Podcast Episodes

How the invention of the book shaped humanity

If we weren't so used to having books, we would think of them as a "miracle." That's how historian Irene Vallego

views what she says is humankind's gr…

6 months ago

Hallelujah! Let the light of Black gospel shine 101

When Darren Hamilton began university, he was shocked to find that there were no Black music courses and Black music professors. He grew up singing s…

6 months, 1 week ago

Jazz fan or not, you've probably heard this musician play

If you think you've never heard Jerry Granelli play drums — you likely have. Think of a comic strip holiday special and an iconic soundtrack: A Charl…

6 months, 1 week ago

Revealing facts about the Christmas song meant for Easter

Handel’s Messiah is one of the best-loved pieces of Christmas music. Only it was meant for Easter. But it draws on far more from the Old Testament th…

6 months, 1 week ago

An apocalyptic retelling of the Christmas story

The nativity story that Christians believe is that God took the form of a baby named Jesus who was born to save the world and bring about an enduring…

6 months, 1 week ago

Where to find 'critical hope' in hard times

In an era of political polarization and fatigue from ongoing crises, hope is critical. But it's not something you have; it's something you do, argues…

6 months, 2 weeks ago

Why spirituality is central to Indigenous mathematics

Indigenous math isn't just about numbers and equations, it involves culture, spirituality and more. Math professor Edward Doolittle, a Mohawk from Si…

6 months, 2 weeks ago

How 'body horror' helps us confront the fears within us

"We are the monsters" — that's the premise for the genre of film known as body horror — movies that fixate on monstrous and grotesque changes to the …

6 months, 2 weeks ago

How to change minds and find common ground

In 2024, 'polarization' was Merriam-Webster's word of the year. That division still grows, making it increasingly difficult to connect to one another…

6 months, 2 weeks ago

The 'dangerous' promise of a techno-utopian future

Tech billionaires are on a mission to make the stories of science fiction a reality: space colonization, human/machine bio organisms, and living fore…

6 months, 3 weeks ago