Think from KERA

Latest Episodes:

The cost of writing about Black trauma Feb 18, 2025

Show notes

When perusing a career in writing, author Chad Sanders didn’t fully anticipate the personal cost of writing about Black pain. The screenwriter, public speaker and host of the Yearbook podcast, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what he learned about being a Black writer for audiences hungry for stories about race and racism, and the unexpected toll that took on him emotionally. His book is “How to Sell Out: The (Hidden) Cost of Being a Black Writer.”

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

How to buy more time on the doomsday countdown Feb 17, 2025

Show notes

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Doomsday Clock is now set to 89 seconds — the closest to midnight yet. So why is this hopeful? Daniel Holz, chair of the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the many factors that go into the Doomsday Clock calculations and why determining how close we are to disaster is an exercise in our capacity to change for the better.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Haven’t found ‘the one’? You’ll be ok. Feb 14, 2025

Show notes

Being single surrounded by couples can be rough – especially on Valentine’s Day – but there’s plenty to celebrate about singledom. Meghan Keane, founder and managing producer for NPR’s Life Kit, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her journey from dreading her singlehood to finding joy in it – and her advice to not put big life plans on hold as you look for love. Her book is “Party of One: Be Your Own Best Life Partner.”

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

A world without USAID Feb 13, 2025

Show notes

The Trump administration has frozen funding for foreign aid, putting workers out of jobs and threatening the future of USAID in doubt. Brett Murphy is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter on ProPublica’s national desk, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the rapid dismantling of the humanitarian agency and what will happen to the people around the world who rely on its help. His article, written with Anna Maria Barry-Jester, is “‘People Will Die’: The Trump Administration Said It Lifted Its Ban on Lifesaving Humanitarian Aid. That’s Not True.”

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The Ozempic diabetes dilemma Feb 12, 2025

Show notes

Ozempic is the hot drug for weight loss, but its original purpose was to help diabetics – putting its creator in a bit of a bind. Wired contributor Virginia Heffernan joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk is stretched thin as demand for the drug skyrockets – and how President Trump’s designs on Greenland might actually affect supply. Her article is “The King of Ozempic Is Scared as Hell.”

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Should you be worried about bird flu? Feb 11, 2025

Show notes

To get the price of eggs under control, we first need to address bird flu. New York Times science and global health reporter Apoorva Mandavilli joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the H5N1 virus that has virologists concerned with its rapid evolution. And we’ll hear why poultry producers and dairy farmers are nervous about the future of their livelihoods and their ability to feed the nation.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The consequences of cutting people off Feb 10, 2025

Show notes

If America is in the throes of a loneliness epidemic, why do we keep casting aside established friendships for minor infractions? Vox senior reporter Allie Volpe joins host Krys Boyd to discuss a new trend toward cutting out “toxic” friends —even if the toxicity is easily overcome with dialog — and why we’re shying away from the hard work of interpersonal relationships in the digital age. Her article is “‘Protecting your peace’ can kill your friendships.”

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Could Trump really kill birthright citizenship? Feb 07, 2025

Show notes

President Trump has made it a goal to end birthright citizenship, a fight that is putting the Constitution to the test. Hiroshi Motomura is the Susan Westerberg Prager Distinguished Professor of Law and faculty co-director of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at UCLA. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how birthright citizenship came to be, what the Trump administration’s challenge looks like, and what it means for immigrants and their families living in the U.S. today.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Why did we stop hanging out? Feb 06, 2025

Show notes

We’ve heard a lot about the loneliness epidemic in this country, but it might be worth asking: Do we even like spending time with people anymore? Derek Thompson, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the phenomenon where we’re on our phones but digitally surrounded by people, and how this isolation is rewiring us to be more anti-social – including in both our personal relationships and political lives. His article is “The Anti-Social Century.”

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Does science explain racism? Feb 05, 2025

Show notes

In order to better understand why racism still exists, it helps to study it like a science. Keon West, social psychologist at Goldsmiths at the University of London, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his rigorous research into racist beliefs, the results of social experiments that show how far we’ve moved the mark since the Civil Rights era and what we can definitively say about prejudice today. His book is “The Science of Racism: Everything You Need to Know but Probably Don’t—Yet.”

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected