Smarty Pants

The American Scholar•theamericanscholar.org

Tune in every other week to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from literature, the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on cutting-edge works in progress; long-form narratives; and compelling excerpts from new books. A podcast from The American Scholar magazine. Hosted by Stephanie Bastek.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Episodes

#11: Sounds Like a Revolution

Madeleine Thien talks about art and music under totalitarianism, along with her novel, Do Not Say We Have Nothing , shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize; Scholar managing editor Sudip Bose explains how Neville Marriner, conductor of the now-ubiquitous Academy-of-St.-Martin-in-the-Fields, used to be a rebel; and beloved former Scholar blogger Jessica Love catches us up on the radical changes she’s made to her book on psycholinguistics. Mentioned in this episode: • Listen to the Spotify playlist w...

Dec 16, 2016•45 min

#10: The Aftermath

Keramet Reiter talks about what happens to prisoners who spend decades in solitary confinement; Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and Dina Gilia-Whitaker offer some historical perspective on the crisis at Standing Rock; and Sandra Gilbert reflects on the importance of Adrienne Rich and reads her favorite poem. Mentioned in this episode: • Read an excerpt from Keramet Reiter’s new book , 23/7: Pelican Bay Prison and the Rise of Long-Term Solitary Confinement • Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and Dina Gilio-Whitaker’s ne...

Nov 22, 2016•42 min

#9: Fighting the Zika Virus with John Wayne (and John Aubrey)

Harriet Washington discusses how our current Zika crisis fits into the (tragic) pattern of ignoring tropical diseases until they hit our shores; Brian Doyle tries to justify watching 50 John Wayne movies in a row; and Ruth Scurr tells funny stories about John Aubrey, the most curious biographer of the Elizabethan age. Mentioned in this episode: • Harriet Washington’s cover story on neglected tropical diseases and mental health, “The Well Curve” • Brian Doyle on John Wayne • … and on his dog’s cr...

Nov 07, 2016•39 min

#8: High Art and Low Chairs

Take a crash course in Indie Publishing 101 with the founders of Restless Books; hear Scholar senior editor Bruce Falconer explain how John le Carré burned the bridge between genre and literary fiction; and learn from Witold Rybczynski how an iconic modern chair was inspired by an ant. Mentioned in this episode: • Bruce Falconer’s review of The Pigeon Tunnel • Our list of 13 “Spooktacular” Books and Michael Dirda’s attempt to out-scare us with a list of his own • An excerpt from How to Travel Wi...

Oct 21, 2016•41 min

#7: Ku Klux Kounty

Patrick Phillips recounts the ugly history of a southern county that brutally expelled its African-American residents and remained entirely white for most of the 20th century; Ross King reveals some of Claude Monet’s more unusual painting habits, including his obsession with a certain flower; and Paula Becker introduces the memoir of a beloved American children’s book author. Mentioned in this episode: • Read more about Forsyth in Patrick Phillips’s new book, Blood at the Root • Watch Oprah Winf...

Oct 07, 2016•38 min

#6: Women v. ISIS

Meredith Tax explains how the Rojava Kurds—and their democratic, feminist, and environmentally conscious society—are fighting back against ISIS; Ed Yong takes us on a tour of the ecosystems lurking inside our bodies; and Amy Whitaker, alias “Agony Amy,” our resident agony aunt, gives advice about balancing a creative life. Mentioned in this episode: • View a slideshow of Joey Lawrence’s photographs from Rojava, and read an excerpt from A Road Unforeseen • “ The Revolution in Rojava ”, Meredith T...

Aug 23, 2016•36 min

#5: A New Story for Black Americans

Charles Johnson questions the stories we tell ourselves about black America, eight years after President Obama’s election; Barry Goldstein gives us the inside story on covering the 2016 Republican and Democratic national conventions; and David Lehman explains what crowdsourcing and poetry have in common. Mentioned in this episode: • Charles Johnson’s original 2008 essay, “The End of the Black American Narrative” • David Lehman’s “Next Line, Please” blog • Barry Goldstein’s portraits from the con...

Aug 09, 2016•34 min

#4: Go West, Young Scholar

Terry Tempest Williams talks America’s national parks and her new book, “The Hour of Land;” James Conaway explains how to survive a California wildfire while downing petit syrah; and Ted Levin sticks up for the beleaguered timber rattlesnake. Mentioned in this episode: • Our Summer 2016 cover story about America’s national parks, “The Taming of the Wild” • James Conaways’s essay about the Valley Fire, “Waiting for Fire” • Ted Levin’s Shelf Life excerpt Tune in every two weeks to catch interviews...

Jul 25, 2016•38 min

#3: Reading Lolita in Maximum Security Prison

How do you run a literature course for convicts, and what do a headless chicken and Pinochet have in common? Mikita Brottman discusses her new book, The Maximum Security Book Club ; Idra Novey reads a short story; and we venture underground to check out what's happening to the abandoned streetcar tunnels under Washington, D.C. Mentioned in this episode: • Idra Novey’s short story, “Under the Lid” • Our original coverage of the Dupont Underground • Mikita Brottman’s essay, “Jane Austen’s Ivory Ca...

Jul 11, 2016•43 min

#2: Superheroes Are So Gay!

What do the X-Men have to do with feminism, and how did the Fantastic Four get caught up in the radical politics of the New Left? Learn about the queer history of superhero comics with Ramzi Fawaz, and check in on reporter Karen Coates's documentary project on world hunger, "Bellyache." Tune in every two weeks to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from literature, the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on cutting-edge works in progress; long-form narratives; and compell...

Jun 27, 2016•35 min

#1: Mary Roach and a Double Dose of Shakespeare

Hear about weird military science from Mary Roach, learn bizarre Elizabethan recipes, and catch an excerpt from a new book about Shakespeare's strange appeal. Tune in every two weeks to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from literature, the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on cutting-edge works in progress; long-form narratives; and compelling excerpts from new books. Hosted by Stephanie Bastek. Subscribe : iTunes • Feedburner • Stitcher • Google Play • Acast Have su...

Jun 13, 2016•42 min

Smarty Pants #0: Trailer

A podcast from The American Scholar magazine. Tune in every two weeks to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from literature, the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on cutting-edge works in progress; long-form narratives; and compelling excerpts from new books. Hosted by Stephanie Bastek. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 09, 2016•1 min

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