This week, comedian and Fake the Nation host Negin Farsad and Ted Talks Daily host Elise Hu join us to discuss a week’s worth of litigious news. We learn about the guy who’s suing Powerball for posting the incorrect numbers, the dating app users who say the platforms are too addictive, and the proposed “right to disconnect” law protecting workers in Australia. Plus, how many exclamation points are too many?!! In her substack newsletter ‘Culture Study,’ Anne Helen Petersen recently unpacked why so many women have been told to use fewer exclamation points in the workplace, while others have been told to use more. At its heart, Anne says, it’s all about “policing women's speech!”]]>

This week, Niala Boodhoo, host and editor of the Axios podcast 1 big thing, and Aubrey Gordon, subject of the upcoming documentary 'Your Fat Friend' and co-host of Maintenance Phase, stop by to chat about retailers cracking down on frequent returns and the new dating app for people with good credit scores. Then, MacArthur “Genius Grant” fellow and Pulitzer finalist Kelly Link joins us to talk about her magical and tender first novel, 'The Book of Love.' She is also the author of a number of short story collections, including 'Get In Trouble,' 'Magic for Beginners' and 'White Cat, Black Dog.']]>

This week, Rhaina Cohen, author of 'The Other Significant Others,' and The Stacks host Traci Thomas stop by to talk about the sports game happening this Sunday, whether aging Millennials are becoming culturally obsolete, and why algorithm recommendations might feel kind of … off. Plus, we take a listen to audio Valentines from Nerdette listeners to their friends! You are refurbishing Coach bags and finding tampons on sunrise hikes and making cups of tea and vetting leftovers for each other, and it’s beautiful!!!!!! ]]>

Our February selection is Come and Get It by Kiley Reid! Reid’s debut novel, ‘Such a Fun Age,’ was a salacious, fizzy novel about the messy power dynamics of work and life, and her second book is no different. Set on the campus of the University of Arkansas, the multi-perspective book revolves around Millie, a fifth-year senior saving up to buy a house in town. As an RA on campus, she oversees students in their shared living spaces, and she becomes particularly entangled with the three students living in the rooms right next to her. Speaking of entanglements, there’s also Agatha, a visiting professor who’s come to campus to write a book about students and money. That’s all we’ll say for now because this is a spoiler-free interview! Read along with us! The book club will be back on the last Tuesday of the month with a spoilery discussion of the book and two fun guest readers. You can get in on the conversation by recording your thoughts on the book in a voice memo and sending the file to NerdettePodcast@gmail.com by Friday, March 23. Happy reading! ]]>

This week, we are beating the winter blahs and leaning into coziness. First, we talk to City Cast Chicago host Jacoby Cochran and WBEZ’s Araceli Gómez-Aldana about ads upending streaming services, a $3,000 train trip and cozy rituals.Then, Bon Appétit food editor Shilpa Uskokovic shares some of her favorite cold weather recipes. Here they are… Dark and Stormy Braised Pot RoastNo-Knead FougasseFrizzled-Onion Cabbage SaladCheesy Spinach and Corn Piroshki]]>

Nerdette Book Club is off to an excellent start with our first selection of 2024, ‘Jonathan Abernathy You are Kind’ by Molly McGhee! It’s a deeply strange novel that dabbles in dreamscapes while also being a very real critique of capitalism. Our readers this month are Maya Lau, the host of the personal finance podcast ‘Other Peoples’ Pockets’ and Nick Quah, podcast critic for ‘Vulture.’ We do get into spoilers in the conversation! If you’re not ready to find out what happens yet, listen to our spoiler-free conversation with author Molly McGhee in the feed first. And in case you want to read ahead, we have the next three months of books chosen! Here they are: February: Come and Get It by Kiley Reid March: Martyr! by Kaveh AkbarApril: Beautyland by Marie-Helene BertinoIt’s never too early to send us a voice memo with your thoughts on these books! Reach us at NerdettePodcast@gmail.com]]>

This week, co-hosts of the Just Between Us podcast, Gabe Dunn and Allison Raskin, stop in to play Burden or Delight. This week’s topics: double dipping, the snow salt chococcino, and gummy vitamins!Then, Greta and Book Riot’s Liberty Hardy rave about some of the buzziest titles coming out this year. For a full list of the books mentioned in the episode, head to our website!]]>

This week, we are distracting ourselves from the freezing cold weather with a game of Burden or Delight. Our panelists are Adora Namigadde, WBEZ metro reporter and host of the morning episodes of the WBEZ podcast The Rundown, and Erin Allen, host of The Rundown in the afternoons. We discuss the end of certain comedic road signs and the ethics of a husband’s hidden trust fund. Then, we head to a basement bar in Chicago for a Silent Book Club! One Sunday a month, the lesbian bar Dorothy fills up with book lovers reading alone together. We hear from attendees about what makes Silent Book Club nights so special.]]>

We’re back with our first pop culture panel of 2024! In that spirit, we are talking all about New Year's resolutions and the myth of fresh starts. Our guests are the host of Vox’s The Weeds podcast Jonquilyn Hill and the host of New Hampshire Public Radio’s The 13th Step podcast Lauren Chooljian. We also get into two recent trends: the rise of closed captioning and the extra trendy, extra large Stanley tumblers.]]>

This week we're sharing an episode we think you'll enjoy. It's from the podcast Missing Pages and it is the first part of their two-part series on book banning. Host and acclaimed literary critic Bethanne Patrick explores America’s history of banning books. Missing Pages is produced by The Podglomerate. Listen to more episodes of Missing Pages here: https://link.chtbl.com/M8oj-eXh?sid=NerdetteFeedDrop]]>

Nerdette Book Club is kicking off a new year of reading with Molly McGhee’s debut novel Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind. Our protagonist, Jonathan Abernathy, is completely subsumed by debt. So, he takes a job editing the bad dreams of middle class workers. It’s a searing critique of late-stage capitalism that also manages to be funny and tender.Read along with us! The book club will be back on the last Tuesday of the month with a spoilery discussion of the book and two fun guest readers. You can get in on the conversation by recording your thoughts on the book in a voice memo and sending the file to NerdettePodcast@gmail.com by Friday, January 26. Happy reading!]]>

Despite two historic writers’ and actors’ strikes, there was a lot of TV to watch this year. We turned to two TV critics to weigh in on their favorites: The New Yorker’s Inkoo Kang and Vulture’s Kathryn VanArendonkFor links, pics and more details, head to our website! Beef (Netflix)Reservation Dogs (Hulu)Succession (Max)Fellow Travelers (Showtime)The Bear (Hulu)Wrestlers (Netflix)For All Mankind (Apple TV +)I'm A Virgo on (Prime VIdeo)Starstruck (Max) Scavengers Reign (Max)Deadloch (Prime Video)]]>

To find the best podcasts of the year, we talked to two veritable experts in the form: Leah-Simone Bowen, host of ‘Podcast Playlist’ from the CBC, and Nick Quah, podcast critic for Vulture. In order to make it on their lists this year, both Leah and Nick said shows had to really push the envelope in format or reporting.From heavy investigations to a show that Nick calls “cotton candy sprinkled with more cotton candy,” here are the best podcasts of 2023. For links, pics and more info, check out our website! ‘The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks’‘The Retrievals’‘Slow Burn: Becoming Justice Thomas’‘If Books Could Kill’‘Everything is Alive Presents: The Animals’‘Murder on Sex Island’‘Bloodlines’‘Ghost Story’]]>

We are reflecting on a year of reading by tallying up the books that we just can’t stop thinking about. Two professional readers – Miwa Messer, host of Barnes & Noble’s book podcast Poured Over, and Andrew Limbong, host of NPR’s Book of the Day podcast – join us to share their best of the year lists. Here are the books mentioned in the episode. For pictures, links and more details, head to our website! Andrew’s picks:‘Landscapes’ by Christine Lai‘Poverty by America’ by Matthew Desmond‘Roaming’ by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki‘Ringmaster’ by Abraham Josephine RiesmanMiwa’s picks:‘Loot’ by Tania James‘Ordinary Notes’ by Christina Sharpe‘Open Throat’ by Henry Hoke‘Chain Gang All-Stars’ by Nana Kwame Adjei-BrenyahGreta’s picks:‘The Vaster Wilds’ by Lauren Groff‘The Country of the Blind’ by Andrew Leland‘The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi’ by Shannon Chakraborty‘Same Bed Different Dreams’ by Ed ParkListener picks: ‘The Fragile Threads of Power’ by V.E. Schwab‘Shrines of Gaiety’ by Kate Atkinson‘Land of Milk and Honey’ by C Pam Zhang ‘In the Lives of Puppets’ by TJ Klune‘Monsters’ by Claire Dederer‘Black River Orchard’ by Chuck Wendig ]]>

It’s that time of year where we sit back, relax and reflect on some of the best stuff that came out this year! First up, we asked Alex Beggs — freelance food writer, former staffer at ‘Bon Appetit’ and all-around friend of the show — to tell us about her favorite cookbooks of 2023. Here’s Alex’s list. You can find pictures, links and more details at our website! - ‘More is More’ by Molly Baz - ‘Make It Japanese’ by Rie McClenny- ‘More Than Cake’ by Natasha Picowicz- ‘Sweet enough’ by Alison Roman- ‘Snacking Bakes’ by Yossy Arefi - ‘Pulp’ by Abra Berens - ‘Tenderheart’ by Hetty Lui McKinnon ]]>

This week, we're sharing a podcast from our public radio friends KUOW in Seattle. It's called "Text Me Back" and it's all about friendship and making your favorite people laugh, even when this dumpster fire of a world gets you down.Bestselling writer Lindy West and democracy policy expert Meagan Hatcher-Mays are two award-winning best friends from high school. Each week, Lindy and Meagan will hilariously digest what’s going on in the news, their lives and their text threads with their singular combination of political smarts, embarrassing sincerity, and a truly concerning level of investment in pop culture.]]>

This week, we are asking the important questions about 2024. Like, what plant will we fall in love with? And what body part will be in style? Those are some of the ponderings included in a recent story on next year’s trends in T: The New York Times Style Magazine. We put the co-hosts of ‘Fanti,’ Tre’vell Anderson and Jarrett Hill, to the test. They are also the co-authors of ‘Historically Black Phrases.’ Tre’vell’s recent book is titled ‘We See Each Other.’ Then, Omkari Williams tells us about her new book ‘Micro Activism: How You Can Make a Difference in the World Without a Bullhorn.’ In it, she argues that everyone can be an activist and that working on a small scale can create lasting change. ]]>

Nerdette Book Club is back to discuss our November selection, ‘Land of Milk and Honey’ by C Pam Zhang! It’s a novel about survival, privilege, and seeking pleasure at the end of the world. Our readers this month are Aliza Abarbanel, co-founder and co-editor of ‘Cake Zine,’ an independent print publication exploring society through sweets, and co-host of the podcast ‘This is TASTE,’ and Miriam Kramer, news editor at WPLN in Nashville. We do get into spoilers in the conversation! If you’re not ready to find out what happens yet, listen to our spoiler-free conversation with author C Pam Zhang in the feed first. P.S. We have an exciting announcement in the credits! Listen if you want to get started on your 2024 reading list!***Recommendations: ‘The Menu’‘Triangle of Sadness’‘The World Without Us’ by Alan Weisman‘How Much of These Hills Is Gold’ by C Pam Zhang‘Gold Fame Citrus’ by Claire Vaye Watkins‘Breasts and Eggs’ by Mieko Kawakami]]>

Academy Award winning writer, actor, and director Emerald Fennell tells us about her intoxicating new movie ‘Saltburn,’ which is out this week. It’s a British country house thriller about obsession, excess, and desire.]]>

Thanksgiving is almost upon us, so it’s time to get cooking! First, we ask chef Tanya Holland to share some fun, fresh ideas for the big meal. Tanya is the author of three cookbooks, including most recently the gorgeous ‘California Soul.’ You can find the recipes for her stuffed sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts salad at our website! Since one of the best parts of Thanksgiving is the leftovers, we also talk to Tamar Adler about her cookbook ‘The Everlasting Meal Cookbook: Leftovers A to Z.’ ]]>

This week, Vocalo host Nudia Hernandez and host of WBEZ’s ‘The Rundown’ Erin Allen join us to unwind from the week that was. We chat about Barbra Streisand’s extremely long memoir, The Simpsons’ attempts to keep up with the times, and how to cope with shorter days. Then, we talk to two of the showrunners on the Apple TV+ show ‘For All Mankind,’ Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi. The series supposes what might have happened if the Soviet Union had won the race to the moon. As a result, we end up making scientific advancements way faster than we did in our timeline — like going to Mars by the 90s. We talk to the two creators about the season 4 premier. ]]>

It is the month of November and our Book Club selection is C Pam Zhang’s Land of Milk and Honey. It takes place in an alarmingly conceivable future where the world is on the brink of ecological collapse. A smog is enveloping the earth, making it difficult for crops to grow. Our narrator is a chef who is straddled with inherited debt and locked out of the United States. She takes a mysterious job cooking for an elite research community in the Italian Alps that is able to grow the food she loves in labs. In this spoiler-free conversation with C Pam Zhang, we get into the influence of the pandemic on her writing, her loss of religion, and strawberries. Grab a copy and read along with us! We’ll be back with an in-depth, spoilery conversation on the last Tuesday of the month. You can join the conversation by recording a voice memo on your phone and sending it to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com. Happy reading! ]]>

This week, we chat about long movie intermissions, the business of Taylor Swift, and the delight of keeping oddball rituals. Our panelists are Lauren Chooljian, senior reporter, producer and host of the NHPR podcast The 13th Step, and Anisa Khalifa, producer and host of the WUNC podcast The Broadside and the indie podcasts Dramas Over Flowers and Muslim in Plain Sight.Then, we talk to one of our favorite chefs, Sohla El-Waylly, about her debut cookbook Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook. It’s what she calls, “culinary school–without the student loans.”]]>

Nerdette Book Club is back to discuss our October selection, Lauren Groff’s ‘The Vaster Wilds.’ It’s about a girl in early American colonial history who runs away from the Jamestown settlement during a period of starvation. She then struggles to survive in the woods during freezing cold days and nights, armed with only a pewter cup and leather gloves. We asked long-distance dogsledder Blair Braverman, the author of the novel ‘Small Game,’ and MJ Franklin, an editor for the New York Times Book Review, to dig into the book with us. This conversation does include spoilers. So, if you have yet to crack open a copy, you can listen to our spoiler-free interview with Lauren Groff in the feed. ]]>

We are leaning into Halloween this week! Taylor Lorenz, Washington Post columnist and author of Extremely Online, and Margaret Willison, culture writer and faculty at Not Sorry Productions, dared to join us to discuss the very tall, very viral Halloween decorations named Skelly and Lewis, along with more Halloween nonsense. Then, comedian Sam Reece tells us about her new book S****y Craft Club: A Club for Gluing Beads to Trash, Talking about Our Feelings, and Making Silly Things. You can find photos of Lewis and Liza Lou’s kitchen at our website.]]>

This week, we talk about Netflix’s reinvention of the video store, the right way to board a plane, and the art of advice-giving with Chicago Sun Times’ new advice columnist Ismael Perez and Brandon Pope, who hosts WBEZ’s Making podcast and On the Block from Block Club Chicago and WCIU.Then, author V.E. Schwab talks about the latest installment in her “Shades of Magic” fantasy series, The Fragile Threads of Power. This will be her fourth time on Nerdette, because her books are just that good. You may know her from her bestselling novel The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue or one of her other 23 published books.]]>

On this cursed October day, we’re talking about Croc’s new cowboy boots and other outrageous stories from the week. Our panelists are Patrick Hinds, co-host of the True Crime Obsessed podcast and author of the new book Failure Is Not Not An Option, and Kristen Meinzer, the co-host of the Daily Fail podcast. Then, author Chuck Wendig tells us about his apple-filled horror novel Black River Orchard. Chuck is also the author of Wanderers, The Book of Accidents, and more. ]]>

This week, we discuss Barbies, bedbugs, and centenarian skydivers with comedian and host of the podcasts 'In The Cards' and 'Dead Eyes' Connor Ratliff and Bridget Todd, host of 'City Cast DC' and 'There are No Girls on the Internet.'Then, comedian Aparna Nancherla opens up about her struggles with imposter syndrome in her new essay collection 'Unreliable Narrator.']]>

It is the month of October and Nerdette Book Club’s selection is ‘The Vaster Wilds’ by three-time National Book Award finalist Lauren Groff. This historical novel is about a servant girl who is on the run from her corrupt, smallpox-riddled colonial settlement. She struggles to survive in the unforgiving wilderness. In this spoiler-free interview with the author, we talk about changing the narrative of the American frontier by putting a young girl at its center. We invite you to read along and participate in the book club! We’ll be back with another episode on the last Tuesday of the month to debrief on what we read. You can contribute your thoughts to the discussion by recording a voice memo. Send your files to NerdettePodcast@gmail.com and you will get the chance to hear your voice in the episode! ]]>

This week, R. Eric Thomas, TV writer and author of Congratulations, The Best Is Over!, and Alex Abad-Santos, senior correspondent for Vox, joined us to reflect on the end of the writers’ strike and the 20th anniversary of the pumpkin spice latte.Then, we revel in the best new books coming out this fall! We called up some of our favorite readers and writers to find out what they’re most excited to read. Here are the titles in order of when they were mentioned in the episode. For links and full descriptions, head to our website! ‘The Woman in Me’ by Britney Spears‘Same Bed Different Dreams’ by Ed Park‘How to Be Multiple: The Philosophy of Twins’ by Helena de Bres‘Iron Flame’ by Rebecca Yarros‘Rouge’ by Mona Awad‘Organ Meats’ by K-Ming Chang‘A Haunting on the Hill’ by Elizabeth Hand‘Edith Holler’ By Edward Carey‘The Reformatory’ by By Tananarive Due‘The Vaster Wilds’ by Lauren Groff (Nerdette Book Club pick!)‘Land of Milk and Honey’ by C Pam Zhang (Nerdette Book Club pick!)‘Roaming’ by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki‘Vampires of El Norte’ by Isabel Cañas‘The Iliad’ translated by Emily Wilson‘The Vulnerables’ by Sigrid Nunez‘Family Lore’ by Elizabeth Acevedo‘North Woods’ by Daniel Mason‘The Unsettled’ by Ayana Mathis]]>

Nerdette Book Club is back to dig into our September pick, Angie Kim’s novel 'Happiness Falls.' During the lockdown era of COVID, college student Mia is stuck at home with her parents and two brothers. Her father, Adam, stays at home to take care of the youngest son Eugene, who has autism and does not speak. One day, Adam and Eugene leave to go on a walk, but only Eugene comes back. The more the family looks for Adam, the more secrets they uncover. It’s a mystery that also grapples with ableism, personal fulfillment, and how much you can really know the people closest to you. We’re joined by two of our favorite readers, Ted Talks Daily host Elise Hu and Northwestern University’s audio journalism director Arionne Nettles. If you have not read the book yet and do not want to hear spoilers, go back and listen to our conversation with Angie Kim in the feed!]]>

This week, comedian and ‘Glamorous Trash’ host Chelsea Devantez and podcast producer Kristina Lopez stop by to chat about the Senate's extremely chill new dress code, the slow death of paper checks, and the Roman Empire. Plus, the Nerdette Book Club pick ‘Loot’ by Tania James is one of the top 10 contenders for this year’s National Book Award for fiction! ‘Loot’ is historical fiction at its finest. In this spoiler-free interview with the author, we talk about writing a delightful, propulsive plot that also deals with the legacy of colonialism. ]]>

In today’s episode, we play our favorite game, Burden or Delight, with Meha Ahmad, senior producer at WBEZ’s 'Reset,' and Niala Boodhoo, host of 'Axios Today!' They decide whether a new Apple charger, a flood of wine, and extended birthday celebrations are delightful or burdensome. Then, we talk all about periods. Up until now, no one has ever published a study on menstrual products that used actual blood to test them. Dr. Bethany Samuelson Bannow, a clinician and hematologist at Oregon Health and Science University, helped change that. We talked to her about the results of her team’s study on the absorbency of period products.]]>

This week, City Cast Chicago host Jacoby Cochran and WBEZ metro reporter Adora Namigadde stop in to talk about Burning Man, a truly horrific accident on a plane, and whether there’s hope for salvaging New Year’s resolutions 9 months into the year. Plus, when should we start masking in public again? How long should we isolate for if we get COVID? What’s the deal with a new booster? Is it safe to get married this fall?!? University of Chicago infectious disease specialist Emily Landon answers your questions about COVID.]]>

Our selection this month is Angie Kim’s sophomore novel, 'Happiness Falls.' It’s narrated by Mia, a whip smart college student who moves back under her parents’ roof during the early days of COVID. This isn’t a pandemic novel, though, as much as lockdown is used as a device to bring everyone together and move the plot forward.One day, Mia’s younger brother Eugene, a teenager with autism who doesn’t speak, shows up at home after a walk without his dad, Adam. No one knows where Adam went, and no one can believe he’d desert his family. As the family investigates, they learn Adam was keeping a number of secrets, some of which have astounding repercussions for everyone. We talk to the author about writing a propulsive plot that also deals with big ideas, like disability, ableism, and the immigrant experience. Read along with us and send a voice memo with your thoughts to NerdettePodcast@gmail.com! We’ll be back the last Tuesday of the month for a spoiler-filled conversation with two guest readers.]]>

We’re starting off the weekend with two excellent panelists: Anne Helen Petersen, 'Work Appropriate' podcast host and writer of the newsletter “Culture Study,” and Nick Quah, Vulture’s podcast critic. We discuss the late night hosts turned daytime podcasters, the gender reveal of cocktail glasses, and Meg Ryan’s return to the romcom. Then, we talk about a brewing reckoning in reality television. Real Housewives of New York alum Bethenny Frankel called out Bravo this month for exploitation of its reality show cast members and a lawsuit may be in the works. Lawyer and pop culture writer Claudia Rosenbaum fills us in.]]>

Our selection this month is Andrew Leland’s memoir ‘The Country of the Blind.’ It’s about Andrew’s constantly shifting world as his vision deteriorates, and it explores the mythology that blindness is a binary. It’s also about how seeing-culture perceives blindness, and the history of blindness in the US. The wide-ranging discussion includes M. Leona Godin, a self-described “blind punk” who wrote the 2021 book ‘There Plant Eyes: A Personal and Cultural History of Blindness,’ and Chloe Cooper Jones, the author of the memoir ‘Easy Beauty,’ which came out last year.]]>

Today’s episode starts with our friends Araceli Gomez-Aldana of WBEZ and Traci Thomas, host of The Stacks podcast. We chat about finding back-to-school vibes in scorching hot weather, why Zoomers are collecting CDs, and the biggest search for the Loch Ness Monster in over 50 years.Then, Houston Chronicle critic Joey Guerra catches us up on some of the biggest stories in the music world, from the allegations against Lizzo to ticket prices. Plus, we dance it out to the songs of the summer! WXPN’s Kristen Kurtis shares some tracks with us that you may not have heard before. We also hear YOUR songs of the summer! Find all of the music mentioned in today’s episode and more in our Spotify playlist.]]>

This week’s guest is one of Greta’s favorite authors! Ann Patchett is out with her ninth novel, ‘Tom Lake.’ It’s about a family that’s brought together to their northern Michigan cherry orchard during the quarantine days of the pandemic. As the parents and three daughters spend their days picking cherries, the mother tells a story. At first glance, it’s about the play ‘Our Town,’ and acting, and making it in Hollywood. But on the other hand, it’s about magical summers and passion and art and finding beauty in unexpected places.Greta talks to Ann about how she convinced Meryl Streep to narrate the audiobook, never fully knowing one’s parents, and the titles she’s most excited about this year.What’s your song of the summer? Tell us in a voice memo for next week’s episode! You can reach us at NerdettePodcast@gmail.com]]>

This week, Dylan Marron, host of the podcast The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks, and Jo Firestone, comedian and host of the podcast Dr. Gameshow, stop by to play one of our favorite games, “Burden or delight.” They evaluate the number of spiders we eat in our sleep and the best time of day to eat dinner.Then, we check in on what the heck is going on in Hollywood. The writers’ strike hit the 100 day mark this week with no end in sight. Given the huge disruptions in the industry, Variety’s TV business reporter Jennifer Maas says that peak TV has peaked. Streaming platforms must cut down on their original series. She tells us why. ]]>

This week, Daily Fail hosts Maura Currie and Kristen Meinzer join us to unwind from a particularly steamy week! We swap tricks for staying cool, talk about the joy of eating in front of the TV, and debunk sexist myths about hunter gatherers. Plus, in another installment of our ongoing Nerdy Jobs series, we meet Jennifer Mundt. She is a sleep psychologist at Northwestern Medicine, where she directs the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Lab and Training Program. She takes us on a trip to the lab and explains why we should accept night owls for who they are. ]]>

Nerdette Book Club’s August selection is Andrew Leland’s memoir The Country of the Blind. Andrew is gradually losing his sight due to a rare degenerative eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa, which he was diagnosed with as a teen.In this vulnerable, funny conversation, host Greta Johnsen shares her own experience with a degenerative eye disease. The two dig into how blind people have advocated for themselves throughout American history, the intersectionality of blindness, and the importance of getting lost. We’ll be back with two guest readers on the last Tuesday of the month for an in-depth discussion of the book. You’re invited to read along with us and join the conversation! Record a voice memo on your smartphone and email the file to NerdettePodcast@gmail.com to contribute to the discussion. We can’t wait to hear what you think! ]]>

This week, our panelists are the host of the NHPR podcast ‘The 13th Step,’ Lauren Chooljian, and Jonquilyn Hill, who hosts the Vox podcast ‘The Weeds.’ We talk about whether we indulged in Barbenheimer, then recommend some stuff to read, do, and listen to this summer. You can find a list of their recommendations here, at our website. Then, Aomawa Shields tells us about her circuitous trajectory from acting to astrophysics! Her new book is called ‘Life on Other Planets.’]]>

Nerdette Book Club is back to discuss our July selection, Tania James’ book Loot. It’s historical fiction, but the story centers around a real artifact: a life-sized, wooden automaton of a tiger devouring an English soldier known as Tipu’s Tiger. It was built in the late 1700s in Mysore, India, and it resides in London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.Our protagonist is Abbas, a young and talented woodworker who’s summoned to the Sultan’s palace to help build that tiger. But the perspective shifts to others who impact the artifact and its trajectory, from the French clockmaker who mentored Abbas to the wealthy English widow who takes the tiger into her antiquities collection.Our panelists are the authors of two former Nerdette Book Club selections: Rebecca Makkai, author of I Have Some Questions For You, and Sameer Pandya, who wrote Members Only. (This conversation includes spoilers! If you have not read the book yet, you can find our spoiler-free interview with Tania James in our feed.)]]>

This week, we share some of the best things to watch and eat this summer! Our guests are Shilpa Uskokovic, food editor at Bon Appetit, and Shirley Li, staff writer at The Atlantic covering the entertainment industry.What to watch:‘How to With John Wilson’ season 3 (July 28) ‘Problemista’ (August 4)‘Bottoms’ (August 25)What to eat:Grilled Corn Tiger SaladLemony Zucchini with Sour Cream and DillFree Form Kebabs]]>

It’s summer blockbuster season! Northwestern University’s Arionne Nettles and Chalkbeat Chicago’s Becky Vevea stop by to get excited about the opening week of both ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer.’ We also chat about this year’s Emmy nominations and what in the world “girl dinner” is. Then, Simon Pegg reflects on an extremely nerdy career, his role in the latest ‘Mission Impossible’ movie, and whether he’s jealous of Tom Cruise’s absolutely deranged stunt skills.Plus, we have a book club announcement! August’s Book Club pick is ‘The Country of the Blind’ by Andrew Leland. It’s a memoir about the author’s transition from sightedness to blindness. You can send us a voice memo about it or July’s book ‘Loot’ at NerdettePodcast@gmail.com.]]>

This week, we are bringing you a special episode from our friends When Magic Happens from WBEZ! The podcast features intergenerational conversations between Black women. And this episode is for the nerds! Hosts Taylor Coward, Cheryle Jackson and Jennifer “Shea Love” Long get into why some nerdy hobbies challenge traditional notions of Blackness. They embrace the idea that the Nerdette team really values – that you can be a nerd about anything, as long as you’re unapologetically enthusiastic about it. Plus, they talk to author, entrepreneur and anime-lover, Jacque Aye.]]>

This week, the hosts of the podcast Just Between Us, Gabe Dunn and Alison Raskin, stop in to talk about the concert-goers who keep throwing objects on stage, why everyone is in Europe right now, and the people who got stuck upside down on a roller coaster. Then, The New York Times’ Alexandra Alter unpacks her story about how review-bombing on Goodreads is impacting the publishing industry. She also shares a few book recommendations of her own. Plus, we announce our 10th anniversary cake decorating contest winner!!!]]>

July’s Nerdette Book Club pick is the historical novel 'Loot' by Tania James!The story opens in Mysore, India when a young wood carver named Abbas is summoned to the Sultan’s palace to help make a mechanical tiger. The novel spans continents and decades, but that tiger is at the center of the story. It’s based on the real artifact ‘Tippoo’s Tiger’ in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London that depicts a tiger mauling a British soldier. In this spoiler-free interview with the author, we talk about writing a delightful, propulsive plot that also deals with the legacy of colonialism. Throw a copy of 'Loot' in your beach bag and read along with us! We’ll be back the last Tuesday of the month for a spoiler-filled discussion of the book. You can take part in the conversation by sending a voice memo with your thoughts on the book to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com.]]>

ICYMI podcast hosts Rachelle Hampton and Candice Lim, stop by to play our new game, Burden or Delight? We consider the Army’s new tactical bras, location sharing, and Fall Out Boy’s updated version of Billy Joel’s classic “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” Then, we dive into the Guinness Book of Records. Journalist and author Imogen West-Knights tells about how the company known for the world’s most odd and outrageous titleholders has lasted for over half a century. Plus, Amy Brady unpacks the surprising history of ice. In her new book Ice: From Mixed Drinks to Skating Rinks–A Cool History of a Hot Commodity, she argues that the ice industry transformed the United States in ways that might surprise you.]]>

Nerdette Book Club is back to discuss our June pick ‘The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi’ by Shannon Chakraborty. The book weaves together fantasy and history in a propulsive plot set on the high seas of the Indian Ocean in the 12th century. Our protagonist is Amina al-Sirafi, a retired pirate who is called back to the high seas for one last job. She rallies her old crew and embarks on the treasure hunt of a lifetime, encountering all kinds of creatures and devious characters along the way. Our panelists are Meha Ahmad, senior producer for WBEZ’s daily talk show Reset, and Christina Orlando, writer and books editor at Tor.com. This conversation includes spoilers! If you have not read the book yet, you can find our spoiler-free interview with Shannon Chakraborty in our feed.]]>

Aisha Harris, co-host of the NPR show ‘Pop Culture Happy Hour,’ joins us to chat about her new book ‘Wannabe: Reckonings with the Pop Culture That Shapes Me.’ The book is a testament to the fact that, whether we want to or not, we inevitably learn a lot about the world from TV shows and movies and music videos. In essays on everything from the Spice Girls to film critic Roger Ebert to ‘King Richard,’ Aisha explores her own relationship to pop culture over the past three decades, both as a consumer and a critic.Then, we dive into the world of cartoons as part of our ongoing Nerdy Jobs series. In this installment, we follow Tyler Washington’s path from her childhood love of shows like 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' to her job as a storyboard artist and revisionist.]]>

In our new game “Burden or delight?,” we ask our panelists to determine if stories from the week’s news are in fact burdensome or delightful. To give it a try, we invited WEBZ metro reporter Adora Namigadde and 'The Rundown' podcast host Erin Allen to play along with us. We consider a surprise discovery of one million pennies, a new single from The Beatles, and waking up at your own funeral.Then, we talk to author Jessi Kneeland about their new book 'Body Neutral: A Revolutionary Guide To Overcoming Body Image Issues.']]>

Way back in the year 2013, “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore was at the top of the charts, President Obama began his second term, and Disney released the blockbuster Frozen. But perhaps most importantly, the podcast Nerdette was born. In this anniversary episode, co-host emeritus Tricia Bobeda rejoined Greta behind the mic to reflect on ten whole years of the show. They also welcomed back Peter Sagal, host of NPR’s Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, who co-hosted Nerdette Recaps with the pair. We also get the chance to hear from two ten-year-olds who discuss what it really means to be ten years old. As part of the celebration, we are inviting listeners to our long-distance birthday party with a cake decorating contest! The winner will receive a $250 gift card to Bookshop.org. Plus, since we believe in participation awards, all entrants will receive a Nerdette bookmark! Click HERE for more information. To mark the occasion, we’re also unveiling a new logo designed by WBEZ’s Laura Vergara! Here’s to ten more years!!!! ]]>

June’s Nerdette Book Club pick is The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty! It is the first of a new trilogy about pirates, magic, and mystical artifacts. While the book is technically fantasy, it is also deeply grounded in the history of the Crusades. Author Shannon Chakraborty joined us for this spoiler-free conversation about mixing fantasy and history, middle-aged protagonists, and her pandemic writing process. We will be back for a panel discussion on the last Tuesday of June! Read along with us, then send us a voice memo with your thoughts. You can send the file to NerdettePodcast@gmail.com. We can’t wait to hear from you!]]>

This week, scholar, author, and organizer Eve Ewing joins forces with X-Ray Vision podcast co-host Jason Concepcion to talk about Netflix’s password-sharing crackdown and the importance of soft pants.Then, podcast host and TV writer Jamie Loftus stops by to tell us about her new book Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs. It’s a travelogue with a slice of American history, a squirt of capitalist critique, and a dollop of relish on top!]]>

This month’s book club selection is Idra Novey’s Take What You Need, a novel that centers around Jean, an older woman who welds giant sculptures in her rural Pennsylvania living room, and Leah, her estranged ex-stepdaughter. We’re joined by two novelists who wrote books that came out in 2022: Cleyvis Natera, the author of Neruda on the Park, and Fellowship Point author Alice Elliott Dark for a reflection on the imperfections of love, the importance of art, and the narrative structure of the novel. A warning: there are spoilers in this episode! If you have not read the book yet, you can go back and listen to our spoiler-free interview with Idra Novey first!]]>

Nerdette had the great privilege of hosting a live WBEZ event with Samantha Irby to celebrate the release of her newest book Quietly Hostile. Like her other books, it’s a collection of essays that span a huge variety of topics. She writes about lesbian nun porn fantasies, living with teenage stepkids, why her wife has SO many condiments in their fridge, and chronic illness. (If you’ve read Sam’s work before, you won’t be surprised to hear it includes a lot of diarrhea.)In addition to her essays, Sam also writes for TV. She wrote for And Just Like That…, the new Sex and the City reboot, along with the cartoon Tuca & Bertie and the Hulu adaptation of Lindy West’s book Shrill.We chatted about her relationship to fans who know intimate details about her life, why she hates New York, and her favorite toilet paper.]]>

This week, Greta is joined by host of City Cast Chicago Jacoby Cochran and WBEZ reporter Araceli Gómez-Aldana. We get into the newly announced sequel to Freaky Friday and whether Martha Stewart’s Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover is really breaking down barriers. Then, NPR host-at-large Elise Hu tells us about her new book Flawless: Lessons in Looks and Culture from the K-Beauty Capital. It’s about how South Korea is a leading influencer of beauty standards and trends worldwide, from multi-step skincare routines to lipstick colors to plastic surgery. Her book is heavily-reported, but it also offers up her own reflections on the intense pressure around women’s appearances and how Elise wants her own daughters to think about beauty. ]]>

Tracie Hunte, correspondent and producer for WNYC studios, and Arionne Nettles, journalism lecturer at Northwestern University, join us to wade through some of the week’s most amusing stories, from the coronation to a study on how to properly call a cat. Then, Tre’vell Anderson tells us about their beautiful new book We See Each Other: A Black Trans Journey Through TV and Film. It’s a look at the history of trans representation on screen, as well as an exploration of Tre’vell’s own journey of self discovery as a Black, trans entertainment journalist.]]>

The Pulitzer Prize in fiction was awarded this week to Hernan Diaz’s novel ‘Trust,’ a Nerdette Book Club pick! To celebrate, we are sharing our book club conversation with the author from December of last year. In this spoiler-free episode, Hernan discusses the novel, male privilege, and who does – and doesn’t – have the power to tell their own story. Hernan shares the prize with Barbara Kingsolver for her novel ‘Demon Copperhead.’

Get ready to add a LOT of new titles to your TBR list this summer! Three of the best readers around came on to talk about the book they’re extra excited about: Liberty Hardy, senior contributing editor and podcast host at Book Riot, Lupita Aquino, who is on Instagram and Substack as Lupita Reads, and Traci Thomas, host of The Stacks podcast. Head to our website for more info on the books mentioned in today's episode: https://trib.al/QhoRdF0Here are the titles in order of appearance: Rivermouth by Alejandra Oliva Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-BrenyahWhen Crack Was King by Donovan X. Ramsey Loot by Tania James Where There Was Fire by John Manuel Arias The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei The Weaver and the Witch Queen by Genevieve Gornichec Raw Dog by Jamie Loftus Still Born by Guadalupe Nettel The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff Happiness Falls by Angie Kim American Whitelash by Wesley Lowery 24 Hours in Charlottesville by Nora Neus The People Who Report More Stress by Alejandro VarelaMy Murder by Katie Williams ]]>

Our May book club pick is ‘Take What You Need’ by Idra Novey. The story opens with Leah, who has just learned that her estranged stepmother Jean died falling off a ladder while making a giant, metal sculpture. The book alternates points of view between Leah in the novel’s present day, and Jean before she died. It explores messy familial relationships, creativity, and the changing American cultural landscape. Idra joined us for this spoiler-free conversation. Book club will be back the last Tuesday of the month and you are invited to join in! Record a voice memo with your reaction to the book, plus where you're calling from. Then, email that file to NerdettePodcast at Gmail dot com. You may just hear yourself on our next book club episode!

Niala Boodhoo, host of the podcast Axios Today, and Inkoo Kang, TV critic for The New Yorker, recommend the best things to read, watch, and listen to right now. Then, director Kelly Fremon Craig shares her experience adapting Judy Blume’s seminal 1970 novel ‘Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.’ for the screen. You can find the complete list of recommendations at our website: https://trib.al/NFBwbMU

Book club is back to discuss ‘Better the Blood’ by Michael Bennett! It’s about Hana Westerman, a Māori police detective who is hunting down a serial killer in Auckland, New Zealand. Angeline Boulley, author of the YA novel ‘The Firekeeper’s Daughter,’ and Steph Matuku, a New Zealand author who writes YA books centered on Māori characters, join us. We discuss the parallels to the history of colonialism in the U.S. and the complexities of the serial killer’s mission. Warning, there are spoilers in this episode, so if you have not read the book yet, you can go back and listen to our spoiler-free interview with Michael Bennett first! Thank you to all of the listeners who called in. We appreciate you!

The Atlantic’s Shirley Li and ‘Articles of Interest’ host Avery Trufelman stop by to chat about the end of an era for Netflix’s DVDs, the popularity of voice notes, and the woman who spent 500 days in a cave. Then, writer, actor, comedian, and musician Lane Moore joins us to discuss her new book ‘You Will Find Your People: How to Make Meaningful Friendships as an Adult.’ Plus, in this week’s installment of our Nerdy Jobs series, Micah Morton explains how food stylists make edible art.

Margaret Willison, communications director and faculty for Not Sorry Productions, and Christina Tucker, host of the podcast ‘Wait, Is This a Date?,’ return to discuss the ethics of TV spoilers, NPR’s decision to leave the Twitter-sphere, and why HBO thinks Max is a good idea. Then, one of our favorite chefs, Abra Berens, chats about her new book ‘Pulp: A Practical Guide to Cooking with Fruit.’ Plus, we share another rendition of our Nerdy Jobs series, where we take a peek into a person’s very specific and maybe a little strange job. This week, we head to the opera to discover how a lighting designer brings stories to life through light. Marcella Barbeau is a freelance lighting designer based in New York City.

We are bringing you a collection of stories from our Nerdy Job series! These profiles are a chance to learn about how a person ended up doing something super cool, surprising, and maybe even a little random. We talk to board game designer Elizabeth Hargrave, professional Netflix binge-watcher Sherrie Gulmahamad, and knitting pattern designers Andrea Mowry, Jennifer Berg, and Safiyyah Talley. Do you have a nerdy job? Do you know someone who does? Email us at NerdettePodcast at gmail!

Our April book club pick is ‘Better the Blood’ by Michael Bennett. It is both a page-turning detective novel and a deep exploration of the lasting scars of colonialism. Hana Westerman, a Māori detective in Auckland, New Zealand, discovers that a series of murders are connected to the execution of a Māori chief by British colonial soldiers more than 150 years earlier. In pursuing the serial killer, Hana must confront her loyalties to both the police and her roots. In this spoiler-free interview, we talk to Michael Bennett about his experience as the first Māori author to write a thriller about a Māori detective. We will be back on the last Tuesday of the month to discuss the book, spoilers and all, and you can participate! Record a voice memo with your thoughts on the book and email the file to NerdettePodcast at gmail. We can’t wait to hear from you!

This week, Justin Richmond, host of the new podcast ‘Started From the Bottom,’ and Bridget Todd, host of the podcasts ‘There Are No Girls on the Internet’ and ‘City Cast DC,’ stop by to talk about an AI-generated image of the pope, a party that only people named Ryan can attend, and the return of Succession for its final season. Then, food writer and chef Tamar Adler tells us about ‘The Everlasting Meal Cookbook: Leftovers A to Z.’ In it, she argues that repurposing leftovers is not just about being frugal, but it is actually the way that great cooking is done.

Since Rebecca Makkai’s novel ‘I Have Some Questions for You’ follows a podcast host who is investigating a crime, we decided to ask two podcast hosts who have done the same to talk about it! Jonquilyn Hill is the host of the Vox podcast ‘The Weeds’ and the former host of the WAMU podcast ‘Through the Cracks.’ Jason Moon is a reporter and producer at New Hampshire Public Radio, where he hosts ‘Bear Brook.’ Spoiler warning! We discuss what happens in this book in detail. You can find our spoiler-free interview with author Rebecca Makkai in our feed. Next month, we are reading ‘Better the Blood’ by Michael Bennett! Read it, then send us a voice memo at NerdettePodcast at gmail.

This week, we are making space to commemorate three years since COVID first hit the U.S. Shoes Off: A Sexy Asians Podcast co-hosts Susie An and Esther Yoon-Ji Kang of WBEZ help us to reflect on what we learned about ourselves during the past three years and what we hope to keep with us in the future. Plus, actor Mae Whitman tells us about starring in the new Hulu musical ‘Up Here,’ out now! You may remember Mae as Anne Veal from ‘Arrested Development’ (her? Yes, her.). We chat about treating yourself gently, the power of vulnerability and how Mae got the courage to take on her first singing role.

This week on Nerdette, we feature two of our favorite interviews from 2022, both with people who work to find hope and joy in tandem with difficulty and grief. First up is Dylan Marron, whose book ‘Conversations with People Who Hate Me’ is based on what he learned from his podcast with the same name. Then, poet Ross Gay reflects on an often overlooked emotion in his newest book, ‘Inciting Joy.’

This week, co-hosts of the podcast ‘Just Between Us,’ Gabe Dunn and Allison Raskin, stop by to talk about the dark side of credit card rewards programs, TikTok’s pros and cons for kids, and how old we feel in our brains. Also, did you know fewer and fewer teens are getting their driver’s licenses? We unpack the phenomenon with The Washington Post’s Caitlin Gibson. Plus, we hear a Nerdette listener and her high school sophomore, Kim and Bryce Herring, hash out why Bryce is dragging their feet on getting a learner’s permit.

Our March Book Club book is ‘I Have Some Questions’ for You by Rebecca Makkai! It’s a whodunit that interrogates the true crime genre, the carceral system and #MeToo narratives. The novel follows Bodie, a true crime podcaster who’s invited back to the boarding school she attended to teach a class. While back on campus, she is flooded with memories of her former roommate, Thalia, who was murdered during their time at school. A staffer, a Black man, was convicted of the crime. Yet, gaps in the investigation draw Bodie back into the case and push her to determine if the killer is actually still out there. Author Rebecca Makkai joined us for this spoiler-free conversation about the book! You’re invited to take part in book club too! Get your hands on a copy of the book and tell us what you think. You can record a voice memo on your smartphone and send the file to NerdettePodcast at gmail. We’ll try to include your voice in our spoiler-filled panel episode out on Tuesday, March 28!

This week, we are leaning into baking! First, our panelists, senior producer of WBEZ’s Reset Meha Ahmad and the host of WNYC and Futuro Studio’s La Brega podcast Alana Casanova-Burgess, stop by to chat about the decline in college English majors, a study that finds a connection between mask-wearing and self-perceived hotness, and our most recent baking endeavors. Then, Bon Appétit food editor Shilpa Uskokovic stops by to discuss her March cover story all about cakes! We explore her philosophy on food and her secret to the best brown butter. Plus, baker and food stylist Jesse Szewczyk shares four surprising and delicious cookie recipes from his book ‘Cookies: The New Classics.’ You can find all of the recipes mentioned in today’s episode at our website: https://tinyurl.com/35zsvrsv

Nerdette Book Club is back to discuss ‘How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures’ by Sabrina Imbler! This sparkling essay collection explores themes of community, queerness, and survival by weaving marine biology with stories from the author’s life. Kat Chow, former NPR reporter and the author of the memoir ‘Seeing Ghosts,’ and Rachel E. Gross, science journalist and author of ‘Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage,’ join us for the discussion. We gush about Sabrina’s writing, the power of empathy, and the beauty of creatures so unlike ourselves.

Jacoby Cochran, host of City Cast Chicago, and Erin Allen, host of WBEZ's The Rundown, join us to unwind from the week! The publisher of author Roald Dahl is making edits to his children’s books to make them more appropriate for today’s readers. We discuss whether it’s a good idea. Plus, we debate how often we need to wash our towels. Then, we talk to actor Zoë Chao about her role in the new ‘Party Down’ reboot on STARZ. The show originally ran for two seasons back in 2009 and 2010. Now, it’s back for more. Zoë plays a new character on the team, Lucy Dang, a very serious and hilarious chef. We talk about the stress she felt joining a cast that was already so beloved.

NPR political correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben and WBEZ host and reporter Araceli Gómez-Aldana join the panel this week! We analyze an extremely comprehensive list of etiquette rules for 2023 from The Cut and discuss what it’s like for monogamous couples to sleep in separate bedrooms. Then, Erica Berry tells us about her new book ‘Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear.’ It’s about not only the animal, but also the symbolic role the wolf has played in history and culture for hundreds of years.

This week, Dave Franco and Alison Brie join us to talk about their new rom-com, ‘Somebody I Used to Know.’ Dave and Alison wrote the movie together. They also happen to be married. We chat about how they navigated it all on set, plus Alison's passion for streaking!

February’s book club pick is ‘How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures’ by Sabrina Imbler. From a mother octopus, to shimmering salps on the shores of a queer beach, to predatory worms, Sabrina looks at each creature as a symbol for their own life experiences. Part memoir, part science journalism, their essays explore themes of survival, gender, care, and joy. Sabrina joined us for this spoiler-free conversation about the book. We talked about what draws them to the sea, craft, and “charismatic creatures.” You can join in the conversation too! Record a voice memo with your thoughts on the book and email the file to NerdettePodcast [at] Gmail [dot] com by February 23. We will try to include your voice in our panel conversation! Here’s one question that you can answer: what sea creature do you identify with and why?

We are bringing you an episode of NPR’s ‘Book of the Day’ podcast! Everyday, that podcast highlights a recent story or interview about books from NPR. Listen to host Leila Fadel speak with author George M. Johnson about their memoir ‘All Boys Aren’t Blue’ and the challenges to books by school boards across the country.

We discuss the nostalgia and magic in ‘Now Is Not the Time to Panic’ by Kevin Wilson. Our panelists this month are Angie Kim, author of ‘Miracle Creak,’ and Gwen Kirby, author of ‘S*** Cassandra Saw.’ Be warned! We do not hold back on spoilers in this episode! Also, we extend a very special thanks to all of the listeners who called in!

Our weekly panel chat is back! NPR’s Code Switch hosts B.A. Parker and Lori Lizarraga join us to discuss the week’s pop culture news. We cover the Academy Award nominations, cultural expectations for tipping and a man who survived off of ketchup while lost at sea. Then, Maintenance Phase co-host Aubrey Gordon tells us about her new book ‘You Just Need to Lose Weight: And 19 Other Myths About Fat People.’ In it, she tackles untruths like "being fat is a choice" and “fat people don’t experience discrimination.” We talk about how to combat anti-fat bias and Aubrey’s hope for greater legal protections.

In the final installment of our “Undercover” series, we head to the movies (or just your living room couch)! Some of today’s biggest films and TV shows are adaptations of books. So what does it take to make a written story just as evocative on-screen? Can the movie *ever* be as good as the book? We take you inside the creative process for series like ‘Interview with the Vampire,’ ‘Little Fires Everywhere,’ and more.

For our special series “Undercover,” we are taking a deep dive into some of the different ways a book comes to life! This week, we’re peeking behind the curtain to learn more about one of Greta’s favorite ways to experience a story: the audiobook! We follow the lifecycle of a “book on tape” from author to producer to narrator to the sounds coming out of your earbuds.

Nerdette Book Club is back for another year of reading! Our January pick is ‘Now Is Not the Time to Panic’ by Kevin Wilson. It’s about Frankie, a misfit teen girl in rural Tennessee, and the one summer she will never forget. She meets Zeke, a fellow weirdo, and the two create an enigmatic poster together that upends their small town and, eventually, the world. Kevin joined us for a conversation about how the book came to be, his interest in strange, stunted characters, and why he sees this as his most personal novel yet. We would love to include you in our book club conversation! First, read the book. Then, record a voice memo on your smart phone with your thoughts. Send it to NerdettePodcast [at] gmail [dot] com by Monday, January 23. We’ll try to include you in the episode. Happy reading!

Nerdette is embarking on "Undercover," a three-part series into the different ways a book comes to life. First up, we take a look at a seemingly small, but very important element of a book: blurbs. Praise from well-known writers can help a new author find their footing, but the system is all about who knows who. We talk to authors, editors and readers about whether it’s time for a revamp.

Happy Holidays! Team Nerdette is taking a break this week and we're bringing you a special episode from our friends at WBEZ's Making podcast. Robyn Rihanna Fenty was just 16 when she signed a record deal with Jay-Z. She was 19 when her smash hit “Umbrella” took the world by storm. Now at 34, she is not only known as a popstar but also a fashion mogul and billionaire. But how did she get here? Listen, and find out!

Nerdette Book Club’s December selection, Hernan Diaz’s critically-acclaimed ‘Trust,’ is a novel that invites readers to question the very act of reading. The historical novel is actually four different pieces of writing — a novella, an unfinished autobiography, a memoir and an excerpt from a personal diary. Each section changes the meaning of the preceding piece, creating what critic Hillary Kelly called a “puzzle box” in her review for LA Times. Kelly joined Lupita Aquino, who you can find on Instagram as @LupitaReads, to unpack the elements of this multi-layered story.

Now that it's officially winter, there's no better time to catch up on the best TV series of the year. The New Yorker’s Inkoo Kang is back to wrap up the best in television of 2022, including a comedy special, a couple of genre-blurring memoirs and a new take on an old trope. You can find her full list at our website: https://tinyurl.com/59yxzdfa

MJ Franklin, editor at The New York Times Book Review, joins Greta to discuss the best books of 2022. Plus, listeners chime in with their own book recommendations. You can find a list of all the books mentioned in today’s episode here: https://tinyurl.com/4jxyduuv

From Italian true crime to juicy gossip, Vulture podcast critic Nick Quah is back to share his top 5 podcasts of the year! You can find Nick's full list at our website: https://tinyurl.com/273xeerc

December's Book Club pick is ‘Trust’ by Hernan Diaz. It's one of Greta's favorite books of the year. In this spoiler-free episode, Hernan discusses the rhetoric of male power and who does – and doesn’t – have the power to tell their own story. Stay tuned for a spoiler-filled episode later this month, but before then, tell us what you think! Email your thoughts about ‘Trust’ to NerdettePodcast [at] gmail [dot] com for a chance to be featured in the final book club discussion of the year!

This week, Jasmine Garsd, host of NPR’s The Last Cup, and Brandon Pope, host of WBEZ’s Making, drop in to discuss the World Cup, a lawsuit against Velveeta and the word of the year: gaslighting. Then, Radiolab reporter Heather Radke joins us to discuss her book, ‘Butts: A Backstory.’ It explores the history of the human behind and, as she puts it, "the multiple ways that patriarchy and misogyny can infect women’s bodies.”

Nerdette Book Club is back for a spoiler-filled episode to discuss this month’s pick, ‘Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm’ by Laura Warrell. Public radio reporter Sonari Glinton and host of NPR’s 1A, Jenn White, join us to unpack Warrell’s jazzy debut novel. We also get the chance to listen to some of our amazing listeners. Thank you for calling in!

Poet Ross Gay joins us to talk about his new essay collection, 'Inciting Joy,' and the beauty of finding solace and solidarity in complex life experiences. Plus, we hear from Nerdette listeners about what you are grateful for this holiday season!

‘Who? Weekly’ hosts Bobby Finger and Lindsey Weber stop by to share their favorite celebrity gossip of 2022. They also offer highbrow and lowbrow viewing recommendations for the upcoming holiday weekend. Then, ‘She Said’ director Maria Schrader discusses centering the voices of survivors in #MeToo narratives.

Nerdette’s “resident epidemiologist,” Dr. Emily Landon of University of Chicago Medicine, explains everything you need to know about navigating Covid, the flu and RSV this holiday season.

We unwind from election week with 'Parenting is a Joke' podcast host Ophira Eisenberg and 'Fake the Nation' host Negin Farsad. Then, Claire Saffitz tells us about her new cookbook 'What's for Dessert.' Plus, we dip our toes into the weird world of YODELING.

This week, host of NPR’s ‘It’s Been A Minute,’ Brittany Luse, and host of NPR’s ‘Embedded,’ Kelly McEvers, drop in to talk about the $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot, Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover, and “pandemic amnesty.” Then, if you need TV recommendations for this cozy fall weather, The New Yorker’s Inkoo Kang has got you covered. You can find Inkoo’s list of shows at our website: https://www.wbez.org/stories/what-would-you-do-with-a-billion-bucks/1d9a7529-65bd-4ada-929e-1ec8b9c8fbed

This November, Nerdette Book Club is reading Laura Warrell’s debut novel, ‘Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm.’ It’s about Circus Palmer, a struggling 40-something jazz trumpeter in Boston and the women he admires and disappoints. Laura Warrell joins us for a spoiler-free conversation about her jazz-filled, debut novel and the joys of becoming a published author later in life. Read along with us and tell us what you think! Record a voice memo on your phone and email us at nerdettepodcast@gmail.com to be featured in our final book club discussion on the final Tuesday of the month. Happy reading!

We discuss candy, tombstones and television recommendations with two fun Halloween freaks. Delia Cai is a correspondent for Vanity Fair and Nick Quah is a podcast critic for Vulture. Then, Michelin star chef Sarah Grueneberg stops by to chat about her new cookbook ‘Listen to Your Vegetables.’ Plus, Utah State University English professor Joyce Kinkead tells us about the history of writer’s block.

Nerdette Book Club is wrapping up October with this spoilery and delightful conversation on Celeste Ng’s newest novel, ‘Our Missing Hearts.’ Our panelists are Dessa, rapper and author of the new poetry collection ‘Tits on the Moon,’ and Elise Hu, ‘Ted Talks Daily’ host and NPR host-at-large. Thank you to all of the listeners who joined the conversation!

We chat about life as a professional reader with book influencer Lupita Aquino and ‘Missing Pages’ podcast host Bethanne Patrick. Plus, we talk to Veronica Roth, author of the 'Divergent' series, about her new dystopian novel for adults called 'Poster Girl.' You can find a list of the books mentioned in today’s episode at our website: https://www.wbez.org/stories/a-very-bookish-episode/5eef5d33-23eb-4227-8ee0-437db7db7429

Lauren Chooljian, Senior Producer at New Hampshire Public Radio, and Jonquilyn Hill, Senior Producer at Vox and host of The Weeds podcast, join us for a cozy, good time. We discuss record-setting pumpkins, gift-giving ethics, and butter boards.Then, Bon Appetit contributor and food writer Alex Beggs shares her five favorite cookbooks coming out this fall.You can find Alex’s list at our website.]]>

Axios Today host Niala Boodhoo and Homemade Stories host Shannon Cason join us to dish on the latest pop culture news, from the rom-com ‘Bros’ to the new purple M&M. Then, Liberty Hardy, host of Book Riot’s 'ALL THE BOOKS!’ podcast and writer of the Patreon newsletter ‘What’s my page again?,’ gives us her list of favorite books out this fall. Plus, the Nerdette team and some of our listeners share their own reading recommendations. You can find the full list at our website: https://www.wbez.org/nerdette

This October, Nerdette Book Club is reading Celeste Ng’s new novel, ‘Our Missing Hearts.’ It follows Bird, a 12-year-old boy living with his father in an alternate version of the United States, which has undergone a “crisis.” Anti-Asian hate is rampant, children are quietly being taken from their families, and books that are seen as unpatriotic are disappearing from library shelves. Celeste Ng joined us for a spoiler-free conversation on the historical influences behind the novel, the power of myth, and the paradoxes of motherhood. Listen, read, then tell us what you think! Send a voice memo to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com to participate in our panel discussion on the book at the end of the month. Happy reading!

This week, the hosts of NPR’s Invisiblia, Yowei Shaw and Kia Miakka Natisse, stop by to discuss NASA’s asteroid mission, the CIA’s new podcast and a child art prodigy. Then, we dive into the history of literary pseudonyms with Carmela Ciuraru, author of ‘Nom de Plume.’ Plus, Autostraddle CEO Riese Bernard explores why so many queer TV shows have been canceled after one season with Nerdette producer Anna Bauman.

Nerdette Book Club is back to discuss our September book, ‘Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow’ by Gabrielle Zevin. Our panelists are Jason Concepcion, co-host of ‘The Official Game of Thrones Podcast: House of the Dragon’ with Nerdette’s Greta Johnsen, and Amber Sparks, author of ‘And I Do Not Forgive You.’ Special thanks to all of the listeners who contributed your voices to this chat! We love y’all.

WBEZ’s Adora Namigadde and Lauren Ober, host of the podcast ‘The Loudest Girl in the World, discuss ukuleles, ants, and scrunchies, all of which had news-worthy moments this week. Plus, what should you do with old clothes? We ask The Atlantic’s Amanda Mull.

WBEZ’s Meha and Ahmad and The New Yorker’s Helen Rosner join Greta to talk about King Charles’s standoff with a pen, the new unsend feature for iPhones, and pumpkin spice’s entrée into Merriam-Webster. Then, we talk to romance writer Jasmine Guillory about her eighth book, ‘Drunk on Love.’

We are living for the drama behind the scenes of the film Don’t Worry Darling. Our fabulous guests, Christina Tucker, co-host of Autostraddle’s ‘Wait, Is This a Date?’ podcast, and Margaret Willison, culture writer and podcaster with Not Sorry Productions, unpack it all. Plus, W. Kamau Bell and Kate Schatz stop by to discuss their new book ‘Do the Work! An Antiracist Activity Book.’

We have a spoiler-free conversation with author Gabrielle Zevin about our September book club pick, ‘Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow.’ Book club will be back on the last Tuesday of the month and you are invited to participate! Send us a voice memo with your take on ‘Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow’ and we will try to include you in the episode. You can reach us at nerdettepodcast@gmail.com.

The co-hosts of NPR's Code Switch, Gene Demby and B.A. Parker, join us to discuss moon launches, Megan Thee Stallion on Marvel, and a marinara traffic jam. Plus, Camryn Jones talks about playing Tiffany in the Amazon Prime show 'Paper Girls,' which is about a squad of teen time travelers.

Sam Sanders and Saeed Jones help us unpack a big week, from student loan forgiveness to the made up phrase “quiet quitting.” Sam is the host of the Vulture podcast ‘Into It’ and Saeed Jones is author of the forthcoming poetry collection ‘Alive at the End of the World.’ They are also two of the hosts of the new Stitcher podcast ‘Vibe Check.’ Then, indie rock musician Courtney Barnett tells us about her extreme vulnerability in the new documentary ‘Anonymous Club.’

We’re sharing all of the best things to do during your last days of summer! First, ‘Maintenance Phase’ host Aubrey Gordon and ‘There Are No Girls on the Internet’ host Bridget Todd give their recommendations for things to read, watch, and listen to. Then, food writer Alex Beggs and New York Times restaurant critic Tejal Rao share their favorite slacker picnic recipes. You can find a list of all of the recommendations included in today’s show at our website: https://www.wbez.org/stories/summer-is-not-over/a5ce7aa0-49dd-4e37-9844-0aafe6bd5577?preview=1660849625190

Nerdette’s “resident epidemiologist,” Dr. Emily Landon of The University of Chicago, returns to give us her advice for navigating monkeypox and COVID-19.

This week, the panel discusses the one and only Serena Williams, millennials on defense on TikTok, and the rise of Italian beef. We’re joined by City Cast Chicago’s Jacoby Cochran, Chicago Tribune’s Britt Julious, and Nerdette guest host Araceli Gómez-Aldana.

We discuss none other than the queen, Beyoncé, with WBEZ metro reporter Adora Namigadde and Director of Audio at Medill School of Journalism Arionne Nettles. Plus, Vox’s Emily Stewart tells us about the pandemic purchases that many have grown to regret.

‘Fanti’ podcast hosts Tre’vell Anderson and Jarrett Hill join us to unpack the week. Then, Vulture’s Carrie Wittmer walks us through a timeline of Jane Austen film adaptations. Plus, Gloria Liu tells us about her piece for Outside Magazine, “One Woman’s Wholesome Mission to Get Naked Outside.”

The co-hosts of Celebrity Book Club, Lily Marotta and Stephen Phillips-Horst, join us to unpack the week that was. Then, The New York Times Magazine writer Marcela Valdes tells us about the efforts to diversify the publishing industry. Plus, has reality TV become a parody of itself? We ask Wired’s Kate Knibbs.

Podcasters Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meinzer stop by to talk about Emmy nods and snubs, the incredible images from the James Webb space telescope, and the best conversation-starters. Then, we check in with Lucy Westlake, the youngest American woman to summit Mount Everest,

We teamed up with WBEZ’s Curious City to answer a listener's question about how librarians always seem to know what we want to read before we do.

We check in on how YOU are feeling. Plus, bestselling author Susan Cain tells us why she is happy to be melancholy.

The news is a lot right now, so we're checking in. Send your voice memos to nerdettepodcast [at] gmail [dot] com for Friday's episode.

Book Riot’s Liberty Hardy reads hundreds of books a year. She tells us the best new books of this summer.

EGOTS for everyone! This week, ‘City Cast Chicago’ host Jacoby Cochran and Vox’s Jonquilyn Hill join the panel to talk about the week in pop culture. Then, Linda Holmes tells us about her new book ‘Flying Solo.’ Plus, we listen back to our interview with Michael Greyeyes in honor of the release of ‘Rutherford Falls’ season 2.

First, we talk about updating the Bechdel test and re-embracing Kate Bush with bestselling author and host of ‘Bad With Money’ Gaby Dunn. Then, we hear about the new HBO documentary ‘The Janes,’ which is about a group of women who performed abortions before it was legal. Plus, what are the best summer blockbusters?

The New York Times bestselling author reflects on his writing before and after the #MeToo movement.

We talk about the cake throwing incident at the Mona Lisa and all of the TV you should watch this summer. Plus, a viral tweet says there are only 35 premises in all of literature, and … it's not far off?

Ready or not, book club is taking on the horror novel ‘This Thing Between Us’ by Gus Moreno. We chat with two horror enthusiasts, Chicago bookseller Javier Ramirez and writer Gabino Iglesias.

Yes, COVID is still a thing. Nerdette’s “resident epidemiologist” Dr. Emily Landon gets us up to speed.

Writer Amil Niazi tells us why ditched ambition for mediocrity. Plus, we talk to Emma Straub, author of one of this year's most anticipated books, 'This Time Tomorrow.'

We round up the best cookbooks of the year so far. Plus, chefs give us their recommendations for cooking with late spring vegetables.

Here is an episode that you can dance to! J.P. Brammer and Daniel Lavery unpack the week in pop culture. Then, Sofía Valdés tells us about her lush new EP. Plus, we have the soundtrack for your summer!

Gus Moreno joins us to talk about his terrifying debut novel.

Elon Musk attempts a Twitter takeover. Plus, Julia Child’s legacy 60 years after her television debut.

Our panel discusses the multigenerational epic and whether or not the television adaptation measures up.

We unwind from another tumultuous almost-spring with the producer and host of the podcast ‘Normal Gossip.’ Topics include our (irrational?) love of houseplants, our ambivalence about Season 2 of ‘Russian Doll’ after a perfect Season 1, and what we love about banned books.

The planets are aligning. Are you ready for a new vibe? Kat Chow and Margaret Willison discuss. Then, Jennifer Egan tells us about her new book ‘The Candy House.’ Plus, the history behind the “adopt don’t shop” dog rescue movement.

Emily St. John Mandel tells us about her new book ‘Sea of Tranquility.’ Plus, we dig into the significance of the new Amazon union.

Our book club dives into ‘Notes on an Execution’ by Danya Kukafka and contends with our cultural obsession with crime stories.

We talk to Dylan Marron about his podcast ‘Conversations with people who hate me.’ Plus, are travel guidebooks dead? Or are they cake?

Is whole grain flour the secret to the best chocolate chip cookie? Plus, the woman who swims in Lake Michigan every day.

Listen to our live event on crafting and activism with Shannon “Badass Cross Stitch” Downey.

Nerdette’s “resident epidemiologist” answers your questions on the lifting of mask mandates. Plus, we listen to the pop stars singing “F U.”

We talk about the catharsis of crying at the movies and trade recommendations for what to watch this weekend.

We talk to the author about her decision to upend the tropes of crime fiction in her new novel.

Are you ready to read or watch content about the pandemic? Plus, we take a look at equal pay in soccer and beyond.

We dig into Gwen E. Kirby's 'S*** Cassandra Saw' with Glory Edim of Well Read Black Girl and Jess Zimmerman, author of 'Women and Other Monsters.'

Today Explained podcast hosts Noel King and Sean Rameswaram round up the news of the week with us. Then, we talk to one of the showrunners behind the bear hug of a show Somebody Somewhere from HBO. Plus, did you know that you could binge watch Netflix for a living?

We talk about the Olympics and the Oscars with the hosts of Slate’s ICYMI podcast, Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher. Plus, two delightful interviews with the singer Shamir and the board game designer Elizabeth Hargrave.

Did Wordle sell out? And what’s going on with banned books? We get into it. Plus, three delightful knitting designers tell us about their craft.

We talk to Gwen E. Kirby about her debut short story collection.

“For Colored Nerds” hosts Eric Eddings and Brittany Luse discuss some weird and wonderful things from the week. Book Riot’s Liberty Hardy shares some of the best books coming out in the early months of 2022. Her list includes… “Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband?” by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn (1/18) “Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow” (4/5) “Sea of Tranquility” by Emily St. John Mandel (4/5) “Unlikely Animals” by Annie Hartnett (4/12) “Nettle & Bone” by T. Kingfisher (4/26) And WHAT IS TIME?! We ask Chad Orzel, physicist and author of the new book “A Brief History of Timekeeping.”

Authors Adriana Herrera and Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney join us to unpack the twists and turns of Xochitl Gonzalez’s dazzling debut novel.

This week, we pay tribute to the late fashion icon André Leon Talley, discuss a troublesome murder of crows and dive into the new book How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu. Plus, we talk to a conservation biologist with a delicious solution to the issue of invasive species.

Nerdette’s "resident epidemiologist" Dr. Emily Landon is back to cut through the noise and help us navigate the pandemic now.

We ring in the new year with a panel discussion on the huge snowstorm in the mid Atlantic and the death of the BlackBerry. Author Catherine Price explains why fun is an essential part of life. And what does the sun actually sound like? One of the scientists behind the first spacecraft to touch the sun’s atmosphere tells us all about it.

We are kicking off 2022 with Xochitl Gonzalez’s dazzling debut novel about political scandal, family bonds, gentrification and a whole lot more. Xochitl joins us for a spoiler-free chat about how her former career as a wedding planner inspired her to write this story.

Thousands of hours of podcasts came out this year. But how many were actually good? The New Yorker’s Sarah Larson and Vulture’s Nick Quah give us a taste of the best of the best.

This month on Nerdette Book Club, we talk to two poets about Andrea Gibson’s poetry collection ‘You Better Be Lightning.’

Linda Holmes and Aisha Harris, co-hosts of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour, share their top TV shows of the year.

We take stock of the year in books with an editor from The New York Times Book Review and the host of The Stacks podcast.

Our panel dives into the maple syrup shortage. Plus, we take a look at the best cookbooks of 2021.

We talk to Andrea Gibson about their gorgeous new poetry collection, ‘You Better Be Lightning.’

Tre’vell Anderson and Jarrett Hill, co-hosts of the FANTI podcast, join us to discuss the pronunciation of Omicron, Spotify “Wrapped” playlists, and getting stuck in a British pub. Then, we hear from Grace Bonney about her new book Collective Wisdom: Lessons, Inspiration, and Advice from Women over 50.

Romance enthusiasts Tia Williams and Jessica Pryde join the book club to dig into the feminist bodice ripper Bombshell by Sarah MacLean. It’s a romp!

Athletic eating doesn’t need to stop with the Thanksgiving meal. New York Times Cooking experts Melissa Clark and Tejal Rao teach us how to make the best of our leftovers.

Winter sure is coming, so Nerdette’s resident epidemiologist Dr. Emily Landon is back to answer all of your COVID questions.

We’ve all heard way more about supply chains this year than ever before, but how will the shortages and delays affect your holiday book haul? Nerdette goes on a journey through the publishing industry to find out. But first, the panel gets into vaccines for kids and People magazine’s choice for the sexiest man alive, Paul Rudd.

The panel debates daylight saving time, canceling classic rock, and how to stop your job from becoming your life. Plus, we learn how to make beans interesting every day of the week.

We talk to bestselling romance novelist Sarah MacLean about her feminist bodice ripper Bombshell.

To get into the Halloween spirit, Erik Larson tells us a ghost story and a monster expert explains why werewolves are hot right now.

The Nerdette Book Club unpacks Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki with book nerds Jenn Northington and Christina Orlando.

This week, our panel takes a stab at renaming Facebook and mulls over the new Dune adaptation starring Timothée Chalamet. Then, we talk about two special guides for life, one on feminism for girls and non-binary teens and another on using tarot for self-care.

The duo behind Black Nerd Problems join the panel to unpack the week so you don’t have to. Plus, two authors share stories on women’s self portraits and coming out at any age.

This week, our panel takes a look at some of the most complicated friendships in our lives: Facebook friends, unvaccinated friends, and ‘bad art friends.’ We even talk about some animal ones too, with bestselling author Mary Roach.

We discuss deals with the devil, intergalactic warfare, and defiant joy with author Ryka Aoki.

It’s not easy being the first in any field. Just ask our two trailblazing guests, former NCAA swimmer Schuyler Bailar and tubist Richard Antoine White.

Lit Society Pod co-hosts Kari Herrera and Alexis Honoria join Greta to process Michelle Zauner’s devastating, delicious memoir. (Heads up: you might want tissues for this one.)

It's all TV and trees this week! We're joined by culture reporter Hannah Giorgis (The Atlantic), canopy ecologist Meg Lowman, and Chicago's finest "Bachelor"-ologists: Mina Bloom and Brandon Pope.

You asked, we delivered! Infectious disease expert Emily Landon is back to take your questions on variants, vaccines, and more.

This one’s all about anxiety! We talk about how Naomi Osaka is paving the way for all of us with WBEZ education reporter Susie An and Axios Today host Niala Boodhoo, then neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki talks to us about why anxiety is still so misunderstood. Plus, we catch up with Lauren Groff about her wonderfully weird novel, 'Matrix.'

Today on Nerdette we're bringing you a fascinating interview from another WBEZ podcast - Art of Power. Leigh Bardugo is the author of the bestselling 'Shadow and Bone' trilogy. Leigh talks with Aarti Shahani about the many ups and downs she traversed before ultimately landing at success.

How is it September already?! We talk music news with Certified Music People™ Jasmine Garsd (NPR) and Jill Hopkins (Vocalo). Then, we check in with actor Harvey Guillén, who does all his own stunts as Guillermo de la Cruz in 'What We Do in the Shadows,' and walk through a recommendation from the American Medical Association that could make life a lot easier for trans and intersex folks.

It's our long-awaited episode on Kazuo Ishiguro’s 'Klara and the Sun'! We dive into the Nobel prize-winner’s latest with writer Anita Felicelli, who recently reviewed ‘Klara and the Sun’ for the Los Angeles Review of Books, and author Veronica Roth (‘Divergent,’ ‘Chosen Ones’).

WTTW anchor Brandis Friedman and WBEZ reporter Araceli Gómez-Aldana talk to us about Lil Nas X’s new gig with Taco Bell, if anything we watch is “good” in the age of armchair critics, and why the baby from the cover of Nirvana’s 'Nevermind' isn’t smiling anymore. Then, TV critic Kathryn VanArendonk christens a new genre we can get behind (White Man As Obstacle) and author Jess Zimmerman takes a feminist spin on Greek myths.

We’re back with a panel! This week, we talk COVID, Jeopardy!, and #RushTok with WBEZ daily newsletter writer Hunter Clauss and New York Times TV critic Margaret Lyons. Then, Eve Ewing tells us about 'Maya and the Robot,' her lovely new book for middle grade readers. (Note: We recorded this week’s panel on Thursday, before the news broke about Mike Richards leaving Jeopardy!)

This week, it’s all about SUMMER MOVIES. First, we check in with TIME’s Eliana Dockterman about what’s been good, what to avoid, and what the deal is with that whole ScarJo/Disney lawsuit situation. Then, we ask film critic Robert Daniels about his favorite movies of 2021 so far. His list may surprise you!

This week, two of our favorite eaters — Bon Appetit senior staff writer Alex Beggs and New York Times restaurant critic Tejal Rao — tell us why the best picnics might just be the least photogenic ones. They’re all about tiny swimsuits, big sandwiches, cold wine in insulated water bottles, and minimal, minimal effort.

Welcome back to Nerdette Book Club! It’s just like a regular book club only we have our own hashtag! This month we’re reading ‘Klara and the Sun’ by Nobel prize-winning Kazuo Ishiguro. Stay tuned for the panel discussion of the book later this month -- in the meantime, as if you didn’t need more books to add to our to-read list, Greta talks with book nerds Liberty Hardy and Bethanne Patrick about some of the best books they’ve read so far this year.

This week we check in with Jacoby Cochran, host of City Cast Chicago, and WBEZ politics reporter Mariah Woelfel about the CDC’s re-masking guidelines, the Jan. 6 hearing, and that Adam Driver centaur ad. Then, Carleton University journalism professor Sarah Everts joins to talk about her new book ‘The Joy of Sweat: The Strange Science of Perspiration.’ AND, Gabrielle Bluestone (aka the VICE reporter who broke the story on Fyre Festival) explains why we just can’t stop falling for scams.

Welcome back to Nerdette Book Club! It’s just like a regular book club only we have our own hashtag! This month we’re reading ‘Version Zero’ by David Yoon (‘Frankly In Love,’ ‘Super Fake Love Song’). In this fast-paced genre-defying tale, three friends team up to take down Big Tech. When they gain the support of a mysterious benefactor, the trio take their schemes to new heights -- only to realize they’re not as in control as they first thought… Here to help us unpack everything are Sameer Pandya, the author of ‘Members Only’ and a professor of Asian American Studies at UC Santa Barbara, and Elise Hu, host at large for NPR who also served as NPR’s bureau chief in Seoul. Plus, we hear from a bunch of listeners like you! Tune in wherever you get your podcasts.

We unpack the week that was with Joanne Freeman, a historian and co-host of ‘Now & Then’ podcast, and Kat Chow, a reporter and writer formerly with ‘Code Switch’ who now has an upcoming memoir called ‘Seeing Ghosts.’ Then, theoretical physicist Dr. Avi Loeb tells us why extraterrestrial intelligence is more likely than you think. AND! This month’s Book Club author David Yoon gives us a preview of what we can expect from Joy Revolution, the new YA imprint he runs with his wife Nicola Yoon.

We unpack the week that was with Joanne Freeman, a historian and co-host of ‘Now & Then’ podcast, and Kat Chow, a reporter and writer formerly with ‘Code Switch’ who now has an upcoming memoir called ‘Seeing Ghosts.’ Then, theoretical physicist Dr. Avi Loeb tells us why extraterrestrial intelligence is more likely than you think. AND! This month’s Book Club author David Yoon gives us a preview of what we can expect from Joy Revolution, the new YA imprint he runs with his wife Nicola Yoon.

We unpack the week that was with Arionne Nettles and Meha Ahmad, including the Euro Cup controversy, billionaires in space, and the latest (not greatest) food trend: mac and cheese ice cream. Then, Jenn Northington and Swapna Krishna tell us about ‘Sword Stone Table: Old Legends, New Voices.’ They’re the editors of this incredible new anthology of King Arthur stories retold by writers who hold marginalized identities. Plus, Anna North joins to dispel the myth of lockdown as a sabbatical once and for all.

Somehow we’re already halfway through 2021! So we thought it’d be the perfect time to revisit two of our favorite segments from the year so far. First up, it’s poet Ross Gay talking about delights! What are they? Why do they matter? And how can attending to them change your life for the better? Then, we listen back to our chat with Jeni Briton Bauer -- yes, *that* Jeni -- the world’s biggest ice cream nerd!

Welcome back to Nerdette Book Club! It's just like a regular book club except you never have to leave your house! This month we're reading 'Version Zero,' the latest from YA powerhouse David Yoon ('Frankly In Love,' 'Super Fake Love Song') and Yoon's first offering for "grown ups." (We're putting that in quotes because at Nerdette, we believe YA is for everyone! But you get what we mean.) 'Version Zero' is a futuristic thriller about a group of friends who discover the dark side of the internet and decide to do something about it. There's action, suspense, a love triangle, and a reclusive billionaire. Basically, it's a great ride. Listen to our spoiler-free interview with David Yoon, and if you're reading along, make sure to record your questions/comments/thoughts/reactions and send them in to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com. We'll be back later this month with a super spoiler-y discussion about the book with some amazing panelists. Until then, enjoy!

We unpack the week that was, including ‘Zola,’ heat waves, and the Delta variant, with Priska Neely and Anna Rubanova. Then, Abby Browde, co-creator of ‘A Thousand Ways,’ tells us what inspired this delightfully strange... play? (You’ll have to listen to the interview for a better description!) AND we hear from the first ever editorial director of the New York Times Games section Everdeen Mason, who says she’s got big plans for crossword land...

We discuss the week that was with the hosts of ‘The Cut’ podcast, Jazmin Aguilera and B.A. Parker. That means, of course, Britney Spears’ latest statement on her conservatorship, the case of the cursing cheerleader, and online dating! Plus, Michael Greyeyes stops by to tell us all the reasons why ‘Rutherford Falls’ should be on your watch list. It’s a pretty great time!

It’s that time again! This month, we discuss Maggie Shipstead’s ‘Great Circle’ with book critic Bethanne Patrick and Kirkus fiction reviewer Laurie Muchnick. We talk about scale, art, and the Arctic. Plus, we hear from some of you!

The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, and the beaches are packed. Whether you’re working or basking, we have some recommendations for books to read and jams to hang to this summer.

Writers Heather Havrilesky and Daniel Lavery join to unpack the week that was, including FOMO, vaccine incentives, and Simone Biles. We also hear from Dr. Carl Hart, a drug researcher at Columbia University who thinks drugs should be legal again! And last but not least, author Martha Wells tells us about her surprisingly delightful series 'Murderbot Diaries.'

Welcome back to the Nerdette Book Club! It’s just like a regular book club only we never have to know if you actually read the book! This month our pick is ‘Great Circle’ by Maggie Shipstead. At just over 600 pages, it’s a hefty read but SO worth it. The story follows Marian Graves, a 20th century aviatrix who disappears during an attempt at circumnavigating the Earth, and Hadley Baxter, a modern day movie star who ends up playing Marian in a movie. It’s also about planes, WWII, bootlegging, untouched places, fame, celebrity gossip, love, Alaska, and so much more. Listen to this spoiler-free discussion with the author, and if you’re reading along make sure to send us your thoughts before our panel chat later this month! Just record yourself on your smartphone and send the file to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Relevant links include: Why The Ransomware Crisis Suddenly Feels So Relentless (via MIT Technology Review)Naomi Osaka And The Power Of ‘Nope’ (via New York Times)Viral Video Of Teen Pushing Bear Off Fence (via Instagram user @bakedlikepie)“Help Da Bear” Mystikal Freestyle (via YouTube)Sex Points by Bat Sheva MarcusNine Nasty Words by John McWhorter Nerdette’s Virtual Book Society Event!!! Join us!]]>

This week we checked back in with Dr. Emily Landon, an epidemiologist and infectious disease specialist at the University of Chicago, to get all of your latest COVID questions answered! We talked about the CDC’s new masking guidelines -- which she calls a “mistake” -- how to navigate reopening with unvaccinated kids, and the future of the pandemic. Thanks to everyone who submitted questions this week!

It’s that time again! This month, we discuss Susie Yang’s best selling debut novel ‘White Ivy’ with author Leland Cheuk (‘No Good Very Bad Asian’) and Barathi Nakkeeran, a New Delhi-based researcher and contributor to the Chicago Review of Books. We talk about class anxiety, anti heroes, and unhappy endings. Plus, we hear from a bunch of you! It’s a pretty good time!

This week we’re joined by ‘1A’ senior producer Jonquilyn Hill and Danielle Kurtzleben, co-host of ‘The NPR Politics Podcast.’ Together, we unpack the week that was, including societal reopening, UFOs, and the latest escalation in the unending generation wars. Plus, romance novelists Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, who have written more than a dozen novels together under the pen name Christina Lauren. They dish about their new book, how they became BFFs, and why they love the romance genre. AND science writer Olga Khazan explains why it’s never too late for you to change your personality. (But only if you want! We think you’re great just as you are.)

This week we’re joined by Amy Ratcliffe, author of ‘A Kids Guide To Fandom’ and managing editor of Nerdist, and Jasmine Warga, who wrote ‘Other Words For Home’ and ‘The Shape Of Thunder.’ They tell us about their “off the rails” pandemic moments, opinions on the Golden Globes, and how often they’ve been showering as of late. Then, Anna Sale, host of WNYC’s ‘Death, Sex, And Money’ joins to discuss her new book ‘Let’s Talk About Hard Things.’ AND, chemistry Youtuber and author of 'Chemistry For Breakfast' Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim nerds out about the science of everyday things.

Welcome back to Nerdette Book Club! It’s just like a regular book club only you never have to leave your house! This month’s pick is ‘White Ivy’ by Susie Yang. It’s a thrilling debut about a young Chinese American woman harboring a dark obsession for her childhood crush. Listen to our spoiler-free discussion of the book with Susie, and be sure to come back later this month for a spoiler-filled conversation with our distinguished panel. PLUS, don’t forget: we want to hear from you too! Record your thoughts about the collection and send an audio file to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com.

Greta’s back in the host seat this week, joined by the host of ‘Galaxy Brains’ Dave Schilling and WBEZ politics reporter Mariah Woelfel. They discuss the YOLO economy, Bill and Melinda Gates’ divorce, and say goodbye to all hope for an end to the pandemic. Then, Megan Ganz and Charlotte Nicdao stop by to tell us all about their Apple TV+ show ‘Mythic Quest,’ a workplace comedy about a company that makes a massive multiplayer online RPG. (Think ‘Fortnite’!)

Once again, we have made it to Friday. This week, Vocalo’s Jill Hopkins takes over while Greta is away enjoying the exotic sights and sounds of central Michigan. Our panelists are Madison Malone Kircher and Rachelle Hampton, the hosts of Slate’s new internet culture podcast 'ICYMI.' They discuss the surprisingly fraught landscape of post-vax unmasking, Biden’s first 100 days, and the impending demise of Yahoo Answers. (RIP Babby!) Then, Greta Johnsen returns to chat with Alison Bechdel about her latest graphic novel.

Welcome back to Nerdette Book Club! This month we’re reading ‘The Office of Historical Corrections’ by Danielle Evans. It’s a totally immersive short story collection that’s as funny as it is searching. If you love short stories, you’re in the right place. And if you’re still a little ‘meh’ on them, these stories will make you a believer! What makes a good collection? What are the stakes of historical accuracy? Can apologies still be meaningful when they’re public? We discuss these questions and more with guests Rebecca Makkai, author of ‘The Great Believers,’ and Jenn White, host of NPR’s ‘1A.’ Listen now!

Once again, we have made it to Friday y’all. Congratulations. This week we are joined by Lucas Silveira, musician and host of ‘Shine True,’ as well as Tre’vell Anderson, journalist and co-host of the podcast ‘FANTI’. We discuss the Mars helicopter, comedians who are swole, and of course the Chauvin verdict. Plus, Roxana Jullapat joins to talk about her highly anticipated cookbook ‘Mother Grains,’ which is all about the wonderful world of WHOLE GRAINS! And because we’ve all been thinking about (dreading?) it, we check in with entomologist Sammy Ramsey, aka Dr. Buggs, about the upcoming Cicada emergence.

It’s been a heavy week… Come process with us! This week we’re joined by Negin Farsad, comedian and host of Fake The Nation, and Aarti Shahani, host of Art of Power. We discuss the ongoing issue of police violence and wonder whether the Johnson & Johnson clots are really worth the hype. Then, podcast critic Nick Quah recommends his favorite new shows of the season. And Sarah Lyall reminds us that the pandemic wall is still a thing!

Welcome back to Nerdette Book Club! This month’s pick is ‘The Office of Historical Corrections’ by Danielle Evans. It’s a funny and expertly crafted new collection of short stories from the award winning author of ‘Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self.’ Listen to our spoiler-free discussion of the book with Danielle herself! And be sure to come back later this month for a spoiler-filled conversation with our distinguished panel. And don’t forget: we want to hear from you too! Record your thoughts about the collection and send an audio file to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com.

Would you carry a vaccine passport? Should we have to rely on corporate overlords to ensure our right to vote? Will you still watch “Bridgerton” even though Regé-Jean Page won’t be around? IS RE-WATCHING “GREY’S ANATOMY” A CRY FOR HELP???? We are joined this week by Hanna Rosin, who runs podcasts at New York Magazine, and Gillian B. White, managing editor at The Atlantic. Plus, Sarah Langan stops by to talk about her new book Good Neighbors, which we CAN’T RECOMMEND ENOUGH! AND, Margaret Lyons, TV critic for the New York Times, offers some suggestions for what to watch this spring.

Oh gosh, let’s see. COVID cases are rising again. The boat is no longer obstructing the Suez Canal. Derek Chauvin is on trial for the murder of George Floyd. And Lil Nas X is winning the internet! Jacoby Cochran, host of the City Cast Chicago podcast, and Jill Hopkins, host of Jill Afternoons on Vocalo, help us unpack the week that was. Plus, like the strident feminists we are, we are refusing to let go of Women’s History Month! So historian Rosalind Miles joins to discuss her latest book ‘The Women's History of the Modern World: How Radicals, Rebels, and Everywomen Revolutionized the Last 200 Years.’ AND Bethanne Patrick explains the phenomenon that is #BookTok.

It’s time for our March Book Club panel! This month we are discussing ‘Piranesi,’ Susanna Clarke’s long-awaited second novel. It’s a strange and compelling tale that will keep you wondering even after it ends. Joining us to unpack it are V.E. Schwab, author of (among many other things) ‘The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue,’ and Madeline Miller, author of ‘Circe’ and ‘Song of Achilles.’ Listen now!

Amazingly, we have made it through another week. This one was all about women’s basketball, girl bosses, and the USPS… and the canceled shrimp guy, but we won’t get into that here. Niala Boodhoo, host of the Axios Today podcast, and Lauren Chooljian, who makes podcasts for New Hampshire Public Radio, join to unpack the week that was. Then, we talk to wellness writer Virginia Sole-Smith about what’s really going on with BMI. AND Rebecca Schuman stops by to talk about her recent article “Hamsterkauf! Coronazeit! There’s a German Word for Your Pandemic Experience.”

It’s been a rough week. WBEZ’s Race, Class & Communities reporters Natalie Moore and Esther Yoon-Ji Kang join us to unpack it. Plus, a spring book preview with Liberty Hardy and cast iron tips from the TikTok famous expert: Matt Bright.

Authors Micaiah Johnson ('The Space Between Worlds') and Carmen Maria Machado ('In the Dream House', 'Her Body and Other Parties') join Nerdette host Greta Johnsen to discuss the Oscar-nominated film ‘Promising Young Woman.’ ‘Promising Young Woman’ is a genre-busting rape revenge tale starring Carey Mulligan as a flinty avenger on the hunt for so-called "nice guys." It has been nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress. Bo Burnham, Connie Britton, Alison Brie, and Adam Brody also appear.

Vaccine FOMO, royal drama, and our own personal Grammys. We unpack the week that was with author Saeed Jones and host of NPR’s Embedded podcast Kelly McEvers. Then, Devon Price, a social psychologist and professor at Loyola University, debunks the lies we tell ourselves about laziness. (Spoiler alert: Laziness Does Not Exist.) Plus, Katie Heaney joins us from The Cut to talk about her recent article “I Forgot How To Hang Out.”

Texas and Mississippi are reopening. Cancel culture IS a thing. Also, have you ever imagined Helen Mirren smoking weed? We unpack the week that was with Leigh Bardugo and Emily Graslie. Plus, Anna Malaika Tubbs joins us to talk about the mothers of three civil rights icons. AND Sherry Turkle stops by to discuss her new memoir.

People are hitting a “pandemic wall.” Presidents are making podcasts. And teenagers are kidnapping themselves to get out of work. We unpack the week that was with rapper Dessa and Snap Judgment host Glynn Washington.

Book critic Bethanne Patrick and Professor Lisa Page, director of creative writing at George Washington University, join us to discuss this month’s book club pick: Leave The World Behind by Rumaan Alam. Alam’s third novel is a witty and unnerving take on the apocalypse genre that is already being turned into a Netflix film starring Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington.

Joss Whedon is not the feminist showrunner we thought he was, but is that a surprise? Plus, remembering the complicated legacies of two of America’s first female doctors. Then, a cat expert offers some advice to owners whose cats don’t love their home-based lifestyles.

Former President Trump is being impeached … again, Britney Spears is back in the news, and it’s the 10th anniversary of the viral TGIF earworm “Friday.” We unpack the week that was and catch up with Nerdette’s resident epidemiologist Dr. Emily Landon, who also works at the University of Chicago. Plus, Madam Clairvoyant stops by to explain why the heck things have been so weird lately (according to the sky).

We talk with Rumaan Alam about his latest book ‘Leave The World Behind,’ which is already being turned into a Netflix film starring Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington. Rumaan Alam’s novel is Nerdette's February book club pick. Listen to our chat with Alam, read his book and come back later this month for more.

This week we take a look at the latest set of award season snubs, non-snubs and the rest of the week’s news with WBEZ Reset host Sasha-Ann Simons and WAMU producer Jonquilyn Hill, who’s also the host of NPR’s Through The Cracks podcast. Then we talk with Jeni Britton Bauer, the creator of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, about a new flavor of cream cheese ice cream that includes — for some reason — sesame, garlic and onion. Yes, it’s weird! And lastly, we take a moment to remember Grammy-nominated musician SOPHIE with the help of author and culture writer Sasha Geffen. SOPHIE died Sunday at the age of 34.

GameStop, GameStop, GameStop. Be gone! Another week is in the books, and we break down the news in vaccine distribution and pandemic fertility rates with WBEZ criminal justice reporter Patrick Smith and soon-to-be City Cast lead producer Carrie Shepherd. Plus, we take a look at all these GameStop shenanigans with Slate reporter Alex Kirshner. Then, a conversation with Mateo Askaripour, the author of a new part-satire, part-self help novel about a black salesman on a mission: Black Buck. Join us!

In a lot of ways, The Space Between Worlds is a classic, action-packed sci-fi novel about a multiverse. But as our panelists explain, author Micaiah Johnson skillfully twists a lot of archetypical tropes into something wholly unique.Listen along as Greta discusses the book with Ramtin Arablouei, co-host of NPR’s Throughline podcast, and Northwestern University journalism lecturer Arionne Nettles. We also hear from many of you!

This year's presidential inauguration managed to muster up as much pageantry as possible, given the circumstances. Despite the pandemic and concerns over national security, the United States saw another peaceful transition of power. Carol Moseley Braun, the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Senate, was in attendance. She tells Nerdette host Greta Johnsen what it was like to see another woman make history with the swearing-in of Vice President Kamala Harris. Plus, FANTI podcast hosts Tre'vell Anderson and Jarrett Hill unpack their complicated feelings about America in 2021.

Everything keeps getting more intense! So we ask journalists Tricia Bobeda and Kristina Lopez how they're managing their news intake.Then, we talk to Glennon Doyle, author of several books, including Untamed, about why resolutions are not for her.And finally, we hear from some of you about what you've resolved to bring into 2021. Join us!

Welcome to the Nerdette Book Club! Each month, we read a book and chat about it with a rotating group of panelists. This month’s pick is The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson.It’s an alternate-universe story about hundreds of different Earths slightly different from our own. It’s possible to “traverse” to other planets, but only if the traverser’s doppelganger is already dead. Enter Cara, our protagonist, whose impoverished and oppressed upbringing means she’s already dead on every planet except for eight of them.This is Micaiah Johnson’s first book, and it’s an ambitious one. In today’s episode, Nerdette host Greta Johnsen has a spoiler-free conversation with the author about the book’s themes and how Micaiah’s own life story intersects with Cara’s.Be sure to come back later this month for a spoiler-filled conversation about The Space Between Worlds. And don’t forget: we want to hear from you too! Record your thoughts about the novel and send an audio file to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com.

The first week of 2021 was rough. But, as advice columnists Daniel Lavery and Heather Havrilesky tell us, there's still room for optimism. Then we talk to Dr. Y. Joel Wong, a professor at Indiana University, about the very real science behind positive thinking (Yep, a number of studies show that people who keep gratitude journals are mentally and physically healthier than those who do not.) And finally, poet Ross Gay tells us about The Book of Delights, his collection of "essayettes." Turns out, the more you look for delight, the more it shows up for you. Which seems like a pretty delightful thing to bring into the new year. And speaking of things to bring into the new year, we'd love to know: What are your resolutions for 2021? What's your stance on resolutions in general? Record yourself on your phone, and send the audio file to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com, and you may hear yourself in next week’s episode.

The year is almost over, which means top 10 lists are rolling in. But what’s it like to pick favorites in such an emotionally intense year? Greta talks with podcast expert Nick Quah, TV critic Margaret Lyons and Vocalo host Jill Hopkins about the best stuff this year. 

Author Sarah Vowell and comedian Maeve Higgins visit the Nerdette Book Club for a spoiler-filled analysis of Tana French's plodding murder mystery, 'The Searcher.' Plus, we hear from you!

You’ve made it through another week in the year 2020. Congratulations!Join Nerdette for a look back at the week in vaccines, virtual holiday parties and Greta’s new favorite ridiculous TV show, The Wilds, alongside TIME Magazine’s Eliana Dockterman and NPR’s Barrie Hardymon.Then we have an amazing conversation about your brain — yes, yours — and how tired it gets when you make it lug your body around all day. Lisa Feldman Barrett is the neuroscientist responsible for Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain, a lovely book of brain essays. She gives us one and a half lessons for free.And finally, what’s the best holiday cookie of 2020? Bon Appetit senior staff writer Alex Beggs tells us — OK fine, it’s this one — but she also gives us plenty of warnings (i.e. level of difficulty = 11). Join us!

Dessa is a rapper, a singer, an author, a poet, and a whiskey co-creator, among other things. She even participated in an “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”-type procedure in an attempt to remove memories from a painful relationship.Nerdette’s Greta Johnsen talks to her about all of that, including her memoir, My Own Devices. We also listen to some of the amazing tracks on “Chime.” This episode originally aired in 2019.

Our December Book Club pick is our first murder mystery! It's Tana French’s latest book, The Searcher. In it, a retired Chicago police officer moves to a small town in Western Ireland for a bit of peace and quiet, only to get drawn back into his old ways when a local boy asks for help solving the mystery of his brother’s disappearance. Today's episode is a spoiler-free conversation with Tana French. Check it out, check out The Searcher, then come back in two weeks for a panel discussion that breaks it all down. We want to hear from you too! Record your take on The Searcher and email the audio file to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com by Thursday, Dec. 17.

Happy weekend! Now let Nerdette podcast get you ready for it.First we break down the week in disappearing monoliths, TV reboots and Spotify playlists with WBEZ’s Meha Ahmad and Mariah Woelfel. Then we talk with musician Andrew Bird about his new Christmas album. And finally, we take a walk through confectionary history with reporter Ashlie Stevens, who knows a few things about sprinkles. Join us!

And from you to Nerdette!Despite [insert disaster of your choice], we’re still thankful for a lot of things in 2020. Like baked goods and game shows and the people we can still visit over the internet. We asked you to tell us about the stuff you’re grateful for right now and, obviously, you did not disappoint. Press play to listen.Us? We’re thankful for you. So hang in there, stay safe and have a happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Nerdette.

Welcome to the Nerdette Book Club! Each month, we read a book and chat about it with a rotating group of panelists. This month’s pick is The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab.It’s about a girl from the 1700s whose curiosities and ambitions are bigger than the small town she lives in. When she finds a way to break free from the expectation to marry and settle down, she takes it without thinking twice. But what she thinks is an amazing chance to live unhindered is actually a deal with the devil, and a centuries-long curse.Listen along as Nerdette host Greta Johnsen discusses the book with cultural critic and nonfiction writer Eva Recinos and All The Books! podcast host Liberty Hardy. We also hear from many of you, who (with a few minor quibbles) all seemed to love this spellbinding story.

Say what now? We made it to another weekend! Now let us get you ready for it. First, we talk about the “news” of the week with Hari Kondabolu and W. Kamau Bell, comedians and hosts of the Politically Re-Active podcast. Then we have a conversation you’ve all been waiting for: Emily Willingham tells us about her new book titled Phallacy: Life Lessons from the Animal Penis. It’s wild!And last but not least, Yossy Arefi introduces us to the countertop staple we didn’t know we needed so badly: Snacking Cakes. Join us!

Wilco singer/guitarist Jeff Tweedy has been busy. He has a new solo album out called Love is the King. And his new book How to Write One Song has a lot of advice for aspiring songwriters. But it’s also about a lot more than that.Nerdette host Greta Johnsen spoke with Tweedy from his recording studio in Chicago.What’s your definition of a song?Jeff Tweedy: I think of a song as a moment that you can recreate, and that you can intentionally set out to share with someone. It doesn’t have to be musical.I think a lot of the ways we treat our friends is a type of song. Just the notion that you know how to make your mom laugh is a bit of a song.I think we can start with the idea of a song as being anything you want it to be, honestly, and move out from there towards whatever your musical ability allows.You say that you weren’t trying to write a self-help book. But so much of it is about how to give yourself permission to try something new and how to finally scratch that creative itch. It is a self-help book after all?Tweedy: Self-help is such an oxymoronic thing. If you can help yourself, you don’t need a book!But I think the book was a way for me to share a lifestyle that I think is beneficial to me. I don’t think the book succeeds quite as well as a direct practical guide to writing a song, even though there is some of that. I think it’s more successful as a kind nudge toward something that makes living worthwhile.You use the phrase “inviting inspiration” a lot, which counters the argument that making stuff is about sitting around waiting for divine inspiration to hit.Tweedy: Yeah. I think there is a gestation period for a lot of inspiration. And to me, opening yourself up to doing the work on a daily process allows that gestation to have a foothold in your consciousness. I don’t think a bolt of inspiration is going to have much of a place to land in your psyche if you aren’t actively seeking, on a daily basis, something that surprises you or excites you. I look at it more like you’re putting yourself in the path of inspiration consciously.I just believe that’s how it happens much more than somebody, for example, not having any intention of writing a song at all, and getting struck by a bolt of lightning, and then they have an amazing song that comes out of them. That doesn’t happen. What happens is, people who really like the idea of writing a song try it a lot, and then someday they’re walking along, and something clicks. And it’s because they did all that other workYou’ve talked about, in terms of being creative, that the stakes are super low. What do you mean by that?Tweedy: I mean that you aren’t going to hurt anybody with a bad song. I don’t see a lot of downside. The only real downside there can be is to your ego, and I think it’s good for your ego to be bruised and challenged. I think your ego works for you in a lot of really healthy ways. It helps preserve your esteem and your sense of self. But it also can really inhibit you from growing and learning more about yourself. And to challenge that protective nature of your ego, I think, is really helpful for people. So the worst-case scenario is, you figure out you’re not really good at something, and nobody gets hurt. It’s just not brain surgery,And at the same time, the irony of it is, songs can mean everything! They can have such exalted places in our hearts and our spirit. They have such enormous ability to heal and retrieve lost emotions, and to pull us into some more communal space of believing in the world. I can’t think of anything more beautiful in the world than a song that means a lot to somebody.This conversation was lightly edited for clarity and brevity. Press the ‘play’ button to hear the full episode.

Would you take a deal with the devil?In The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, a new novel from renowned fantasy author V.E. Schwab, a young woman bargains with her soul to live forever. The catch? She’s cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.The novel is Nerdette’s November book club pick. Today, we host a spoiler-free chat with the author about the book, the many years it took her to write it and what comes next.Later this month, we’ll break it down with our group of panelists … and you! Send us a voice memo with your thoughts on the book. Just record yourself on your phone and send the audio file to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com

Let Nerdette podcast get you ready for the weekend with a quick gut check after a long election week. Plus an interview with a great author and a new strategy for organizing your thoughts.First, we talk election distractions with Negin Farsad, comedian and host of the Fake The Nation podcast, and Clay Masters, lead political reporter for Iowa Public Radio.Then we talk with author Nick Hornby, author of many wonderful books like High Fidelity, About A Boy, and his newest novel, Just Like You.And finally, we talk with freelance reporter Sophie Hardach about the psychological benefits of reading out loud. Join us!

Welcome to the Nerdette Book Club! Each month, we read a book and chat about it with a rotating group of panelists. This month’s pick is Can’t Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation from author Anne Helen Petersen.In Can’t Even, Petersen argues that societal conditions and poor timing primed the millennial generation for burnout. Petersen points to the 2008 recession, the rise of the contract worker, the prevalence of cell phones and astronomical student loan debt as a few contributing factors.Listen along as Nerdette host Greta Johnsen discusses the book with Avery Trufelman, host of The Cut podcast, and Indira Allegra, a sculptor and performance artist. We also hear from many of you who called in with your feelings about burnout. Press play above to hear the conversation.

Election Day is nearly upon us. And instead of cold-calling you and everyone you know, we’d rather invite you to consider a few important (and non-partisan!) election-related questions. Like how did we get such a strange voting system? Why do more than 40% of eligible voters stay home? And why should we care?For some answers we turned to Erin Geiger Smith, author of the new book Thank You For Voting: The Maddening, Enlightening, Inspiring Truth about Voting in America.

We get you ready for the weekend with movies, books and everyone’s favorite thing: a new way to categorize life experiences. Trust us!

The millennial generation came into adulthood during an American recession, an era of crushing student loan debt and the rise of temporary workers and independent contractors. Add a global pandemic to that precariousness and you’ve got a perfect recipe for burnout.Today, Greta talks with author Anne Helen Petersen about Can’t Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation. It's our October pick for the Nerdette Book Club. And even if you aren't a millennial or haven't read the book, we want to hear from you. Tell us about your burnout feels! Record yourself on your phone and email the audio to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com and you may hear yourself in our longer panel discussion later this month.

You didn’t already know? Nerdette talked with two brand new MacArthur Fellows — also known as MacArthur “geniuses” — about the important work they’re doing and what it’s like to get that phone call. Mary L. Gray is an anthropologist and a media scholar honored for her work investigating how “labor, identity, and human rights are transformed by the digital economy.” And Damien Fair is a cognitive neuroscientist honored for his research on the developing human brain.

What a wild week! And to celebrate the return of another weekend, we assembled a bunch of fun people to take a look back … in a merry, pop culture kind of way, not a CAPS LOCK newsy way.To talk about the big week for movies, we called up Eliana Dockterman, who writes about movies, pop culture and feminism for Time. Then, to break down the gloriousness that is Fat Bear Week, we talked with Mike Fitz, the resident naturalist at explore.org. And for all the rest, we hung out with two of our favorite people: WBEZ education reporter Susie An and Vocalo radio host Jill Hopkins. Join us!

The seasons are changing but the novel coronavirus is still with us. And that’s left us with a lot of questions about how to safely socialize with friends and family when the weather makes small outdoor gatherings less viable.So we called up Dr. Emily Landon, an epidemiologist and infectious disease specialist at the University of Chicago. (She also gave Nerdette listeners some therapeutic advice about the pandemic back in June.)And now that autumn is upon us, Landon explains how we might approach the upcoming holiday season (including Halloween!) and the great indoors. 

You know Gillian Flynn as the genre-redefining writer behind Gone Girl, both the 2012 novel and the 2014 movie adaptation starring Rosamund Pike and Ben Affleck. Since the success of Gone Girl, Flynn has written only for the screen, including the 2018 movie Widows and the HBO series Sharp Objects. Out now on Amazon Prime, Utopia is Flynn’s latest work, based on a 2013 BBC show of the same name.Greta talks with Flynn about Utopia, Gone Girl and what’s next.

Welcome to the Nerdette Book Club! Each month, we read a book and chat about it with a rotating group of panelists. This month’s pick is Maaza Mengiste’s historical novel The Shadow King.It’s based on the true story of the Italian invasion of Ethiopia in the mid-1930s. Against Italian Prime Minister Benito Musolinni’s technologically-advanced army, the citizens of feudal Ethiopia didn’t seem to have a chance. But they eventually overcame— and they had the help of a number of forgotten female fighters.Listen along as Nerdette host Greta Johnsen discusses the book with Lydia Levy, founder of the African literature review website Omusana. She also has a doctorate in African Studies from Howard University.And then get ready for next month’s pick: Can’t Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation by Anne Helen Petersen.

“I’m not woke. I’m aware.”That’s the answer Chicago comedian T. Murph gives when he’s asked about his relationship to the title of Woke, a new series that dropped on Hulu earlier this month.T. Murph plays the role of Clovis, friend and roommate of Keef, the show’s protagonist (played by Lamorne Morris), who tries to avoid controversy in his work until the world forces him to do otherwise.Greta talks with T. Murph about what being woke means to him, if he moves through the world like his character and whether art demands activism.

The Bechdel test asks a simple question: Does a work of fiction have two named female characters who talk to each other about something other than a man?Today we talk with Sarah Kozloff, who was a film professor at Vassar College when she learned that The Lord of The Rings movies fail the Bechdel test. That inspired her to write The Nine Realms, a series of fantasy novels about a young princess who must grow up and fight her way back to the throne.Greta talks with Sarah about the books, her career change and why she released all four novels in the same year.

Like it or not these seasons are a changing! And that means right now is a great opportunity to embrace flavors from late summer and early fall, and to make a chocolate zucchini cake! We talk with baker and cookbook author Shauna Sever — all about all the spices you should have, sourdoughs you should start, and pies you should scarf down immediately.

While researching for her novel, author Maaza Mengiste says she came across a New York Times article from 1935 that described a woman leading an army of 2,000 men into victory. She was shocked. Why had she never heard about this female wartime hero?“It struck me,” Mengiste tells Nerdette. “If there’s one, there’s two. If there’s two, there’s five.”We talk to Mengiste about her novel, The Shadow King, which is the Nerdette Book Club’s September pick. Listen to this spoiler-free convo, then come back later this month for a not-spoiler-free panel discussion.

Of course it's not too early to talk about fall books! We got ahold of NPR books editor Barrie Hardymon to get recommendations for some great autumn reads. Find the full list of recommendations at www.wbez.org/nerdette.

When considering some of the milestone moments in feminist history, you might think about the Seneca Falls Conference of 1848, the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920 or the Civil Rights Act of 1964. But the 1990s?“This was actually one of the most pivotal decades, I believe, for feminist history.” We talk with Lisa Levenstein, the Director of the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program at UNC Greensboro and the author of They Didn't See Us Coming: The Hidden History of Feminism in the Nineties. She tells us about the importance of the ‘90s and how it shaped feminism today.

Welcome to the Nerdette Book Club! Each month, we read a book and chat about it with a rotating group of panelists. This month’s pick is Sameer Pandya’s debut novel Members Only.It takes place over the course of one very intense week in the life of Raj, a middle-aged Indian-American anthropology professor. When he’s asked to help his tennis club interview potential new members, he’s thrilled by the opportunity to help diversify his tennis partners. But he makes a huge gaffe in front of a Black family, and the rest of his week gets worse from there.Listen along as Nerdette host Greta Johnsen discusses the book with Jade Chang, author of The Wangs vs. the World, and author Alisha Rai, whose Modern Love series is part of an upswell in romance novels with strong female characters and feminist sensibilities.And then get ready for next month’s pick: The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste.

Argonne National Laboratory is a massive research facility outside of Chicago that’s run by the U.S. Department of Energy. And this week, Nerdette hosts Tricia Bobeda and Greta Johnsen take you behind the curtain to learn about some of the innovative stuff happening there. Stuff like superbatteries, supercomputers, and questions that may never get answersThis episode originally aired on August 10, 2018.

The optimism of one woman’s 20s meets the disappointment of her 30s in I Used To Go Here, a new film from Chicago filmmaker Kris Rey.We talked to Rey about the inspiration for the film, her recent name change from Swanberg to Rey, and what she tells young filmmakers.“Go for it,” she said. “The stakes are not that high. You can always start over.”

The 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified exactly 100 years ago Tuesday, the culmination of decades of activism that finally gave women the right to vote.Finish the Fight! is a new children’s book that chronicles the stories of some of the lesser-known suffragettes that made the 19th Amendment possible. Greta talks with author Veronica Chambers about 100 years of women’s suffrage and some of her favorite, lesser-known suffragettes. 

We’re all human, but who has the right to make mistakes? That’s a question at the heart of Members Only, the debut novel from author Sameer Pandya. In it, Raj Bhatt's life falls apart after he makes a racist remark to an African-American couple at a posh tennis club.In this Nerdette Book Club author interview, host Greta Johnsen talks with Pandya about the weaponization of the term “cancel culture,” why a tennis club serves as the setting for a story about Indian-American identity and who gets to recover from their mistakes.Listen to this spoiler-free conversation with Pandya and then join us later this month for a panel discussion on Members Only.

Some of you may already be familiar with Nerdette Recaps with Peter Sagal, the podcast where Greta Johnsen and Nerdette cohost-emeritus Tricia Bobeda recapped Game of Thrones with Peter Sagal, host of NPR's Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me! Well we are very happy to announce that we’re BACK, and this time, we’re doing '90s movies! So here is our very first episode! It’s a recap of 1995's 'Clueless,' featuring Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, and Paul Rudd. We break it down, ask if it holds up, and hear from YOU, too. Recaps will run the next six weeks, but this is the only episode we’re going to put in the Nerdette feed. So If you like it, hop on over and subscribe to Nerdette Recaps with Peter Sagal wherever you get your pods. 

We talk with New York Magazine advice columnist Heather Havrilesky about quarantine madness, cinnamon rolls and making friends during a pandemic.

More women are running for political office this year than ever before, but men still disproportionally represent the American populace.We talk with Erin Vilardi, the founder of VoteRunLead, an organization that encourages and trains women to run for office -- and win. Are YOU considering a run for office? Vilardi explains why women are well-suited for leadership and why you should take the plunge. 

Welcome to the Nerdette Book Club! Each month, we read a book and chat about it with a rotating group of panelists. This month’s pick is Last Tang Standing by Lauren Ho.It tells the story of Andrea Tang, a thirtysomething Malaysian woman who lives and works in Singapore. Her love life is a mess and she’s vying for partner at her law firm, all while drinking a lot and somehow spending many hours playing Candy Crush.Listen along as Nerdette host Greta Johnsen discusses the book with podcast expert and Servant of Pod host Nick Quah.

As you'll soon find out, Emily Graslie has a contagious enthusiasm for science and discovery. She holds the very real title of “Chief Curiosity Correspondent” at the Field Museum here in Chicago. She hosts a YouTube series called The Brain Scoop. And she’s also the host of a series on PBS called Prehistoric Road Trip, where she travels across the western United States to examine the history of our planet.We talk with Emily about exploration and discovery, how loving art and science does not have to be mutually exclusive, and then she drops more clam facts on us than we thought was possible.

When you hit a rough spot with a good friend, what do you do about it? Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman are longtime friends and business partners. Their fans also know them as the hosts and creators of 'Call Your Girlfriend,' a podcast “for long-distance besties everywhere.”When they recently hit a rough patch, the pair took what might be considered an unusual step to save a friendship: they went to therapy together. Their new book is called Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close. They talked with Greta about writing it together, the scholarship of friendship, and where their relationship is today.

This is a weird year for [insert almost anything] and also summer blockbusters. But even though the theaters remain (mostly) closed, there's still plenty of great new movies to stream from the comfort of your own home. We talk with Eliana Dockterman, staff writer at Time, about the uncertain future for new movies, a few great films you can watch right now, and a few more that you'll have to wait for.

It’s the Nerdette Book Club! And today we're talking with Lauren Ho, the author of this month’s selection, Last Tang Standing.It's a wonderful summer romance that follows the story of Andrea Tang, a 33-year-old Chinese-Malaysian lawyer, as she tries to make partner at her Singaporean law firm while fending off the unhealthy interest her relatives have in her love life.Before she wrote this novel, Lauren herself was a Chinese-Malaysian lawyer living in Singapore. So ahead of our panel discussion later this month, we talked with Lauren about the reasons behind her huge career change, where the similarities between her and Andrea begin and end, and how Andrea was born “from the ashes of a comedy set where I bombed. Badly.”

Kate Stayman-London loves reality TV. But even though shows like The Bachelorette and Love Island bring her joy, “we should also hold those things accountable to our values,” she said.Stayman-London’s debut novel, One To Watch, puts a plus-size woman as the star of a Bachelorette-style reality TV show. It’s both a lovely summer read and also a critical assessment of reality TV tropes.Greta talks with Kate about the impetus for the novel, what it means to see stories about large women, and whether or not any reality TV shows might take her lead.

Sheyna Gifford spent a year living on a volcano in Hawaii with just five other people as part of a NASA project to simulate life on Mars. Living in a biodome the size of a two-bedroom apartment, the crew studied the psychological effects and group dynamics that could be at play when astronauts eventually make it to Mars.This interview — about relationships, food and free time while in isolation — originally aired on Nerdette back in 2017, but it also has a few interesting parallels to our collective situation during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. Plus, Sheyna assigns us some truly excellent homework, about why you should think very carefully about who and what you want on your spaceship.

In this chock-full-of-bassoons episode, we talk about the history of the orchestra's largest woodwind with bassoonist and culture writer Eileen Reynolds, we jam with a principal bassoonist from the Chicago Philharmonic, and we even call up the self-proclaimed “Bassoon King,” The Office's Rainn Wilson. Join Johnsen, Nerdette co-host emeritus Tricia Bobeda and this bevy of bassoon buffs for more bassoon than you knew you needed. This episode originally aired on August 11, 2017.

After she visited the very bottom of the Marianas Trench last month, Kathy Sullivan became the very first human to both fly to space and reach the deepest part of the ocean. We talk with her about about what drew her to the deepest part of the deep sea, what's so powerful about the power of discovery and why you, too, should follow your dreams.

The coronavirus pandemic is not over, but stay-at-home orders are starting to loosen up across the country. In Illinois, people can now visit hair salons, museums, restaurants and even bars. Meanwhile, other states are seeing more cases of COVID-19 than ever before. Which means all of this is really confusing.Dr. Emily Landon, an epidemiologist and infectious disease specialist at the University of Chicago, has spent a lot of time thinking about global pandemics, and COVID-19 in particular. She talks with Greta about navigating the world, making personal risk assessments and whether or not you should hug your friends. 

It's Nerdette Book Club! Each month, we read a book and chat about it with a rotating group of panelists.This month’s pick is Brit Bennett’s sophomore novel, The Vanishing Half.The story starts in rural Louisiana in the late 1950s, when two light-skinned Black girls run away from home to New Orleans. When one decides to pass as white, she leaves her past behind. The book unfolds to tell the stories of both sisters and their daughters as they live with the repercussions of the choices they’ve made.Listen along as Nerdette host Greta Johnsen discusses the book with Abby West, an editor for Audible, and Kiley Reid, author of Such a Fun Age.And then get ready for next month’s pick: Last Tang Standing, Lauren Ho’s debut novel. The publisher calls it a cross between Bridget Jones’ Diary and Crazy Rich Asians.

We talk with Emily Pilloton, author of Girls Garage: How to Use Any Tool, Tackle Any Project, and Build the World You Want to See, about representation, being your own repair person and it's important to put power tools in the hands of young girls.

For the last few weeks, our “Introvert’s Guide to the Good Life” series has been all about helping you find ways to enrich your perhaps-more-than-usual indoors-based life.  Today, we talk to Pooja Naik, founder of Chicago-based organizational consulting company Organizing With You. She tells us why you should make your bed and how decluttering your physical space can help with your head space.

For the last few weeks, our “Introvert’s Guide to the Good Life” series has been all about helping you find ways to enrich your perhaps-more-than-usual indoors-based life. Today, we talk to plant expert Tara Heibel, who owns a garden center called Sprout Home here in Chicago and also in Brooklyn, about why you might want to consider putting some of your anxious energy towards helping something simple grow.

Greta talks with Brit Bennett, the author of this month’s Nerdette Book Club selection, The Vanishing Half, which just climbed to the top of The New York Times bestselling fiction list amid nationwide conversations around racial inequality.The Vanishing Half tells the story of two light-skinned black sisters whose lives take very different directions: Desiree moves back home after escaping an abusive relationship with her dark-skinned husband while Stella chooses to pass as a white woman.Hear from Brit and then come back later this month for our Nerdette Book Club panel discussion. And remember, we want to hear from you too! Send us a voice memo about your thoughts on the book before Wednesday, June 24

It’s a question a lot of people are asking right now. So we talk with author and activist Kate Schatz about how white people can have constructive conversations with each other about racism in America. Ever since Schatz’s friend, comedian W. Kamau Bell, made Schatz responsible for “Conan O’Brien’s whiteness,” she’s been answering white people’s questions on Instagram live.

Widespread protests against police brutality have led many white people to ask how they can better understand the systems behind the disparities in our society.There are dozens of great resources out there. Nerdette host Greta Johnsen and NPR books editor Barrie Hardymon offer a few recommendations of the books they’ve found helpful. Plus a handful of summer reads, too.

We think you could use some joy and calm right now. So we’re taking a moment to take some deep breaths. Then, we’ll listen back to part of our delightful 2017 interview with Tom Hanks.

What if cities were embodied in human beings? If The Bronx were a human, what would she be like? And why is xenophobia so toxic? Listen along as Nerdette host Greta Johnsen discusses 'The City We Became,' the new novel from Hugo-award-winning author N.K. Jemisin, along with WBEZ host Jenn White and Michi Trota, editor for the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.And then get ready for next month’s Book Club pick: The Vanishing Half, a new novel by Brit Bennett.

There are so many video game options that it can be hard to know where to begin. Which is why Nerdette host Greta Johnsen enlisted the assistance of Samantha Nelson, who writes about video games for The A.V. Club and Polygon. From simple task-oriented games to elaborate explorations, she’s got you covered. Plus, of course, we get plenty of recommendations from YOU.

Greta talks with grief counselor Claire Bidwell Smith about how anxiety is part of grieving and how grieving is now part of everyday life. Plus what you can do with all those anxious thoughts.

Have you been exercising lately? No shame if you haven't! But ... personal trainer Sarah Gonsiorowski of The Lunge Ladies has some ideas to get your body moving. We also hear about some great apps and workout routines from YOU, our lovely listeners.

How does one deal with existential horror from beyond? That’s one question at the heart of The City We Became, a new novel from Hugo Award-winning author N.K. Jemisin, in which New York City literally comes alive in order to fight off “creepy tentacle monster creatures."Nerdette's Greta Johnsen talked to Jemisin earlier this week about the novel, how all cities have personalities, and why she doesn’t describe racism with subtlety. AND in a couple weeks, we'll bring you a panel discussion on The City We Became for our May Nerdette Book Club.

TV! We need it, you probably need it, and New York Times TV critic Margaret Lyons has it! Lyons tells us about four great new TV shows — each of which fits into that “Just-feed-it-to-me-like grapes” model of show that we all so desperately crave right now. And of course, we field TV recommendations from listeners, too!

When Nerdette listeners told us last week what they would have done with a warning before stay-at-home orders, haircuts were top of mind. But is an at-home haircut ever a good idea?Nerdette host Greta Johnsen asked her friend (and hair stylist) Julia Pishko for some tips.

If you had a one-week pre-stay-at-home warning, what would you have done? This episode is filled with your pre-pandemic wish lists, from spending time with loved ones to buying nail polish to dancing your face off. 

In the middle of a pandemic, dating might be the last thing on your mind. But some singles are feeling more isolated now than ever, and some of them want to do something about it. We talk with two dating experts — Bela Gandhi of Smart Dating Academy in Chicago and San Francisco-based dating coach Logan Ury — about the kinds of advice they’re giving their clients right now. 

Are you ready for a fresh look at George Washington and his many foul diseases? You've come to the right place! Nerdette host Greta Johnsen joins Lulu Miller, co-creator of NPR's Invisibilia podcast and author of Why Fish Don't Exist, to break down Alexis Coe’s new biography of George Washington, You Never Forget Your First. We also eat hoecakes and consider bloodletting.Plus, get ready for next month’s book club pick: The City We Became, a new fantasy novel by Hugo Award-winning author N.K. Jemisin.

There’s never a bad time to expand your musical horizons, and mid-pandemic is no exception. So we got ahold of Jill Hopkins, host of The Morning AMP at Vocalo, Chicago’s urban alternative radio station, to provide us with some positive listening. Nerdette listeners supplied the rest. Enjoy!(Need a list of the songs in this week's episode? Check it out right here.)

We’ve all heard the mythology around George Washington: He never told a lie! He had wooden teeth! There was a cherry tree that one time!But in her new biography, You Never Forget Your First, historian Alexis Coe revisits the origins of those myths and explores aspects of George Washington that may have been brushed over or misconstrued.Coe talked with Nerdette host Greta Johnsen about what surprised her most about our first president, the unfair portrayals of Washington’s mother, and why it’s important for women to write presidential histories.

We check in with podcast nerd Nick Quah to hear about some of the podcasts that can help you use your imagination, cook a meal and maybe even better yourself. And of course, we’ll get some pod recommendations from listeners, too!Here are the podcasts Nick mentions in this week’s episode:Home CookingPersonal BestPhoebe Reads a MysteryThe Anthropocene ReviewedThe Sound of Casual ViolenceWalking

Imagine you’ve written a new book, your first in six years. And your last book? It was a novel about the aftermath of a deadly pandemic. That’s Emily St. John Mandel, author of the award-winning 2014 novel Station Eleven. Her new book — released on March 24 and titled The Glass Hotel — is decidedly different; she called it “a ghost story with a Ponzi scheme and container shipping.”We talk with Mandel about what it’s like to release a highly-anticipated novel during massive stay-at-home orders, what research for Station Eleven taught her to expect during a pandemic and why you shouldn’t read books you don’t like.And be sure not to miss this episode of the Nerdette Book Club all about breaking down The Glass Hotel!

Let's all go to the lobby! But first, we check in with NPR film critic Bob Mondello about the best movies to watch right now. (Hint: he's not interested in pandemic movies like Contagion.) And of course, we’ll get some movie recommendations from listeners, too!

Welcome to the Nerdette Book Club! Each month, we read a book and chat about it with a rotating group of panelists. It’s just like a normal book club, except you don’t have to share your industrial-sized carton of Good & Plentys. The book on tap today is Emily St. John Mandel’s The Glass Hotel. On one hand, it’s a novel about a 2008 Bernie Madoff-esque ponzi scheme. On the other hand, it’s a ghost story. For insights and analysis, follow along with Nerdette host Greta Johnsen and New York magazine advice columnist Heather Havrilesky.

Sure, lots of celebrities are hosting conversations and table reads on social media these days. But author and actor John Hodgman has been hanging out on Instagram Live for months already, interviewing random humans and their pets, in a show he calls … wait for it … “Get Your Pets.” Nerdette host Greta Johnsen talks to Hodgman about why he thinks “Get Your Pets” is maybe, actually some of the most important work he’s done. Plus, we hear from you about some of the creatures keeping you company these days.

A good book can get you through a lot of uncertainty. What’s better than diving into another world and staying there for hours and hours?In this episode, we’ll hear from a BUNCH of listeners about what’s getting you through these weird times. Plus, we’ll check in with Rebecca George, who owns Volumes Bookcafe in Chicago.

It’s a fair bet that stress baking is on the rise. (See what we did there?) So we thought it was time to check in with baker extraordinaire Shauna Sever, whose cookbook Midwest Made is full of amazing comfort foods. She has a recipe for the only banana bread you’ll ever need, and the name is true. And, of course, we hear from you! Your homework: We’d love to know what you’re reading these days. Are you doubling down on pandemic fiction? Dabbling in a presidential biography? Is your attention too frazzled to read full books so you’re opting for short stories? Whatever you’re enjoying, we want to hear about it! Tell us your book rec, along with your name and where you’re from. You can record yourself on your phone and email the file to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com.

Today we check in with Nerdette book club regular Heather Havrilesky. She also writes the Ask Polly advice column for New York magazine, so she gives us another perspective on how everyone's doing out there. And of course, we hear from a bunch of you, too, which is quickly becoming the best part of this show.If you’d like to chime in, just tell us how you’re adapting, along with your name and where you’re from. You can record yourself on your phone and email the file to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com.

A lot of us are looking around and realizing the plans we had aren’t necessarily a reality anymore. Which can be scary and hard, but it’s also a great opportunity to adapt.Today, Greta checks in with her friend Shannon Downey. She’s a crafter with a big online community, but most of the work she does involves meeting people in real life, something that can’t happen right now. Hear what she decided to do, and the voices of Nerdette listeners from all over the place, about what they’re grateful for and how they’re adapting to new normals.If you’d like to chime in, just tell us how you’re adapting, along with your name and where you’re from. You can record yourself on your phone and email the file to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com.

One thing for which Greta is grateful? Danielle Kurtzleben, who works on the NPR Politics Podcast team, and whose tweet about wearing a ball gown while working from home is exquisitely delightful.We’ll hear what Danielle appreciates now more than ever, and we’ll also hear from some of you!

Today, we ask how we can help ourselves while helping others. We also hear from some of you in this episode, and we want to keep that up! Tell us your name, where you’re calling from, and what you’re grateful for. Just record yourself on your phone and then email the audio file to us at nerdettepodcast@gmail.com. Keep ‘em coming!

Now more than ever, we could all use a little pick-me-up.Starting today, we’re making regular mini-sodes with ideas on how to work from home, what you should be reading, and some things to help lift your mood.

We get help from longtime tech journalist Kara Swisher to dissect Anna Wiener's 'Uncanny Valley,' a fish-out-of-water memoir about a young woman who abandons New York’s publishing industry in favor of big tech and Silicon Valley.Join us! We assure you, the Nerdette book club is just like a normal book club, except we don’t shame you if you didn’t do the reading.  

Welcome to the Nerdette Book Club! Where we read a book a month and chat about it with a rotating group of panelists. It’s just like a normal book club except no one shames you when you don't do the reading.This episode is all about Kiley Reid’s excellent debut novel, Such a Fun Age. It’s an incisive look at race and class in modern America, (and it also happens to be really funny.) Join Nerdette host Greta Johnsen, New York magazine advice columnist Heather Havrilesky and The Morning AMp and Making Beyoncé host Jill Hopkins.And hey! Next month, we’re reading Anna Wiener’s Uncanny Valley, a memoir about working in the bro-heavy tech industry. Read the book and send us your thoughts by recording your voice with your smartphone, then email the audio file to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com. And tune in for the conversation on Friday, Feb. 28!

Nerdette has always been a podcast for book lovers, but for the first few months of 2020, we’re doubling down. Join host Greta Johnsen and a rotating cast of panelists as they discuss the year’s buzziest books.Whether you can’t wait to dive in or just want to sound like you know what you’re talking about with your book nerd buddies, this is the podcast for you.First up: Such a Fun Age, Kiley Reid’s debut page-turner about race and class in America. Read it, and share your thoughts by recording yourself an emailing the file to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com!Then tune in Friday, Jan. 31 as Greta discusses it with The Cut’s Ask Polly columnist Heather Havrilesky, The Morning Amp’s Jill Hopkins, and YOU!

Books! Books! Books! Greta read 72 books this year, and today she sits down and ranks her 10 favorites. (Plus, she speaks with the author of her favorite book of 2019, ‘Such A Fun Age’ by Kiley Reid.)Here's her full list, and you can get more details on each title at this link: 10. Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes9. The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman8. The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo7. Miracle Creek by Angie Kim6. Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson5. Wolfpack by Abby Wambach4. Little Weirds by Jenny Slate3. She Said by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey2. Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson1. Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid

Good gravy! It's George R.R. Martin! If you're unfamiliar, he's the author of that little book series that became one of the most popular TV shows of all time, Game of Thrones. These days, he’s in the midst of writing the final two novels in that series. Before he sat down with Greta, his team told us that he couldn’t answer the question on everyone’s mind ("So, like, when’s the next book coming out?"). So we didn’t ask that one, but Martin did tell us plenty about how writing is going, how he’s managing fan expectations and what he expects for the future of fantasy TV. Plus! We have a super-special announcement at the end of the interview!

To celebrate the approach of another wonderful two-day break, Nerdette host Greta Johnsen talked with Alison Roman, author of the new cookbook Nothing Fancy, about three ways to make sure you host the most badass dinner party possible (she prefers to call it “having people over”). And did you know that the largest 3D printer in the world just printed the world’s largest 3D-printed boat? We talk to Habib Dagher, the executive director at the Advanced Structures and Composites Center at the University of Maine. His team was responsible for this accomplishment, so we asked him why they did it, how much pizza it took to do it, and what it might mean for the future of innovation and manufacturing. Plus, if you’re a grammar nerd, this episode may tick you right off. Gretchen McCulloch is the author of Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language, and she explains how the internet has given us all access to the writings of normal people, which has led to more and more people writing with less formality and more creativity — and without obeying grammar rules. Then she goes on to tell us why that’s awesome. You'll either love it or hate it!(And oh yeah: Check out this week's Nerdette newsletter and sign up!)

We’ve finished The Testaments!Press play and join Nerdette host Greta Johnsen, New York Magazine’s Heather Havrilesky and Vocalo’s Jill Hopkins for this final installment of the #NerdetteBookClub.You’ll hear how each of us rated the book on a scale of 1-10 warm milks (10 being the best, obviously), what the professional reviewers thought, and how much your fellow book club members liked it!Plus, if you need post-Testaments-reading recommendations, check out this week's Nerdsletter (and subscribe)!And hey! Thanks for being a part of our inaugural book club. Did you enjoy it? Please send feedback, good or bad, to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com. We want to know what you thought!

We’re two thirds of the way through Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments, and we’ve got a lot to talk about.This week is all about chapters 24 through 46, and our panel of intrepid feminists questions whether these storylines are just a little toooo convenient, whether it’s really possible to rip a person apart with your bare hands … and what the deal is with all that warm milk.Want to be a part of the #NerdetteBookClub? Easy! Just press play and join Nerdette host Greta Johnsen, New York Magazine’s Heather Havrilesky and Vocalo’s Jill Hopkins.Just make sure you finish The Testaments before next Friday, October 4. That’s when we’ll talk all about the ending.And we want to hear what you thought about the book! (Please tell us how you felt on a scale of 1 to 10 warm milks.)Share your thoughts with us by recording your voice with your smartyphone. Then email the audio file to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com, preferably by Tuesday evening. You may hear yourself in the final episode!

Our reading of Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments has commenced!This week, we’re talking about book chapters 1 through 23. So … spoilers abound.Join Nerdette host Greta Johnsen, New York Magazine’s Heather Havrilesky and Vocalo’s Jill Hopkins as they contemplate the motives of Aunt Lydia, wonder what’s in that darn safe and talk smack about the mean girls of Gilead.To follow along with us, read The Testaments through chapter 46 (pages 124-282) before next Friday, September 27.And hey, we want to hear from you too! Share your thoughts with us by recording your voice with your smartyphone. (Please be succinct!) Then email the audio file to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com, preferably by Tuesday evening. You may hear yourself in an episode!And when you need to tweet or Instagram something really important about the club, just use #NerdetteBookClub on the internets, and so will we.

Welcome to the Nerdette Book Club! It’s just like a normal book club but in podcast form, and you provide your own booze. In this episode, we're taking a look back at Margaret Atwood's 1985 dystopian novel 'The Handmaid's Tale' before sending you out to read Atwood's brand new sequel, 'The Testaments.'  What are the rules of a book club podcast, you ask? Well, after this 'Handmaid’s Tale' refresher, we're all going to read 'The Testaments' together over the next three weeks — and talk about what’s happening, why a sequel to a 35 year old book is relevant today and whether the bastards really will get us down. And we’ll do it in three chunks. Here are your assignments: By Friday Sept. 20, read The Testaments through Chapter 23 (pages 1-133) By Friday Sept. 27, read The Testaments through Chapter 46 (pages 134-282) By Friday Oct. 4, finish The Testaments (pages 283-end!) Listen to this podcast each of those Fridays! Joining Nerdette’s Greta Johnsen is the wonderful Jill Hopkins, host of the Morning Amp on WBEZ’s sister station Vocalo, and the delightful Heather Havrilesky, who writes the Ask Polly advice column for New York Magazine. And hey, we want your crazy interpretations too! Share your thoughts with us by recording your voice with your smartyphone. (Please be succinct!) Then email the audio file to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com, preferably by Tuesday evenings. You may hear yourself in an episode! And when you need to tweet or Instagram something really important about the club, just use #NerdetteBookClub on the internets, and so will we. OK let’s do this!

September is right around the corner, which means fall is coming.To celebrate, Nerdette host Greta Johnsen talks with Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks, author and illustrator of the new graphic novel Pumpkinheads. It’s about Deja and Josiah, two high schoolers who love working at an amazing pumpkin patch every autumn. But the story starts on their last day of work as they try to enjoy everything the patch has to offer one last time.We also check in with an atmospheric scientist who’s about to head north — way north — for the world’s biggest climate study.And then, for your weekend enjoyment: Booksmart is now available to stream in your home, a recipe for the best chocolate chip cookies ever, and a song to help you groove through the day.

Abra Berens is a Midwest born-and-bred farmer-turned-chef. And her cookbook, Ruffage, is a gorgeous A-to-Z guide to vegetables.The idea, she tells us, is this: You go to the grocery store, buy what inspires you and then you go home to look up meal ideas in her cookbook.Abra’s not a pretentious chef who poo-poos comfort food. Instead, she’s all about meeting people where they are (and encouraging you to enjoy your veggies).She talks with Greta about how she approaches cooking, why her book is called “Ruffage” and why cabbage is her favorite vegetable. (Weird, right?)

Chicago Magazine called this novel "a Midwestern Big Little Lies — an intimate character study of a group of affluent, secretive women." In this bonus interview, Greta talks with author Claire Lombardo about her debut novel, ‘The Most Fun We Ever Had.’ It’s the story of four radically different daughters from suburban Chicago. And it’s about love, family, forgiveness and the importance of showing up.

These days there are more and more celebrations of women who might have otherwise been relegated to the footnotes of history.As you can imagine, here at Nerdette we’re all about that. Totally into it. Zero complaints.But what is equally as wonderful is when the spotlight also lands on accomplished young girls. And that’s what author Kate Schatz and illustrator Miriam Klein Stahl have done with their book Rad Girls Can, which tells the stories of inspiring young women who have made positive impacts on the world before turning 20.We talk with the author and illustrator about some of their favorite stories of young ladies who changed the world, and how you can be one too.

Is summer a great time for watching TV? Heck yeah it is. So we caught up with New York Times TV critic Margaret Lyons to get recommendations for the best of the best summer TV, including shows that are dark and mysterious, bright and fun, and also the throwbackiest throwback binges.

When anyone at WBEZ needs book recommendations, they go to Greta Johnsen, the station’s resident bookworm.So please enjoy Greta talking about some fantastic reads that you might want to pick up this summer.Contemporary Romantic FictionEvvie Drake Starts Over by Linda HolmesThe Unhoneymooners by Christina LaurenFantasyMagic for Liars by Sarah GaileyMystery/ThrillerSearching for Sylvie Lee by Jean KwokBiography/MemoirMore Than Enough: Claiming Space For Who You Are (No Matter What They Say) by Elaine WelterothHistorical FictionDaisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins ReidThe Thomas Cromwell Trilogy by Hilary MantelHistorical Non-FictionWhen Women Ruled The World by Kara Cooney

If you know NPR’s Linda Holmes, it’s probably not as a novelist. She’s a pop culture correspondent, she co-hosts NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast, and her recalcitrant dog Brian is mildly famous on Twitter.But she always wanted to write a novel. And at 48, she did. It's called Evvie Drake Starts Over and it is excellent. “This is what I think my story does actually prove,” Holmes tells Greta on this episode of Nerdette. “The fact that you haven’t gotten something done by a certain point in your life does not mean you’re not going to.”Listen up ... and then go write that book!

What’s it like to give people hallucinogenic drugs and study what happens? How might these drugs be used for therapy? And what causes people to take drugs in the first place? That’s what we asked Harriet de Wit, who runs the University of Chicago’s Human Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory, where she administers drugs like LSD, ecstacy and psilocybin to volunteers in an effort to learn more about the human nervous system. “The whole world of researchers is feeling very cautious,” de Wit tells us, “cautiously optimistic — that if the drugs are used under controlled circumstances, they might have some potential benefits.”Let’s get funky.

Greta gives 'Booksmart' four out of four Gretas, a new rating system we've devised specifically for this wonderful new movie. Why's it so good? Well, it’s smart, funny, a little raunchy, and it embraces so many gorgeous, gut-wrenching elements of what it means to be a smart, funny teenage girl. This week on Nerdette, we talk with the wonderful Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein (the stars of the film) about the movie's themes: Friendship, growing older, sexuality, feminism, and dealing with high expectations. Bottom line: GO SEE IT.

Bill Nye says that when he was in high school, the big skill that students had to learn was how to find information. “But the challenge now is to sort out the information that may not be true.”Greta talks to Bill from the stage at The Collider’s Climate City Expo in Asheville, N.C. Their conversation focuses on climate change, Bill's new Netflix series (called "Bill Nye Saves the World") and combatting dubious scientific claims with critical thinking and an abundance of evidence.And also: Fake tree octopi, bow ties and moon rocks.

Lizzo recently landed on the Billboard 200 chart for the first time with her new album ‘Cuz I Love You,’ making now the perfect time to revisit her 2016 conversation with Nerdette's Greta Johnsen. Lizzo and Greta talk about what inspired her 2016 EP 'Coconut Oil' and how Lizzo became Lizzo.And your homework after listening to this episode is, of course, to play ‘Cuz I Love You’ on repeat, forever?P.S. Get in on our lovely new tote bags! One’s for Nerdette and one’s for Nerdette Recaps Game of Thrones with Peter Sagal. Find them here: https://www.wbez.org/nerdalert

Scientists around the world are trying to figure out how to mitigate the potentially disastrous impacts of climate change. Among the innovative ideas? De-extinction. “De-extinction is a scientific movement that’s aiming to recreate close versions of extinct species,” said Britt Wray, the author of Rise of the Necrofauna: The Science, Ethics, and Risks of De-Extinction. Wray says the idea is to create close facsimiles of “keystone species,” or animals that had a profound impact on their ecosystems. As you can imagine, de-extinction brings up a lot of questions, including: How on earth do you replicate an ancient zebra-horse? What happens when countries can create patents for lab-grown animals? And why would we want woolly mammoths to roam the arctic again? Wray tackles all those questions, and more, on the latest episode of Nerdette. Click the “play” button to listen to the entire conversation, which was produced and adapted for the web by Justin Bull.

Sahana Srinivasan is the host of the Netflix kids’ science show Brainchild, a series that’s all about exploring interesting questions about the world in which we live. On Nerdette, Sahana talks about what makes her show different from the kids’ science shows of the ‘90s, why it’s so important for kids to see a woman of color talk about science and what she’s going to do after she graduates from college.

Oh hey it's Lindy West!Lindy's the the executive producer of Shrill, a new Hulu series starring SNL's Aidy Bryant that's based on Lindy's 2016 novel of the same name. And we talk with Lindy about a few of the delightful scenes from the series (including an epic pool party), why Lindy left Twitter, and her forthcoming new book called The Witches Are Coming. She also tells us about how her new Hulu series subverts a common TV trope.“Usually what we get are weight loss narratives and makeover narratives. And these sort of sad sack stories about either people trying to lose weight and succeeding or trying to lose weight and failing and being sad,” Lindy says.“The whole idea is that there are other ways to live and that you deserve a life that is bigger than that — and that has a scope beyond your body and what it weighs.”Lindy West y'all!

At WBEZ (and maybe at your office too?) it seems like a lot of folks get sick at almost exactly the same time. But why?! Simple: People in our office are sick because sick people are in our office.“I think that is probably the single biggest thing that we could do to reduce the incidence of a lot of diseases,” says Sarah Cobey, an evolutionary microbiologist from the University of Chicago. "Just self-quarantine."  On this episode of Nerdette, Sarah takes a walk through our open office and guesses why people might be ill — and what we can do to stop the colds from spreading. She also talks about sneezes, vaccines and all the real heroes out there: people with good hygiene.  Wash your hands, people! Sheesh!

Yep. Podcats. Not a typo. This week we take a journey back to 1994, just after an astronomer named Heidi Hammel — as well as the entire scientific community at large — learned that a fragmented comet named Shoemaker-Levy 9 was going to crash into Jupiter at a speed of more than 130,000 miles per hour. "We have witnessed other impacts,” Heidi tells us. “What was really special about the Jupiter one was we had warning that it was going to happen.”  This moment was huge for Heidi, who was just a young astronomer from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at the time. She was asked to lead the team that would analyze photos of the impacts taken by the still-relatively-new Hubble Space Telescope.  Oh yeah, in this podcast episode Heidi also compares planets to cats and herself to a veterinarian so PODCATS!

Winter is still here! (At least in the nation’s midsection.) And that means you’re looking for stuff to do when you’re stuck inside. And who better to recommend some good nerdy activities than Nerdette co-creator Tricia Bobeda?!? She did just that on WBEZ’s Morning Shift last month and we’re bringing it to you now because we love you.  So please enjoy this binge-watchers guide to navigating the winter cold, featuring excellent TV, movie and book recommendations. Bonus: This interview was conducted by Morning Shift host (and former all-star Nerdette guest host) Jenn White. Need more Jenn White in your life? Subscribe to her daily local news podcast, Morning Shift Podcast. (And check out Making Oprah and Making Obama if you haven’t already.) Extra Bonus: Use this as a reminder to re-subscribe to Nerdette Recaps Game of Thrones with Peter Sagal which is returning to your ears in two short months.

Dana Czapnik has always been drawn to wanderers and wonderers, the kind of fictional characters who are always contemplating who they are and the world around them. But aside from the work of Virginia Woolf, Czapnik said she hasn’t come across many female characters who get those kind of opportunities.“That was one of the things that I was thinking of when I was working on this,” Czapnik says of her new novel, The Falconer. “That I wanted to write a female character who has the space to just be and wonder.”Salman Rushdie called The Falconer "a deeply affecting tale of a young woman coming of age in a man’s world." The book has been favorably compared to The Catcher in the Rye.  And the main character, 17-year-old Lucy Adler, is "a much better person than Holden Caulfield," according to Nerdette's own Greta Johnsen.Czapnik talks with Greta all about the book, the nuances of feminism, and nostalgia for the 1990s.

The Nerdette team recently moved next to the crew at Sound Opinions, WBEZ’s long-running rock n’ roll talk show. We bring that up because last year that team reviewed Dessa’s latest album, “Chime,” and not only did they call it “brilliant,” they called Dessa “a renaissance woman in the truest sense.”That’s because Dessa is a rapper, singer, author, poet, and whiskey co-creator. And she even participated in an “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”-type procedure in an attempt to remove memories from a painful relationship.Greta talks to Dessa about all of that. And we listen to some of the amazing tracks on “Chime.”

How does one ask their employer for more money? The short answer, according to Refinery29's Lindsey Stanberry, is just do it."It’s hard. And it’s not fun," Stanberry tells Greta this week. "I mean, you just have to ask."It's a new year. And now — RIGHT NOW — is the time to get your finances in order. So we're talking with a financial expert who's going to tell you to know your numbers, to know your worth, and — most importantly — to get out there and get that money.Stanberry is the author of "Money Diaries: Everything You've Ever Wanted To Know About Your Finances... And Everyone Else's." She's also the work and money director at Refinery29, an online magazine. She's full of invaluable tips for taking charge of your money situation. So get excited: You're about to be the boss of your bank account. 

The year is at its end. And in 2018’s honor, Greta talked to four people who’ve made some amazing things about their favorite thing of the year.  Make sense? It’s kind of like a miniature phone tree but for books, music, and TV. Or like a binder’s worth of homework dumped on you hours before the end of the semester. (You're welcome!)  Here are our guest professors: Celeste Ng, author of the 2017 novel Little Fires Everywhere Curtis Sittenfeld, author of a 2018 collection of short stories titled You Think It, I’ll Say It  Dessa, a singer, rapper, and writer responsible for both an album called Chime and a memoir called My Own Devices in 2018  Jenny Han, author of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, which became a smash-hit Netflix movie To make things as easy for you over-achievers as possible, you can find a list of all their recommendations here. 

Nerdette host Greta Johnsen has a rare genetic disease that CRISPR might be able to fix. As a four-year old in Juneau, Alaska, Greta was diagnosed with an eye condition known as "Best disease." That name is somewhat of a misnomer in that "Best disease" causes premature macular degeneration — but curiously it happens to be among the best diseases for experimenting with CRISPR, a genetic engineering tool that can be used to edit DNA. CRISPR has been in the news a lot lately (Google it) so we're rebroadcasting this very special episode, one that follows the story of Greta, her father, and Dr. Bruce Conklin, a scientist who's currently developing a CRISPR system to inject into some Johnsen family eyeballs.  Plus, you can't have a conversation about experimental gene editing without discussing the ethical implications of making irreversible changes to human evolution.  “We’d be permanently altering the course of evolution if we decide that we think it’s OK to edit human embryos," says Megan Hochstrasser, a science communications manager and CRISPR expert. "Is that something we want to be able to do as a society?” That's a great question. Let's talk about it. 

In a curious twist, venomous, killer sea snails are helping scientists make some incredible biomedical advances. Dr. Mandë Holford is the head of the Holford Lab in New York City, but her line of research often means she’s taking nighttime scuba dives in seas and oceans across the globe. “Yes, a snail can kill you,” Holford tells Greta. “But a snail can also help you! In various, various ways. And that’s what our lab is investigating: The power of these snails and the venom that they have to transform organisms and to transform lives.” Holford is also an associate professor in chemistry at Hunter College and the Graduate Center at City University of New York, with scientific appointments at the American Museum of Natural History and Weill Cornell Medical College.  She tells us how snail venom can help relieve pain and treat cancer, how she’s giving back with a line of science-based board games, and how it feels to be on a “Top 100” list that includes Beyoncé.

A little while after Glory Edim created an Instagram account under the name Well-Read Black Girl, she said she started getting a lot of messages from young women thanking her for creating a space that offered reflections of themselves.  “It’s not only just an Instagram account, but people don’t see themselves reflected in their libraries, in their bookstores, in everyday conversation,” Edim says on Nerdette podcast. “The common theme is: People don’t feel fully heard. And I’m doing my best to change that.”  Well-Read Black Girl has since become a wide number of things, including a collection of essays, a Brooklyn-based book club, and an online community “that celebrates the uniqueness of Black literature and sisterhood.” Edim spoke with Nerdette host Greta Johnsen (and special guest host Arionne Nettles!) about how she got to where she is and what she’s still trying to accomplish. Music: This episode features music from The Marching 100, Florida A&M's precise and innovative marching band. 

Barbara Kingsolver says her new novel, ‘Unsheltered,’ is “my love letter to millennials.” “Today’s problems can’t be fixed by yesterday’s people,” she tells Greta. “They’re going to be fixed by tomorrow’s people.”Kingsolver is the author of several award-winning books, including ‘The Poisonwood Bible’ and ‘The Bean Trees.’ ‘Unsheltered’ is set both in the run up to the 2016 presidential election and in the aftermath of the American Civil War, and she says it’s about “how people behave when it seems like all the old rules have stopped working.”Kingsolver tells us about the end of the world, why she's still optimistic, and what it's like to narrate the sex scenes when she records her own audiobooks. (“You just try to get through it all in one take”). She also answers one of Greta’s more poignant questions: “Are we just %#&!ed?”

Samin Nosrat is the chef behind ‘Salt Fat Acid Heat,’ a book and a new Netflix series of the same name. She’s also a proponent of articulating your dreams."I do think taking a little bit of time, a couple times a year, to articulate your goals and your dreams and your desires is helpful because it helps orient you toward them," Nosrat says.She also tells Greta about the culinary value of those four primary elements, the importance of embracing your cooking mistakes, and she gives great homework!: Write down your goals in a manifestation journal, "Even if they change or don’t come true, that’s fine. It’s just nice to have a record."

Hey! Today we're talking with Jodie Whittaker! She is the first woman to play the lead role in the long-running, time-travel-based BBC television series Doctor Who. You'll hear her tell Greta the story of how she got the role, how so many lovely Doctor Who fans have reacted to her casting, and why she thinks her character’s gender, “more so than probably any other role I’ve ever played, is irrelevant.” 

If you were bored by Homeric epics and Greek mythology in high school and college, Nerdette highly encourages you to reconsider. “There is a reason these stories have lasted for 3,000 years,” said Madeline Miller, author of Greta’s favorite book of 2018, a novelization of The Odyssey called Circe.  “[These stories] are incredibly insightful about human nature,” Miller said. “Culture has changed and the way we go to war has changed, but the stories we tell about war and about loss and grief – even things like post-traumatic stress disorder – the Greeks understood all of that.” Miller said she novelized the story of Circe, a witch from The Odyssey who turns men into pigs, because she wanted more freedom to explore the character.  “There were things I couldn’t answer in papers that I wanted to answer in a different way,” she said.  Miller talked with Greta about the book, what makes literary canon, and more about turning men into pigs. 

Aileen Rizo was working as a math consultant at the Fresno County Office of Education when she discovered a recently-hired male colleague was being paid significantly more than her for the same work. Aileen had more experience and education than this colleague. What then began as a fight for herself quickly turned into a fight for equality for women everywhere. Aileen talked about the tough decisions she's made for herself and her family on a recent episode of the WBEZ podcast The Trouble. On this week’s Nerdette, you’ll hear that exceptional episode of The Trouble in full, followed by a conversation between Shannon Cason, host of The Trouble, and Nerdette’s Greta Johnsen. Plus, a suggestion for you, dear listener: Ask for a raise.

From Murphy Brown to Kidding to Doctor Who and more, New York Times TV critic Margaret Lyons reveals the shows she’s excited about.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois is one of only 52 women to ever serve in the Senate. There are currently 23 female senators, which is an all-time high. “There are not enough women,” Duckworth tells Nerdette host Greta Johnsen. “We’re 20 percent of the Senate. That’s it. That’s wrong. We’re 51 percent of the population, yet 20 percent of those who make the laws that govern our lives.”Duckworth also recently became the first sitting U.S. senator to have a baby while in office when she gave birth to her daughter Maile on April 9. She tells Greta about motherhood, political polarization, and her interesting personal obsession: extreme couponing.

... Well, technically it's Pysc 157. This week Nerdette host Greta Johnsen speaks with the professor responsible for the most popular class in Yale University's 316-year history. Laurie Santos created a course called "Psychology and the Good Life” and about 1,200 students quickly enrolled in it. Put simply, the course teaches students how they can be happier.“The good news is that we can do it,” Santos tells Greta. “The bad news is that like all good things in life, it takes a lot of work.”First, listen in as Santos gives us three main recommendations (1. Socialize; 2. Prioritize time over money; and 3. Remember you're too blessed to be stressed). Then, take the course yourself! It's free online via Coursera. 

Here at Nerdette, we've wanted to visit Argonne National Laboratory for MANY YEARS. Why? Because it's a massive research facility, it's just outside of Chicago, and it shares many similarities with Hawkins National Laboratory, the fictional government science complex from the Netflix show Stranger Things.Greta, Tricia and our trusty guide Justin Breaux take a tour of Argonne, where we talk with a bunch of super-smart scientists about the stuff they're working on and the questions they're trying to answer. Questions like: If you had one of the fastest supercomputers in the world, what problems should you solve? And if you could solve those problems, how would you go about doing it? And what if one problem — a problem you've dedicated your entire career to solving — isn't solvable for centuries?Also, can we see the Upside Down?Guests:Katherine Riley, director of science at Argonne’s Leadership Computing FacilityRajesh Sankaran, computer scientist at Argonne's Mathematics and Computer Science DivisionLei Cheng, chemist with Argonne's Joint Center for Energy Storage ResearchMatt Dietrich, experimental physicist at Argonne's Physics Division

Hey! Nerdette is about to go on a little summer break, but before we do we wanted to share this lovely conversation Greta had with WBEZ’s Jenn White and the owner of Volumes Bookscafe in Chicago, Rebecca George. They talk about what makes a good summer read before offering an INUNDATING LIST of killer summer books. You can check out the full list of those recommendations at this link. Enjoy! Have a KAS and see you in a few weeks!

Super-talented singer-songwriter Neko Case is not immune to self-doubt. In the years before becoming “an adult,” she tells us she had a complicated relationship with ambition.  “I wanted to be in a band and I wanted to play music, but I couldn’t have even told you that then,” Case said. “I wouldn’t have even thought that I was capable of that, even though I was completely obsessed and had been my whole life.” Her work has gone on to receive a lot of critical acclaim over her 30-plus years of making music. Her newest album is called Hell-On. She stopped by WBEZ to tell us how she maintains her sanity while touring and how she’s not superstitious — even though she learned her house burned down on the same day she recorded the vocals for a song called “Bad Luck.” 

“I’d been patronized as a child,” Dame Stephanie Shirley — a.k.a. Steve — tells us this week. “I wasn’t going to be patronized as an adult.”The kind of company that Stephanie Shirley wanted to work for didn’t exist in 1962, so she created her own.“I wanted a company that was suitable for me [and] that I would like to work in,” Shirley says. “And I knew there were lots of women who had also hit the glass ceiling and were completely and utterly ignored by the industry.”She’s talking about the software industry, which was even more of a boys club in the sixties. So Shirley started her own business, hired a bunch of women from IBM, and even changed her first name from Stephanie to Steve — in order to get the attention of potential clients through promotional materials.Shirley tells us her incredible story, which includes creating a company that would later be valued at $3 billion, being made a dame by Queen Elizabeth, and keeping herself mentally and physically fit in the midst of life's many hurdles.Power Up is a Nerdette project where fascinating people explain how they set themselves up for success in an exhausting world. Tell us how YOU power up by recording yourself on your phone and emailing the audio file to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com.

Speaking out about traumatic incidents can sometimes be more traumatic than the incidents themselves. That was the case for one reporter after she documented rampant sexual harassment at a recent music festival.Vera Papisova is the wellness editor for Teen Vogue and runs the magazine’s sexual assault awareness campaign. After Teen Vogue published her explosive article about sexual assault at Coachella 2018, Papisova became the target of internet trolls. “People usually say, ‘Ignore the trolls,’ and ‘Don’t read the comments,’” Papisova tells Nerdette. “I went against both of those. I broke both of those rules.”Papisova tells us about her experience at the festival, how she’s been responding to her online harassers, and what she’s doing to maintain her sanity.Power Up is a Nerdette project where fascinating people explain how they set themselves up for success in an exhausting world. Tell us how YOU power up by recording yourself on your phone and emailing the audio file to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com.

Audie Cornish says she had something like an epiphany after posting a photo of herself and her new baby on Twitter in April. "I realized, oh my god, I’m part of the problem," Cornish tells Greta Johnsen. "Because there is absolutely nothing worse than opening up a glossy magazine and seeing a picture of some woman with, like, a pet and a 3-year-old, everyone’s groomed to the nines, and she’s like, ‘I woke up like this.’”Cornish is the host of NPR’s daily news program 'All Things Considered.' She talked with Nerdette host Greta Johnsen about all the people not pictured in that photo that are helping her navigate motherhood for the first time. They also talk about finding forgiveness and having children during times of strife. "There’s always something difficult in the world," Cornish says. "But it’s so worth it. Because I look at him as being somebody who’s going to be a part of shaping his own world, not that he’s arriving a victim of it." Help support Nerdette! Any gift, no matter how small, is truly, sincerely appreciated. And we'll give you swag! Donate here: www.wbez.org/nerdalert

If you’re looking for a way to combat the online trolls and bots fomenting unrest in the U.S., comedian Negin Farsad might have a solution for you. It’s a philosophy she calls “Being aggressively delightful.” You might think that sounds exhausting, but Farsad says not so! “I also think rage is exhausting,” she told us in February 2018. “I might think rage is more exhausting than trying to be friends with people.” It’s genius I tell you! We’re replaying this great moment in Nerdette history because we’re turning five years old and we need your help! If you like Nerdette, please donate to support the show’s future. Any amount really, REALLY helps. And as a thank you, we’re offering some pretty sweet gifts. Like mugs, sweatbands, buttons, and even Lady Nerds of History posters. Read about what you can get (and donate!) here: www.wbez.org/nerdalert Seriously, thank you. (And if you want to hear the full version of our interview with Negin Farsad, check it out here.) This special rebroadcast was produced by Stefania Gomez.

On Nerdette, our guests assign us homework. It’s usually something to read, watch, or do — like a great book, a compelling TV show, or a life-changing daily routine.  We’ve been lucky enough to have famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson on the show TWICE, and both times he assigned homework that essentially asks you to save the world. “If I were to give homework, the homework would be that there are problems society faces — civilization faces — that cannot and will not be solved awaiting the next app on your smartphone,” Tyson told Nerdette co-host Tricia Bobeda in 2017. “Ask not what your cell phone can do for you,” Tricia replied. “Yes!” Tyson said. “Ask what you can do for civilization.” Kaboom.  Why are we replaying these bits of homework right now? Well, our little program is turning five years old — FIVE — and we’re asking you to join the team.  These last five years of Nerdette wouldn’t have been possible without you. You’ve listened. You’ve told your friends to listen. And maybe, on occasion, you’ve kicked us a couple dollars to show us how much you appreciate the voices we bring you. Well this is one of those occasions. If you like Nerdette, please donate to support the show’s future. Any amount really, REALLY helps. And as a thank you, we’re offering some pretty sweet gifts. Like mugs, sweatbands, buttons, and even Lady Nerds of History posters. Read about what you can get (and donate!) here: www.wbez.org/nerdalert Oh yeah, one more thing. THANK YOU YOU’RE THE GREATEST. (And if you want to hear the full versions of both of our interviews with Neil deGrasse Tyson, check them out here and here.) This special rebroadcast was produced by Stefania Gomez.

On a scale of 1 to famous, Tom Hanks is off the charts.  So how did we land this amazing interview? Easy! We put a 1939 Underwood Champion typewriter into a recording studio and lured him in Elmer Fudd style! (Bugs Bunny:Carrots::Tom Hanks:Typewriters) The reason we're rebroadcasting part of this episode right now is because our little show is celebrating a birthday. We've been around for FIVE YEARS! To celebrate, we're showcasing some of our favorite episodes AND we're asking you to support the future of the show. These five years of Nerdette have been made possible by you. You're a part of the team. And if you donate today, we're going to thank you with some killer swag. We've got mugs, sweatbands, buttons, and even Lady Nerds of History posters. We really hope you contribute and join in on the magic.  Here's the place to go: www.wbez.org/nerdalert and seriously, thank you. (If you want to hear our full interview with Tom Hanks, check it out here.)

Nerdette has been around for FIVE YEARS! And we're celebrating our birthday by showcasing some of our favorite parts of our favorite episodes. Did you know that writer Roxane Gay has a fascination with Channing Tatum's neck? You're about to! Because this special episode is from our 2017 interview with the amazing author of Difficult Women. Roxane Gay also tells us about her love of Thor, her co-authoring of a little Marvel comic called Black Panther, and how she never reads anybody's Goodreads reviews of her work.  Real talk: these five years of Nerdette have been made possible by you.  You're a part of the team. And we're asking you to support the future of Nerdette. As a thank you for donating, you'll get some fun gifts! Like mugs, sweatbands, buttons, and even Lady Nerds of History posters. Read about what you can get (and donate!) here: www.wbez.org/nerdalertTHANK YOU!(And if you want to hear our full interview with Roxane Gay, check it out here.)

In 2016, Grace Bonney spoke with 100 women doing creative work and turned those interviews into a book, In the Company of Women.  It became a New York Times bestseller, and earlier this month, Bonney released a follow up: a biennial business magazine called Good Company. Plus, while she’s out promoting her new publication, she also runs the creativity website Design*Sponge.  Like so many of us, Bonney is busy. So how does she refuel? “That’s one of the things I think everyone has a really pithy answer to, like yoga or meditating,” Bonney told Nerdette host Greta Johnsen. “I don’t do any of those things. I think I ask for help.” Bonney tells us what asking for help looks like.PLUS: The Nerdette Rummage Sale IS NOW OPEN! Support Nerdette right now and get some sweet, sweet swag — like mugs and buttons and sweatbands for instance: www.wbez.org/nerdalert

We brought brothers Hari and Ashok Kondabolu on Nerdette to talk about making time for self-care in what can be a grinding, freelance economy. Instead, they unpacked their relationship. “Do you look up to me at all?” Hari asks his younger brother, with host Greta Johnsen listening in the wings.“No, we have completely different lives,” Ashok immediately responds.“This is not relaxing!” Hari says. Well, we tried. But Hari and Ashok DID give us some wonderful ideas about how to recharge your batteries by ignoring the phone, taking aimless walks, and selling your clothes. About our guests: Hari’s a comedian with a new Netflix special, Warn Your Relatives, and Ashok’s a former member of the rap group Das Racist who’s now producing the show Hey, How Ya Doin? The pair also co-host Earwolf's Kondabolu Brothers podcast, where they debate current events, share odd stories, and further unpack their relationship.PLUS: The Nerdette Rummage Sale IS NOW OPEN! Support Nerdette right now and get some awesome swag at a special discount!: wbez.org/nerdalert

Near the end of STS-125, NASA’s final space shuttle mission to the Hubble Space Telescope back in 2009, bad weather in Florida initially stopped the seven-member team from returning to Earth. The two-day delay that followed presented the astronauts with some unusual but much needed downtime. So what did they do with it? Looked out the windows. “I liked to listen to music and watch the world go by,” said Megan McArthur, a mission specialist on the Space Shuttle Atlantis. “It was pretty awesome.” For our new project, Power Up, we're asking fascinating people to explain how they set themselves up for success while living in (and, in this case, off of) an exhausting world.  McArthur told us about the seemingly difficult task of relaxing in outer space. She also described her role in helping the American Girl doll company create Luciana, a Chilean-American who is an aspiring astronaut.  “It helps for people to see a role model who represents them, right?” McArthur said of Luciana. “[Someone] who looks like them, maybe who has a similar experience as they have, in order for them to imagine themselves in that same kind of environment.” McArthur described her own experience meeting a role model: astronaut Sally Ride, who McArthur says she met when she was 16 years old. She says the 20-minute conversation with Ride, the first American woman to travel to space, was “a special and unique experience for someone just starting to think about what they want to do with their life.”Tell us how you power up!

Let’s be real: life can be hectic sometimes. You don’t need to tell that to Amy Schumer and Aidy Bryant, two of the nation’s top female comedians. Who better to kick off our new project, Power Up? For the next few months, we're asking fascinating people how they set themselves up for success in an exhausting world. Knitting? Bowling? Researching the presence of alternate dimensions? “I literally will say to myself out loud in the mirror, like, ‘You got this, bitch,’” Schumer tells Nerdette host Greta Johnsen. Schumer and Bryant also talk about what drew them to their new film, I Feel Pretty, which is now in theaters.  We also want to know how YOU power up. Record yourself on your phone and email the audio file to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com.

Here at Nerdette we’ve been thinking a lot about how much the world can wear us down. Which has led us to a very important question: How do so many successful, inspiring people have the time and energy to be so successful and inspiring? Power Up is a new project where we ask fascinating people how they set themselves up for success in what can be an exhausting world. How do amazing (non-robot) humans recharge their (hypothetical) batteries? We want to know! Because we all have the same number of hours in a day — even the scientists, poets, astronauts and adventurers — and as Oprah might say: You need to LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE.Subscribe now and get the first episode of Power Up delivered to you on April 27. Click the play button above to hear a preview. We also want to hear how YOU power up. Send us an email — or, better yet, record yourself on your phone and send the audio file to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com. This project is for all of us, which means it’ll be even better if you weigh in.

Tomi Adeyemi is the 24-year-old author of 'Children of Blood and Bone,' a new young adult novel that — in terms of pop culture blockbusters — could be on par with 'The Hunger Games' or 'Harry Potter.' The book, the first in a West African-inspired fantasy series, hit shelves earlier this month — more than a year after the movie rights were picked up by Fox 2000. Adeyemi tells Nerdette that part of her motivation to write the book stemmed from racist reactions to 'The Hunger Games' movies. “There were people online being like, ‘Why’d they make Rue and Cinna black? Why’d they make all the good characters black? It wasn’t sad when Rue was speared to death because she was black,’” Adeyemi says. “Seeing that level of racism applied in a fictional world heightened it for me. Because yes, The Hunger Games isn’t real, but the fact that someone could feel that strongly and have that much hatred for something that isn’t even real? I’m like, if that’s what you feel for fake things, then what do you feel about me?”Adeyemi talks with Nerdette host Greta Johnsen and special guest-host Jenn White (of WBEZ's Making Obama and Making Oprah podcasts) about how she came to write a fantasy novel that simultaneously depicted the modern black experience.

As a four-year old in Juneau, Alaska, Nerdette host Greta Johnsen was diagnosed with an eye condition known as "Best disease." That name is a misnomer for several reasons — the big one being that "Best disease" causes premature macular degeneration — but curiously it happens to be among the best diseases for experimenting with CRISPR, a genetic engineering tool that can be used to edit DNA. This very special episode of Nerdette follows Greta, her father, and Dr. Bruce Conklin, the scientist who's currently trying to develop the perfect CRISPR system to inject into some Johnsen family eyeballs. Plus, you can't have a conversation about experimental gene editing without discussing the ethical implications of making irreversible changes to human evolution. “We’d be permanently altering the course of evolution if we decide that we think it’s OK to edit human embryos," says Megan Hochstrasser, a science communications manager and CRISPR expert. "Is that something we want to be able to do as a society?”That's a great question. Let's talk about it. Special thanks this week to the Innovative Genomics Institute as well as the Institute for Human Genetics at the University of California, San Francisco.

Anna Deavere Smith might be best known for her acting roles on NBC’s The West Wing and Showtime’s Nurse Jackie. But she’s also one of the most prolific playwrights of “documentary-style theater,” where she uses verbatim interviews as source material in hopes of pushing her audience toward “an adjustment in the way that they think.” Her latest work is a one-woman show called Notes From The Field, which was recently released on HBO. It examines how minority students living in poverty often end up incarcerated. To make it, Smith interviewed 250 people affected by the school-to-prison pipeline, including inmates, educators, and witnesses to injustice. Smith told Nerdette co-host Tricia Bobeda about how she made Notes From The Field and what she hopes it will achieve.

If you’re looking for a way to combat the online trolls and bots fomenting unrest in the U.S., comedian Negin Farsad might have a solution for you. “I guess if I were to name it, it’s a philosophy called ‘being aggressively delightful,’” she tells us. Farsad, an Iranian-American Muslim, is the co-host of the podcast Fake the Nation, the author of the book How to Make White People Laugh, and sometimes you can hear her on our very own WBEZ as a panelist for NPR’s Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me! She told us how she manages to be aggressively delightful, even when confronted with intolerance.

Ilene Chaiken has been a showrunner for TV hits like Fox’s Empire, an executive producer for Hulu’s The Handmaid's Tale, and a writer, producer, and director for Showtime’s The L Word in the mid-2000s. In other words, she’s a boss. “I don’t like the word that much,” Chaiken said on Nerdette. “I mean, I like it as in, ‘Oh, she’s a boss.’ You know, ‘She’s a badass. She’s a boss.’ But I don’t like the kind of hierarchical aspect of it.” Chaiken talked with Nerdette co-hosts Tricia Bobeda and Greta Johnsen about the upcoming reboot of The L Word, her recently greenlit pilot project with Fox, and about how she became a boss. She also had some important homework for you: “I want to know who hasn’t seen herself — and I’ll just make it gendered — who hasn’t seen herself represented on television, and what would she like to see?”If you’ve got an answer, tweet them to @NerdettePodcast and @IleneChaiken.

Olympians and experts on the science of fear, the physics of sliding down ice super duper fast, and the feminist fight to get women into more sports.

When Teresa Woodruff started working for a biotech company fresh out of graduate school, her employer revealed that the first studies for a new heart attack treatment had been performed on 50,000 men. “And so I kinda raised my hand and said, ‘That’s interesting. Where are all the women?” Today, Teresa is an expert in ovarian biology and a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University in Chicago. We ask her why so many prescription drugs were tested only on men for so many decades, what that’s meant for women’s health, and what’s changed. Plus, Teresa tells us about Repropedia, her encyclopedia for reproductive health, and “A New You, That's Who” (think “Schoolhouse Rock!” but instead of conjunctions, it's about puberty.)  More info on Teresa Woodruff’s work can be found at www.woodrufflab.org.

Comedian John Hodgman, longtime fan of the lovingly-reviled Swedish spirit called Malört, tells Nerdette, “I’m fascinated with things that are still regional in an increasingly non-regional country.” He also calls the disagreeable beverage "“a delightful, heady blend of pencil shavings and shame.” Nerdette's Tricia Bobeda talked with Hodgman about his new book, Vacationland, before inviting in Sam Mechling, director of marketing for Jeppson's Malört, to better help us all understand this unique, wormwood-based liqueur. Prost!

Jennifer Egan won a Pulitzer Prize in 2011 for her novel A Visit from the Goon Squad. Her most recent novel, Manhattan Beach, was among 10 works of fiction long-listed for the 2017 National Book Award. Not too shabby, right? But Egan told Greta that an early draft of Manhattan Beach was so bad she almost scrapped the whole thing. “I probably came as close to abandoning this as I have to any project I’ve worked on,” she said. On this week's Nerdette, Egan explains why things got rough, how she powered through, and the evolutionary advantage of forgetting how hard things can be.  Plus, we get some help from Andrew Berman, the executive director of the Greenwich Village Historical Society, to break down Egan's nerd obsession: Out of place buildings. 

“I think it’s going to last more than a moment,” said the celebrated author on this week’s Nerdette. “But how much more than a moment, it remains to be seen." Nerdette co-host Greta Johnsen talks with author Margaret Atwood about the recent TV adaptations of her novels Alias Grace and The Handmaid's Tale, how her take on feminism has changed in recent years, and what needs to happen to make sure the “Harvey Weinstein moment” isn’t just a moment. Plus, we explore one of Atwood's nerd obsessions: The 1982 sci-fi film Blade Runner.

Daveed Diggs says starring in the hit musical Hamilton opened a lot of doors for him. One of those doors? Meeting hip hop legend Busta Rhymes. “Like, I can text Busta Rhymes right now. That? That is a crazy thing to me.” Diggs stopped by WBEZ to talk with Greta about his first feature film, Wonder, out in theaters Friday. They also talk about Hamilton, his ABC TV series The Mayor, and his rap group Clipping.Note: In the audio of this week’s episode, we state that a groundnut is “an acorn that has fallen.” This statement is actually quite false.

Knitting can be dangerous. Just ask author, scholar, and (of course) knitter Eve Ewing. She explains what she calls “the sweater curse” to Nerdette hosts Tricia Bobeda and Greta Johnsen. They also discuss the impact of the late music icon Prince, the rise of Afrofuturism, and why Ewing can’t wait to get off social media. Plus, an excerpt from Ewing's new book of poetry Electric Arches.

In her seminal work on 'Muppet Theory,' Slate reporter Dahlia Lithwick once wrote that "every living human" can be categorized as either a Chaos Muppet or an Order Muppet. On this super-special Supreme Court edition of Nerdette, lifelong SCOTUS-nerd and Nerdette host Tricia Bobeda asks Lithwick to apply her Unified Theory of Muppet Types to each Supreme Court Justice. The results are pure madness! Then Greta talks with Bryant Johnson, who is Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's personal fitness trainer. He recently wrote a book about RBG's hardcore conditioning routine. Waka waka!

Like the Flintstones meeting the Jetsons, Betty and Veronica taking down the Predator alien, and Sabrina the teenage witch dating Eric Matthews on Boy Meets World, nothing beats an epic crossover. That’s why Nerdette hosts Greta Johnsen and Tricia Bobeda sat down with Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow, hosts of CALL YOUR GIRLFRIEND, the premiere podcast for long-distance besties everywhere. They talked friendship, feminism, and bodily fluids before playing a Newlywed-esque game to determine which pair of co-hosts knows each other better. It's the podcast mashup you didn’t know you needed — but definitely do.

It’s a "dinner and a TV show" kind of night for Nerdette this week. We talk to Jane the Virgin actress Yael Grobglas about what it’s like to play your own twin and creating a villain who people love to hate. Then Iron Chef winner and Chopped judge Alex Guarnaschelli joins us to help dive into Grobglas’ obsession with food.

To celebrate the arrival of Star Trek: Discovery, we decided to talk to the biggest Trekkie we know: On The Media co-host Brooke Gladstone. She told us about her all-time favorite characters, why science fiction is so good at capturing a moment in time, and where Star Trek-beginners might want to get started. Oh yeah, and what better way to keep the party going then by calling up Star Trek legend Kate Mulgrew? Captain Janeway herself helped us talk through some of Brooke’s favorite episodes, including “Tuvix.” She also channeled James T. Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard to tell us how a former captain might feel about a new iteration of Star Trek.  

In a conversation with Nerdette host and known Whovian Tricia Bobeda, Alex Kingston discusses her role on ‘Doctor Who’ as fan-favorite River Song, which helped pave the way for the show’s first female Doctor.

Nadia Sirota is Juilliard-trained violist who hosts Meet The Composer, a podcast that shifts the conversation around classical music by featuring interviews with modern-day composers. She’s also worked with artists ranging from Kesha to Paul Simon. Plus, she explains how being on tour led to a love of aquariums, and Nerdette connects her with the Senior Curator of Fishes at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium.

It might seem increasingly difficult to separate fact from fiction these days, but Studio 360 host and author Kurt Andersen says the dilemma is old — and one that’s exacerbated by unique characteristics of America. Oh, and cosplay and the Internet. Andersen sat down with Nerdette to discuss his new book, Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History. He's also obsessed with maps, so we put him on the phone with geographical expert Anne Knowles, who told us all to get lost — in the literal sense.

As the 22nd United States Poet Laureate, Tracy K. Smith wants to make poetry more accessible to people across the country. So WBEZ’s Greta Johnsen put Smith to the ultimate test by having her analyze this summer’s hottest hit, “Despacito” featuring Justin Bieber.

Everest climber, guide and mountaineer Melissa Arnot Reid is the first American woman to ever summit Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen — a feat only 7 women worldwide have accomplished. Arnot Reid joins Nerdette host Tricia Bobeda to talk about the mindset of a high-altitude climber, what happens when you have snot frozen to your face, and how to train your body to reach Everest’s peak. Plus, Arnot Reid reveals her secret obsession with true crime stories, so we bring in former FBI Profiler and Real Crime Profile host Jim Clemente to talk about what it takes to crack unsolved cases.

Nerdette host Greta Johnsen reveals that she has a secret nerdery: she used to play the bassoon. So this week, in one, grand, bassoon-filled extravaganza, Johnsen and co-host Tricia Bobeda bring back the bassoon. First, they talk with culture writer and bassoonist Eileen Reynolds about the history of the bassoon. Then, they call up the self-proclaimed “Bassoon King” Rainn Wilson. Plus, Chicago Philharmonic Principal Bassoonist John Gaudette plays a familiar tune.

Jessica Pimentel, known for her role as Maria Ruiz on Orange Is The New Black, isn’t just an actress. She’s also in a band ... a death metal band. Nerdette’s Tricia Bobeda sat down with Pimentel to talk about what it’s like to lead an alternate life as a death metal frontwoman and how her music, which is heavy and hardcore, is inspired by her Buddhist faith. Pimentel also talks about what it’s like working with one of the most diverse, majority women casts on what she originally referred to as, “that computer show about jail,” and what’s cooking for Maria’s character next season.

Actress and comedian Jenny Slate has played many memorable characters on shows like Parks and Recreation, Kroll Show, Girls, and Brooklyn 99. She also wrote and voiced her web series Marcel The Shell. Her most recent role is alongside Edie Falco and John Turturro in the film Landline. But from all of her work on TV and film, few people know about Slate’s one true love: houseplants. Nerdette’s Greta Johnsen talked with Slate about why she loves houseplants, what she names them and how they play into her future goals. Then, a plant expert answers all of Slate’s most pressing questions.

Samantha Irby released her third book, We Are Never Meeting in Real Life, this year, but it’s her first collection of essays that is being turned into a TV show. Last year, FX bought the rights to Meaty, Irby’s first collection of essays. Now Irby, who grew up in Evanston and lived in Chicago, is working with Broad City’s Abbi Jacobson and Inside Amy Schumer’s Jessi Klein to write for television for the first time. For Irby, almost everything is on the table when it comes to her work — whether it’s body image, digestive issues, or applying for The Bachelorette.

The best part about the summer? Plenty of extra time to do homework! Guests on Nerdette always assign listeners homework, and we’ve compiled the BEST OF THE BEST into this hour-long Nerdette summer homework special. Tom Hanks talks typewriters, Jane the Virgin actor Jaime Camil recommends a show about aliens, and Jessamyn Stanley explains why yoga is meant for all body types. We’ll also hear from Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!’s Peter Sagal, space doctor Sheyna Gifford, astronomer Jill Tarter, and many more. Do your homework!

Astronomer and former SETI director Jill Tarter talks about the future of our planet and why she ate so many ice cream cones when she worked at NASA. Tarter’s career was the basis for Carl Sagan’s 1985 science-fiction novel, Contact, which was later made into a film starring Jodie Foster. She talks about what it’s like to have Sagan fictionalize her life, why we need to listen more than we talk, and why it’s important for us to think of ourselves as earthlings.

TV director Lesli Linka Glatter started her career as a choreographer, but after a serendipitous series of events, Glatter found her way to film and television directing. Since then, Glatter has directed a spate of well-loved shows, including Homeland, The Walking Dead, Justified, Mad Men, True Blood, Weeds, ER, The West Wing, and Gilmore Girls. Tricia Bobeda and Greta Johnsen sat down with Glatter to talk about the differences between directing film and TV, working on shows with strong, complex women leads, and why some days she thinks about opening a 24-hour coffee/poetry/shoe/book store.

Stand-up comedian W. Kamau Bell is the host of CNN’s United Shades of America. He’s also the author of a new book, The Awkward Thoughts Of W. Kamau Bell. Nerdette’s Tricia Bobeda talked with Bell about why awkwardness and comedy go hand in hand, what it’s like to be a blerd (black nerd), and why the TV show Blackish is so great.

This week is all about looking for pieces of space, whether they’re in orbit or in Antarctic ice. First, asteroid hunter Carrie Nugent talks about chasing down elusive celestial bodies and why she doesn’t like talking about what it’s like to be a woman in science. And then we talk about meteorite hunting with the hosts of Undiscovered, a new podcast from NPR’s Science Friday team.

Sean Gunn is known for playing the ever-eccentric Kirk on Gilmore Girls and space-pirate Kraglin in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. On Nerdette, he talks about what it’s like to be in a movie directed by his big brother, and how intense Gilmore Girls fans are. Plus, Sean shares his little-known obsessions with math, cats, and rap.

Jaime Camil plays the dramatic, charismatic, slightly self-absorbed yet extra-endearing Rogelio De La Vega on the CW’s telenovela-style comedy, Jane The Virgin. Camil, who has starred in many Mexican sitcoms, films and telenovelas, tells Nerdette’s Greta Johnsen why Jane the Virgin is so relatable and how it’s changing the game for people of color on American television.

Yoga enthusiast, expert and internationally recognized teacher Jessamyn Stanley breaks all the stereotypes of a yogi. Nerdette’s Greta Johnsen and Tricia Bobeda sat down with Stanley to talk about her new book, Every Body Yoga; how yoga is for everyone (and not just the models drinking coconut water in the Lululemon ads); and why yoga is more than just a way to burn calories.

Rebecca Skloot talks about the long journey of turning her book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, into an HBO film starring Oprah.She also discusses the importance of storytelling in science and why, even after 18 years, she’s still traveling the world to talk about the life of Henrietta Lacks.

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and Apollo 13 astronaut Jim Lovell talk about the importance of failure, the future of innovation, and when we’ll get to Mars.

Author Roxane Gay talks about writing her most recent book, a collection of short stories called Difficult Women, and why Beyoncé, Law and Order SVU and Channing Tatum’s neck are mentioned in the book’s acknowledgements.Then, “reformed librarian” Kelly Jensen on why feminism isn’t always fun — but should be accessible — and how her new book is helping girls (and boys!) everywhere.

Orthodox Jewish sex therapist Dr. Bat Sheva Marcus founded one of the largest women’s sexual health clinics in the country. From taboos to vibrators, Bat Sheva talks about how she helps women embrace their sexuality. She also discusses her approach to solving specific challenges for women in the Orthodox Jewish community.

Amy Smeed, the leader of the animation team for Disney’s Moana, talks about what it’s like to build a character who is decidedly not a Disney princess, how the animation process works, and why deadlines are important.

YouTube’s queen of crappy robots, Simone Giertz, tells us how she got in the business of making the world’s best crappy robots, like an alarm clock that slaps you awake in the morning with a robotic arm, a robot that very terribly applies lipstick, and a vegetable chopper with 8-foot long knives.In an interview with Nerdette hosts Tricia Bobeda and Greta Johnsen, she talked about how building terrible robots is a constant learning experience.

Hugo Award-winning author N.K. Jemisin talks about how all of her book ideas start with a simple question: “What if?” She also explains the unusual circumstances surrounding her Hugo Award victory and how science fiction is evolving for the better.

Derek Thompson, senior editor of The Atlantic, tells Nerdette's Tricia Bobeda about his new book Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction. He explains what makes Adele’s "Hello" and Drake’s "Hotline Bling" top hits and how Star Wars was almost totally unknown. 

Dr. Sheyna Gifford tells us about her year living on a volcano in Hawaii with just five other people as part of HI-SEAS IV, a NASA project to simulate life on Mars. Sheyna was the space doc on the mission, accompanied by a physicist, an architect, an engineer, a biologist and a commander.Living in a 1200 square foot biodome and going outside only in their space suits, the crew studied the psychological effects and group dynamics that could be at play when astronauts make it to Mars. On Nerdette, Sheyna tells Tricia what the year was like and how she got through it. She also gives some excellent homework.

Maria Popova, the creator of the website Brain Pickings, explains how her job is to reflect on everything from literature and physics to astronomy and art. She tells Nerdette hosts Tricia Bobeda and Greta Johnsen about her rigorous daily diet of reading, writing, tweeting, and reflecting, as well as her newest guilty pleasure: Playing bridge. 

Singer, rapper and flute player Lizzo breaks down her debut EP Coconut Oil and her bevy of musical styles. The multitalented artist talks about her early days in music, from being a band geek and starting girl groups as a kid to making music now that’s empowering and body-positive.

Tom Hanks is a little obsessed with typewriters. So when we put the Academy Award-winning actor in front of a pre-WWII Underwood Champion, he gave Nerdette hosts Tricia Bobeda and Greta Johnsen an impromptu master class on the machines he calls “self-contained printing presses with which you can change the world.”Want to support this show and get a sweet Nerdette mug and/or notebook as a thank you gift? Go to https://wbez.org/nerdalert

We talk to Andy Cohen, the man behind Bravo’s Real Housewives, about celebrity obsession. Then we break down some of the best podcasts of 2016 with help from Lauren Ober, host of NPR’s The Big Listen, and Brittany Luce, of Gimlet. And finally, author Margot Lee Shetterly on her book Hidden Figures (the inspiration for the new film by the same name) which tells the stories of black female mathematicians who played crucial roles in the early days of NASA.

Stephanie Beatriz plays Rosa on the Fox series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Beatriz and her best friend Courtney Kocak also host Reality Bytes, a show where they discuss the myriad confusing things about having real relationships in the age of emojis and swipe-y apps. Then, delicious homework from cookie expert Dorie Greenspan.

Phoebe Robinson is a stand-up comic, the author of You Can’t Touch My Hair and host of two podcasts: 2 Dope Queens and Sooo Many White Guys. She talks about why people online flipped out about the title of ‘Sooo Many White Guys’ and how being a black feminist can be a full time job.

The Gilmore Girls revival is finally here, and we’ve got a LOT of feelings. First, we challenge Gilmore newbies (and Dinner Party Download co-hosts) Brendan Francis Newnam and Rico Gagliano to watch the first episode of the new series. Then, we chat with Liz Torres, the actress who plays Miss Patty. Finally, Tricia and Greta share their major takeaways from the revival.

Author Kate Schatz tells us about a few historical heroines and explains why Rad Women Worldwide is a book for boys.

Grace Bonney is the brilliant creator behind the website Design*Sponge. She talked to 100 women doing creative work and tells us what she learned by turning those conversations into the new book In The Company Of Women. She talks about the beauty of creative messes, what to do if we magically had an extra hour in the day, and the ever-elusive notion of work-life balance. Plus, we chat with the host of WBEZ's new podcast that tells the inside story about how Oprah's media empire came to be.

It’s been an interesting week to be alive! We have a new president-elect, and we almost elected America’s first female president. To help us understand what happened we’re joined by Carol Moseley Braun, the first African American woman to serve as a United States senator.

Issa Rae is the creator and star of HBO’s Insecure, a show about 29 year-old, her best friend, and their life choices. Issa tells us why we can’t all be Olivia Pope, how her new show reflects her own personality, and how a life crisis in your 30s is more interesting than one at 22.

Ben Sinclair and Katja Blichfeld are the creators of the web-turned-HBO series High Maintenance. (Ben also plays “The Guy,” the show’s pot peddler.) On Nerdette, Katja and Ben talk about how the show has changed now that it’s an HBO production, why the simplest episodes are the most effective, and how they love to talk to strangers.

Two of our favorite podcast hosts and pop culture opinion-havers stop by to nerd out about their television favorites. NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour host, Linda Holmes, and Jim DeRogatis of Sound Opinions join us to talk about the most under appreciated and most anticipated shows in their queues. 

We chat with the pop culture writer, known for her blog and now a new book brimming with well-intentioned side-eye. Plus, a conversation with Kimberly Hebert Gregory of HBO's Vice Principals.

Eugenia Cheng teaches math to artists and makes it delicious. Plus, Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!'s Peter Sagal stops by.

G. Willow Wilson writes Marvel’s Ms. Marvel comic. She tells us how a comic about an American Muslim teenager with superpowers came to be, what it’s like to write stories about outsiders, and why millennials can be hard to understand.

Author Victoria Schwab is a twenty-something wizard at writing sci-fi and fantasy. Her books are fast-paced, fascinating and often feature fierce feminist protagonists.

This is a special episode of Nerdette: hosts Tricia Bobeda and Greta Johnsen hear from entrepreneurs and scientists who are forging into the frontier with pigeons, infertility, food, and feces.

In Hari Kondabolu’s new comedy album, Mainstream American Comic, Kondabolu takes on issues like Black Lives Matter, the presidential race, abortion, and white privilege. On Nerdette, Kondabolu chats about why comedy isn’t the same as activism and how to laugh in a deeply divided America.

Jessi Klein, head writer for Inside Amy Schumer, talks about the awkwardness of being a grown-up tomboy and when you’re finally too old to carry a backpack. Then she explains that there may only be two types of women in the world: wolves and poodles. Her new book is called You’ll Grow Out of It.

Lindy West on fat-shaming, fighting trolls and finding your voice. Her incisive, hilarious new book is Shrill. Then, Bitch Media Group co-founder Andi Zeisler looks at one of our favorite TV shows through a feminist lens.

Comedian Tig Notaro talks about how she turned a string of personal tragedies into comedy. Then Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl, discusses her nerdy obsessions.

Judy Blume's iconic books have defined the childhoods of multiple generations. And Newberry Award-winning writer Kwame Alexander crafts books for reluctant young readers. Both tell us why they write books for their inner tween.

W. Kamau Bell is the host of CNN’sUnited Shades of America, a show that explores the contentious, misunderstood corners of American culture. He talks about how he ended up with a comedy show on a news channel, why he loves The Hulk, and what makes Denzel the best actor of all time, period.

In this recording of a live event in Chicago, actress, gamer and internet royalty Felicia Day talks about being a weird kid, the importance of hard work, and how women can take over Hollywood. She's the author of a new memoir called You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost).Find Nerdette via iTunes | RSS | Facebook | Twitter | TumblrLike Game of Thrones? Check out our other podcast: Nerdette Recaps Game of Thrones with Peter Sagal.

Dan Savage is a relationship advice columnist, the creator of the “It Gets Better” project, and the host of the Savage Lovecast. We talk to Dan about the intersection between nerdiness and kink, the beauty of musical theater, and what it means to be “culturally Catholic.” Plus, a nerd confession from a merman.

First, we obsess over The West Wing with Joshua Malina and Hrishikesh Hirway, hosts of the recap podcast The West Wing Weekly. We discuss the musicality of Aaron Sorkin’s dialogue, the importance of W.G. Snuffy Walden’s scoring, and exchange serious trivia. Then, Tricia talks with the creator of Madam Secretary Barbara Hall.

We talk with Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Anna Quindlen about how to raise feminist sons and why she doesn’t care what other people think of her. Then, King of Horror Stephen King tells us about his short-legged obsession. And Greta calls a hotline to talk to a dream interpreter.

The question on everyone's mind: Dead or alive? Join Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me’s Peter Sagal and Nerdette's Tricia Bobeda and Greta Johnsen as they discuss the premier of Game of Thrones' sixth season, and answer this and other questions: Is any character as good-hearted as the Onion Knight? Is Jamie set to go "Rambo" on Westeros? And what exactly did we learn about the Lady in Red? This and more on this week's Nerdette Recaps Game of Thrones with Peter Sagal.

Our guest is Baratunde Thurston, who runs digital for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. He's also got a podcast called About Race and is the author of How to Be Black. He joins us to talk about the role of comedy in uncomfortable conversations about race and politics, the presidential campaign, and what it's like to work on The Daily Show. Then, a nerd confession FULL of 90's memorabilia.

Rebecca Traister gives us an insightful look into the history of unmarried women and their escapades. That's also the focus of her new book: All the Single Ladies.Plus, we’ve got homework from Stacy Schiff and Sloane Crosley,

Author Amy Tan tells us how she finds creativity, what can go wrong when one must give a TED talk, and about the unusual the instrument she plays in a band with Stephen King and Dave Barry. Plus, we visit a Rube Goldberg Machine competition, which is just as delightfully nerdy as it sounds.

Kim Barker's true-life story about being a war correspondent in Afghanistan is now the subject of a new movie starring Tina Fey. We talk to her about the good, the bad and the absurd experiences she had overseas and with Hollywood. Plus, some whiskey-themed homework from Amy Stewart.

Nick Hornby has written dozens of delightful books, from High Fidelity to Funny Girl. His screenplay for Brooklyn is nominated for an Oscar. He talks with Tricia and Greta about the fine line between passion and obsession, the importance of characters at a crossroads, and why it's so important for artists to collaborate. He also gives us some Shakespearean homework. Plus, Tricia and Greta share a couple of nerd confessions.

Tricia sits down with one of her literary heroes: Sandra Cisneros. They talk about the difference between being a writer and an author, how travel helps us understand our homes, and why she'd like to be a judge on RuPaul's Drag Race show.

Author Jenny Lawson explains why she approaches mental health struggles with a sense of humility, hilarity and a surprising amount of taxidermy on the latest Nerdette. 

Author Sarah Vowell explains why we're all swooning over a musical about a treasury secretary, how she finds the most interesting people in the footnotes of history, and recounts the most American 90 seconds of her life. We also discuss her latest book: Lafayette in the Somewhat United States. Plus: Yes, Nerdette has been on hiatus for a suspiciously long time. So we turned to podcast hosts and super sleuths Mike Pesca, Lulu Miller and Peter Sagal for their conspiracy theories to explain why Tricia and Greta disappeared. We're so glad to be back, nerds! We missed you.

We missed you, nerds! And we're back with a new season full of interviews with your favorite authors, artists, scientists and more. But first, where have we BEEN? Conspiracy theories abound. Add yours to the mix: #nerdettelives

This brilliant British columnist is incisive, tenacious, inspiring, and hilariously fun. Caitlin Moran talks with us about her definition of feminism, why cynicism is the worst, and how the most effective tool against patriarchal nonsense is subversive laughter. Because everyone--even Britain's filthiest feminist--is a little nerdy about something.

Ecologist Clare Fieseler grew up as a secret geek on the Jersey Shore. Now she travels to the world's most beautiful places in the name of science.

Washington Post blogger Alexandra Petri, author of A Field Guide to Awkward Silences, discusses the most uncomfortable highlights of her life, joining a cult, and mastering the art of the pun.

Yes, rock critics are nerds too. We talk to Jessica Hopper, author of 'The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic' about finding your voice, busting through barriers and life changing mix tapes.

Listener Q&A about the finale of Game of Thrones from our live event at plus a follow up conversation about all the things that happened in Winterfell because, um, there were technical difficulties at Cards Against Humanity HQ. http://nerdettepodcast.com/listen

Sarah Mirk couldn't find a helpful relationship how-to, so she wrote her own. We highlight two women who helped make oral birth control a reality, and there's homework from Dan Savage.

Recap of “Mother’s Mercy,” the season 5 finale of Game of Thrones: in which we discuss who is actually dead, who is in trouble, who we couldn’t care less about, and what to read/watch while we wait for season 6.

Erik Larson, who brings history to life in his nonfiction, discusses how he documents his own life, how he makes his own luck, and where he'd go if he had a TARDIS. Plus, how the bicycle informed feminism and some transatlantic homework.

Season 5, Episode 9, The Dance of Dragons: In which we confirm that Stannis is the worst, compare Arya’s new job to the tamale guy, and predict who will die in the season finale. wbez.org/nerdetterecaps

We talk to the creators and cast of Night Vale, a bizarre and beloved fictional podcast, about the extreme enthusiasm of their fans and taking the show on the road. Then we get to know trans women who made history in the fight for LGBT equality.

Recap of Season 5, Episode 8, “Hardhome.” In which we delight in the interactions between Tyrion and Dany, wonder what’s next for Cersei, and realize none of it actually matters because white walkers.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson explains how pop culture fits into his plan to inundate us with a love of science. Andy Weir, author of The Martian, talks about his nerdy origin and what makes good sci fi believable. We remember the first professional female astronomer Maria Mitchell, and there's a nerd confession from BJ Leiderman.

J'Tia Taylor was labeled a 'mad scientist' on Survivor. But her real passion? Using her PhD in nuclear engineering to work on nonproliferation at Argonne National Laboratory. We talk about the intersection of pop culture and hard science. And ahead of Memorial Day, we get to know Rosie the Riveter.

Recap of Season 5, Episode 6, Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken. We lament the treatment of Sansa, scoff at the swashbuckling in Dorne and shower praise on Lady Olenna. We also address some listener questions. http://wbez.org/nerdetterecaps

Mike Pesca, host of The Gist, compartmentalizes sports nerderies, discusses the value of Bachman Turner Overdrive, and lets us in on a Twitter-related secret. Plus, we remember Jackie Mitchell, the woman who stuck out Babe Ruth, and there’s quite a romantic nerd confession.

Recap of Season 5, Episode 5, Kill The Boy: In which we discuss who lived and who died since last week's clashes, explore the rocky emotional terrian that is Ramsay Bolton's past, and respond to some listener questions.

Kate Mulgrew, also known as Captain Janeway from Star Trek Voyager, talks about her new memoir, life behind the big screen and what it's like to be Red in the Netflix hit Orange is the New Black.

Recap of Season 5, Episode 3, High Sparrow: In which we praise the young Starks and express concern about these Sparrow fellows. And Peter laments the show's baldist attitudes. http://wbez.org/nerdetterecaps

Recap of Season 5, Episode 2, The House of Black and White: In which we praise the evolution of Sansa Stark, discuss the allure of Podrick Payne, and lament the utter boringness of Dorne. http://wbez.org/nerdetterecaps

LET SEASON FIVE COMMENCE! Recap of Season 5, Episode 1, The Wars to Come: in which we discuss where everyone is and what they're up to, pep talks and flashbacks included. Tricia references The West Wing, Peter finds some Hemingway hiddenin the script, and Greta says dragons are boring. Then, we lament our least favorite parts of the series so far.

Game of Thrones recaps from Peter Sagal, host of Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me!, and the hosts of Nerdette. This week, a prologue to season five of the HBO show. Why the world needs another GoT recap podcast, who GRRM is, and what we love about the lore. SPOILERS ARE COMING.

Becky Stern, the queen of wearable technology, tells us about making mischief with computery crafts. The Breakfast Club’s John Kapelos gives homework and we’ve got a big announcement for fans of Peter Sagal and/or Game of Thrones.

Homework this week comes from Tom Scharpling and Jon Wurster of The Best Show. We talk with author Reif Larsen about ambiguity, unfinished lists, and the divine futility of making art. And Iranian journalist Nazila Fathi helps us get to know a Great Lady Nerd of History.

It's a space nerd extravaganza! Astronomers and scientists from Adler Planetarium talked with us in front of a live audience as part a Pi Day celebration. And you're really going to want to hear these nerd confessions.

Author Steve LeVine tells us about the motley crew of scientists on a quest to build a world-changing super battery. Get to know Hot Sugar, the musical maverick from Comedy Central's Broad City. And hear the origin story of Girl Scouts.

Maz Jobrani​ explains why he stopped taking terrorist TV parts but agreed to play Jafar, then shares insights on everything from telling jokes in Middle East to getting his kids to sleep. We travel back in time to the moment when Helen Keller met 'Miracle Worker' Anne Sullivan. Oh, and there's a faaaaabulous X-Files nerd confession.

'Drunken Botanist' author Amy Stewart on the glorious tradition of turning plants into alcohol. Delicious homework from a winery sherpa and cider nerd. And we celebrate civil rights icon and opera singer Marian Anderson.

Richard Linklater explains why it took 12 years to make his new film Boyhood. Scott Bonner, who runs the Public Library in Ferguson, Mo., talks about how he made the library a safe space. We remember Great Lady Nerd of History Audre Lorde. And there's a real nerdy Oscars nerd confession.

We talk to Melody Kramer, a public media oracle and digital brainiac who's taking her open-source ethos to the federal government. Beyonce singing her civil rights at the Grammys inspired us to get to know the political performers like Nina Simone who came before her. Plus dating tips for geeks by geeks. And your nerd confessions.

Scott McCloud creates stunning graphic novels and he's written the definitive text on why comics deserve more respect. We get the backstory of Elizabeth Blackwell, America's first female doctor. Plus a special nerd confession collected at the ALA's conference.

Miranda July talks about her new book, what it was like to make the Somebody App, and the overarching theme of her work: coming together clumsily. Plus, remembering Great Lady Nerd of History Bessie Coleman and a Shakespearean nerd confession.

We talk to the first U.S. woman to walk in space: Kathy Sullivan. Now she's in charge of NOAA and leads research on everything from the bottom of the ocean to the surface of the sun. We get to know Indira Gandhi on the anniversary of her election as Prime Minister of India. And we dig up a recipe for beating the winter blahs from Mike Royko.

We're baaaack! We talk with Lulu Miller and Alix Spiegel, hosts of the new NPR show Invisibilia. Then we get to know Great Lady Nerd of History Susan B. Anthony, and the inspiration behind Vinyl Me Please...because everybody's a little nerdy about something.

Roxane Gay is the author of the fantastic book of essays 'Bad Feminist' and many of our favorite tweets. We discuss what it takes to keep fighting the good fight on social media when there is so much turmoil 24/7.

We talk with Rico Gagliano and Brendan Francis Newnam about who influenced their (impeccable) taste, how they stay afloat in the sea of pop culture, and what their worst dinner party memories are. Also, some musical homework that will BLOW YOUR MIND.

This week we revisit our conversation with Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me host Peter Sagal. Hear him discuss his love of running, Lord of the Rings and Ray Bradbury.

Author Margaret Atwood is the queen of speculative fiction. We discuss feminism, the future of books and her latest collection of stories: Stone Mattress. Also: Why she loves duct tape. All that plus your nerd confessions.

Caitlin Doughty is host of the popular YouTube series Ask a Mortician and author of the new memoir Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons From the Crematory. We talk about the history and present of how cultures handle death. Plus a nerd confession that includes a Gollum impression.

Simon Rich was the youngest staff writer ever on Saturday Night Live. His new book 'Spoiled Brats' is a collection of funny stories, including one about time travel in Brooklyn that's being turned into a movie. We also talk with a producer at NPR who reported a story about how young-lady voices are received on the radio. Plus your nerd confessions.

The author of Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy uncovers maverick women of the Civil War. A night at a campfire with war reenactors. Plus Harry Potter homework and nerd confessions collected live while people drank Game of Thrones beer.

Super nerd Hank Green on the evolution of YouTube. Comedian Cameron Esposito gives homework. And Ariana Tobin of Marketplace on the disappearing act of pockets in women's fashion. Plus your nerd confessions.

It's Ada Lovelace Day! In celebration of the mother of computer programming, we get to know a great lady nerd of today: Hopscotch app co-founder Jocelyn Leavitt. Then we go behind-the-scenes at Serial, the new podcast from This American Life. Lauren Chooljian talks to singers from indie pop powerhouse Lucius about their nerdy passions. Mr. Superlative stops by. And a Gilmore Girls-related nerd confession.

Turns out comedian Judah Friedlander and New York Times Crossword editor Will Shortz both really, really love ping pong. We also talk about Judah's time on 30 Rock, Will's puzzle prowess and hear an intense Lord of the Rings nerd confession.

An out of this world conversation with author Lydia Netzer and a pretty powerful nerd confession from our intern Patrick.

Comedian Rob Delaney on being open about mental health without glorifying the 'tortured artist' trope, being a Twitter superstar and the most unexpectedly sexy thing about his marriage. Plus homework from Josh Gondelman and your nerd confessions. http://nerdettepodcast.com

Tricia and Greta gush over their favorite name on the new MacArthur genius grant list. Plus we revisit a conversation with Rookie editor - and now Broadway star - Tavi Gevinson. Then writer Tracy Letts gives homework.

An interview with Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, profile of great lady nerd of history Sally Ride and Klingon nerd confession make up this medley of our favorite space stories.

We picked the brain of one of our favorite podcasters: The Memory Palace's Nate DiMeo. Nate talks about bringing history to life, writing for Parks and Recreation and what we can learn from pop music. Oh, and SPACE. Plus a potentially shocking Simpsons-related nerd confession. http://nerdettepodcast.com

Author Elizabeth Gilbert talks about corgis, fairies, and her latest book about a lady botanist in the 1800s. Then plant expert Angela Overy describes what makes our gardens inherently illicit. And your nerd confessions. http://nerdettepodcast.com

Author Lev Grossman on his new book The Magician's Land, reviewing books for Time and raising nerdy kids. Then we get to know the story of Wonder Woman with comic historian Tim Hanley. And a tearful nerd confession about Chance the Rapper.

A summer reading list from Edan Lepucki, breakout author of the novel California. Then the hosts of On the Media's TLDR podcast stop by to chat about everything from explaining Reddit to old people to why Chipotle is a cruel mistress. http://nerdettepodcast.com

Tom Perrotta talks about his novel and new HBO show The Leftovers, why his nickname in high school was Frodo and what he learned from a summer working as a garbage collector. Plus a nerd confession about a Tinder match gone awry because of Game of Thrones.

Richard Linklater explains why it took 12 years to make his new film. Plus, Dan Weissmann from Marketplace on why killing comic characters is good business. Then Lauren Chooljian takes a road trip to meet Detroit's McClure brothers with her pickle nerd boyfriend. And your nerd confessions.

Emmy nominee Jessi Klein, a stand up comedian and head writer for Inside Amy Schumer, nerds out with Tricia and Greta about the Marx Brothers, Black Stallion and the fearlessly funny feminism of her sketch show.

Nerdette takes a trip back in time to get to know great lady nerds of history like opera singer Marian Anderson and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Hear a tapestry of voices recite Sojourner Truth's 1851 rousing call for equality. Plus a conversation with LGBT equality activists of today about the role of trans folk at Stonewall and beyond.

For America's birthday, a patriotic rejection of the patriarchy. Hosts Tricia and Greta bring you the stories of muckraker Nellie Bly, painter Georgia O'Keeffe and jazz singer Nina Simone. We talk to authors, unearth archives and send contributor Lauren Chooljian on a road trip. Plus, your #nerdconfessions.

Freaks and nerds unite! Freakonomics' Stephen Dubner teaches Tricia and Greta how to think like a freak. Plus a portrait of astronaut Sally Ride on the anniversary of her first trip to space, news Freaks (and Geeks) can rejoice over and your Cosmos-related #nerdconfessions.

Pop science author Mary Roach tells Nerdette hosts Tricia and Greta about answering gross questions most of us are too afraid to ask. Plus a conversation about the nerdy new AMC show Halt And Catch Fire. And, of course, your #nerdconfessions. http://nerdettepodcast.com

NPR news quiz Wait Wait...Don’t Tell Me! host Peter Sagal abandoned his passion for science fiction and fantasy when he went to college, but tells Tricia and Greta that Game of Thrones brought him back into the realm of nerds. Plus his tips for introducing kids to your favorite movies, why he loves Ray Bradbury and homework that will require you to lace up your sneakers.

Nerdette LIVE featuring Tricia, Greta and Brain Scoop host Emily Graslie of The Field Museum in Chicago. Plus audience nerd confessions and the musical stylings of Drew Edwards from Blue Police Box Music. Our live audience? A heap of WBEZ members. Speaking of WBEZ... we have a pretty giant announcement in this episode.

Maria's back! We talk Game of Thrones with our favorite stepmother and chat about HBO's new Silicon Valley and the return of Veep. Plus Walter Hickey from fivethirtyeight.com breaks down the numbers on women in film. Plus homework from Tricia's trip down a Steve Jobs-related Netflix rabbit hole and Greta wants you to read The Leftovers.

Astronaut and author Chris Hadfield nerds out with Tricia and Greta about living in space, his substantial mustache, making science cool on social media and the science fiction that helped spark his interest in space travel as a kid.

Actor and environmental activist Ed Begley Jr. nerds out about building a green home and his new digital shows for Amazon and Evox. Plus we talk about his favorite memories from Arrested Development, Six Feet Under and other great gigs. Then 'lunatic farmer' Joel Salatin gives great homework on how to make yourself a little happier.

It's D&D time! Tricia dives into the world of Role Playing Games with expert guides from One Shot podcast, Greta gives Veronica Mars homework and The Atlantic's Olga Khazan highlights how women rank around the world when it comes to STEM jobs, the Second Shift and more.

The director of Girls in the Band helps us get to know the hippest women who played in big bands. Why Emily Pilloton blew up shop class and rebuilt it for teens. Special homework from Mr. Superlative. And a debrief on the finale of True Detective.

A chat with the director of Wicker Kittens, a new documentary about competitive jigsaw puzzlers. Then scientist Deanna Barch talks about how the Human Connectome Project is mapping the brain and what it might mean for people dealing with depression. And an ode to the best show about adult nerds on TV: Parks and Recreation. Your homework? Get ready to binge watch HBO's True Detective.

We nerd out about the Oscars - the nominees and the awards - with A.V. Club editor A.A. Dowd. Logan Jaffe offers a sound-rich essay about how we got to HER's Samantha and why Siri, and so much of our technology, sounds like a lady. Then our booze nerd Rebecca Poulson offers up a cocktail inspired her favorite Oscar nominee.

Pulitzer Prize winner Deborah Blum on the science of attraction, filmmakers fess up about how much horror movies and romantic comedies have in common and a boozy hot chocolate recipe to cozy up with on Valentine's Day. Plus your song dedications to the nerdy loves of your lives.

Tavi Gevinson, founder and editor of Rookie Mag, has a budding media empire that celebrates unabashed enthusiasm. She talks about the music, TV and more that she's obsessing over lately. Plus she gives homework. (Which she's still very familiar with.) Did we mention she's still in high school?

Two professors turned Supernatural fangirls tell us about how the show has changed their life. Plus get to know the biting and brilliant voice behind the new "Ladies Against Humanity" Tumblr Kate Stayman-London. Her jokes went viral and she got to visit Harry Potter World in Florida. Not a bad week.

From Ella Baker to Abbey Lincoln, Lena Horne to Dorothy Height, let's get to know women central to the civil rights movement. Some preferred staying behind-the-scenes, others performed their civil rights on stage and screen. Then we bring the conversation up to the present by talking about what's changed since then (and what hasn't) for performers like Beyonce.

On this week’s episode, Tracy Letts (August Osage County! Homeland!) gives some sonic homework. And lady nerd extraordinaire Meg Lowman talks about climbing trees, convincing her kids to count bugs and rainforest conservation. Plus an August Osage County-inspired cocktail and a heartfelt nerd confession from co-host Tricia Bobeda.

This week, a cocktail recipe to help you stay warm (and classy). Then WBEZ political reporter Alex Keefe counts down the best of the worst story pitches in his inbox. And we talk Orphan Black, Alpha House and more in a round up of our favorite TV from 2013 and a list of things we're definitely going to nerd about in 2014. http://nerdettepodcast.com

The good folks at WBEZ gave us an hour to nerd out on the radio over the holidays. This episode is that mix of old and new, with some of our favorite conversations from 2013 all wrapped up into one hour.

Author of 'Word Freak' and Scrabble evangelist Stefan Fatsis nerds out about his favorite board game and sharing that passion with his daughter. Plus Greta spent the weekend with some tile slingers and our first ever homework challenge with a prize on the line.

Gillian Anderson, aka Agent Scully of X-Files, nerds out about the ocean's health and talks about playing smart characters. Plus a behind-the-scenes look at a Shakespeare/Star Wars mashup play and we finally crack open the homemade Nerdette soda with Meghan Murphy-Gill.

Presidential historian (and O. G. Nerdette) Doris Kearns Goodwin nerds out about baseball, muckraker Ida Tarbell, Eleanor Roosevelt and the relationship between Teddy and Taft as told in her new book The Bully Pulpit. Plus Lauren Chooljian tells us about touching the toe bone of a newly discovered dinosaur and a Bully Pulpit-inspired cocktail from Rebecca Poulson. Thanks for listening and sharing! http://nerdettepodcast.com

The evolution of language is something linguistics professor slash word nerd Anne Curzan thinks about a lot. She wrote an article about the newest use of the slash (it's not just punctuation anymore). Then, third-generation word nerd Becky Vevea checks in with her eighth-grade English teacher mother and grandmother about what a hashtag is. And, of course, we have to talk about 50 years of Doctor Who!

Seth Reiss, head writer for The Onion, talks about their encyclopedia, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and gives great homework. Also, a weekend round up of our weekend activities-- Tricia liked Thor, especially Natalie Portman's call for girls in STEM fields, and Greta got to check out a Scrabble tournament.

We talk with folks from Business Insider about their list of the most famous books set in each state; then, how to get your homebrew on with Emma Christensen of Kitchn. Homework this week is a doozy-- check out Strange Brews, a WBEZ podcast about all things beery, and then watch The Crazy Ones on CBS. Oh, and if you have time, check out Wally Lamb's new book.

'Masters of Sex' author Thomas Maier helps us get to know another great Lady Nerd of History: Sex researcher Virginia Johnson. Novelist Ann Patchett gives homework. Plus a Masters of Sex cocktail, a Halloween nerd love story and a zombie debate. http://nerdettepodcast.com

Author Sharon Creech talks about her new book The Boy on the Porch. Plus Tricia counts down to the 50th anniversary special of Doctor Who, Lauren Chooljian provides the perfect playlist for sweater weather music and we've got some hip (hop) homework for you. http://nerdettepodcast.com

Get to know the mother of computer programming, Ada Lovelace. This great lady nerd of history inspires our conversation with women in STEM fields and teenage girls learning to code in Chicago. Plus author Malcolm Gladwell gives homework and nerds out about David and Goliath.

Media inventor and author Robin Sloan stops by to talk about Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore, its new prequel, secret societies and the future of technology. Plus autumnal homework from author Sharon Creech. http://nerdettepodcast.com

Author Victoria Schwab nerds out about hugging Neil Gaiman and explains her merit system for productive writing days. (It involves rewards of watching BBC shows). Plus your incredible responses to our superpower showdown question: Flight vs. The power to make baby animals stay baby. And homework from media inventor Robin Sloan.

30 Rock writer Colleen McGuinness on coming out as a nerd and all the TV, movies and board games she loves. (Bananagrams!) Plus she talks about teaming up with Tina Fey for her new NBC comedy pilot set on Fire Island. And she gives really good homework.

Ideas for filling the impending Breaking Bad-shaped hole in our lives. Plus we taste test 3 ABC comedy pilots in a round of Marry, Frack, Kill with Rebecca Poulson and nerd out about our favorite actors returning to TV this fall. Allison Janney! Bradley Whitford! Will Arnett! JB Smoove?

Could Progressive Era activist and feminist icon Jane Addams be considered a lesbian? We check in with the Curious City crew that tackled this tricky question. Lauren Chooljian serves up a playlist of her favorite female musicians of the moment. Plus Tina Fey returns to SNL!

Dive in with rock critic and Sound Opinions co-host Jim DeRogatis to learn about his passion for making military miniatures. Plus a #SEOclassics recap, David Tennant leaves Doctor Who far behind with his new BBC show and Tricia surprises Greta with some George R. R. Martin homework.

Night Film author Marisha Pessl's nerd confessions, a Kentucky Ghostbuster who cosplays for a good cause and an interview with Chewbacca at a 24-hour flea market. Plus a new word nerd game: #SEOclassics

Spoiler-free look at Breaking Bad's return (and the amazing Star Trek monologue), author Denise Kiernan nerds out and the new Strange Brews podcast crew introduces us to Marvel's comic-inspired beer.

NPR's Audie Cornish offers up nerd homework. Lots of Doctor Who news, Breaking Bad predictions and a Dexter rant. Plus our booze nerd brews up an Orange is the New Black inspired cocktail.

NPR's Audie Cornish draws a line in the nerd sand. Author MT Anderson discusses how technology changes how we think and speak. And Tricia and Greta have a whole lot of feelings about Orange is the New Black. Plus, homework!

Planet Money's Zoe Chace nerds out about Louie CK, country music and making radio. Author MT Anderson tells us about creating new slang and how technology changes language. Plus your homework this week is brimming with British accents and Jenji Kohan goodness.

We nerd out about something old (that Hemingway novel you haven't read since high school), something new (JK Rowling's new book), something borrowed (an urban foraging menu) and something blue (a bramble cocktail recipe). Guests include Lauren Chooljian, Eden Robins and Rebecca Poulson. Our intern Claire is at circus camp this week. Maybe this time she'll finally learn to juggle.

Bitch Magazine's online editor Sarah Mirk stops by to nerd out about making and reading comics, her new Sex from Scratch project, feminism myths and more. Plus your additions to our summer reading list, HBO homework and the weird weather in Alaska.

NFL punter and vocal LGBTQ ally Chris Kluwe talks about making up new curse words, Carmen Sandiego and his new book Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies. Comedian Brian Babylon talks nerdy to us (about his favorite Star Trek movie) and our pal Meghan lets us listen in as her stepmother convinces her to watch Game of Thrones.

Author Meg Wolitzer nerds out about summer camp, Scrabble and her new book The Interestings. Plus a recipe for a campfire old-fashioned cocktail and our intern Claire tells us about running away to the circus.

What happens when TV characters need to die? We discuss the shows that are best (and worst) at pulling the plug. Plus a dramatic reading of Hillary Clinton's Twitter bio. And we nerd out about Superman with author Julia Keller, who had the best comic book collection on her block. [Spoiler alert for Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad and Walking Dead.]

Autopsies! Mormons! Time Travel! We asked for your nerdy summer camp stories and you didn't disappoint. Hear three camp stories about what it's like to grow up, go back in time and get your hands dirty. Plus an angst-laden list of how Game of Thrones is giving our intern Claire an anxiety disorder [spoiler alert].

It’s all happening! In our first episode, Nerdette co-hosts Greta Johnsen and Tricia Bobeda bring in a friend to play Frack, Marry Kill with three summer TV shows: Maron, Newsroom and Family Tree. Julie Shapiro of the Third Coast International Audio Festival talks about her piece in Transom that digs into why so few women host podcasts. And our intern has a rage-fueled list of things she’s worried may be Zooey Deschanel’s fault. http://nerdettepodcast.com

Greta Johnsen and Tricia Bobeda are nerding out hard about the return of Arrested Development. They talk hopes, fears and chicken dance in the first mini-episode of the Nerdette Podcast.