Meredith Tax explains how the Rojava Kurds—and their democratic, feminist, and environmentally conscious society—are fighting back against ISIS; Ed Yong takes us on a tour of the ecosystems lurking inside our bodies; and Amy Whitaker, alias “Agony Amy,” our resident agony aunt, gives advice about balancing a creative life.Mentioned in this episode:• View a slideshow of Joey Lawrence’s photographs from Rojava, and read an excerpt from A Road Unforeseen• “The Revolution in Rojava”, Meredith Tax’s article in Dissent magazine that sparked the book• Read an excerpt from Ed Yong’s new book I Contain Multitudes on our regular books feature, Shelf LifeTune in every two weeks to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from literature, the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on cutting-edge works in progress; long-form narratives; and compelling excerpts from new books. Hosted by Stephanie Bastek.Subscribe: iTunes • Feedburner • Stitcher • Google Play • AcastHave suggestions for projects you’d like us to catch up on, or writers you want to hear from? Send us a note: podcast [at] theamericanscholar [dot] org.

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