Happy To Be Here

Authors Micaiah Johnson ('The Space Between Worlds') and Carmen Maria Machado ('In the Dream House', 'Her Body and Other Parties') join Nerdette host Greta Johnsen to discuss the Oscar-nominated film ‘Promising Young Woman.’ ‘Promising Young Woman’ is a genre-busting rape revenge tale starring Carey Mulligan as a flinty avenger on the hunt for so-called "nice guys." It has been nominated for five...

Authors Micaiah Johnson ('The Space Between Worlds') and Carmen Maria Machado ('In the Dream House,' 'Her Body and Other Parties') join Nerdette host Greta Johnsen to discuss the Oscar-nominated film ‘Promising Young Woman.’ ‘Promising Young Woman’ is a genre-busting rape revenge tale starring Carey Mulligan as a flinty avenger on the hunt for so-called "nice guys." It has been nominated for five...

Vaccine FOMO, royal drama, and our own personal Grammys. We unpack the week that was with author Saeed Jones and host of NPR’s Embedded podcast Kelly McEvers. Then, Devon Price, a social psychologist and professor at Loyola University, debunks the lies we tell ourselves about laziness. (Spoiler alert: Laziness Does Not Exist.) Plus, Katie Heaney joins us from The Cut to talk about her recent artic...

Texas and Mississippi are reopening. Cancel culture IS a thing. Also, have you ever imagined Helen Mirren smoking weed? We unpack the week that was with Leigh Bardugo and Emily Graslie. Plus, Anna Malaika Tubbs joins us to talk about the mothers of three civil rights icons. AND Sherry Turkle stops by to discuss her new memoir. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy...

People are hitting a “pandemic wall.” Presidents are making podcasts. And teenagers are kidnapping themselves to get out of work. We unpack the week that was with rapper Dessa and Snap Judgment host Glynn Washington. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Book critic Bethanne Patrick and Professor Lisa Page, director of creative writing at George Washington University, join us to discuss this month’s book club pick: Leave The World Behind by Rumaan Alam. Alam’s third novel is a witty and unnerving take on the apocalypse genre that is already being turned into a Netflix film starring Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington. See Privacy Policy at https:/...

Joss Whedon is not the feminist showrunner we thought he was, but is that a surprise? Plus, remembering the complicated legacies of two of America’s first female doctors. Then, a cat expert offers some advice to owners whose cats don’t love their home-based lifestyles. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Former President Trump is being impeached … again, Britney Spears is back in the news, and it’s the 10th anniversary of the viral TGIF earworm “Friday.” We unpack the week that was and catch up with Nerdette’s resident epidemiologist Dr. Emily Landon, who also works at the University of Chicago. Plus, Madam Clairvoyant stops by to explain why the heck things have been so weird lately (according to...

We talk with Rumaan Alam about his latest book ‘Leave The World Behind,’ which is already being turned into a Netflix film starring Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington. Rumaan Alam’s novel is Nerdette's February book club pick. Listen to our chat with Alam, read his book and come back later this month for more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https:...

This week we take a look at the latest set of award season snubs, non-snubs and the rest of the week’s news with WBEZ Reset host Sasha-Ann Simons and WAMU producer Jonquilyn Hill, who’s also the host of NPR’s Through The Cracks podcast. Then we talk with Jeni Britton Bauer, the creator of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, about a new flavor of cream cheese ice cream that includes — for some reason — ses...

GameStop, GameStop, GameStop. Be gone! Another week is in the books, and we break down the news in vaccine distribution and pandemic fertility rates with WBEZ criminal justice reporter Patrick Smith and soon-to-be City Cast lead producer Carrie Shepherd. Plus, we take a look at all these GameStop shenanigans with Slate reporter Alex Kirshner. Then, a conversation with Mateo Askaripour, the author...

In a lot of ways,  The Space Between Worlds   is a classic, action-packed sci-fi novel about a multiverse. But as our panelists explain, author Micaiah Johnson skillfully twists a lot of archetypical tropes into something wholly unique. Listen along as Greta discusses the book with Ramtin Arablouei, co-host of NPR’s  Throughline  podcast , and Northwestern University journalism lecturer Arionne Ne...

This year's presidential inauguration managed to muster up as much pageantry as possible, given the circumstances. Despite the pandemic and concerns over national security, the United States saw another peaceful transition of power.  Carol Moseley Braun, the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Senate, was in attendance. She tells Nerdette host Greta Johnsen what it was like to see another woman...

Everything keeps getting more intense! So we ask journalists Tricia Bobeda and Kristina Lopez how they're managing their news intake. Then, we talk to Glennon Doyle, author of several books, including Untamed , about why resolutions are not for her. And finally, we hear from some of you about what you've resolved to bring into 2021. Join us! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Cali...

Welcome to the Nerdette Book Club! Each month, we read a book and chat about it with a rotating group of panelists. This month’s pick is The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson. It’s an alternate-universe story about hundreds of different Earths slightly different from our own. It’s possible to “traverse” to other planets, but only if the traverser’s doppelganger is already dead. Enter Cara, o...

The first week of 2021 was rough. But, as advice columnists Daniel Lavery and Heather Havrilesky tell us, there's still room for optimism. Then we talk to Dr. Y. Joel Wong, a professor at Indiana University, about the very real science behind positive thinking (Yep, a number of studies show that people who keep gratitude journals are mentally and physically healthier than those who do not.) And fi...

The year is almost over, which means top 10 lists are rolling in. But what’s it like to pick favorites in such an emotionally intense year? Greta talks with podcast expert Nick Quah, TV critic Margaret Lyons and Vocalo host Jill Hopkins about the best stuff this year.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Author Sarah Vowell and comedian Maeve Higgins visit the Nerdette Book Club for a spoiler-filled analysis of Tana French's plodding murder mystery, 'The Searcher.' Plus, we hear from you! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

You’ve made it through another week in the year 2020. Congratulations! Join Nerdette for a look back at the week in vaccines, virtual holiday parties and Greta’s new favorite ridiculous TV show, The Wilds , alongside TIME Magazine’s Eliana Dockterman and NPR’s Barrie Hardymon . Then we have an amazing conversation about your brain — yes, yours — and how tired it gets when you make it lug your body...

Dessa is a rapper, a singer, an  author , a poet, and a  whiskey co-creator , among other things. She even participated in an “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”-type procedure in an attempt to remove memories from a painful relationship. Nerdette ’s Greta Johnsen talks to her about all of that, including her memoir,  My Own Devices . We also listen to some of the amazing tracks on  “Chime.”  ...

Our December Book Club pick is our first murder mystery! It's Tana French’s latest book,  The Searcher . In it, a retired Chicago police officer moves to a small town in Western Ireland for a bit of peace and quiet, only to get drawn back into his old ways when a local boy asks for help solving the mystery of his brother’s disappearance. Today's episode is a spoiler-free conversation with Tana Fre...

Happy weekend! Now let  Nerdette  podcast get you ready for it. First we break down the week in disappearing monoliths, TV reboots and Spotify playlists with WBEZ’s Meha Ahmad and Mariah Woelfel. Then we talk with musician Andrew Bird about  his new Christmas album . And finally, we take a walk through confectionary history with reporter Ashlie Stevens, who knows a few things about  sprinkles . Jo...

And from you to Nerdette! Despite [insert disaster of your choice], we’re still thankful for a lot of things in 2020. Like baked goods and game shows and the people we can still visit over the internet. We asked you to tell us about the stuff you’re grateful for right now and, obviously, you did not disappoint. Press play to listen. Us? We’re thankful for you. So hang in there, stay safe and have...

Is this movie a documentary? Maybe a horror film? Welcome back to Nerdette Recaps with Peter Sagal ! It’s the podcast where we rewatch movies from 1999 and dissect them like the intense nerds we are. Today, it’s all about Office Space , a workplace comedy from Mike Judge that has firmly … (“I believe you have my stapler”) ... wedged itself … (“Hello Peter. What’s happening.”) … into the cultural l...

Welcome to the Nerdette Book Club! Each month, we read a book and chat about it with a rotating group of panelists. This month’s pick is The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab. It’s about a girl from the 1700s whose curiosities and ambitions are bigger than the small town she lives in. When she finds a way to break free from the expectation to marry and settle down, she takes it without...