Many of the biggest literary successes in the past decade have involved elements of the fantastic, and we have seen these stories come to life on both the small and big screens: Harry Potter, True Blood, The Walking Dead, dare we mention Twilight? This is to say nothing of the various primetime TV shows that reimagine fairy tales, or the ghost story franchises from The Ring to Paranormal Activity. What draws us to these stories of the supernatural? How do they relate to our real lives while rely...
Jul 17, 2013•21 min
Kelly Link, acclaimed writer of fabulist fiction and a 2013 Visiting Hurst Professor at Washington University in St. Louis, reads a selection from her short story "The Hortlak" which appeared in her collection, Magic for Beginners.
Jul 17, 2013•3 min
Nonfiction, simply put, is anything that isn't fiction. Easy enough, right? However, in recent years, several controversies have arisen as supposed factual memoirs are revealed to be nothing but a string of exaggerations or, well, fiction. But how well does any nonfiction writer capture "The Truth?" Numerous psychological studies have shown that if multiple people witness the same event, it's possible for all of them to walk away with very different stories of what happened. Edward McPherson, es...
Jul 10, 2013•14 min
Edward McPherson, essayist and assistant professor of English at Washington University in St. Louis, reads a selection from his essay, "Dallas: From Afar," which appeared in the Paris Review in December 2012.
Jul 10, 2013•5 min
In literature classes, we often turn back to study "classics" that are hundreds of years old, and while the core message of these works remain intact, the once-contemporary references to politics, the snide remarks about rivals, and the nuances of a word that has since taken on another meaning can go whizzing past our heads unless we are given notes and annotations to explain. How, then, can we make these texts as funny and engaging for modern audiences as they were for the original readers? Or ...
Jul 03, 2013•20 min
Mary Jo Bang, poet and professor of English at Washington University in St. Louis, reads Canto 3 from her work "Inferno: A New Translation"
Jul 03, 2013•8 min
When tragedy strikes, we often comfort ourselves by saying "everything happens for a reason," and while the veracity of this statement in life is debated, it is always true in good literature. Every word is working toward building character, plot, setting, or layers of meaning. In this episode, Carl Phillips, poet and professor of English at Washington University, explores how life influences the creation of his poetry and the reoccurence of faith in his new collection, Silverchest. Timothy Moor...
Jun 26, 2013•20 min
Carl Phillips, poet and professor of English at Washington University, reads from his new collection, Silverchest.
Jun 26, 2013•3 min
Adolescence is a difficult transition for many—a time when everything seems urgent and nothing seems certain, when we weigh our family and childhood values against who we are and who we want to become as adults. It's a period fraught with conflict, internal and otherwise, so it's no wonder authors like Anton DiSclafani, Washington University alumna and Writer in Residence, return to it in their work. In this episode, Anton examines the fundamentals of a coming-of-age story, the impact of place o...
Jun 19, 2013•14 min
Anton DiSclafani, Washington University alumna and Writer in Residence, reads from her acclaimed debut novel, The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls.
Jun 19, 2013•4 min
In theaters and classrooms around the world, audiences and students experience the stories and emotions behind plays penned thousands of years ago by writers like Euripidies, Plautus, and Terence. But how do these modern encounters compare with original performances, and how are scholars even able to determine what it might have been like to view one of these plays in its original setting? Timothy Moore, professor and chair of classics at Washington University in St. Louis, describes the histori...
Jun 10, 2013•13 min
We've all been there: staring at the ceiling at 2:43 a.m., unable to fall asleep while the world slumbers around us. How do our internal clocks stay synced to our environment? What exactly do they control? Might future research provide relief for late-night workers or the jet-lagged when the natural rhythms of the body are disturbed? Erik Herzog, professor of biology at Washington University in St. Louis, explains how the brain's "master clock" works and how genetic mutations and natural toxins ...
Jun 03, 2013•15 min
In a follow-up to the episode Global Cities, Carol Camp Yeakey, founding director of the Center for Urban Research and Public Policy at Washington University in St. Louis, shares her own work and describes some of the interdisciplinary issues that students and practitioners of Urban Studies confront today. Camp Yeakey's ongoing research projects include the forthcoming studies No Place to Be Somebody, about Detroit, and Up From Rust?: The Promise and Peril of Urban Renewal, about neighborhoods i...
May 18, 2013•12 min
Creation doesn't happen in a vacuum. Artists and writers find inspiration in the world around them and in the work of their peers and predecessors. Today we offer a sneak peak into the new literary summer podcast series, Retellings, which will explore the complex web of inspiration and influence in literature. For this preview, host Rebecca King will introduce the series and provide a clip of her interview with Washington University alumna and current Writer-in-Residence Anton DiSclafani, whose ...
May 15, 2013•9 min
With the help of scientists like Sophia Hayes, associate professor of chemistry, new technologies may make it possible to remove the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, turn it into a solid, and store it in a safe environment elsewhere. Hayes uses a technique called nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to understand the structure of materials, including carbon dioxide. Hear her describe this research project, explain how NMR works, and reveal how “the magic angle” – a Washington Unive...
May 13, 2013•15 min
In the late 1980s, Marla Sokolowski noticed that if she placed fly larvae on a pile of yeast in a petri dish, some would sit and eat the yeast which they sat upon, while others would move, creating wild trails through the yeast as they ate. What makes some larvae rove around, while others simply sit and eat? And what do these fly larvae have to do with bees? Yehuda Ben-Shahar, assistant professor of biology, returns to continue his discussion on how genes can affect behavior and the various ways...
May 06, 2013•12 min
In an increasingly global and interconnected world, cities across the world confront similar issues. Where and how are people to live as urban centers become both larger and more dense? What are the effects of urban renewal on lower-income populations, and what sort of government policies can help bridge the widening divide between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots'? Carol Camp Yeakey, founding director of the Center on Urban Research & Public Policy and Interdisciplinary Program in Urban Studi...
Apr 30, 2013•14 min
Between 1950 and 2000, some 60% of the built environment in St. Louis's Old North neighborhood was demolished, and the majority of its residents left the area. Abandoned buildings have fallen into disrepair, but should they remain standing? If the last houses on a block are torn down, leaving empty, litter-filled lots, how can we expect neighborhoods to repopulate and rebuild? Michael Allen, architectural historian and director of the Preservation Research Office in St. Louis, describes the ambi...
Apr 22, 2013•14 min
Cities are often synonymous with modernity, but what exactly does modernity look like? In cities with a colonial history, such as Algiers and Cairo, often there are two city centers, two hearts: one with narrow alleys and courtyards, the other with broad boulevards and European-style storefronts. These separate architectural identities have led scholars and visitors to describe such places as “dual cities,” but Nancy Reynolds, associate professor of history at Washington University in St. Louis,...
Apr 15, 2013•11 min
As the face of Chicago changed during industrialization, so too did its workforce. The city had become a bustling metropolis, but at what cost? Dangerous working conditions prompted the rise of organized labor and a progressive movement, championed by social reformers like Jane Addams and Florence Kelley. In the second part of our look at turn of the century Chicago, Margaret Garb, associate professor of history at Washington University in St. Louis, examines the social and political movements t...
Apr 08, 2013•12 min
In the Victorian era, just after the birth of the electric lightbulb, a novel remedy was developed for women diagnosed with a mysterious ailment called "hysteria." In 2010, Sarah Ruhl wrote In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) about a doctor who specialized in these treatments. Director Henry Schvey, professor of drama and comparative literature, talks about the power of attraction and the lure of technology within this comic play, which opens April 19 at Washington University's Edison Theatr...
Apr 01, 2013•11 min
During the late 1800s, industrialization transformed cities across the United States. Things most of us take for granted, like sanitation, skyscrapers, and window shopping, were just starting to enter urban life. What did cities look like during this time of rapid growth and change? What was it like to walk down those streets? In the first of two podcasts devoted to turn of the century Chicago, Margaret Garb, associate professor of history at Washington University in St. Louis, brings the "city ...
Mar 25, 2013•12 min
At its peak around 1200 CE, the ancient Mississippian settlement of Cahokia stretched nearly six square miles, from what is now East St. Louis, Missouri, to Collinsville, Illinois, and included around 120 man-made earthen mounds. It was as large, or larger, than any European city of that time, but can we fairly or accurately call Cahokia a city? John Kelly, senior lecturer of archaeology at Washington University in St. Louis, discusses the limitations of imposing the Western concept of "cities" ...
Mar 18, 2013•11 min
We've all heard that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but is this adage true? How accurately do romantic partners gauge each other's attractiveness? What personality traits do others find most attractive, and how can we use this information to have meaningful relationships with our friends and family? Simine Vazire, associate professor of pyschology at Washington University in St. Louis, discusses the costs and benefits of exaggerating our own and our partners' attractiveness and explains h...
Mar 08, 2013•13 min
"So a fruit fly walks into a bar..." In all seriousness, finding a mate is an important part of life for almost every species. But how do animals like fruit flies determine what is attractive in a potential mate? Yehuda Ben Shahar, assistant professor of biology at Washington University in St. Louis, studies the role of genetics in courtship and mating behaviors. Join us as he describes his research and explains how biologists manipulate genes to test their theories.
Mar 01, 2013•12 min
Whether it takes five minutes or an hour, commuting to and from work is an essential part of most people's daily lives. But how do commuting costs, whether in time or money, influence the structure and the formation of cities? Join Marcus Berliant, professor of economics at Washington University in St. Louis, as he provides a glimpse into the questions and answers that make up the field of urban economics.
Feb 22, 2013•14 min
Cities have individual identities, but many of them face similar problems, including unequal access to education, employment, and health services. Often, the solutions to these issues are as complex as their causes. Dr. William Tate, chair of the department of Education at Washington University in St. Louis, describes the Geography of Opportunity and explains how researchers are able to illustrate their work through graphics in order to better reach and inspire local citizens.
Feb 14, 2013•13 min
At its construction in St. Louis in 1951, Pruitt-Igoe was hailed as a model for future public housing efforts, but within two decades the area had decayed into an impoverished, crime-ridden neighborhood. By 1976, the entire complex was demolished. What caused this housing project to fail so spectacularly, and how can contemporary architects avoid the same mistakes? Susanne Cowan, a post-doctoral fellow in architecture and history at Washington University in St. Louis, discusses the legacy of the...
Feb 08, 2013•15 min
Following his death some 2,000 years ago, the philosopher Apollonius of Tyana was known as a charlatan and magician. A century later, he was considered the embodiment of Greek culture and religion, particularly for those who opposed Christianity. Why do some people become immortalized while others fade into obscurity? Join Roshan Abraham, assistant professor of classics and religious studies at Washington University in St. Louis, as he reveals the many lives of Apollonius.
Feb 04, 2013•16 min
Kenneth Olsen, associate professor of biology at Washington University in St. Louis, shares his research into red rice, a weedy form of cultivated rice that is a major problem for farmers in the southern United States. In this podcast, Olsen describes his research and explains why domesticated crops like rice are such a valuable tool for studying the genetics and evolution of plants.
Dec 28, 2012•14 min
