Stephanie Bastek

Stephanie Bastek is the senior editor of the Scholar and the producer/host of the Smarty Pants podcast.

Roughing It

Ted Conover on life off-grid

By Stephanie Bastek | Friday November 18, 2022

The Abortion Underground

Laura Kaplan on the vital work of Jane

By Stephanie Bastek | Friday November 11, 2022

Tulsa 2022

RJ Young on the commemoration—and commercialization—of the massacre’s centenary

By Stephanie Bastek | Friday November 4, 2022

For the Love of Horror

Joe Vallese collects 25 queer reflections on formative films

By Stephanie Bastek | Friday October 28, 2022

The Fantasy of Real Life

Ling Ma on telling stories that see our world sideways

By Stephanie Bastek | Friday October 21, 2022

Welcome to the Osmocosm

Harold McGee explains the science behind a universe of smells

By Stephanie Bastek | Friday October 14, 2022

Fifty Years of Song

Joy Harjo celebrates her life in poetry

By Stephanie Bastek | Friday October 7, 2022

Ordinary Madness

Kate Summerscale on the fixations and fears that make us human

By Stephanie Bastek | Friday September 30, 2022

Know Your Earworm

Susan Rogers on figuring out why you love your favorite songs

By Stephanie Bastek | Friday September 23, 2022

Baba Yaga Comes to America

GennaRose Nethercott on folklore, fiction, and hidden family stories

By Stephanie Bastek | Friday September 16, 2022

The Midwife of Black Nationalism

By Stephanie Bastek | Friday December 12, 2025

Ground Truths

By Stephanie Bastek | Friday November 21, 2025

The Dangerous Dead

By Stephanie Bastek | Friday October 31, 2025

For the Love of Foraging

By Stephanie Bastek | Friday October 17, 2025

From Sofia to Chicago

By Stephanie Bastek | Friday October 3, 2025

Why the Bronx Burned

By Stephanie Bastek | Friday September 12, 2025

The Art of Doing Politics

By Stephanie Bastek | Friday August 15, 2025

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