Philosopher Jason Brennan offers a provocative idea: let's bring back flogging as an alternative to imprisonment.More
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Interviews By Topic
For two years, criminal justice advocate Baz Dreisinger traveled the world, touring prisons in nine different countries. She points to Norway as a model of humane reform.More
Karen Joy Fowler bookmarks "Dazzle of Day" by Molly Gloss.More
The Attica Prison riot is remembered as one of the bloodiest and savage of its kind, but historian Heather Ann Thompson is challenging that familiar narrative.More
Novelist Richard Powers bookmarks "Objects and Empathy" by Arthur Saltzman.More
Hanan Al-Shaykh bookmarks "Season of Migration to the North" by Tayeb Salih.More
Neuroscientist John Krakauer blasts the “dumb jock” stereotype with research on the cognitive brilliance of athletes.More
So you’re a serious runner? Consider the Self-Transcendence Race, running around the same half-mile loop for 3,100 miles.More
Tommy Caldwell talks about his lifelong obsession with climbing.More
Jonathan Lethem bookmarks "Kafka Was the Rage" by Anatole Broyard.More
Two St. Louis podcasters — Kameel Stanley and Tim Lloyd — take the conversation about race to a national level with "We Live Here." More
Composer William Brittelle's music crosses so many boundaries, it's hard to categorize.More
Author Yiyun Li on leaving behind her health and native language to write.More
John Waters might not be an ideal role model— so why let him give a commencement address?More
Novelist Hari Kunzru on the line between cultural appreciation and appropriation.More
Thordis Elva reached out to the man who raped her, ultimately setting her on a journey towards forgiveness.More
TTBOOK summer intern Caryn McKechnie spoke to a few people about how they felt the last time they forgave someone.More