Think from KERA

When we separate out our trash and fill the recycling bin, we feel like better stewards of the earth. But maybe it’s time to look outside the bin to really address climate change. Journalist Tatiana Schlossberg joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how re-evaluating our lifestyles is the key to any real, radical change. Her book is, “Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don’t Know You Have.”

Recording the sights and cuisine of a particular place is the hallmark of travel journalism, but documenting the pain of migration, hopes of the poor, and the color of a landscape creates an important, historical document for the genre. Paul Theroux joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his journey from the impoverished Mexican states of Oaxaca and Chiapas to the Arizona border from his book “On the Plain of Snakes: A Mexican Journey.”

Trauma is more than just PTSD. First responders often suffer from it, along with medical students, even stressed out professionals. James S. Gordon, M.D., founder and executive director of The Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, D.C., joins host Krys Boyd to talk about his approach to integrative healing and support. His book is called, “The Transformation: Discovering Wholeness and Healing After Trauma.”

When the Tree of Life synagogue was attacked while the assailant screamed, “All Jews must die,” it was a wake-up call: hatred is not just for the history books, but is alive and thriving today. Bari Weiss, staff writer and editor for the opinion section of The New York Times, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about her take on identifying virulent hate and what she says we must do to fight back. Her book is, “How to Fight Anti-Semitism.”

We hear men are inherently more violent or that a woman’s brain makes her a deeper thinker…but how much of this is just pop culture science? Kevin Mitchell, Associate Professor of Genetics and Neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about current studies on gender differences in the brain and how the science is much more complex and mysterious than previously reported. His article, “Sex on the Brain” appears in Aeon.

It’s New Year’s Eve and you pledge that this year you’ll go to the gym. Six weeks later you’re binging on TV instead. But your neighbor? She hits the gym every day. How does she do it and why can’t you? Wendy Wood, provost professor of psychology and business at the University of Southern California, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about her research into the science of making better choices from her book, “Good Habits, Bad Habits: The Science of Making Positive Changes.”

In those years between child, teenager, and man, there is a hard-fought battle for identity. But growing up black and queer in a Texas town adds more layers to those lessons of pain, vulnerability, and love. Poet Saeed Jones joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his coming-of-age, which he writes about in, “How We Fight for Our Lives: A Memoir.”

Freedom of religion – or freedom from a religion – is guaranteed with the First Amendment. But recently the question has been asked, which religions should have greater access to that freedom? Asma Uddin, lawyer and scholar specializing in U.S. and international religious freedom, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how a battle for the rights of one religion affects all religions, from her book, “When Islam is Not a Religion: Inside America’s Fight for Religious Freedom.”

“I told you so” might be one of the most satisfying phrases in the English language: it lets us know how wise we are and frees us from any blame. Michael Patrick Lynch, Director of the Humanities Institute and professor of philosophy at University of Connecticut, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about intellectual snobbery and how it corrupts real understanding. His new book is, "Know-It-All Society: Truth and Arrogance in Political Culture."

The art world oozes glamour and, more importantly, money. Rhonda Lieberman joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her views that art philanthropy can invite unsavory business ties, which museums must court in order to fund their institutions. Her article, “Painting Over the Dirty Truth” appears in The New Republic.