Folklore and the Future

Guest: Simon Bronner, author, “Folklore: The Basics” and Maxwell C. Weiner Distinguished Professor of Humanities at Missouri University of Science and Technology & Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Folklore at Pennsylvania State Harrisburg

From the tales of the Brothers Grimm to memes floating around your Facebook and Instagram, folklore has always been a critical part of culture. But how has folklore evolved from tortoises and hares to cat videos and Snapchat? And what can folklore teach us that history books can’t?

Modern Folklore Teaches Us to be Human

Guest: Tok Thompson, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Communication, University of Southern California

Ursula le Guin wrote that “There have been great societies that did not use the wheel, but there have been no societies that didn’t tell stories.” Folklore and storytelling is something integral to human culture and civilization, but do animals and robots have their own stories to tell? How do beatboxing and birdsongs reflect non-human culture?

MLB Shipped 12 Tons of Dirt to Japan

Guest: Murray Cook, MLB field and facilities coordinator and BrightView Sports Turf Division President

In sports, everyone knows about the “home court” or “home field” advantage.  Imagine being able to play on the same field no matter where you go in the world! Well the MLB thinks the literal home field advantage is worth it, and they moved American stadium dirt all the way to Tokyo to help US players feel at home.  

Nurses, Doctors & Thinking About Death

Guest: Theresa Brown, hospice nurse in Pittsburgh, PA, and author, "The Shift: One Nurse, Twelve Hours, Four Patients' Lives," New York Times contributing columnist

If you've spent any time in a hospital you know that nurses are the front line of patient care. Step inside a day in the life of a hospice care nurse who thinks that if we better understood what they see every day we might think of medicine--and dying--quite differently.