Podcast Episodes

New England noir chills and thrills in 'The House on Buzzards Bay'

The setting for Dwyer Murphy’s new book, “The House on Buzzards Bay,” is classic New England noir: A large and ancient house along the coast is inher…

1 year, 3 months ago

Joy Harjo bends time with her poetry to honor her mother's death

Honoring the dead by washing the body is a ritual nearly as old as humankind. Jews observe taharah, rooting the practice in Ecclesiastes: “As we come…

1 year, 3 months ago

A new cross-county memoir: ‘The Last American Road Trip’

When Sarah Kendzior packs up her family for a road trip across America, she makes sure her kids keep their eyes wide open. She wants them to see this…

1 year, 3 months ago

The shadow fighters of the Civil War

To mark Independence Day, Big Books and Bold Ideas is airing an encore presentation of Kerri Miller’s conversation with historian Patrick O’Donnell a…

1 year, 3 months ago

'Behind the Red Velvet Curtain'

Joy Womack made history when she became the first American to join Russia’s famed Bolshoi Ballet Theater. But getting there was a journey that took a…

1 year, 4 months ago

In ‘Sleep,’ Honor Jones examines the paradox of parenthood

Honor Jones’ debut novel, “Sleep,” begins in the damp undergrowth of a blackberry bush, where main character Margaret is playing a game. It’s a quint…

1 year, 4 months ago

Neuroscientist Emily Falk links choice to change in ‘What We Value’

If you’ve spent time this week doomscrolling on your phone — even though you know it’s not good for you, that it ramps up anxiety and you’d be better…

1 year, 4 months ago

Amanda Nguyen shares how her sexual assault propelled her to activism in new book

Amanda Nguyen was aiming for the stars when she was accepted as a student at Harvard. She dreamed of becoming an astronaut.

But in her senior year of…

1 year, 4 months ago

‘Walk Softly on This Heart of Mine’ talks about bars, the blues and belonging

A neighborhood bar is a peculiar thing. The people who frequent it develop a rapport, a kind of familiarity that makes them feel ownership.

But time …

1 year, 5 months ago

Karen Russell blends history and fantasy in her new novel

How do you carry someone else’s memory — both in body and in mind?

The prairie witch in Karen Russell’s fantastical new novel, “The Antidote,” descri…

1 year, 5 months ago