Death penalty stories often center on legal and medical logistics while focusing less on the actual inmates, their families and defense lawyers, and even executioners. Maurice Chammah is a staff writer for The Marshall Project, and he joins host Krys Boyd to talk about his in-depth look at capital punishment and how the execution of a person affects many lives. His book is called “Let the Lord Sort Them: The Rise and Fall of the Death Penalty.”

When it comes to personal defense, some gun owners apply for a simple concealed carry license while others train with advanced weapons and tactical gear used by military special ops. Rachel Monroe joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the specialized world of shooting schools that advertise themselves as the gatekeepers of the Second Amendment and offer master classes in personal defense. Her article “I Am Not a Soldier, But I Have Been Trained to Kill” appears in Wired magazine.

If you've ever wondered how Krys chooses who she talks to or what she wants to talk about, this is your chance to find out. Every weekend Krys will share highlights from the conversations she had that week and offer a behind the scenes look at the creation process of Think. On this week’s episode: three others share how to be your authentic self while writing, and the skills they think a writer needs to succeed.

When Jaipreet Virdi was a child, illness left her with severe hearing loss – leaving her in limbo between the deaf community and those who had no trouble hearing. She’s now an assistant history professor at the University of Delaware, and she joins host Krys Boyd to talk about her research into medicine’s long legacy of promised hearing cures and why science has yet to achieve a universal solution. Her book is called “Hearing Happiness: Deafness Cures in History.”

Settling in for a long year of quarantine meant a revelation for millions of Americans: we miss having friends. Boston Globe staff writer Billy Baker joins host Krys Boyd to talk about his realization that, at 40, his full life was missing a cadre of close buddies and how that lead to his quest to rebuild those intimate connections outside work and family. His book is “We Need to Hang Out: A Memoir of Making Friends.”

David Sedaris is known for his incisive wit and silliness, but also for his deep reflections on our humanity. The contributor to The New Yorker and BBC Radio 4, and member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his essays on family, falling in love, relationships, aging, and the weird ways life’s struggles make us all the more rich. His latest essay collection is “The Best of Me.”

What makes a story so powerful it can reach through time to become a classic? Novelist George Saunders is the recipient of the Man Booker Prize and many other literary honors, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his book of seven essays about what makes great writing and how readers connect with a page of words. His latest book is “A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life.”

In certain circles, education has shifted from acing the 3 Rs to an arms race for the best test scores and top spots on select sports teams. Pawan Dhingra is a sociologist and Professor of American Studies at Amherst College, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the rise of the competitive student, the industry of tutors and activities built up around the idea, and how class and social status play into the phenomenon. His book is “Hyper Education: Why Good Schools, Good Grades, and Good Behavior Are Not Enough.”

As a multiethnic nation we look to common ideals to bring us together. But if those ideals have calcified with time, perhaps reexamining these underlying assumptions is in order? Paisley Rekdal, Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Utah and the state’s poet laureate, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the places where identity intersects with politics, and why it’s important to confront the language we use when defining cultures. Her book is “Appropriate: A Provocation.”

What if Virginia Woolf and Samuel Beckett were really trying to tell us how to win friends and influence people? Beth Blum, assistant professor of English at Harvard University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how classic authors talked to audiences about themes of self-actualization, and how writers today still draw from that well of tips and tricks for better living. Her book is “The Self-Help Compulsion: Searching for Advice in Modern Literature.”