KERA's Think

Some people tune into the sports; for others, the Westminster Dog Show is all the Super Bowl they need. Tommy Tomlinson is host of the podcast SouthBound and teaches magazine writing at Wake Forest University. He joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss the world of competitive dog shows, where the lives of dogs take on a new level of attention to detail. His book is called “Dogland: Passion, Glory, and Lots of Slobber at the Westminster Dog Show."

That first year of motherhood is a blur of heightened emotions; now compound that with the heartbreak of a marriage falling apart. Leslie Jamison teaches at the Columbia University MFA program, and she joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss her new memoir, “Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story,” about the intense joy she felt watching her child grow coupled with the duality of sorrow as she faced divorce. Her companion article, “The birth of my daughter, the death of my marriage,” was published in The New Yorker.

Cocooning with little activity and bed rest is still prescribed for concussion patients – and that could be harmful. Science journalist Isobel Whitcomb joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss the newest science of concussion – which shows dark rooms and a long break from communication actually sets back recovery times – and how medical science is working to better disseminate the newest, best advice. Their article, published in Slate, is “How We Got Concussions So Wrong.”

If the thought of running out of energy on long road trips is keeping you from a buying an EV, the next wave of technology is coming. Christopher Mims, technology columnist for The Wall Street Journal, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the growing life span of batteries for these high-tech cars, with a future promising as much mileage as gas-powered vehicles. His article is “The EV Battery of Your Dreams Is Coming.”

Ruth Reichl made a name for herself writing about food for The New York Times and Gourmet magazine. And now she turns her talents to the world of fiction – while keeping one foot planted in her first love. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her new novel, which tells the story of a woman one a life-changing culinary trip to France. It’s called “The Paris Novel.”

Beyoncé might’ve been the first Black woman to hit No. 1 on the Billboard country album chart, but she stands on the shoulders of giants. Alice Randall, the first Black woman to write a No. 1 country hit, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the Black roots of country music, from Grand Ole Opry acts that broke boundaries, to rising stars shaping the genre’s bright future. Her book “My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music’s Black Past, Present, and Future.”

More than half the U.S. population lives in the suburbs—so why all the dissing? Julie Beck is a staff writer at The Atlantic, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how dismissing the suburbs discounts the very rich lives of those who choose to live there—plus we’ll examine how nostalgia and convenience play a part in what makes a place feel like home. Her article is “What the Suburb Haters Don’t Understand.”

Being a “third culture” kid—someone pulled between their immigrant parents and U.S. culture—can take a mental toll. Sahaj Kaur Kohli is the founder of Brown Girl Therapy, a mental health and wellness community organization for adult children of immigrants, and an advice columnist for the Washington Post. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why seeking out therapy is really difficult for the children of immigrants—from finding someone aware of cultural nuances, to understanding why sometimes family isn’t supportive. Her book is “But What Will People Say?: Navigating Mental Health, Identity, Love, and Family Between Cultures.”

A running joke in the tech world is that flying cars are perpetually three to five years away. So when will they ever be a reality? New Yorker staff writer Gideon Lewis-Kraus joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the industry trying to create “electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles”—a.k.a. flying cars—and what it was like for him to actually fly one of the prototypes. His article is “Flight of Fancy.”

We bandy about the phrase “gaslighting” a lot these days, maybe it’s time for a refresher on what it really means. Kate Abramson, associate professor of philosophy at Indiana University Bloomington, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what defines gaslighting, what motivates perpetrators, and why the idea intrigues us so. Her book is “On Gaslighting.”

The Writers Guild of America strike was settled – so why is selling screenplays in Hollywood harder than ever? Daniel Bessner is a contributor to Harper’s Magazine and an associate professor at the University of Washington’s Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how investors are changing the business landscape for television and movie writers – and the ways writers hustle for any work. His article is “The Life and Death of Hollywood.”

The animal rights movement of today traces its roots to just after the Civil War. Bill Wasik, editorial director of The New York Times Magazine, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss a late 19th century wave of activism that moved our culture away from seeing animals as just property to a new way of viewing their lives with compassion. His book, written with co-author Monica Murphy, is “Our Kindred Creatures: How Americans Came to Feel the Way They Do About Animals.”

For many parents, policing a child’s online activity is a challenge. Devorah Heitner, an expert in young people’s relationship with digital media and technology, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how to balance protecting kids with allowing them to have some level of autonomy, what to do when mistakes are made, and how to support them as they build identities online. Her book is “Growing Up in Public: Coming of Age in a Digital World.”

Police officers use a variety of means to subdue agitated and sometimes violent suspects, all of which involve risk. Serginho Roosblad, video producer for the Associated Press’ Global Investigations team, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss an investigation into why “nonlethal” techniques still led to more than a thousand deaths over a 10-year period. His Frontline documentary “Documenting Police Use of Force” debuts tonight on PBS stations.

Last year, the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions, leading to an array of reactions from Asian Americans. OiYan Poon is a co-director of the College Admissions Futures Co-Laborative, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the diversity of feelings about the ruling among Asian Americans and how that’s shaped the ways they’ve understood the admission processes of select universities. Her book is “Asian American Is Not a Color: Conversations on Race, Affirmative Action, and Family.”

What if it were possible to put a cap on capitalism? Christine Emba, staff writer for The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how extreme wealth buys influence while not necessarily providing innovation, and the idea of “limitarianism,” which allow for great wealth, but not uber wealth. Her article is “What Would Society Look Like if Extreme Wealth Were Impossible?”

If everything happens for a reason, and those reasons are beyond our control, maybe we don’t have free will after all. Robert Sapolsky, professor of biology and neurology at Stanford University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his case against free will, which he says is the logical choice if you look at the ways our lives are shaped by forces that start from our very biology. And we’ll hear why, even without this control, we are still bound to be moral and decent humans. His book is “Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will.”

Putting actors of color into historically white roles might not be as progressive as we’d like to think it is. Writer and filmmaker Kabir Chibber joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why colorblind casting still has roots in Euro-centric thinking, and how it often distracts us from actually confronting racism. His article in The New York Times is “Hollywood’s New Fantasy: A Magical, Colorblind Past.”

One woman’s failed abortion attempts turned into a positive for another woman, illustrating some of the real-life effects of new reproductive laws. Amber Ferguson of The Washington Post joins host Krys Boyd to discuss two women, one who didn’t want to give birth and another who couldn’t, and how the fall of Roe changed their lives. Her article is “After abortion attempts, two women now bound by child.”

Wildfire and hurricane seasons are growing more severe, forcing some Americans to rethink where they live. Abrahm Lustgarten is an investigative reporter writing about climate change at ProPublica and for The New York Times. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss where people might eventually resettle and the cities that could capitalize on that forced migration. His book is “On the Move: The Overheating Earth and the Uprooting of America.”