Keen On America

Episode 1609: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Sean A. Mirski, author of WE MAY DOMINATE THE WORLD, about ambition, anxiety and the rise of America as both a regional hegemon and global colossus Sean A. Mirski is a lawyer and US foreign policy scholar who has worked on national security issues across multiple U.S. presidential administrations. A term member of the Council on Foreign Relations...

Episode 1608: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Neil Howe, author of THE FOURTH TURNING IS HERE, how the seasons of history can help us overcome our current economic, political, cultural and generational crisis Neil Howe is an acclaimed historian, economist, and demographer and the bestselling author (with William Strauss) of The Fourth Turning , as well as over a dozen books on demographic an...

Episode 1607: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Ted Anton, author of PROGRAMMABLE PLANET, about the brave new world of synthetic biology  Ted Anton is professor of English at DePaul University. He is the author of several books and has written for Chicago magazine, the Chicago Tribune , and Publishers Weekly . His latest book is PROGRAMMABLE PLANET (2023) Named as one of the "100 most connecte...

Episode 1606: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Evan Thomas, author of ROAD TO SURRENDER, about the three men - two Americans and one Japanese - behind the countdown to the end of World War II  Evan Thomas is the author of nine books: The Wise Men (with Walter Isaacson), The Man to See, The Very Best Men, Robert Kennedy, John Paul Jones, Sea of Thunder, The War Lovers, Ike’s Bluff, and Being N...

Episode 1605: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Natasha Wheatley, the author of THE LIFE AND DEATH OF STATES, about the Central Europe and the transformation of modern sovereignty from empire to democracy Assistant Professor of History at Princeton, Natasha Wheatley is an historian of modern European and international history, with broad interests in intellectual and legal history, Central Eur...

Episode 1603: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to John Wood Jr, National Ambassador for Braver Angels, about the role of diplomacy, music and conversation in getting Americans of different political persuasions to begin talking to one another again John Wood Jr. started as an opinion columnist for USA TODAY in May 2022. He is also National Ambassador for Braver Angels; America's largest bipartis...

Episode 1603: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Eric Yaverbaum, author of PR FOR DUMMIES, about Twitter, Threads and why even 62 year-old guys like himself need to be on social media Eric Yaverbaum, CEO of Ericho Communications, is a communications, media, and public relations expert with over 41 years in the industry, having co-founded Jericho Communications and served as President from 1985...

Episode 1602: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Christian Madsbjerg, author of LOOK, about how to pay attention in a distracted world Christian Madsbjerg is cofounder of the consulting firm ReD Associates. He writes, speaks, and teaches widely on the practical application of the human sciences. His work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal , The Atlantic , Financial Times , The Washington P...

EPISODE 1601: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the Brookings Institute scholar, Jonathan Rauch, about the seemingly intractable political divisions in America and how we can all discover our braver angels to learn to talk to one another again Jonathan Rauch is a senior fellow in the Governance Studies program at the Brookings Institute and the author of eight books and many articles on public...

EPISODE 1600: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to S.C. Gwynne, author of HIS MAJESTY'S AIRSHIP, about the life and tragic death of the British R101 airship, the world's largest flying machine S.C. “Sam” Gwynne is the author of two acclaimed books on American history: Empire of the Summer Moon, which spent 82 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize an...

EPISODE 1599: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to William Harris, the Director of the FDR Presidential Library and Museum,  about the complex civil rights records of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt William Harris is Director for the Roosevelt (Franklin) Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, New York.  Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the...

EPISODE 1598: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Jacob Mikanowski, author of GOODBYE, EASTERN EUROPE, about both the history and disappearance of what we once knew as "Eastern Europe" JACOB MIKANOWSKI is a historian, a freelance journalist and a critic. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic , Aeon , Cabinet , The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Guardian, The New York Times, newyorker.com,...

Episode 1597: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Samuel G. Freedman, author of INTO THE BRIGHT SUNSHINE, about a a young Hubert Humphrey and the fight for civil rights within the Democratic party Samuel G. Freedman is an award-winning author, columnist, and professor. A former columnist for The New York Times and a professor at Columbia University, he is the author of the nine acclaimed books,...

EPISODE 1596: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Tobias Rose-Stockwell, author of OUTRAGE MACHINE, about how social media has amplified discontent and disrupted democracy - and what we can do about it Tobias Rose-Stockwell is a writer, technologist and media researcher who explores the effects of social media on society and democracy. Tobias’s work has been featured in major outlets such as Fas...

EPISODE 1595: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Hilary Mason, co-founder and CEO of Hidden Door, about how Open Source AI might both democratize Big Tech and empower writers in the creation of role playing games Hilary Mason is the co-founder and CEO of Hidden Door, a role-playing AI platform. She was previously the Founder of Fast Forward Labs, a machine intelligence research company, and the...

EPISODE 1594: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the senior editor of the ATLANTIC magazine, Ross Andersen, about the ethics of AI technology and whether we should trust our new overlords of Silicon Valley with this radically disruptive technology Ross Andersen is a senior editor at The Atlantic , where he oversees the science, technology, and health sections. Prior to joining The Atlantic in 2...

EPISODE 1593: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks Daniel Hornsby, author of SUCKER, about how to how to radically reimagine an America without big tech's feudal aristocracy  Daniel Hornsby was born in Muncie, Indiana. He holds an MFA in fiction from the University of Michigan, where he received Hopwood Awards for both short fiction and the novel, and an M.T.S. from Harvard Divinity School. His stor...

EPISODE 1592: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Nishanth Injam, the author of THE BEST POSSIBLE EXPERIENCE, about leaving India, the misery of tech work and the subversive nature of memories NISHANTH INJAM received an MFA from the Helen Zell Writers’ Program at the University of Michi­gan. He received a PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers and a Cecelia Joyce Johnson Award...

EPISODE 1591: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Amy Rowland, author of INSIDE THE WOLF, about small Southern town interlopers and imposters and how to slay the ghosts of a violent and racist past Amy Rowland is the author of two novels. The Transcriptionist received the Addison M. Metcalf Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She is the recipient of fellowships and residencies f...

EPISODE 1590: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Matt Birkbeck, author of THE LIFE WE CHOSE, about William "Big Billy" D'Elia and the last secrets of America's most powerful Mafia family Matt Birkbeck is an award-winning investigative journalist and author of Deconstructing Sammy , The Quiet Don , and A Deadly Secret . He is also the executive producer of the hit Netflix film Girl in the Pictur...

EPISODE 1589: In this regular weekly show with THAT WAS THE WEEK newsletter author Keith Teare, Keith explains why the Biden administration is against both wealth creation and innovation Keith Teare is a Founder and CEO at SignalRank Corporation. Previously he was Executive Chairman at Accelerated Digital Ventures Ltd - A UK based global investment company focused on startups at all stages. He was...

EPISODE 1588: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks David Lipsky, the author of THE PARROT AND THE IGLOO, about climate and the conspiratorial science of denial David Lipsky is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone . His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in The New Yorker , Harper’s Magazine , The Best American Short Stories , The Best American Magazine Writing , The New York Times, The New York...

EPISODE 1587: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Benjamin C. Fong, author of QUICK FIXES, about drugs in America, from Prohibition to the 21st century binge Benjamin Y. Fong is Honors Faculty Fellow at Barrett, the Honors College and Associate Director of the Center for Work & Democracy at Arizona State University. He is the author of Death and Mastery: Psychoanalytic Drive Theory and the S...

EPISODE 1586: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Maggie O'Farrell, author of THE MARRIAGE PORTRAIT, about childhood, art, money and marriage in 16th Century Florence Maggie O’Farrell, FRSOL, is the author of HAMNET, Winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2020, and the memoir I AM, I AM, I AM, both Sunday Times no. 1 bestsellers. Her novels include AFTER YOU’D GONE, MY LOVER’S LOVER, THE DISTAN...

Episode 1585: In this regular weekly show with THAT WAS THE WEEK newsletter author Keith Teare, Andrew and Keith discuss Threads and why it might turn out to be the Disneyland of social media Keith Teare is a Founder and CEO at SignalRank Corporation. Previously he was Executive Chairman at Accelerated Digital Ventures Ltd - A UK based global investment company focused on startups at all stages. H...