Talk Nerdy with Cara Santa Maria

Latest Episodes:

Meet the Neighbors w/ Brandon Keim Jul 08, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by science journalist and author, Brandon Keim. They discuss his forthcoming book about our relationships to wild animals and to nature, “Meet the Neighbors: Animal Minds and Life in a More-than-Human World.” Releasing July 16 2024. Follow Brandon: @9brandon

Sharing Space w/ Cady Coleman Jul 01, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by former NASA astronaut, retired United States Air Force colonel, scientist, and pilot Cady Coleman. They discuss Cady’s forthcoming book, “Sharing Space: An Astronaut’s Guide to Mission, Wonder, and Making Change.” Releasing July 2, 2024. Follow Cady: @Astro_Cady

Becoming Earth w/ Ferris Jabr Jun 24, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by science writer and author Ferris Jabr to discuss his forthcoming book, “Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life.” Follow Ferris: @ferrisjabr

Refrigeration w/ Nicola Twilley Jun 18, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by author and podcaster Nicola Twilley to talk about her new book,”Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves.” Follow Nicola: @nicolatwilley

Humans & Robots w/ Leila Takayama Jun 10, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by cognitive and social scientist, Dr. Leila Takayama. They talk about Leila's work exploring human-robot interaction. Follow Leila: @leilatakayama

We Can Reason w/ Janalee Morris Jun 04, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by educator and learning specialist, Janalee Morris. They discuss Cara’s recent trip to speak at the Western Canadian Reason Conference, as well as Janalee’s work with protected groups in Canada to provide equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility to education and programming to faculty, staff, and students.

Magical Overthinking w/ Amanda Montell May 27, 2024

Show notes

This episode of Talk Nerdy is a live recording from Toronto Public Library’s virtual event, The Age of Magical Overthinking | Amanda Montell & Cara Santa Maria. Amanda is a podcaster and the author of “The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality.” We discuss what’s at stake when the psychological tools that once served us short-circuit. Follow Amanda: @amanda_montell

Crosswords w/ Anna Shechtman May 20, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by writer, crossword writer and Cornell University assistant professor in the Department of Literatures in English, Anna Schechtman. They discuss her newly released book, The Riddles of the Sphinx: Inheriting the Feminist History of the Crossword Puzzle. Follow Anna: @annashechtman

Tits Up w/ Sarah Thornton May 13, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by sociologist and author, Sarah Thornton. They talk about her newly released book, “Tits Up: What Sex Workers, Bra Designers, Milk Bankers, Plastic Surgeons and Witches Tell Us About Breasts.” Follow Sarah: @eyesthornton

The Price of Oil w/ Alex Stapleton May 06, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by filmmaker and documentarian, Alex Stapleton. Stapleton directed one part of the HBO documentary trilogy GOD SAVE TEXAS. We discuss her installment, GOD SAVE TEXAS: THE PRICE OF OIL which chronicles the energy industry’s impact on the African American community told through her own personal lens. The film premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and is released on HBO and Max. Follow Alex: @hellostapleton