Stephanie Bastek

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

The Snow Maiden

By Stephanie Bastek | Friday January 2, 2026

The Midwife of Black Nationalism

Ashley D. Farmer on the forgotten life of “Queen Mother” Audley Moore

By Stephanie Bastek | Friday December 12, 2025

Ground Truths

Edward McPherson zooms in on the aerial view

By Stephanie Bastek | Friday November 21, 2025

The Dangerous Dead

John Blair on the enduring epidemics of the undead

By Stephanie Bastek | Friday October 31, 2025

For the Love of Foraging

Gabrielle Cerberville on living and eating with the seasons

By Stephanie Bastek | Friday October 17, 2025

From Sofia to Chicago

Izidora Angel on growing up in 1980s communist Bulgaria

By Stephanie Bastek | Friday October 3, 2025

Why the Bronx Burned

Bench Ansfield on a 20th-century triangle trade

By Stephanie Bastek | Friday September 12, 2025

What Lies Beneath the Levee Camp Holler

Eric McHenry investigates a century-old crime preserved in music

By Stephanie Bastek | Friday August 29, 2025

The Art of Doing Politics

Sarah Stein Lubrano on prioritizing relationships over rationality

By Stephanie Bastek | Friday August 15, 2025

The Linguistics of Brain Rot

Adam Aleksic on how social media is transforming our words

By Stephanie Bastek | Friday July 25, 2025

Philip Sparrow Tells All

By Stephanie Bastek | Monday January 11, 2016

Unruly Equality

By Stephanie Bastek | Thursday January 7, 2016

Masters of Empire

By Stephanie Bastek | Tuesday December 22, 2015

One Child

By Stephanie Bastek | Monday December 14, 2015

Hamburgers in Paradise

By Stephanie Bastek | Tuesday December 8, 2015

Database of Dreams

By Stephanie Bastek | Tuesday November 24, 2015

The White Road

By Stephanie Bastek | Wednesday November 18, 2015

Getting Screwed

By Stephanie Bastek | Monday November 9, 2015

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