Happy To Be Here

Nerdette Book Club is back to discuss ‘How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures’ by Sabrina Imbler! This sparkling essay collection explores themes of community, queerness, and survival by weaving marine biology with stories from the author’s life.

Kat Chow, former NPR reporter and the author of the memoir ‘Seeing Ghosts,’ and Rachel E. Gross, science journalist and author of ‘Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage,’ join us for the discussion. We gush about Sabrina’s writing, the power of empathy, and the beauty of creatures so unlike ourselves.

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Jacoby Cochran, host of City Cast Chicago, and Erin Allen, host of WBEZ's The Rundown, join us to unwind from the week! The publisher of author Roald Dahl is making edits to his children’s books to make them more appropriate for today’s readers. We discuss whether it’s a good idea. Plus, we debate how often we need to wash our towels.

Then, we talk to actor Zoë Chao about her role in the new ‘Party Down’ reboot on STARZ. The show originally ran for two seasons back in 2009 and 2010. Now, it’s back for more. Zoë plays a new character on the team, Lucy Dang, a very serious and hilarious chef. We talk about the stress she felt joining a cast that was already so beloved.

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NPR political correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben and WBEZ host and reporter Araceli Gómez-Aldana join the panel this week! We analyze an extremely comprehensive list of etiquette rules for 2023 from The Cut and discuss what it’s like for monogamous couples to sleep in separate bedrooms.

Then, Erica Berry tells us about her new book ‘Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear.’ It’s about not only the animal, but also the symbolic role the wolf has played in history and culture for hundreds of years.

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This week, Dave Franco and Alison Brie join us to talk about their new rom-com, ‘Somebody I Used to Know.’ Dave and Alison wrote the movie together. They also happen to be married. We chat about how they navigated it all on set, plus Alison's passion for streaking!

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February’s book club pick is ‘How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures’ by Sabrina Imbler. From a mother octopus, to shimmering salps on the shores of a queer beach, to predatory worms, Sabrina looks at each creature as a symbol for their own life experiences. Part memoir, part science journalism, their essays explore themes of survival, gender, care, and joy.

Sabrina joined us for this spoiler-free conversation about the book. We talked about what draws them to the sea, craft, and “charismatic creatures.”

You can join in the conversation too! Record a voice memo with your thoughts on the book and email the file to NerdettePodcast [at] Gmail [dot] com by February 23. We will try to include your voice in our panel conversation! Here’s one question that you can answer: what sea creature do you identify with and why?

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We are bringing you an episode of NPR’s ‘Book of the Day’ podcast! Everyday, that podcast highlights a recent story or interview about books from NPR. Listen to host Leila Fadel speak with author George M. Johnson about their memoir ‘All Boys Aren’t Blue’ and the challenges to books by school boards across the country.

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We discuss the nostalgia and magic in ‘Now Is Not the Time to Panic’ by Kevin Wilson. Our panelists this month are Angie Kim, author of ‘Miracle Creak,’ and Gwen Kirby, author of ‘S*** Cassandra Saw.’

Be warned! We do not hold back on spoilers in this episode! Also, we extend a very special thanks to all of the listeners who called in!

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Our weekly panel chat is back! NPR’s Code Switch hosts B.A. Parker and Lori Lizarraga join us to discuss the week’s pop culture news. We cover the Academy Award nominations, cultural expectations for tipping and a man who survived off of ketchup while lost at sea.

Then, Maintenance Phase co-host Aubrey Gordon tells us about her new book ‘You Just Need to Lose Weight: And 19 Other Myths About Fat People.’ In it, she tackles untruths like "being fat is a choice" and “fat people don’t experience discrimination.” We talk about how to combat anti-fat bias and Aubrey’s hope for greater legal protections.

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In the final installment of our “Undercover” series, we head to the movies (or just your living room couch)!

Some of today’s biggest films and TV shows are adaptations of books. So what does it take to make a written story just as evocative on-screen? Can the movie *ever* be as good as the book? We take you inside the creative process for series like ‘Interview with the Vampire,’ ‘Little Fires Everywhere,’ and more.

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For our special series “Undercover,” we are taking a deep dive into some of the different ways a book comes to life!

This week, we’re peeking behind the curtain to learn more about one of Greta’s favorite ways to experience a story: the audiobook! We follow the lifecycle of a “book on tape” from author to producer to narrator to the sounds coming out of your earbuds.

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