James Baldwin and Social Justice
August 2, 2026
Sometimes, we struggle to tell the truth—especially when it’s the truth about ourselves. Why did…
Literature Tagged Episodes
Crisis and Creativity in Mayan Mythology
July 12, 2026
The Popol Vuh, written in 1702, was based on a Mayan oral tradition encompassing creation…
Dostoevsky and Doubting Faith
May 17, 2026
Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky was a practicing Christian, and his writings often feature characters who…
Shakespeare’s Outsiders
December 14, 2025
Over 400 years after his death, Shakespeare is still widely regarded as the greatest dramatist…
Robert Musil and Life as Experiment
September 21, 2025
Robert Musil (1880-1942) was an Austrian novelist, famous for The Man Without Qualities. Set in…
Iris Murdoch
April 13, 2025
Iris Murdoch may be best known for her works of fiction, but her philosophical contributions…
In Search of Proust’s Philosophy
March 30, 2025
Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time challenges us to think hard about what we…
Your Brain on Literature
November 12, 2023
Cognitive science has revolutionized our understanding of the brain and how it functions. Researchers have…
The Arts For All?
July 16, 2023
When we think of “real” art, we often think of expensive, highbrow pieces that are…
Montaigne and the Art of the Essay
February 26, 2023
French thinker Michel de Montaigne invented a whole new genre in which to do philosophy:…
Summer Reading List: Banned Books Edition
September 4, 2022
The American Library Association reports that last year 1,597 books were challenged or removed from…
Walter Benjamin and the Re-Enchanted World
July 17, 2022
Walter Benjamin was a German Jewish critical theorist, essayist, and philosopher who died tragically during…
Reading the Troubled Past
March 13, 2022
Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe lambasted Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness as a deeply racist work that…
Is Postmodernism Really to Blame for Post-Truth?
February 27, 2022
Postmodernism is often characterized by its rejection of concepts championed by the Enlightenment, like meaning,…
Comforting Conversations, pt.2
January 10, 2021
In troubling, uncertain times, the arts and humanities are more important than ever. Engaging with…
Comforting Conversations, pt.1
January 3, 2021
In troubling, uncertain times, the arts and humanities are more important than ever. Engaging with…
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