Story in the Public Square

Ep. 409 | Originally Aired: September 8, 2018

One of America’s persistent myths is that the first European migrants to the so-called “new world,” found a largely uninhabited continent. In a new documentary, Gary Glassman brings alive the thriving cities, social networks, art, and science of Native America.

Gary Glassman is a producer and director whose documentaries aired on NOVA/PBS, The History Channel, the BBC, National Geographic and The Discovery Channel, among other places. His Rhode island-based company, Providence Picture, has produced a wide range of films including Building Wonders of the World, Petra – Lost City of Stone, Colosseum – Roman Death Trap, Forensics on Trial, Building the Great Cathedrals, Riddles of the Sphinx, The Trial of Jesus, and The Bible’s Buried Secrets. 

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Ep. 408 | Originally Aired: September 1, 2018

“Four games in Fall” lingers in the sports’-fan’s ear like a claxon in the night.  It was the punishment Tom Brady served for his role in “deflate-gate.” Julie Marron argues, however, that Brady, despite his iconic status, was not treated fairly or justly—and the reasons why matter to all of us.

Marron is the writer and director of Lemon Martini Productions. 

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Ep. 407 | Originally Aired: August 25, 2018

Sports have the power to unify people from diverse backgrounds, to give us something to be excited about and to talk about, together, no matter who we are, what we do, or where we’re from. But in the last couple of years, politics intruded in our pastimes. As an Emmy-winning sports anchor and reporter, Trenni Kusnierek has a unique perspective on sports in American culture.

Kusnierek is an Emmy Award-winning sports anchor/reporter for NBC Sports Boston and prominent mental-health advocate, being very open and public about her own experiences with depression and anxiety.

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Ep. 406 | Originally Aired: August 18, 2018

Since September 11, 2001, more than 2.7 million Americans have fought America’s battles in Iraq and Afghanistan. Chris Chivers has written a searing, new account of those wars and the men and women who have served in them.

Chris (C.J.) Chivers is a senior writer at The New York Times and a writer-at-large for the New York Times Magazine. He contributes to the Foreign and Investigative desks and frequently posts on the At War blog, writing on war, tactics, human rights, politics, crime and the arms trade from Afghanistan, Iraq, Russia, Georgia, Chechnya and elsewhere on a wide range of assignments. In addition to writing, he shoots video and, occasionally, photographs. He remains a contributor to Esquire and Field & Stream.

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Ep. 401 | Originally aired: July 14, 2018

The conventional wisdom—the story that dominates public life—is that the world is falling apart. Literally, our infrastructure is crumbling. Our politics are devolving.  Sea levels are rising. Gregg Easterbrook reminds us, however, that the reality of human experience is not that bleak and that there is opportunity in tackling the great issues we face.

Gregg Easterbrook is the author of eleven books, including The New York Times bestseller, The Progress Paradox. He has been a staff writer, national correspondent or contributing editor of The Atlantic for nearly 40 years.

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Ep. 403 | Originally Aired: July 23, 2018

According to the Director of National Intelligence, Russia attacked American democracy in 2016, and the attacks continue to this day. The information the intelligence community used to draw that conclusion is classified—but guest, Caroline Orr uses an incredible array of open-source information and data analytics to produce a sophisticated understanding of the political warfare targeting the United States.

Caroline Orr is a freelance journalist, researcher, and doctoral candidate in Social and Behavioral Sciences. Her research interests include risk communication, behavior change theory, social influence and group behavior in digital environments, psychological models of online decision-making, health psychology, sexual assault and violence prevention, reproductive health, and psychosocial determinants of health and health disparities.

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Ep. 402 | Originally Aired: July 21, 2018

American politics seemed sufficiently combustible even before the images and stories of immigrant children being separated from their parents pushed our temperature even higher. Jay Bookman argues the super-heated politics of 2018 are a reflection of the death of the GOP as a moderate, governing party.

Jay Bookman is a columnist and blogger at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, specializing in foreign relations, national politics, environmental and technology-related issues, and state and local politics. He occasionally forays into other aspects of life as time, space and opportunity allow.

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Ep. 324 | Originally Aired: June 30, 2018

Generally speaking, the history of Western democracy is relatively short. After the Cold War ended, some celebrated, triumphantly, the so-called “end of history.” But, Edward Luce argues the experience of the last 25 years has given rise to populist politicians on both sides of the Atlantic who threaten the liberal democratic order we built after World War II.

Edward Luce is the Washington columnist and commentator for the Financial Times. He writes a weekly column, FT’s leaders/editorials on American politics and the economy and other articles. 

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Ep. 323 | Originally Aired: June 23, 2018

Pope Francis has captured the hearts of Catholics – and non-Catholics alike. Ross Douthat however, warns that the very things that make the Pope so popular, come with real risks for the Church.

Ross Douthat is a conservative columnist for The New York Times, and the youngest columnist ever at the paper. He was just 30 years old when he was hired. He is the author of, To Change the Church: Pope Francis and the Future of Catholicism published by Simon & Shuster. His other publications include Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics, Harvard and the Education of the Ruling Class, and Grand New Party: How Republicans Can Win the Working Class and Save the American Dream with co-author Reihan Salam.

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Ep. 323 | Originally aired: June 16, 2018

Every day, it seems, neuroscience is adding to our understanding of the way we think, the way we know, the way we understand, empathize, and emote. Dima Amso studies how the development of the human mind shapes our perception of the world.

Dima Amso is a neuroscientist and associate professor in the Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences at Brown University. She runs Brown’s Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, which studies topics including Stress, Stress in Infancy and Early Childhood, Resilience in Individuals and Communities and adolescent risk-taking.

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