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How to answer the question 'What's your book about?'
Episode 1198
1198. This week, we look at how to answer the question every author dreads: "So, what's your book about?" with workplace communications coach Joel Sc…
an hour ago
Fossil words, eponyms, and a miscellany of weird facts, with Jess Zafarris and Shannon Miller
Episode 1197
1197. This week, guest host Valerie Fridland steps in for Mignon and talks to Jess Zafarris and Shannon Miller about their new book, "A Miscellany of…
5 days, 7 hours ago
Why 'love' means 'zero' in tennis
Episode 1196
1196. This week, we look at why "love" means "zero" in tennis, from egg-shaped zeros to playing for the love of the game, and how the sport's quirky …
1 week ago
Tomi Adeyemi: The writing life
Episode 874
874. With her book "Children of Blood and Bone" spending 120 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, Tomi Adeyemi knows what it takes to write a…
1 week, 3 days ago
The bouba-kiki effect in baby chicks, with Dr. Maria Loconsole
Episode 1195
1195. This week, we talk to Dr. Maria Loconsole from the University of Padua about her research into the bouba-kiki effect, the near-universal tenden…
1 week, 5 days ago
The secret code of weather forecasts
Episode 1194
1194. This week, we look at weather forecast terminology, including why "mostly sunny" and "partly cloudy" aren't the same thing, what "oktas" are, a…
2 weeks ago
Randall Munroe of xkcd: Language chat and weird bee laws.
Episode 898
898. Randall Munroe joined me back in October 2022 to talk about his language-themed xkcd cartoons, his simple-language project Up Goer V, his bigges…
2 weeks, 3 days ago
What it really takes to translate Shakespeare, with Daniel Hahn
Episode 1193
1193. Today, we talk to award-winning translator Daniel Hahn, author of "If This Be Magic," about what it really takes to translate Shakespeare, star…
2 weeks, 5 days ago
How to get started as a freelance writer
Episode 1192
1192. How do you get your first writing jobs when you don’t have much experience? Grammar Girl shares stories from her own early career and offers ad…
3 weeks ago
The case for language clarity, with Iva Cheung
Episode 1191
1191. This week, we talk to Iva Cheung, a plain language expert and editor who has helped shape Canada's accessibility standards. We look at what pla…
3 weeks, 5 days ago