Think from KERA

Latest Episodes:

The patience of turtles Sep 22, 2023

Show notes

In trying to reconcile human impact on nature, perhaps we should turn to one of our planet’s longest living creatures. Sy Montgomery joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her visit to the Turtle Rescue League, where injured turtles are given a second chance at life, and asks why these creatures have such a treasured place in our hearts. Her book is “Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell.”

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If aliens visited, would we even know? Sep 21, 2023

Show notes

There are countless sci-fi tales centered on contact with aliens, and an astrophysicist has an idea of how that could really happen. Avi Loeb is the Frank B. Baird, Jr., Professor of Science at Harvard University, the founding director of Harvard’s Black Hole Initiative and the director of the Institute for Theory and Computation within the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss identifying and having contact with an extraterrestrial and the implications it would have for humankind. His book is “Interstellar: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life and Our Future in the Stars.”

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When you forgive, you don’t have to forget Sep 20, 2023

Show notes

The way we’re taught to forgive might never actually lead to reconciliation. Myisha Cherry is an associate professor of philosophy at the University of California, Riverside, where she also directs the Emotion and Society Lab. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why models of traditional forgiveness are wrong and offer guidance for individuals and families on how to forgive and heal. Her book is “Failures of Forgiveness: What We Get Wrong and How to Do Better.”

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There’s more to American history than what white people did Sep 19, 2023

Show notes

American history is largely taught through the lens of white people’s experiences. Michael Harriot is a columnist at theGrio.com, where he covers the intersection of race, politics and culture. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss a new way to look at historical narratives – one that reworks the American story to include the voices most often overlooked. His book is “Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America.”

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Is the Navy stuck in the past? Sep 18, 2023

Show notes

The military is built around tradition and protocol — which can be problems if you’re looking for innovation. Eric Lipton is an investigative reporter for The New York Times. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss new global threats that require change by the U.S. Navy and the resistance by top brass to bend to the future. His article is “Faced With Evolving Threats, U.S. Navy Struggles to Change.”

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What’s a fishwife, anyway? A history of words about women Sep 15, 2023

Show notes

Words we use in the English language to describe women have changed through the centuries – sometimes for good and sometime, not so much. Jenni Nuttall teaches medieval literature at the University of Oxford. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss transformations in the English language that take on femininity and how words have influenced how we view female roles in society. Her book is “Mother Tongue: The Surprising History of Women’s Words.”

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Treating anxiety has become a cottage industry Sep 14, 2023

Show notes

There’s a big market for products that promise to reduce anxiety – but maybe consuming our way to happiness isn’t the most efficient strategy. Julie Wernau writes about health and medicine across the U.S. for The Wall Street Journal’s health and science bureau. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why strategies to combat stressors are popular—but sometimes clinically untested. Her article is “The Booming Business of American Anxiety.”

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Racial justice starts in your community Sep 13, 2023

Show notes

In the fight for racial justice, it’s important to highlight success stories when they happen. Ruha Benjamin is professor of African American Studies at Princeton University and founding director of the school’s Ida B. Wells Just Data Lab. She joins host Krys Boyd to talk about emerging racial justice programs and policies making a difference and the inspiration we can take from that work to do better in our own lives. Her book is “Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want.”

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They’re not stereotypes about Black people — they’re lies Sep 12, 2023

Show notes

Confronting racism means reckoning with harmful stereotypes. Omékongo Dibinga is a poet and senior professorial lecturer of intercultural communication at American University. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the road to anti-racism by taking on the lies that persist today that undermine Black lives, and to offer ways to reset our thinking toward a future of equality. His book is “Lies about Black People: How to Combat Racist Stereotypes and Why It Matters.”

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Meet the women who helped win WWII Sep 11, 2023

Show notes

In World War II, 350,000 American women served in uniform. Lena S. Andrews is a military analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the women who filled many roles — from codebreakers to parachute riggers — who fought and died for this country and whose stories are not often told. Her book is “Valiant Women: The Extraordinary American Servicewomen Who Helped Win World War II.”

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