Best Anne Curzan Podcasts (2025)

1
Joy Reid Shares and Makes History 1:01:20

1d ago1:01:20

1:01:20

Political commentator and New York Times best-selling author Joy Reid is joined by veteran reporter April Ryan for a conversation around Reid’s book "Medgar and Myrlie: A Love Story That Awakened America." Representing Delta Sigma Theta, Reid and Ryan’s friendship is electric, recorded live in April 2024 at a full house at the First United Methodis…

1
The voices in your head with Ethan Kross 37:45

1d ago37:45

37:45

Do you have an inner monologue? Ethan Kross is a psychologist and neuroscientist who studies our inner lives, from how you respond to the voice in your head to how you manage your emotions. Ethan and Adam compare notes on their inner voices (or lack thereof), share advice on how to calm an anxious mind, and discuss the benefits of mental time trave…

1
Shannon Vallor: The AI Illusion 41:21

1d ago41:21

41:21

Artificial intelligence is poised to reshape our world, in many ways for the better. But the gains come with great risks – above all that its seductive appeal lulls us into believing that AI machines know better than we do.By Bobi NYC

1
TWTS: The expressionless expression of "deadpan" 5:23

3d ago5:23

5:23

The word "deadpan" is on the rise, as multiple parts of speech. That "pan" is related to the historical expression “shut your pan."By Rebecca Kruth, Anne Curzan

1
The emotions you’ve felt but never named with John Koenig 32:06

8d ago32:06

32:06

Have you heard of the word sonder? It’s the realization that each “random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.” John Koenig introduced it in his book The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows—a compilation of new words aiming to capture the nuance and complexity of emotions that can be hard to put a finger on. In this vocabulary-expa…

1
Malcolm Gladwell: Tipping Points Old and New 39:25

8d ago39:25

39:25

His new book Revenge of The Tipping Point takes a fresh look at the tipping points of social change he opened our eyes to 25 years ago – and unearths unexpected explanations for such new questions as: what really drove the opioid crisis, why diversity matters, and why Harvard University has a women’s rugby team.…

1
TWTS: Whenever you say "whenever" 5:24

12d ago5:24

5:24

Not all of us use the word 'whenever' in exactly the same way, and people are noticing.By Anne Curzan, Rebecca Kruth

1
Mini Tapes: Last Week Tonight's Ali Barthwell on Chicago, Comedy, and Playing to the Top of the Audience’s Intelligence 24:32

15d ago24:32

24:32

Today’s mini episode is the best of Ali Barthwell (Last Week Tonight with John Oliver) from October 2024’s Writing on Eggshells: Political Comedy Cracked Up panel, featuring Peter Grosz (The Colbert Report, Late Night with Seth Meyers) and John Lutz (Late Night with Seth Meyers, Saturday Night Live), moderated by Second City's Kelly Leonard. Chicag…

1
Ann Patchett: Bel Canto Revisited 42:09

15d ago42:09

42:09

In a remarkable and illuminating tour de force, the novelist recently took a fresh look at her best-known book, going through it line by line and annotating it with handwritten notes in the margins – notes on things she both loved and hated. “It shows,” she says, “a lot about how to write a novel.”By Bobi NYC

1
Decoding cross-cultural communication with Erin Meyer 39:01

15d ago39:01

39:01

When talking and working with people from different cultures, sometimes meanings and intentions can get lost in translation. Erin Meyer is an expert on how we communicate and collaborate differently around the world. She and Adam discuss how cultural norms affect honesty and assertiveness, unpack the science behind some common American stereotypes,…

1
TWTS: One hundred is worth a hundred 5:14

18d ago5:14

5:14

It’s 100% true that people online are asking about sentences like, “I got an a hundred on the test.”By Anne Curzan, Rebecca Kruth

1
The importance of validation with therapist Caroline Fleck 37:17

22d ago37:17

37:17

Seeking acceptance is a natural part of the human experience — but do you know how to dish it out? Clinical psychologist Caroline Fleck believes that validating others is a key to building stronger relationships. She and Adam discuss strategies for recognizing another person’s feelings, the distinction between empathetic validation and exaggerated …

1
Matt Strassler: What Are You Made Of? 35:54

22d ago35:54

35:54

The answer, regrettably, is unbelievable. That is, unbelievable to most of us, because we cannot imagine a universe – including ourselves – made of waves. Quantum physicist Matt Strassler braves the task of convincing Alan he is a collection of waves, and in doing so helps Alan answer a question that’s haunted him for more than a decade.…

1
TWTS: Not all sounds resonate 5:20

23d ago5:20

5:20

The way some people use "resonate" doesn't resonate with all of our listeners.By Rebecca Kruth, Anne Curzan

1
The Forces Shaping Immigration with Geraldo Cadava 1:22:36

29d ago1:22:36

1:22:36

Four experts discuss the politicization of immigration alongside the normalcy of human migration. Topics include Chicago as a sanctuary city, the need to address root causes, and the importance of centering the humanity of migrants. Northwestern history professor and contributing writer for The New Yorker Geraldo Cadava moderates the panel with UIC…

1
Rewriting your story with Allison Sweet Grant 42:27

29d ago42:27

42:27

Allison Sweet Grant is the author of the debut novel I Am the Cage — and also Adam’s wife. In this special episode, Allison and Adam dive into Allison’s book, inspired by her experience growing up with a congenital limb discrepancy and undergoing a complicated medical procedure at a formative age. They explore the lessons for identity, shame, trust…

1
Julie Sedivy: How Language Shapes Us 41:10

29d ago41:10

41:10

Her new book, Linguaphile: A Life of Language Love is an ode to the power of language to both shape us and be shaped by us. It’s informed by her own experience with languages: she spoke five before learning English as an immigrant to Canada as a child.By Bobi NYC

1
TWTS: When a sweep gets clean 4:49

1M ago4:49

4:49

We can sweep the floor, sweep the board, sweep the stakes, sweep the series – and maybe it will even be called a "clean sweep."By Anne Curzan, Rebecca Kruth

1
Cancelling cancel culture with Loretta Ross 36:38

1M ago36:38

36:38

As a public intellectual, activist and professor at Smith College, Loretta Ross is no stranger to confrontation and debate. But years of working to change the minds of others have led her to rethink her own ideas about approaching difficult conversations. Loretta and Adam discuss why shaming rarely changes behavior and her powerful alternative to c…

1
Mala Murthy: From a Fly’s Brain to Yours 37:27

1M ago37:27

37:27

The 500 feet of wiring packed into fruit fly’s brain has been fully mapped – giving insights into how the more that 300,000 miles of wiring packed into your brain generates your thoughts, feelings, perceptions and actions. These insights could also lead to novel treatments for the diseases caused when the wiring goes wrong.…

1
TWTS: May as well get comfortable with "comfortability" 5:15

1M ago5:15

5:15

While you may not find “comfortability” in many standard dictionaries yet, it is out there in circulation with “comfortableness.”By Rebecca Kruth, Anne Curzan

1
Adrianne Black: A Journey from White Nationalism to Antiracism 50:07

1M ago50:07

50:07

Adrianne Black has an incredible story along with a profound evolution. Her father was a former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, and she was raised as a frequent spokesperson for the white nationalist movement as a child. Her memoir “The Klansman’s Son” details the shift from spreading hate on TV to attending weekly Shabbat dinners. In today’s pro…

1
Brenda Wineapple: When Evolution Was on Trial 37:57

1M ago37:57

37:57

In 1925, a trial in a small town in Tennessee riveted the nation. In the dock was a young man named John Scopes, charged with violating a state law outlawing the teaching of evolution. The trial exposed fault lines in society that are opening again today, a century later.By Bobi NYC

1
Reimagining the US political system with Sharon McMahon 37:47

1M ago37:47

37:47

Sharon McMahon is a government expert, but that doesn’t mean she wants to run for office. As an author, podcaster and civics teacher, Sharon finds that her time is best spent kindly correcting people on the internet and leading her millions of Instagram followers — who call themselves the Governerds — in conversations about how to improve democracy…

1
TWTS: If you find “the lurch,” don’t stick around 4:55

2M ago4:55

4:55

Sometimes we’re left in the lurch. It’s probably fair to say that most of us don’t know where that lurch is.By Anne Curzan, Rebecca Kruth

1
Improving teen mental health with Lisa Damour 41:10

2M ago41:10

41:10

Adolescence can be an emotionally volatile time, and in the age of social media, concerns about teenage mental health are more pressing than ever — for teens and parents alike. Dr. Lisa Damour is a clinical psychologist who specializes in teenagers and their mental health, consulting on the Pixar film Inside Out 2 and authoring the New York Times b…

1
Daniel Levitin: Music as Medicine 40:46

2M ago40:46

40:46

Music can lift our spirits, bring us to tears, spark our creativity, pace our workouts. Neuroscientist and musician Daniel Levitin explores all these benefits of music – and adds the recent scientific evidence that in some chronic medical conditions, music is medicinal.By Bobi NYC

1
TWTS: Where did that pit in your stomach come from? 5:13

2M ago5:13

5:13

It appears that some of those bad or uneasy feelings we may feel in the pit of our stomach have become a pit in our stomach.By Rebecca Kruth, Anne Curzan

1
Fixing the trust crisis with Rachel Botsman 43:17

2M ago43:17

43:17

Who do you trust — and when? Rachel Botsman is a leading expert on trust in the modern world, and her new audiobook, How to Trust and Be Trusted, offers bold new ways of thinking about building, maintaining and restoring relationships. Rachel and Adam redefine trust, examine why we often trust the wrong people and question the assumption that trans…

1
Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda - Season 28 trailer 36:32

2M ago36:32

36:32

Alan and Clear and Vivid’s executive producer Graham Chedd chat about and play clips from some of the shows coming up in season 28. A major theme of the season is language –from babies picking up clues about their mother’s language while still in the womb, to male fruit flies singing courtship songs to female fruit flies, to a best-selling novelist…

1
TWTS: The American Dialect Society's 2024 Word of the Year 5:18

2M ago5:18

5:18

It's that time again. With 2024 behind us, we can vote on the word of the year.By Anne Curzan, Rebecca Kruth

1
Sam Altman on the future of AI and humanity 39:42

2M ago39:42

39:42

Sam Altman is the CEO and cofounder of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. He and Adam discuss AI's advances in creativity and empathy, its ethical challenges, and the role of human oversight. Sam and Adam also discuss strategies for adapting to a changing world and their hopes for technology that enhances human progress while maintaining human val…

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