Princeton Alumni Weekly Podcasts

On this episode of the Princeton Alumni Weekly’s Book Club podcast, we talk author Melody Chu ’01 about her debut novel, Mathey Girls. Melody studied economics at Princeton and followed it up with Harvard Law School, but after a near death experience during pregnancy, she left her corporate law job to write.

The story in Mathey Girls draws from Melody’s pregnancy scare as well as other parts of her personal life, including her heritage as the daughter of Chinese immigrants from Taiwan and her experiences as a Princeton student and alumna. Other themes may ring familiar to alumni, like the imposter syndrome that haunts the protagonist, Esther, and the friendships forged at Mathey Hall — friends who stick by and support each other and the families they’ve built no matter what.

Find the transcript at paw.princeton.edu/pawcasts.

Have you ever walked out of a doctor’s appointment feeling rushed, unheard, or misunderstood? If so, you’ve experienced a symptom of a much larger ailment affecting our healthcare world. On this episode of the PAWcast, we talk with Dr. Lucy McBride, from the Class of ’95, a primary care physician in Washington D.C., who during the COVID pandemic began her transformation into a public voice, pushing for a data-driven, patient-centered, holistic approach to healthcare. She has a newsletter and a podcast, and now her many thoughts have bubbled over into a new book. Titled Beyond the Prescription: A Doctor’s Guide to Taking Charge of Your Health, it’s meant as a handbook, a guide for all of us seeking a healthy and fulfilling life. Sick or well, young or old, tiger or no.

On this episode of the Princeton Alumni Weekly’s Book Club podcast, author Michael Kardos ’92 answers our questions about his latest comedic crime novel, Fun City Heist. It’s set in his old stomping grounds, the New Jersey shore, and he made the protagonist a drummer, like himself. As the story unfolds, readers watch beach bum Mo Melnick connect for the first time with his teenage daughter, get back together with his band, Sunshine Apocalypse, and eventually get roped into a bandmate’s plan to rob a beachfront amusement park. Find the transcript at paw.princeton.edu.

This is the Princeton Alumni Weekly’s PAWcast, where we talk with Princetonians about what’s happening on campus and beyond. For this episode we’re pleased to bring you a recording of PAW’s 2026 Reunions panel, titled How to Make Your Book a Reality. We gathered a terrific group of authors and publishing industry insiders to share their experiences and tips on how you — yes, you — can get the book you’ve always wanted to write into the hands of readers. Visit paw.princeton.edu for a transcript, including hyperlinks to all the books mentioned.

On Part Two of the PAWcast’s look at Princeton’s dating culture, Lia Opperman ’25 continues talking with three graduating seniors about how relationships, breakups, and digital disruptions are shaping student life today. If you haven’t listened to Part One yet, be sure to go back and check it out first. We covered everything from campus-wide dating apps to the broader evolution of romance on campus. In this episode, we pick up where we left off and dive even deeper into the realities, challenges, and uniqueness of dating at Princeton today. (The transcript is online at paw.princeton.edu.)

On this episode of the PAWcast, Lia Opperman ’25 speaks with three current seniors about the most perennial of topics in higher education: campus dating culture.

Romance has always been a big part of the college experience at Princeton and elsewhere. But in recent years, it’s faced digital disruptions. New apps like Date Drop, Datamatch, and Marriage Pact have appeared alongside the usual Hinges, Tinders, Bumbles, and Grindrs. Does anyone just ask each other out the old-fashioned way anymore? Join us as we dissect the ways that dating has changed for better or for worse, and all the ways that maybe, it really hasn’t. (Read the transcript at paw.princeton.edu)

On this episode of the PAWcast, Princeton valedictorian Daniel Yu ’26 discusses his research in African American and gender and sexuality studies and his plans for the future: Next year he’ll begin studying in the U.K. as a Marshall Scholar, working toward a master’s degree in race and gender studies at SOAS University of London with the eventual goal of a public-facing career that contributes to global debates on LGBTQ+ justice.

In a University statement, assistant professor Marcus Lee praised Daniel as “an exceptionally talented, diligent and enterprising student” who pays attention to the real-world stakes of academic research. Daniel’s work, Lee said, “will continue to enlarge our understanding of the human condition.” Find a transcript at paw.princeton.edu/pawcast.

On this episode of the Princeton Alumni Weekly’s PAWcast, we bring you a conversation from PAW’s Tiger Travels section, between travel journalist Laura Dannen Redman from the Class of 2003 and Jaqui Gifford ’02, who is currently editor in chief of the gold standard magazine for jetsetters, Travel + Leisure. They say travel journalism is a field in flux, but the lure of adventure will never die. If you’ve ever wanted to go gorilla trekking, or visit Disneyland Paris, or if you’ve wondered whether seeing cherry blossoms bloom in Kyoto is worth the trip — this is the conversation for you. Visit paw.princeton.edu/pawcasts to read the transcript.

PAW Memorials editor Nicholas DeVito sat down with Doug Eberhart ’80 to discuss Charles Helms ’80. Chuck was a lawyer, teacher, and had a deep faith in his family and Catholicism.

Princeton history professor Sean Wilentz has co-produced a new eight-CD box set of material by singer, songwriter, and Nobel laureate Bob Dylan. It’s called The Bootleg Series Number 18: Through the Open Window, 1956 to 1963, and it contains 165 tracks, many of them never heard before. It also contains 125 pages of liner notes written by Wilentz, who is a scholar of Bob Dylan and his music. Unusual for a history professor, Sean can also boast not one but two Grammy nominations, one of which was Dylan-related. Find the transcript for this podcast at paw.princeton.edu/pawcasts.