Choose to be Curious

I didn't know much about animal curiosity when a student asked me about it, but a visit to the Smithsonian's National Zoo helped fix that problem. It's curiosity, predators, puzzles and the power of sex! Theme music by Sean Balick; "Trivial Call" by Bayou Birds from Blue Dot Sessions. Join us next time when we change our point of view to see something new with photographer Jason Horowitz.

It started with a philosophical question and took us to Amazonia and the Shenandoah Mountains as well. Animal curiosity, all in under five minutes! Theme music by Sean Balick; "Lord Weasel" by Molerider from Blue Dot Sessions.

It's a big world, get out and explore! Capital Naturalist founder Alonso Abugattas makes his case for delighting in the natural world around us and Laine Coates takes off for the far reaches of the nation in an RV. Two ways to pay attention, be astonished and tell about it. All in 5 fast minutes. Music thanks to Sean Balick and Blue Dot Sessions.

We get wrapped up in our busy city lives, but with a little help from Alonso Abugattas and his Capital Naturalist group you can bask in the glory of bugs, native plants and the mystery species among us. The joys of choosing to be curious about the (wild! wonderful!) world out there. Join us next time when we head to the National Zoo to explore animal curiosity. Theme music by Sean Balick; Gullwing...

Rebecca Czarniecki, maven of manners and founder of Tea With Mrs. B, teaches people of all ages a mix of traditional and modern etiquette over a cup of tea. Please, pour yourself a cup o' and pull up a chair as we chat about the intersection of curiosity and courtesy. Join us next time when Alonso Abugattas, founder of The Capital Naturalist, explores the wonders of our natural world, right here i...

Just in time for the holidays: the intersection of courtesy, conflict and curiosity! Rebecca Czarniecki of Tea With Mrs. B and Megan Price of George Mason University's School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution on the art of good discourse in any company, all in 5 fast minutes. Theme music by Sean Balick; "Lick Stick" by The Nursery from Blue Dot Sessions.

Educational Theatre Company builds its work with school-aged kids around what it calls its “four Cs” corner stones: creativity, community, collaboration and confidence. Founder Stan Kang and I think we could make a case for adding curiosity to the list. Just listen to what one high school participant has to say about what she’s gained along the way... Theme music by Sean Balick; also featuring Min...

On the eve of Educational Theatre Company's 20th anniversary, Stan Kang, executive director and founder, explores the role of curiosity in storytelling and the theater. ETC and a celebration of the human experience - bravo! Join us next time when Rebecca Czarniecki, maven of manners and founder of Tea With Mrs. B, explores the intersection of curiosity and courtesy. We're going to be curiously wel...

Film-maker Brian Grazer wrote: “Curiosity—asking questions—isn’t just a way of understanding the world. It’s a way of changing it.” In some ways, that’s really what Choose to be Curious is about -- and its certainly what this segment addresses with select tips from current affairs radio host Andrea Cambron and students of Central Falls High School's class on "How to Change the World."

Andrea Cambron, producer and host of "Enlighten Me", encourages our curiosity about current affairs -- and invites kids' attention there as well. So what happens when children actually start asking questions about what's going on in the world around them? Making the case for choosing to be curious, even when it's complicated -- maybe especially when it's complicated. Join us next time when Stan Ka...

Good conversation relies on good listening -- in other words, choosing to be curious about what others are thinking and feeling. This week George Mason University professor Todd Kashdan and Vivek Patil, founder of Building Bridges, explore what it takes to better understand perspectives that are different from our own. Six minutes well spent.

Todd B. Kashdan's work was one of the first places I encountered an explicit call for *choosing* to be curious. I'm fascinated by his latest research illuminating what he calls the "full bandwidth" of curiosity. He grapples with curiosity in all its multidimensional, technicolor glory. Join us next time when Andrea Cambron, producer and host of news show Enlighten Me, explores curiosity, current a...

Ep. #64: Bias, with filmmaker Robin Hauser by Lynn Borton

A filmmaker and a film critic weigh in on something else entirely. Robin Hauser (producer and director of the documentary Bias) and Kevin Sampson (of WERA's own PictureLock) and I explore unconscious bias, the many -isms that afflict us -- and how curiosity might just be the solution. Six fabulous minutes.

Professor of philosophy Perry Zurn asserts "curiosity is political" and asks us to attend to those whose stories we might otherwise overlook, whether intentionally or otherwise. Historian Susan Strasser and poet Marcia E. Cole ask us to do the same -- with a shameful part of US history: lynching. Choosing to be curious about some hard stuff. A thoughtful and thought-provoking 6 minutes.

At some level I've been making this case for a while, but American University professor Perry Zurn makes it explicit: curiosity IS political. What questions are sanctioned? Who gets to ask what? Of whom? When? We dig into the power of attending to what gets passed over and think about how our ideas about education and institutions might be transformed through curiosity.

What do librarians reading Russian literature and comedians talking about racism have in common? A lot, it turns out. Six fast minutes of insights on War & Peace, truth and wisdom...

A team from Arlington Public Library navigated War & Peace as a summer Big Book Club -- and curiosity as a travel companion.  Alex Zealand, Jennifer Rothschild, Megan Biggins and Peter Petruski are a lively bunch of librarians; they led 200+ loyal readers through 1,200 pages of Napoleonic grandiosity and Russian fatalism. A good time was had by all. Except maybe the characters. They're never very...

Shane McCarty, Ph. D. is devoting his life to helping students find ways to improve school climate -- and their own lives in the process. In four short weeks at Yorktown High School he worked with AP Psych students to do just that - and I got to listen in. Short story: the future is in very good hands.

The wisdom of youth: two very different conversations in seven fast minutes. Shane McCarty of Cor Foundation and students from Yorktown High School on student-led research; Anderson Escobar and Mariami Shengelia, both formerly of Wakefield High School, talk about their experiences as immigrants. Spoiler: curiosity helps.

What is it about celebrities that so excites our curiosity - and might we learn anything from them, or about ourselves? Dean Rogers, entertainment news journalist and founder of The Rogers Revue, tells all!

The great American literary figure Lemony Snicket says, "Being curious is the most important part of being a journalist. It might be the most important part of being anything.” Entertainment news reporter Dean Rogers and "hard news guy" Drew Costley would hardly disagree.

Whether its in business, writing or life, honing ones craft takes work. And maybe a little curiosity. Management professor Matt Cronin and author Laura McBride explore "craft" in all its many glories.

Are some people just born more creative than the rest of us? Absolutely not says George Mason University professor Matthew Cronin -- but true "creatives" work hard to hone their craft, and curiosity turns out to play an important role. It's all about the process... Find Matt Cronin's Craft of Creativity here: https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=23350 Theme and other music by Sean Balick. Episode f...

"Infidelity is the antithesis of curiosity" says Tracy Schorn, whose blog "Chump Lady" has amassed 20M page views. We explore curiosity as a power tool in facing relationship betrayal. There's a reason she's an internet and publishing sensation....