Smarty Pants

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Tune in every 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. Produced and hosted by Stephanie Bastek.

Have suggestions for projects you’d like us to catch up on, or writers you want to hear from? Send us a note: podcast [at] theamericanscholar.org


Episode List:

Dancing the Imperial Twist

Julian Saporiti on mixing music with history as No-No Boy

by Stephanie Bastek | Friday, August 04, 2023

Dying for Fashion

Dana Thomas on how our hunger for new clothes damages the environment and exploits workers

by Stephanie Bastek | Friday, July 28, 2023

On the Line

Karen Pinchin on what tuna reveal about the fate of our oceans

by Stephanie Bastek | Friday, July 21, 2023

Of Panic and Paranoia

Colin Dickey on the enduring power of secret societies and conspiracy theories

by Stephanie Bastek | Friday, July 14, 2023

Man vs. Mosquito

Timothy Winegard on how this irritating insect changed human history—for better and for worse

by Stephanie Bastek | Friday, July 07, 2023

The Falcon’s Odd Little Cousin

Jonathan Meiburg on the smartest bird you’ve never heard of

by Stephanie Bastek | Friday, June 30, 2023

Imagined Cuisines

Anya von Bremzen on what makes a “national dish”

by Stephanie Bastek | Friday, June 23, 2023

What Could Be Wurst?

Jamie Loftus on the wild American world of hot dogs

by Stephanie Bastek | Friday, June 16, 2023

Why the West Won’t Die

Naoíse Mac Sweeney on writing a different kind of “big history” book

by Stephanie Bastek | Friday, June 09, 2023

No-No-Novel

Resurrecting the legacy of John Okada, the first Japanese-American novelist

by Stephanie Bastek | Friday, June 02, 2023
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