History Extra podcast: Queen Victoria’s secret love affair
Ever since the 1870s, rumours have swirled around Queen Victoria and her Highland servant John Brown. Were the pair in love? Could they have got married? And might they even have…
Between the Covers Podcast: adrienne maree brown : Ancestors
With the arrival of Ancestors, the third and final book in adrienne maree brown’s Grievers Trilogy, we take the iconic frames she has created in her nonfiction work—emergent strategy, pleasure…
Ghosts, vampires & Abba holograms: an uncanny history of London
Millions of tourists flock to London each year, eager to snap a selfie in front of Buckingham Palace or Big Ben. But beyond the crowds lies a darker – and…
It’s Only Getting Hotter
Lisa Kwon talks with Sam Bloch about his new book “Shade: The Promise of a Forgotten Natural Resource.”
Fatherhood: a short history
What does it mean to be a father? When did people first start talking about men as 'father figures'? And how has the concept of fatherhood changed over the millennia?…
Imaginary Worlds Podcast: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Douglas Adams
When Arvind Ethan David was a student, he decided to adapt the Douglas Adams novel Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency into a play. Arvind didn’t imagine that Adams would show…
“Several People Are Typing” Brings New Meaning To Being Stuck At The Office
NPR's Scott Simon talks with Calvin Kasulke about his novel, Several People are Typing, in which a man inadvertently uploads his consciousness into a Slack channel and gets stuck inside…
Imaginary Worlds: Body Horror Gets Under My Skin
We all have that one thing we just can’t watch. For me, it’s body horror -- the kind of horror where grotesque and disturbing things happen to someone’s body, like…
Surprising facts about Mark Twain that biographer Ron Chernow learned while writing new book
Best-selling author Ron Chernow's list of works has revealed details of historical titans easily identified by surnames -- Grant, Washington, Rockefeller. He even inspired the hit broadway musical "Hamilton." Chernow joins…