Victoria Schwab On Monsters, Mayhem And Magic
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.
Aug 19, 2016•27 min
Nerdette
Nerdette is a weekly interview show that helps you unwind with fun conversations, inspiring ideas, and delightful recommendations. And join us every month for the Nerdette Book Club!
Episodes
Messing With Nature: Exploring The Future Of Food, Fertility And More
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.
Aug 11, 2016•34 min
Hari Kondabolu On Turning Politics Into Comedy
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....
Aug 05, 2016•32 min
Jessi Klein On Grown-Up Tomboys, Motherhood, And Backpacks
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 ....
Jul 29, 2016•35 min
Lindy West And Andi Zeisler On Fierce Feminism
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.
Jun 23, 2016•34 min
Tig Notaro And Gillian Flynn 'Just' People
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.
Jun 16, 2016•33 min
Judy Blume And Kwame Alexander On The Books That Shape Childhood
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.
Jun 09, 2016•37 min
W. Kamau Bell On His New Show, The Hulk, And Denzel
W. Kamau Bell is the host of CNN’s United 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....
Jun 03, 2016•33 min
Felicia Day On Being Weird, Hard Work And Women In Hollywood
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 | Tumblr Like Game of Thrones ? Check out our other podcast: Nerdette Recaps Game of Thrones with Peter Sagal....
May 20, 2016•33 min
Dan Savage On Nerdy Kink, Musical Theater, and Cultural Catholicism
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.
May 13, 2016•36 min
Politics On TV: West Wing's Joshua Malina And Madam Secretary Creator Barbara Hall
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 ....
May 06, 2016•42 min
Stephen King, Anna Quindlen And Garden Gnomes
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....
Apr 28, 2016•41 min
601 The Red Woman: Nerdette Recaps Game Of Thrones With Peter Sagal
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 ....
Apr 28, 2016•44 min
Baratunde Thurston On Comedy, Race, And Uncomfortable Conversations
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....
Mar 28, 2016•29 min
Rebecca Traister On All The Single Ladies
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,...
Mar 25, 2016•36 min
Author Amy Tan And A Rube Goldberg Competition
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.
Mar 11, 2016•29 min
Kim Barker On Being Tina Fey In Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
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.
Mar 04, 2016•27 min
Nick Hornby on screenplays, nostalgia and the beauty of sport
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....
Feb 18, 20160
Sandra Cisneros on Writing, Running Away and RuPaul
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.
Feb 11, 20160
Jenny Lawson on Living a Furiously Happy Life Full of Raccoons
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.
Feb 10, 20160
Sarah Vowell on Hamilton, grumpy cartographers and America's favorite Frenchman
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 Tri...
Jan 28, 20160
Sneak Peek at Our New Season
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
Jan 22, 20160
Caitlin Moran on strident feminism, giddy optimism, and riotous laughter
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.
Jul 23, 20150
Science on the beach with Clare Fieseler
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.
Jul 17, 20150
Alexandra Petri on being awkward, joining cults, and making puns
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.
Jul 10, 20150
Rock critic Jessica Hopper is Kool-Aid Man
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.
Jun 26, 20150
#11 BONUS Game of Thrones Recap w/ Peter Sagal (S5E10)
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
Jun 19, 20150
Sex from Scratch, the history of birth control, and homework from Dan Savage
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.
Jun 18, 20150
#10: Game of Thrones Recaps w/Peter Sagal (S5E10)
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.
Jun 16, 20150
Erik Larson on journalling, fatalism, and time travel
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.
Jun 11, 2015•26 min