Diary of the World

Episode 4 (2015–2026) closes our Modern History of Ukraine series. We follow the “cyborgs” who held Donetsk Airport, the rise of Volodymyr Zelensky, and the toppling of Soviet symbols as Ukraine reshapes its identity. We also look at Crimea’s occupation, the Crimea Platform, the fate of the Crimean Tatars, and the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Italy — where the world plans how Ukraine will rebuil...

Welcome to Part 3 of 4 in our Modern History of Ukraine series, tracing the last 50 years of Ukraine’s story. In this episode, we break down how corruption and oligarchs became central players in Ukraine’s politics and economy—where they came from, how the system worked, and why it proved so hard to escape. We also explore why Ukraine didn’t move toward Europe sooner, and how ordinary Ukrainians p...

Welcome to Part 2 of 4 in our Modern History of Ukraine series, where we cover the last 50 years of Ukraine’s story — the moment Ukraine gets a divorce from Russia. Russia doesn’t want Ukraine to walk away. It says, “Let’s make this work. You can stay in the union — just with more freedoms.” But Ukraine says, “No. I’m done with you.” Like any divorce, it’s messy. They have to figure out who gets t...

Welcome to Diary of the World , Part 1 of our 50-year journey through the modern history of Ukraine . Join host Kerri as she brings to life Ukraine’s story under Soviet rule — from the arrests of Ukrainian dissidents in the 1970s to the Chernobyl disaster and the growing movement for independence. Through vivid storytelling and real historical figures, you’ll experience how freedom and control sha...

Professor Michael Naydan (Penn State) joins me to read Yuri Vynnychuk’s short story “An Embroidered World.” We pause at key moments to unpack its symbolism and explore how Ukrainian magical realism helps make sense of historical trauma.

Since the war in Ukraine started in 2022, over 100,000 Ukrainians have found refuge in Ireland. One bike shop owner in Dublin, Paul McQuaid, has made it his mission to help get bikes for free to any Ukrainian refugee and any Irish person in need of one. He has a long waitlist, and he could use donations and parts, but he is totally committed to continuing doing what he's doing. I talked to Pau...

Ireland has long been a country of contradictions — the public stories told by church and state often sat uneasily alongside the hidden realities of ordinary lives. In this episode, I speak with acclaimed writer and critic Fintan O’Toole about his book We Don’t Know Ourselves and the modern history of Ireland. We explore how revelations of abuse, secrecy, and collusion between church and state for...

South Korea's loudspeakers stationed at the DMZ between North and South Korea are being taken down as a conciliatory gesture towards the North. Historically, the broadcasts coming from the North and South have been on and off, in a tit for tat psychological war between the two Koreas. Is the new president Lee Jae Myung taking the right step in turning the broadcasts off? He will be cutting off...

A Korean American student at Phillips Andover Academy committed suicide on March 27, 2025. He was captain of the golf team, an honor student, and co-founder of a charity called Fairway Fund. Why would a young man with so much promise take his life? Kerri explores what some of the rumors surrounding the suicide pointed to: that the death was brought on by the all-too-familiar pressures Koreans and...