Design Matters

Author of the bestselling book “Queenie”—Candice Carty-Williams joins a very special guest host, Roxane Gay, to talk about her latest novel “People Person” which follows the Pennington family, a cadre of five half-siblings forced together in the wake of a dramatic event.

Rising to the top of tennis stardom, Chris Evert talks about her groundbreaking career as a legendary athlete and recent creative endeavor in jewelry design.

Chip Kidd—award-winning designer, musician, author, and all around rock star—joins for his fifth time to talk about his recent projects and so much more.

Joan Wasser shares her musical journey from a classically trained violinist to a solo singer, songwriter, and rock star known as Joan As Police Woman.

A love for craftsmanship, design, and baseball brings music legend Jack White and design entrepreneur Ben Jenkins together. In 2016, Jack White became an investor in Ben Jenkins's sporting goods brand, Warstic. Today the company does so much more than manufacture artisan baseball bats.

As Vice President of Human Interface Design at Apple, Alan Dye has spent much of his career working for a company that has done perhaps more than any other to make design sexy, essential, and highly coveted. He joins to discuss his lustrous creative path working with Ogilvy’s Brand Integration Group, Kate Spade, Apple and the brand new, highly anticipated Apple Vision Pro.

The author of the award-winning novels “Pachinko” and “Free Food for Millionaires,” Min Jin Lee, discusses her remarkable career and the long journey and intention behind her Korean diaspora novels.

Over the course of his storied career as a designer and educator, Dr. D’Wayne Edwards has created more than 500 footwear styles for premier entertainers such as Tupac, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dog, and Notorious B.I.G. His designs have been worn in six Olympics and graced all MLB, NFL, and NBA stadiums. He joins to talk about his remarkable career and current role as President of Pensole Lewis College of Bu...

Known for her elaborate paintings composed of rhinestones, acrylic, and enamel, Mickalene Thomas draws on art history and popular culture to create a contemporary vision of female sexuality, beauty, and power.

Best-selling author, scientist, and trailblazer in autism research, Dr. Temple Grandin’s new book “Visual Thinking” draws on cutting-edge research and her own lived experience to reframe the conversation on neurodiversity and different types of thinkers.

Best known for her controversial novels featuring extreme situations and characters, A.M. Homes discusses her most recent book, The Unfolding, and her remarkable career authoring thirteen extraordinarily original books.

Jason Reynolds—award-winning author and National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature—discusses his prolific writing career that inspires young readers to discover their own stories.

Described as a darkly funny meditation on creativity and family, Brad Listi joins to talk about his new book, “Be Brief and Tell Them Everything.”

Amy Ray and Emily Saliers talk about their extraordinary 30-year creative collaboration as the music duo, Indigo Girls.

With her blog, Dooce, Heather Armstrong ushered in a new genre of confessional writing online, inspiring millions of readers and creators. To honor her legacy, we are replaying the episode from 2011. Among many things, we talked about suicide and depression, so please be forewarned.

Best known for her Emmy and Golden Globe-winning role as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson on the TNT crime drama The Closer, Kyra Sedgwick joins to discuss her remarkable acting career and new directorial debut, Space Oddity.

Singer-songwriter Martha Wainwright joins to discuss her latest album and new memoir about growing up in a family of rock ‘n’ roll royalty and her experiences with love, loss, motherhood, divorce, and the music industry.

Best known for her role as Bond girl Pam Bouvier in the James Bond movie License to Kill and ADA Jamie Ross in the television series Law & Order, Carey Lowell joins to discuss her career as a model, actress, and ceramicist.

Neil deGrasse Tyson—world-renowned astrophysicist, Emmy-nominated host, and author—is one of the most popular and influential figures in modern science. He joins to discuss his cosmic career and new book, “Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization.”

Peter Arnell has built an unparalleled reputation creating groundbreaking, boundary-averse work for many of the world’s most celebrated brands. He joins to discuss his new book and storied career as a designer, branding executive, photographer, founder, and CEO.

A founding member of the Bangles, a solo artist, and a collaborator, Susanna Hoffs boasts one of pop music’s most striking and beloved voices. She joins to talk about her prolific music career and her new book, “This Bird Has Flown.”

American actress and playwright Kirsten Vangsness joins to discuss her role as bespectacled tech kitten Penelope Garcia on the long-running CBS crime drama Criminal Minds.

Don Norman, the Godfather of UX Design and Cognitive Science’s foremost pioneer, joins to discuss his new book “Design for a Better World” and how human behavior can save the world from its dire predicament.

Exploring Rick Rubin’s production discography is like taking a tour through the commanding heights of American music over the past few decades. From Run-DMC to Jay-Z to Adele, the record producer joins to talk about his legendary career making classic songs with the best musicians in the world.

Best known for writing and directing the Academy Award-Winning film CODA and her work on the television series Orange Is the New Black—Siân Heder joins to talk about her remarkable career as a writer, producer, and filmmaker.