin spent six years as a host of NPR’s Morning Edition and was the founding host of NPR’s award-winning morning news podcast Up First.

This conversation features CNN Anchor and Chief Security Analyst Jim Sciutto, interviewed by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jane Perlez. They discuss Sciutto’s book “The Return of Great Powers: Russia, China, and the Next World War” before a live audience at the Kentucky Author Forum. This conversation was recorded on November 25th, 2024, at the Kentucky Center in Louisville. Jim Sciutto is an anchor for CNN Newsroom. He has reported from more than fifty countries across the globe and has earned Emmy Awards and the Edward R. Murrow Award, among many others. Sciutto’s latest book, “The Return of Great Powers: Russia, China, and the Next World War,” details the realities of this new post–post–Cold War era, the increasingly aligned Russian and Chinese governments, and the flashpoint of a new, global nuclear arms race. Jane Perlez was a long-time foreign correspondent for The New York Times, serving as Beijing Bureau Chief until 2019. Perlez was part of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for international…

This conversation features musician, activist and poet Joan Baez, interviewed by journalist and radio host Diane Rehm. They discuss Baez’s book “When You See My Mother, Ask Her to Dance: Poems,” before a live audience at the Kentucky Author Forum. This conversation was recorded on October 21st, 2024 at the Kentucky Center in Louisville. Joan Baez has performed for more than 60 years, releasing more than 30 albums. She has been honored with both the Recording Academy and the Latin Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award, and her 1960 debut album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Amnesty International presented her with its first Joan Baez Award for Outstanding Inspirational Service in the Global Fight for Human Rights. Her first book of poetry “When You See My Mother, Ask Her to Dance: Poems,” connects fans to the real heart of who Joan Baez is as a person, as a daughter and sister, and as an artist who has inspired millions. Diane Rehm is a journalist and host of the Diane Rehm: On My Mind…

This conversation features bestselling author Amor Towles, interviewed by New York Times Book Critic Alexandra Jacobs. They discuss Towles’ book “Table for Two: Fictions” before a live audience at the Kentucky Author Forum. This conversation was recorded on September 30, 2024, at The Kentucky Center in Louisville. Amor Towles is the author of The New York Times bestsellers “The Lincoln Highway,” “A Gentleman in Moscow,” and “Rules of Civility.” His novels have collectively sold millions of copies and have been translated into more than 35 languages. In “Table for Two,” Towles shares some of his shorter fiction: six stories based in New York City and a novella set in Golden Age Hollywood. Written with his signature wit, humor, and sophistication, “Table for Two” is another glittering addition to Towles’ canon of stylish and transporting fiction. Alexandra Jacobs is a book critic for The New York Times and the author of “Still Here: The Madcap, Nervy, Singular Life of Elaine Stritch.” She has contributed to…

This conversation features journalist and author Bianca Bosker, discussing her book, “Get the Picture” with writer Patrick Bringley. Bianca Bosker is The New York Times bestselling author of “Cork Dork” and a contributing writer at The Atlantic. In “Get the Picture,” Bosker throws herself into the nerve center of art, and the people who live for it: gallerists, collectors, curators, and of course artists themselves. Probing everything from cave paintings to Instagram, and the science of sight to the importance of beauty, Get the Picture examines art’s role in our culture, our economy, and our hearts. Bosker’s writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Best American Travel Writing, and has been recognized with awards from the New York Press Club, Society of Professional Journalists, and more. Patrick Bringley is the author of “All the Beauty in the World,” a memoir about his decade working as a guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was named a best book…

This conversation features renowned singer Renée Fleming, interviewed by author Richard Powers. They discuss Fleming’s book “Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness” before a live audience at the Kentucky Author Forum. This conversation was recorded on April 8, 2024 at The Kentucky Center in Louisville, Ky. Renée Fleming is one of the most acclaimed singers of our time, performing on the stages of the world’s greatest opera houses and concert halls. She is also a leading advocate for research at the intersection of arts, health, and neuroscience. Her book, “Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness” contains essays from preeminent scientists, therapists, educators, and physicians about the powerful impact of music and the arts on health and the human experience. Richard Powers is the author of 13 novels. His 2019 book, “The Overstory” was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

This conversation features best-selling author and book store owner Ann Patchett, interviewed by author and professor Kevin Wilson. They discuss Patchett’s book “Tom Lake” before a live audience at the Kentucky Author Forum. This conversation was recorded on February 12th, 2024 at the Kentucky Center in Louisville. ANN PATCHETT is the author of nine novels, four books of nonfiction and one children’s book. Patchett has been the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, including a National Humanities Medal, England’s Women’s Prize, the PEN/Faulkner Award, the Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Book Sense Book of the Year, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Her novel “The Dutch House” was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. In November, 2011, she opened Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee. She has since become a spokesperson for independent booksellers, championing books and bookstores. KEVIN WILSON is the author of two story collections, and four novels. His…

This conversation features renowned lawyer and Professor of Law at Yale and Georgetown Universities, Stephen Bright, interviewed by Pulitzer Prize-winner and Yale Law Professor James Forman Jr. They discuss Bright’s book, “The Fear of Too Much Justice: Race, Poverty, and the Persistence of Inequality in the Criminal Courts” before a live audience at the Kentucky Author Forum. This conversation was recorded on November 13th, 2023 at the Kentucky Center in Louisville. Bright is a Visiting Lecturer in Law at Yale Law School and a Visiting Professor at Georgetown Law. He has tried capital cases in many states, including four capital cases before the United States Supreme Court. He previously served as president of the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta. Subjects of his litigation, teaching and writing include capital punishment, legal representation for the poor, and racial discrimination in the criminal courts. Bright has received the American Bar Association’s Thurgood Marshall Award. Social Justice…

This conversation features best-selling author Jill Lepore and U.S. Congressman Jamie Raskin discussing Lepore’s book, “The Deadline: Essays,” before a live audience at the Kentucky Author Forum. This conversation was recorded on September 11th, 2023 at the Kentucky Center in Louisville. Jill Lepore is a professor of history and of law at Harvard University. She is also a staff writer at The New Yorker. Her many books include the best-selling “These Truths: A History of the United States,” was named one of Time magazine’s top ten non-fiction books of the decade. Lepore’s “The Deadline: Essays” collects forty-six of her essays that offer a prismatic portrait of Americans’ techno-utopianism, frantic fractiousness, and unprecedented yet armed aimlessness. Congressman Jamie Raskin represents Maryland’s 8th Congressional District. He serves as the Ranking Member on the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. Raskin also served on the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S.…

This conversation features best-selling author Geraldine Brooks and former NPR journalist Jacki Lyden discussing Brooks’ book, “Horse: A Novel” before a live audience at the Kentucky Author Forum. This conversation was recorded on March 27th, 2023 at the Kentucky Center in Louisville. Geraldine Brooks grew up in Australia and became a journalist with The Sydney Morning Herald, and later with The Wall Street Journal. Brooks was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction in 2006 for her novel “March”. Many of her novels and nonfiction books have been New York Times bestsellers. Her first novel, “Year of Wonders”, is an international bestseller. It has been translated into more than 25 languages. In 2016, Brooks was named an Officer in the Order of Australia. Jacki Lyden is an award-winning former NPR host and foreign correspondent of over three decades. She is the author of the bestselling memoir “Daughter of the Queen of Sheba”, which was published in twelve countries. A frequent speaker on the topic of mental…

This conversation features author Maggie Haberman and CNN host Laura Coates discussing Haberman’s book, “Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America” before a live audience at the Kentucky Author Forum. This conversation was recorded on January 9th, 2023 at the Kentucky Center in Louisville. New York Times journalist Maggie Haberman, wrote “Confidence Man” in 2022. Ms. Haberman joined The New York Times in 2015 and was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for reporting on the investigations into Donald Trump’s advisers and their connections to Russia. She has twice been a member of a team that was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize, in 2021 for reporting on the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus, and in 2022 for coverage related to the January 6th riot at the Capitol. Laura Coates is a CNN Host and Senior Legal Analyst who specializes in the intersection of civil rights and criminal prosecution. A former federal prosecutor, she served as Assistant United…

This conversation features author Josh Chin and New Yorker journalist Evan Osnos discussing both of their books before a live audience at the Kentucky Author Forum on September 29th, 2022 at the Kentucky Center in Louisville. Josh Chin wrote “Surveillance State: Inside China’s Quest to Launch a New Era of Social Control” with fellow Wall Street Journal writer, Liza Lin. He tells the gripping story of how China’s Communist Party is building a new kind of political control: shaping the will of the people through the sophisticated—and often brutal—harnessing of data. For more than a decade, Chin has covered politics and tech in China for The Wall Street Journal. He led an investigative team that won The Gerald Loeb Award for international reporting in 2018 for a series exposing the Chinese government’s pioneering embrace of digital surveillance. He was named a National Fellow at New America in 2020, and is a recipient of the Don Bolles Medal, awarded to investigative journalists who have exhibited courage in…

Author Maggie Nelson discusses her book, On Freedom: Four Songs of Care and Constraint, with writer Eula Biss. Maggie Nelson is a writer working in autobiography, art criticism, theory, feminism, history, aesthetic theory, philosophy, scholarship, and poetry. Nelson received a 2016 MacArthur Fellowship, a 2012 Creative Capital Literature Fellowship, a 2011 NEA Fellowship in Poetry, and a 2010 Guggenheim Fellowship in Nonfiction. Other honors include a 2007 Andy Warhol Foundation/Creative Capital Arts Writers Grant. Nelson has written several acclaimed books of poetry and prose, including the National Book Critics Circle Award winner The Argonauts. She currently teaches at the University of Southern California. Eula Biss is the author of four books and has been recognized with a National Book Critics Circle Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a 21st Century Award from the Chicago Public Library. Biss’ books have been translated into a dozen languages. As a 2023 National Fellow at New America, she is at work…

Politician and author Charles Booker discusses his book, “From the Hood to the Holler: A Story of Separate Worlds, Shared Dreams, and the Fight for America’s Future,” with writer and Professor Eddie Glaude. Charles Booker represented the 43rd District in the Kentucky House of Representatives, where he served on the economic development and workforce, judiciary, and natural resources and energy committees. A graduate of the University of Louisville and its Brandeis School of Law, Booker is a Bingham Fellow and a Bloomberg Innovation Delivery Team fellow. He is the founder of the advocacy group Hood to the Holler, which continues the work of his campaign, building bridges between previously siloed communities. Eddie S. Glaude Jr. is the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor and Chair of the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University. He is a former president of the American Academy of Religion. Glaude is the author of several important books including “Democracy in Black:…

Artist and author James Bridle discusses their book, Ways of Being: Animals, Plants, Machines: The Search for a Planetary Intelligence with writer and musician Claire Evans. James Bridle is an artist, technologist and philosopher whose artworks have been commissioned by galleries and institutions and exhibited worldwide, including the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Oslo Architecture Triennale, the Istanbul Design Biennial, and the Design Museum, London. Bridle’s writing has appeared in magazines and newspapers including Wired, The Atlantic, The New Statesman, The Guardian, and the Financial Times. They lecture regularly on radio, at conferences, universities, and events, including South by Southwest, the Global Art Forum, and TED. Claire Evans is a writer and musician exploring ecology, technology, and culture. She is the singer of the Grammy-nominated pop group YACHT, and co-founder of VICE’s imprint for speculative fiction, Terraform. Evans’ 2018 book, Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the…

Author Geraldine Brooks discusses her book “Horse: A Novel” with journalist Gal Beckerman. Geraldine Brooks grew up in Australia and became a journalist with The Sydney Morning Herald, and later with The Wall Street Journal. Brooks was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction in 2006 for her novel “March.” Many of her novels and nonfiction books have been New York Times bestsellers. Her first novel, “Year of Wonders,” is an international bestseller, translated into more than 25 languages. In 2016, Brooks was named an Officer in the Order of Australia. Gal Beckerman is an author and the senior editor for books at The Atlantic. Before joining The Atlantic, Beckerman was an editor at The New York Times Book Review for six years. He also served as the opinion editor at the Forward newspaper and a staff editor and writer at the Columbia Journalism Review. Beckerman’s writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The New Republic, and Bookforum. His first book, “When They Come for Us We’ll Be Gone,” was chosen as a…

Author Keri Blakinger discusses her book, “Corrections in Ink: A Memoir” with writer Piper Kerman. Keri Blakinger is an investigative reporter based in Texas, covering criminal justice and injustice for The Marshall Project. She previously worked for the Houston Chronicle and her writing has appeared in the New York Daily News, the BBC, VICE, and The New York Times. Blakinger was a member of the Houston Chronicle's Pulitzer-finalist team in 2018, and her 2019 coverage of women's jails for The Washington Post Magazine helped earn a National Magazine Award. Piper Kerman is the author of the memoir “Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison.” The book has been adapted by Jenji Kohan into an Emmy Award-winning original series for Netflix, which ran for seven seasons. Kerman collaborates with nonprofits, and philanthropies, and serves on the board of directors of the Women’s Prison Association. She is also on the advisory boards of the PEN America Writing for Justice Fellowship, InsideOUT Writers,…

Author Anna Quindlen and writer Amy Bloom discuss Quindlen’s book “Write for Your Life.” Anna Quindlen is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, novelist, and opinion columnist. She is the best-selling author of nine novels, including “Every Last One,” and “Still Life with Bread Crumbs.” Her memoir “Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake”, published in 2012, was a #1 New York Times bestseller. Quindlen’s book “A Short Guide to a Happy Life” has sold more than a million copies. While a columnist at The New York Times, Quindlen won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary. Amy Bloom is the author of four novels and three collections of short stories. Her first book of nonfiction, “Normal: Transsexual CEOs, Crossdressing Cops and Hermaphrodites with Attitudes,” is a staple of university sociology and biology courses. Her most recent book is the widely acclaimed New York Times best-selling memoir, “In Love”. Bloom has written for magazines such as The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Vogue, Elle, The Atlantic Monthly,…

Journalist and author Moisés Naím discusses his book, “The Revenge of Power: How Autocrats Are Reinventing Politics for the 21st Century” with radio host Ari Shapiro. Moisés Naím is an internationally-syndicated columnist and best-selling author. He is the chief international columnist for El País and La Repubblica, the largest daily newspapers in Spain and Italy. His columns have been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Bloomberg Businessweek, Newsweek, Time, Le Monde, El Estadão, and Berliner Zeitung. Dr. Naím is a Distinguished Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC. He is the founder and Chairman of the Board of the Group of Fifty (G50), which brings together top-flight progressive Latin American business leaders, and is a member of the board of directors of several global companies. Ari Shapiro has been one of the hosts of All Things Considered, NPR's award-winning afternoon newsmagazine, since 2015. Shapiro has reported from above the Arctic Circle…

This conversation features Congressman Jamie Raskin and Russian expert Dr. Fiona Hill discussing both their books before a live audience at The Kentucky Author Forum on January 24th, 2022 at The Kentucky Center in Louisville. Jamie Raskin represents Maryland’s 8th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was renamed Chair of the Oversight Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties for the 117th Congress. Representative Raskin’s moving memoir “Unthinkable,” tells the story of the forty-five days at the start of 2021 that permanently changed Raskin’s life as he confronted the painful loss of his son to suicide, lived through the violent insurrection in our nation’s Capitol, and was appointed House lead impeachment manager in the effort to hold President Trump accountable for inciting the political violence. He is a former constitutional law professor. Fiona Hill is recognizable to many Americans as the key impeachment witness during the U.S. House of Representatives Trump-Ukraine…

Author Roya Hakakian discusses her book "A Beginner’s Guide to America: For the Immigrant and the Curious” with journalist Jen Balderama. Roya Hakakian is the author of three books in English and has published two collections of poetry in Persian. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and on NPR’s All Things Considered. Hakakian has collaborated on journalistic programming for network television, including 60 Minutes. She is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and served on the editorial board of World Affairs. Since 2015, she has taught at THREAD, a writing workshop at Yale, and is a fellow at the Davenport College at Yale. Jen Balderama is an editor in the Opinions section of The Washington Post, where she edits columns and essays by staff and contributing writers. Previously, she was an editor at The New York Times Book Review and on the national desk of The Times. For several years Balderama worked as a freelance editor of book-length nonfiction, novels, and…

Author and professor Amy Zegart discusses her book “Spies, Lies, and Algorithms” with journalist Scott Shane. Amy Zegart is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, as well as a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute of International Studies at Stanford University. She is a contributing writer to The Atlantic and has written five previous books, including co-authoring with Condoleezza Rice “Political Risk: How Businesses and Organizations Can Anticipate Global Insecurity,” based on their popular Stanford MBA course. Zegart specializes in U.S. intelligence, emerging technologies, national security, grand strategy, and global political risk management. Scott Shane is a journalist and author who spent 15 years covering national security and other subjects for The New York Times, where he won the Pulitzer Prize with Times colleagues in 2017 and in 2018 for stories on Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. His most recent book is “Objective Troy: A Terrorist, A President, and the Rise of the Drone.”…

Author Laurence Leamer discusses his book “Capote’s Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal and a Swan Song for an Era” with professor, historian, and film critic Leo Braudy. Laurence Leamer is a New York Times best-selling writer and journalist. He is a former Ford Fellow in International Development at the University of Oregon and an International Fellow at Columbia University. In addition to Leamer’s eighteen books, he has written for New York Magazine, The Washingtonian, Harper’s, and The New York Times Magazine. He is regarded as an expert on the Kennedy family and has appeared on NBC Nightly News, CNN, and NPR discussing American politics. Leamer has written several best-selling biographies of other Americans, including Johnny Carson, the Reagan family, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Leo Braudy is a cultural historian and film critic. He is a professor of English and American Literature at the University of Southern California. His work appears in journals such as American Film, Film Quarterly, Genre, Novel,…

Physicist Frank Wilczek and Professor Janna Levin discuss Wilczek’s book, “Fundamentals: Ten Keys to Reality.” Frank Wilczek jointly won The Nobel Prize in Physics in 2004, for his graduate work at Princeton with David Gross. He was among the earliest MacArthur Fellows and has won many awards both for his scientific work and his writing, which includes hundreds of articles in leading scientific journals. His “Wilczek’s Universe” column appears regularly in the Wall Street Journal. Wilczek is the Herman Feshbach Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Janna Levin is a Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Barnard College of Columbia University. A Guggenheim Fellow, Janna has contributed to an understanding of black holes, the cosmology of extra dimensions, and gravitational waves in the shape of spacetime. She is the presenter of…

Writer Mary Roach and NPR host Peter Sagal discuss Ms. Roach’s latest book, “Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law”. Mary Roach is the author of six New York Times bestsellers. Roach has written for National Geographic, Wired, The New York Times Magazine, and Clinical Anatomy. Her TED talk made the TED 20 Most Watched list. Roach has been a guest editor for The Best American Science and Nature Writing, a finalist for the Royal Society’s Science Book Prize, and a winner of the American Association of Engineering Societies' Engineering Journalism Award. Mary Roach’s books have been published in 21 languages. Peter Sagal is the host of the Peabody Award-winning NPR news quiz show “Wait Wait . . . Don't Tell Me!” He is a playwright, screenwriter, amateur athlete, and host of several documentaries, including Constitution USA with Peter Sagal on PBS. Sagal has contributed to Opera News, Saveur, Finesse, The New York Times Magazine, Chicago magazine, and was the "Road Scholar" columnist for Runner’s World. He's also won…

Writer and professor Kathryn Paige Harden discusses her book "The Genetic Lottery: Why DNA Matters for Social Equality," with journalist and author Carl Zimmer. Kathryn Paige Harden is a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, where she leads the Developmental Behavior Genetics lab and co-directs the Texas Twin Project. Her research has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Huffington Post, among others. In 2017, Harden was honored with an award from the American Psychological Association for her distinguished scientific contributions to the study of genetics and human individual differences. Carl Zimmer writes the "Matter" column for The New York Times and has frequently contributed to The Atlantic, National Geographic, Time, and Scientific American. He has won the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Journalism Award three times. Zimmer teaches science writing at Yale, and has been a guest on NPR’s "RadioLab,"…

Writer Kurt Andersen discusses his latest book “Evil Geniuses: The Unmaking of America: A Recent History,” with professor and author Daron Acemoglu. Kurt Andersen is the bestselling author of the novels “Heyday, “Turn of the Century,” and “True Believers.” He is also a contributor to Vanity Fair and The New York Times and was the host and co-creator of Studio 360, the Peabody Award-winning public radio show and podcast. Andersen writes for television, film, and the stage. He regularly appears as a commentator on MSNBC. Andersen co-founded Spy magazine, served as editor in chief of New York Magazine, and was a cultural columnist and critic for Time Magazine and The New Yorker. Daron Acemoglu is an Institute Professor at MIT and an elected fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, American Philosophical Society, the British Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Econometric Society, the European Economic Association, and the Society of Labor Economists. Acemoglu is the author of…

Writer and Professor Ethan Kross discusses his book “Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters and How to Harness It'', with journalist and author Maria Konnikova. Ethan Kross is a best-selling author and award-winning professor in the University of Michigan’s Psychology Department and its Ross School of Business. He studies how the conversations people have with themselves impact their health, performance, decisions and relationships. Kross’ research has been published in Science, The New England Journal of Medicine, and The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, among other peer-reviewed journals. He has participated in policy discussion at the White House and has been interviewed on CBS Evening News, Good Morning America, Anderson Cooper Full Circle, and NPR’s Morning Edition. Kross’ pioneering research has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, Harvard Business Review, USA Today, The Economist, The Atlantic, Forbes, and Time Magazine. Maria Konnikova…

Professor, writer, and CEO Anne-Marie Slaughter discusses her book “Renewal: From Crisis to Transformation in Our Lives, Work, and Politics" with professor and author Sarah J. Jackson. Anne-Marie Slaughter is the CEO of New America and Professor Emerita of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University. From 2009-2011 she served as the director of policy planning for the United States Department of State, the first woman to hold that position. Dr. Slaughter has written or edited seven other books. She is also a frequent contributor to various publications, including The Atlantic, the Financial Times, and Project Syndicate. Sarah J. Jackson is a Presidential Associate Professor at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania and Co-Director of the Media, Inequality, & Change Center. Dr. Jackson is the author of two books, a 2019 New America National Fellow and 2020 Andrew Carnegie Fellow. Her next book traces the contributions of Black media-makers to American democracy.

Journalist and award-winning author Sonia Shah discusses her book “The Next Great Migration: The Beauty and Terror of Life on the Move” with journalist Caitlin Dickerson. Sonia Shah is a science journalist and author of critically acclaimed books on science, politics and human rights. She was a finalist for the 2021 PEN/E.O Wilson Literary Science Writing Award, and won a Publishers Weekly best nonfiction book of 2020, a best science book of 2020 by Amazon, and a best science and technology book of 2020 by Library Journal. Shah’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, Scientific American, and has been featured on CNN, RadioLab, and Fresh Air. Her TED talk about malaria has been viewed by over 1,000,000 people around the world. Caitlin Dickerson is a staff writer for The Atlantic, where she writes about immigration and the American experience. Dickerson joined The Atlantic in 2021 after four years at The New York Times, where she broke news about changes in…

Former commander of NATO, Admiral James Stavridis discusses his geopolitical thriller 2034: A Novel of the Next World War, with New York Times Journalist and George Washington University National Security Professor Thom Shanker. Admiral James Stavridis spent more than thirty years in the U.S. Navy, rising to the rank of four-star Admiral. He holds a Ph.D. from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, where he recently served five years as dean. He has published nine previous books and hundreds of articles and is a frequent national and international television commentator as well as a Bloomberg Opinion weekly columnist, and a contributing editor to TIME Magazine. Thom Shanker was named director of the Project for Media and National Security at George Washington University in June 2021, after nearly 25 years with The New York Times, including 13 years as Pentagon correspondent covering the Department of Defense, overseas combat operations and national security policy. Most recently, he…

Best-selling author and diplomat Richard Haass speaks with Stanford professor and author Francis Fukuyama about Haass’ book, “The World: A Brief Introduction”, and other timely topics. Dr. Richard Haass is president of the Council on Foreign Relations. He served as the senior Middle East adviser to President George H. W. Bush, as director of the Policy Planning Staff under Secretary of State Colin Powell, and as the U.S. envoy to both the Cyprus and Northern Ireland peace talks. “The World: A Brief Introduction” explores the many challenges globalization presents, and clarifies the most influential events and ideas. Haass aims to promote “global literacy” so that readers can make sense of this complicated and interconnected world. Haass is a recipient of the Presidential Citizens Medal, the State Department's Distinguished Honor Award, and the Tipperary International Peace Awards. Haass is also the author or editor of fourteen other books, including the best-selling “A World in Disarray.” Francis Fukuyama is…

Writer Matthew Barzun speaks with Harvard Professor and author Amy Edmondson about Barzun’s book, “The Power of Giving Away Power: How the Best Leaders Learn to Let Go”. Matthew Barzun has served as U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom and Sweden. He served as National Finance Chair for former President Barack Obama's re-election campaign. He joined CNET Networks in 1993 as its fourth employee and held various management positions during his 11 years with the company, including Chief Strategy Officer.  Amy Edmondson is a Professor at the Harvard Business School. She has been recognized by the biannual Thinkers 50 global ranking of management thinkers since 2011, and most recently was ranked #3. Her most recent book, “The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation and Growth”, offers a practical guide for organizations serious about success in the modern economy and has been translated into 11 languages.

Anne Applebaum is a staff writer at The Atlantic, and a Senior Fellow of the Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University. She is the author of three critically acclaimed and award-winning histories of the Soviet Union: “Red Famine, Iron Curtain, and Gulag” - winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Applebaum’s “Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism” raises an alarm about antidemocratic trends in the West and explains the lure of nationalism and autocracy. Jason Stanley is a best-selling author of five books, including “How Propaganda Works,” winner of the Prose Award in Philosophy from the Association of American Publishers, and “How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them.” Stanley serves on the Advisory Board of the Prison Policy Initiative and writes frequently about propaganda, free speech, mass incarceration, democracy, and authoritarianism for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Boston Review.

Investigative journalist and author Barton Gellman speaks with The Washington Post national security reporter Ellen Nakashima about Mr. Gellman’s bestseller, “Dark Mirror: Edward Snowden and the American Surveillance State.” Barton Gellman is a Pulitzer Prize and Emmy Award-winning journalist. Since 2013 he has been a senior fellow at The Century Foundation. During 21 years at The Washington Post he served tours as legal, military, diplomatic, and foreign correspondent. He has taught courses at Princeton on nonfiction writing, investigative reporting and national security secrecy. His bestselling “Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency” won The Los Angeles Times’ Book Prize and was a New York Times Best Book of 2008. Ellen Nakashima is a national security reporter for The Washington Post who writes about cyber, intelligence and related issues. In 2018, she and her colleagues won a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of Russia’s efforts to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. In 2014, she was part of…

Physician, sociologist and author Nicholas Christakis speaks with NPR journalist Rob Stein about Dr. Christakis’s bestseller, "Apollo’s Arrow: The Profound and Enduring Impact of Coronavirus on the Way We Live." Nicholas Christakis directs the Human Nature Lab at Yale University, where he is also the Co-Director of the Yale Institute for Network Science. Dr. Christakis is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2009, Christakis was named to the Time 100, Time Magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2009 and again in 2010, he was named by Foreign Policy magazine to its list of top global thinkers. Rob Stein is a correspondent and senior editor on NPR's science desk. Stein covers health and medicine, focusing on stories that illustrate the intersection of science, health, politics, social trends, ethics, and federal science policy. Stein's work has been honored by many organizations, including the National Academy of Sciences, the American Association for…

The twenty-first episode of GREAT PODVERSATIONS features best-selling writer Elizabeth Kolbert speaking with journalist Kate Aronoff about Ms. Kolbert's book, “Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future,” and other timely topics. Elizabeth Kolbert is a staff writer for The New Yorker. Her most recent book, “Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future,” was published in February. In it, Kolbert explores whether we can change nature to save it, in Earth's new geological epoch: the Anthropocene. She meets biologists who are trying to preserve the world’s rarest fish, which lives in a single tiny pool in the middle of the Mojave; engineers who are turning carbon emissions to stone in Iceland; Australian researchers who are trying to develop a “super coral” that can survive on a hotter globe; and physicists who are contemplating shooting tiny diamonds into the stratosphere to cool the earth. The New York Times praises “Under a White Sky” as: "...important, necessary, urgent, and phenomenally interesting."…

Best-selling writer Nicole Krauss speaks with NPR journalist Elizabeth Blair about Krauss’ book of short stories, "To Be A Man." Nicole Krauss is best known for her novels "Forest Dark," and "Great House," and a finalist for the National Book Award and the Orange Prize. Her fiction has been published in the New Yorker, the Atlantic, Harper’s Magazine, Esquire, and The Best American Short Stories, and her books have been translated into thirty-seven languages. She is currently the first Writer-in-Residence at the Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute at Columbia University. Elizabeth Blair is an Award-winning senior producer and reporter on the Arts Desk of NPR. Blair produces, edits, and reports arts and cultural segments for NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Weekend Edition. She has reported on a range of topics from arts funding to the MeToo movement. Blair has overseen several large-scale series including The NPR 100, which explored landmark musical works of the 20th Century, and In…

Grammy award-winning cellist Yo-Yo Ma speaks with conductor, composer, and musician Teddy Abrams about the power of music, healing cultural differences, and other timely topics. Yo-Yo Ma has recorded more than 100 albums, is the winner of 18 Grammy Awards, and has performed for nine American presidents, most recently on the occasion of President Biden’s inauguration. He has received numerous awards, including the National Medal of the Arts, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Kennedy Center Honors. He has been a UN Messenger of Peace since 2006, and was recognized as one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020. Teddy Abrams is the acclaimed Music Director of both the Louisville Orchestra and the Britt Festival Orchestra. Abrams has fostered interdisciplinary collaborations with organizations including the Louisville Ballet, the Center for Interfaith Relations, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Speed Art Museum, and the Folger Shakespeare Library. His rap-opera, ‘The Greatest: Muhammad…

Pulitzer-winning writer Philip Rucker speaks with NPR journalist Mara Liasson about Mr. Rucker’s number one New York Times bestseller, “A Very Stable Genius: Donald J Trump’s Testing of America.” The book is an unvarnished exploration of Trump’s presidency and administration. Philip Rucker is the Washington Bureau chief at the Washington Post and has covered Congress, the Obama White House and the 2012 and 2016 presidential campaigns. He serves as an on-air political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. Mara Liasson is a national political correspondent for NPR. Her reports can be heard regularly on NPR's award-winning newsmagazine programs Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Liasson provides extensive coverage of politics and policy from Washington, DC — focusing on the White House and Congress — and on political trends beyond the Beltway.

Today, Pulitzer-winning author Jane Smiley speaks with NPR journalist Eleanor Beardsley about Ms. Smiley’s latest book, "Perestroika in Paris." Jane Smiley is the author of many novels, short stories, nonfiction books and young adult novels. In addition to the Pulitzer prize for fiction, Smiley has been awarded the Fitzgerald Award for Achievement in American Literature. She teaches creative writing at the University of California, Riverside. Eleanor Beardsley began reporting from France for NPR in 2004 as a freelance journalist, following all aspects of French politics, economics, and culture. She has become an integral part of the NPR Europe reporting team, covering the first Arab Spring revolution in Tunisia, where she witnessed the overthrow of that government. Beardsley covers all of France for NPR, including three French presidential elections, numerous Tour de France races, and the Soccer world cup.

Award-winning writer, conservationist and activist Terry Tempest Williams speaks with novelist and journalist Nathaniel Rich. Both Williams and Rich are avid supporters of the environment and proponents of ecological issues. Nathaniel Rich is the author of several books and a journalist at The New York Times Magazine. Mr. Rich’s 2019 book "Losing Earth: A Recent History" received awards from the Society of Environmental Journalists and the American Institute of Physicists and was a finalist for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. He is a regular contributor to The Atlantic, Harper's, and The New York Review of Books. Rich’s next book, titled "Second Nature," will be published in March 2021. Terry Tempest Williams writes about social and environmental justice, including ecology and the protection of public lands. She has received a John Muir Award for American Conservation and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Ms. Williams 2019 book "Erosion: Essays of Undoing" examines…

Award-winning author Heather Clark speaks with literary critic and novelist Daphne Merkin about Clark’s latest book, "Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath." Heather Clark is the author of several books and a professor of contemporary poetry. She has been awarded several scholarly fellowships, including a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship. Daphne Merkin has written as a book critic for The New Republic, The New Yorker, and The New York Times Magazine. She is also an author of essay collections and a novel titled "Enchantment." She is a contributing editor to Tablet Magazine.

Best -selling author and journalist Thomas Ricks speaks with author, political scientist and Professor Danielle Allen about Mr. Ricks latest book, "First Principles." Thomas Ricks has written for the Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal about American military operations around the world. He is the author of several books, including the number-one New York Times bestseller "Fiasco," which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Danielle Allen is a classicist, political scientist, and professor at Harvard University where she is also the Director of the Edmund J. Safra Center for Ethics. She has written for The Washington Post and published several books and scholarly articles. Professor Allen chaired the bipartisan Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.