A Look Ahead at the COVID-19 Pandemic with Dr. Ashish Jha
Air Dates: September 13-19, 2021 When schools finished the academic year earlier this summer, they looked forward to the fall with the first cautious optimism anyone had felt in years. But Dr. Ashish Jha has offered level-headed wisdom that the pandemic simply is not over. Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH, is a physician, health policy researcher, and the Dean of the Brown University School of Public Health. Before joining Brown, … Read More
Uncovering the Secret History of the War in Afghanistan with Craig Whitlock
Air Dates: September 6-12, 2021 It’s been 20 years since the attacks of 9/11. Next month, we’ll mark the 20th anniversary of the arrival of American troops in Afghanistan who toppled the Taliban regime and hunted down Osama bin Laden. Now, as American combat troops leave Afghanistan, we sit down with Craig Whitlock who has pieced together the secret history—warts and all—of America’s war in a land long-called “the graveyard … Read More
Modern Democracy and the Assault from Within with Tom Nichols
Air Dates: August 30-September 5, 2021 Democracy is under attack—in the former Soviet-dominated lands of Eastern Europe, in Turkey, Brazil, India, and yes, even the United States. Tom Nichols urges us not to just look for leaders to whom we can ascribe blame, but to look at ourselves and discern our own role in the weakening of America’s democratic institutions. Nichols is a professor at the U.S. Naval War College … Read More
Transparency in Government with C-SPAN Founder Brian Lamb
Air Dates: August 23-29, 2021 Before 1979, the only way to see the proceedings of Congress was to visit the Capitol. Brian Lamb believed the American public had a right to see government working and convinced the cable industry to create C-SPAN, the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network. After serving in the United States Navy, Lamb worked as a White House staffer and as the Washington bureau chief for Cablevision magazine. … Read More
Championing Democracy with M. Ali Kadivar
Air Dates: August 16-22, 2021 Personal conviction and democratic activism often go hand-in-hand. Mohammed Ali Kadivar is both a scholar of democracy and an advocate whose family has long been vocal proponents of it. Kadivar is an Assistant Professor of Sociology and International Studies and director of the Middle East Popular Politics Lab at Boston College. The Middle East Popular Politics Lab focuses on collecting and analyzing data on various … Read More
Exploring a Future World War with Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavridis
Air Dates: August 9-15, 2021 On more than one occasion, we’ve welcomed guests to this show who engage in “speculative” or “useful” fiction. Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavridis are the latest, their new book, titled 2034, looks at what a war between the United States and China might look like in the not-so-distant future. Admiral James Stavridis is a retired four-star U.S. naval officer. He is currently an Operating … Read More
Discussing the American Health Crisis with Martin Halliwell
Air Dates: August 2-8, 2021 With the advent of effective vaccines, it feels—we hope not foolishly—like the pandemic may be coming to an end. But Martin Halliwell says the crisis in American public health isn’t limited to one particular disease—it’s a theme that recurs again and again over the last century in these United States. Halliwell is a specialist in American cultural, intellectual and literary history of the twentieth and … Read More
Zakiya Dalila Harris and her novel, “The Other Black Girl”
Air Dates: July 26-August 1, 2021 “The Other Black Girl” is one of the most anticipated and critically acclaimed releases of 2021. Part thriller and part social commentary, the author Zakiya Dalila Harris has been heralded for her “genre-bending evisceration of workplace privilege.” Zakiya Dalila Harris is based in Brooklyn, New York, and has a passion for writing and talking about Blackness, books, and oldies music. Her debut novel and … Read More
Learning to Pray with Father James Martin, S.J.
Air Dates: July 19-25, 2021 The faithful among us often learn to pray as children. We ask for things. We might even, sometimes, say thank you. Father James Martin asks what it would mean to pray like adults—and offers insights about faith in public life and the challenges to democracy. Rev. James Martin, SJ, is a Jesuit priest, editor at large of America magazine and consultor to the Vatican’s Dicastery … Read More
“Story in the Public Square:” A Look Back at One Year in Virtual Production
Above: Author and comedian Gina Brillon prepares to tape an episode of “Story in the Public Square” virtually with hosts Jim Ludes and G. Wayne Miller in November 2020. Below: Jim Ludes’ home studio. In early 2020, news of the coronavirus’ spread across the globe made headlines. As the first cases emerged in Rhode Island, schools and offices closed; it became clear production of “Story in the Public Square” was … Read More