Story in the Public Square

Ep. 310 | Originally aired: March 17-18, 2018

The intermingling of traditional and emerging security challenges demands fresh thinking from a new generation of scholars and practitioners—guest Jacquelyn Schneider tells us that some of those new thinkers and new soldiers will not look like their predecessors.

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Ep. 311 | Originally aired: March 24-26, 2018

This show—Story in the Public Square—is built on one central insight: that stories have the power to change the world. Martin Puchner is a scholar of the impact stories have had on minds around the world, and on human history itself. His latest book is The Written World: The Power of Stories to Shape People, History, Civilization, from Random House. It won advanced praise from Margaret Atwood, and Publishers Weekly called it “A gripping intellectual odyssey.” And many other publications around the globe praised it, too.

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Ep. 113 | Originally aired: April 8-9, 2017

As long as there has been live theater, artists have grappled with the public issues of their day. From the ancient Greeks to today, theater has had the power to provoke, inspire, and challenge authorities and orthodoxies. This week, playwright-director Kevin Doyle and actor Sauda Jackson help us explore the power of theater.

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Ep. 309 | Originally aired: March 10-11, 2018

Conventional wisdom tells us that Donald Trump’s campaign benefited mightily from his use of Twitter. However, conventional wisdom and the truth are not always synonymous. Jacob Groshek’s research shows it was not the Tweets themselves, but the television coverage they generated that shaped the 2016 election.

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Ep. 308 | Originally aired: March 3-4, 2018

I know I’m not alone in marveling at the work talented photographers do; the composition; the courage to go after stories; the ability to frame a subject is a skill more than “pointing and shooting” a camera. This week’s guest, Maddie McGarvey, does it better than most. From campaign coverage to fashion in the Rust Belt, we talk all things photjournalism. 

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Ep. 305 | Originally aired: February 3-4, 2018

For generations, one of the central stories of American identity has been that our diversity is our strength. That story is being openly challenged by those who see America’s changing demographics as a threat. Teja Arboleda uses storytelling to celebrate diversity and challenge those who would dismiss its value.

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Ep. 304 | Originally aired: January 26-27, 2018

“What would I have done?”  It’s a central question in the student of history’s imagination when confronted by the horrors of the holocaust. Our guest this week, Omer Bartov, delves deep into the experience of one town in Ukraine changed forever by genocide.

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Ep. 303 | Originally aired: January 20-21, 2018

Even in the age of social media, we rely on journalists to find and tell the stories of people stuck in extreme circumstances. Joining us this week is one of the best of a new generation of journalists, Sulome Anderson.

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Ep. 307 | Originally aired: February 17-18, 2018

The politics of immigration reform in the United States are front and center today, with calls for a wall on America’s southern border and news of more aggressive enforcement by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Gabriela Domenzain reminds us that these aren’t just policy debates—these are people’s lives we’re debating.

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Ep. 306 | Originally aired: February 10-11, 2018

When Patrick Henry stood up in the Virginia House of Burgesses and said, “Give me liberty, or give me death,” he crystallized for all time the critical tension between security of the state and the desire of all people to breathe free. Guest, Timothy Edgar, has worked to help resolve those tensions at the National Security Agency and in the White House of President Barack Obama.

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