George Orwell’s forgotten wife
George Orwell – the author of classics like 1984 – is a household name. But have you heard of his first wife, Eileen O’Shaughnessy, who convinced her husband to write…
Nerdette – V.E. Schwab says fantasy is more than swords and dragons
This week, we talk about Netflix’s reinvention of the video store, the right way to board a plane, and the art of advice-giving with Chicago Sun Times’ new advice columnist…
What Will Enter the Public Domain in 2024?
At the start of each year, on January 1st, a new crop of works enter the public domain and become free to enjoy, share, and reuse for any purpose. Due…
BBC Arts & Ideas: Libraries
The Great Library of Alexandria had a mission to collect every book in the world. In attempting to do so it created the foundations for the systems and structures of…
Oops: 250000 people came to your book club
In fall 2023 I got to do some IRL events around the country at bookstores, libraries, and some other fun Drac-adjacent spaces. Here's the talk I gave (when possible) about…
The Poet of the Information Desk
Robyn Schiff returns to The Met to read from her poem, “Information Desk: An Epic” in which she recounts what it was like to work at the Museum while establishing…
Traffication with Paul Donald
In his groundbreaking book, Traffication: How Cars Destroy Nature and What We Can Do About It, scientist and researcher Paul Donald synthesizes dozens of studies to help us understand what…
A History of Modern Palestine, Ep. 1 w/ Rashid Khalidi
American Prestige podcast talks to author and historian, Rashid Khalidi about the history of Palestine
History Extra podcast: Renaissance eugenics
Whether it was creating super-fast thoroughbreds, or fashioning dogs small enough to fit in your sleeve, animal breeding was an obsession of the Renaissance era. And, as Mackenzie Cooley reveals,…