Think from KERA

At some point, the ascent of our professional lives levels off – and the next turn is a gentle descent into retirement. As Arthur C. Brooks wrapped up his tenure as president of the American Enterprise Institute, he thought about maintaining a sense of purpose in life when work is no longer part of your identity. He joined host Krys Boyd in July to talk about how we can prepare for this part of our lives – his essay “Your Professional Decline is Coming (Much) Sooner Than You Think” appeared in the July issue of The Atlantic.

You might know John Hodgman from his days as a correspondent on “The Daily Show,” or from years of Apple ads, or from his last book, “Vacationland.” The point is, Hodgman really hopes you know him. The writer, comedian and actor joined host Krys Boyd in October to talk about his brushes with fame — and what it feels like to be brushed off, which he writes about in “Medallion Status: True Stories from Secret Rooms."

Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor openly challenged their audiences. Comic Hari Kondabolu, however, takes a more circuitous path via self-deprecation and intellect to attack racism and human rights violations. He joined host Krys Boyd in November to talk about his comedy style, his Netflix special “Warn Your Relatives,” and that graduate degree in human rights he earned from the London School of Economics.

The modern feminist movement, with Gloria Steinem as its face, could be said was focused primarily on white women’s rights. Black feminist author and assistant professor of sociology at Virginia Commonwealth University Tressie McMillan Cottom, who was a finalist for a 2019 National Book Award, joined host Krys Boyd in October to talk about her exploration of black women’s space in culture, affluence, beauty and power. Her book is called “Thick: And Other Essays.”

As a teen, Damon Young wished a white person would call him a racial slur just to have a good fight story. The co-founder of the blog Very Smart Brothas joined host Krys Boyd in April to talk about the shifting definition of black masculinity – and about what it’s like to live in a country you feel is out to get you – which he writes about in “What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker: A Memoir in Essays.”

Chuck Klosterman is an essayist, New York Times best-selling nonfiction author and pop-culture critic. His joined host Krys Boyd in July to talk about his new book, “Raised in Captivity: Fictional Nonfiction,” a collection of fictional stories featuring far-from-normal everyday scenarios, off-the-beaten path settings and characters that sometimes go off the rails.

We have a picture in our minds of what a racist looks like: a hooded member of the KKK or a modern white nationalist. But racism isn’t always something we see outwardly. Ibram X. Kendi is director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University, and he joined host Krys Boyd in August to talk about the pressing need to look inward to combat racism in all its forms, which he writes about in “How to be an Anti-Racist.”

From the first wave of European immigrants, newcomers to America are told that fitting into the established social structure is their responsibility. Stanford University associate professor Tomás Jiménez joined host Krys Boyd in August to take on the idea of assimilation, the history behind it, and what’s lost when immigrants are encouraged to change who they are.

In 1985, the world met Offred, the protagonist of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” a dystopian world in which fertile women are forced surrogates to the religious ruling regime in Gilead. Now the characters return in a much-anticipated sequel. Novelist Margaret Atwood joined host Krys Boyd in September to talk about “The Testaments,” which she says was partially inspired by current world events.

The death of a child is the most traumatic event a parent can experience. Jayson Greene knows – he lost his 2-year-old daughter, Greta. Greene joined host Krys Boyd in May to talk about the courage it took for him and his family to realize there could be life after death, which he writes about in his memoir, “Once More We Saw Stars.”