Podcast Episodes

Can the fabric of a friendship be rewoven?

Myriam J. A. Chancy spent her childhood in Haiti and then moved with her family to Winnipeg. But those island roots shaped who she became and inspire…

2 years, 6 months ago

Kao Kalia Yang channels her mother in the memoir ‘Where Rivers Part’

When Kao Kalia Yang’s mother was a child growing up in Laos, she lived a comfortable life. Her father was a prosperous merchant. She was the only Hmo…

2 years, 7 months ago

What the deepest ocean reveals and how to save it

What do you see, hear and experience when you drop miles into the deepest parts of the ocean?

For journalist Susan Casey, it was transformative — even…

2 years, 7 months ago

How memory works

If you’ve ever struggled to remember where you set down your phone, or how you know the person you just ran into at the grocery store, you’re not alo…

2 years, 7 months ago

Tommy Orange’s new ‘Wandering Stars’ traces a long trail of trauma and belonging

At the center of Tommy Orange’s new novel sits a family nearly destroyed. It’s suffering the long-term effects of government-ordered separation, from…

2 years, 7 months ago

A prescription to modernize public health

In many ways, the COVID-19 pandemic was public health’s finest hour. Millions of lives were saved, thanks to isolation measures. Vaccines were develo…

2 years, 7 months ago

Heather Cox Richardson on 'Democracy Awakening'

This week, Big Books and Bold Ideas is launching an election year series that asks: What is American democracy in 2024?

Americans come to that questi…

2 years, 8 months ago

Memorable moments with women of faith

MPR News host Kerri Miller has never skirted the topic of faith.

On her former weekday show, she regularly dialoged with leaders like Jenan Mohajir fr…

2 years, 8 months ago

Family lore becomes rich historical fiction in 'The Storm We Made'

Choices made in a moment reverberate for generations, despite best intentions.

Vanessa Chan adeptly explores this concept in her debut novel, “The Sto…

2 years, 8 months ago

How women of the CIA changed history

Women spies pop up in Hollywood movies all the time. But as Liza Mundy’s new book reveals, it took determined persistence, personal risk and a lot of…

2 years, 8 months ago