Keen On America

EPISODE 1559: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Adam Bessie, the author of GOING REMOTE, about his dystopian journey during COVID, as a community college teacher, from the physical to the virtual classroom ADAM BESSIE is a community college English professor in the San Francisco Bay Area and writes comics which have been published in many national outlets, including the New Yorker , the Atlant...

EPISODE 1558: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Beth Raymer, the author of FIREWORKS EVERY NIGHT, about her delusionally delightful father, male homelessness and why Florida "just is America" Beth Raymer is the author of Lay the Favorite , a memoir about her years in Las Vegas and her work in the sports betting industry, which was made into a feature film. She received an MFA from Columbia Uni...

EPISODE 1557: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the South African based photographer artist Roger Ballen about the existential ecological psychodrama of the destruction of African wildlife lRoger Ballen is known for his disquieting psychological portraits of rural inhabitants on the fringes of South African society. Ballen, who worked as a geologist and mining consultant before starting his ca...

EPISODE 1556: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks Bethanne Patrick, the author of LIFE B, about how she escaped her double depression and wrote a memoir about it Bethanne Patrick maintains a storied place in the publishing industry as a critic and as @TheBookMaven on Twitter, where she created the popular #FridayReads and regularly comments on books and literary ideas to over 200,000 followers. Her...

EPISODE 1554: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Christian Cooper, author of BETTER LIVING THROUGH BIRDING, about his lifelong love affair with birds, the flight of freedom and how to positively bend MLK's arc of justice Christian Cooper is a science and comics writer and editor and the host and consulting producer of Extraordinary Birder on National Geographic. One of Marvel’s first openly gay...

EPISODE 1542: In this regular weekly show with THAT WAS THE WEEK newsletter author Keith Teare, Andrew and Keith discuss the venture capital crisis and why big tech is getting even bigger in a post nation-state world 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...

EPISODE 1553: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to  James Kirchick, the author of the Liberties journal essay "From Queer to Gay to Queer", on why he believes the theory of "queerness" is a "parasite" on the gay rights movement James Kirchick is the author of Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington. Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the...

EPISODE 1552: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Garrett Neiman, author of RICH WHITE MEN about how tob uproot the old boy's club in order to transform America Garrett Neiman (he/him) is a serial nonprofit entrepreneur with a focus on social justice. Neiman was the founding CEO of CollegeSpring, a national college access nonprofit that was recognized by the Obama White House. He was also a co-c...

EPISODE 1551: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to R.K. Russell, the author of THE YARDS BETWEEN US, about being black and bi-sexual in the National Football League R. K. Russell is a former NFL football player, a social justice advocate, published poet, essayist, and artist. In August of 2019, Russell made history by becoming the first out active NFL player to identify as bisexual. A decorated d...

EPISODE 1550: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to WINNER SELLS ALL author, Jason Del Rey, about the quarter century Amazon vs Walmart war for our wallets, bodies and souls Jason Del Rey is a veteran business journalist who spent a decade at Recode, a leading online technology publication, reporting on Amazon, Walmart, and how technology is transforming retail, both online and in stores. He is th...

Episode 1549: In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to Jackson Lears, author of ANIMAL SPIRITS, the American Pursuit of vitality from Walt Whitman and William James to Teddy Roosevelt , FDR and Donald Trump Jackson Lears is Board of Governors Distinguished Professor of History at Rutgers University and the editor of Raritan . His books include Rebirth of a Nation: The Making of Modern America, 187...

EPISODE 1548: In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to Peter Cave, the author of HOW TO THINK LIKE A PHILOSOPHER, about the scholars, dreamers and sages who can teach us how to live Peter Cave read philosophy at University College London (UCL) and King's College, Cambridge. He has held lectureships in philosophy at UCL, University of Khartoum, Sudan, and City University London; he was an associate...

EPISODE 1547: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Stephen Kiernan, the author of THE GLASS CHATEAU, France and Marc Chagall in World War Two and on the redemptive power of art to reconstruct a torn nation Stephen P. Kiernan has won numerous awards, including the Brechner Center’s Freedom of Information Award, the Scripps Howard Award for Distinguished Service to the First Amendment, and the Geor...

EPISODE 1546: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to C. Owen Paepke, the author of THE PURPLE PRESIDENCY 2024, about how voters can reclaim the White House for "bipartisan" governance C. Owen Paepke is the author of The Evolution of Progress (named best nonfiction book of 1993 by NPR’s Talk of the Nation) and the three-volume series The Seinfeld Election , which was praised by reviewers as “a provo...

EPISODE 1545: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Geloy Concepcion, author of THINGS YOU WANTED TO SAY BUT NEVER DID, about his confessional photographic journal on Instagram Geloy Concepcion (b. 1992) finished his degree in Advertising at the University of Santo Tomas College of Fine Arts and Design. He started joining exhibitions in 2011 and has exhibited his work in the Philippines, Cambodia,...

EPISODE 1544: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to DATAPRENEURS author Bob Muglia about why we should trust the promise of AI and its creators to build a better future Bob Muglia is a data technology investor and business executive, former CEO of Snowflake, and past president of Microsoft's Server and Tools Division. As a leader, Bob focuses on how innovation and ethical values can merge to shape...

EPISODE 1543: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to author of THE ONCE AND FUTURE LIBERAL, Mark Lilla, about why progressives must liberate themselves from a nostalgic reading of both the past and the future Mark Lilla is Professor of Humanities at Columbia University and the author of The Once and Future Liberal. Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst...

EPISODE 1542: In this regular weekly show with THAT WAS THE WEEK newsletter author Keith Teare, Andrew and Keith discuss the venture capital crisis and why big tech is getting even bigger in a post nation-state world 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...

EPISODE 1541: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Santi Elijah Holley, the author of AN AMERICAN FAMILY, about the Shakurs - from the Black Panthers to Tupac Santi Elijah Holley has reported for nearly a decade on the intersection of culture, music, race, religion, and politics. He has contributed to numerous national and international periodicals, including The Guardian , The Atlantic , The New...

EPISODE 1540: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Simone Stolzoff, the author of THE GOOD ENOUGH JOB, on how we can reclaim our lives from work Simone Stolzoff is an author, designer, and workplace expert from San Francisco. A former design lead at the global innovation firm IDEO, his work has been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and many other...

EPISODE 1539: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of THE THREE AGES OF WATER, Peter Gleick, about the prehistoric past, imperiled present and hopeful future of water Peter Gleick is perhaps the world’s most widely known and cited water expert. Educated at Yale and Berkeley, he went on to cofound the Pacific Institute, the leading independent research group devoted to reimagining water...

EPISODE 1538: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of MY HIJACKING, Martha Hodes, about her memorable (and forgettable) experience of being on hijacked plane in 1970 Martha Hodes is professor of history at New York University. She has presented her scholarship around the world, and serves as a consultant for documentaries, television and radio, and museum exhibitions. She is the author...

EPISODE 1537: In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to the author of IMAGINE A CITY, Mark Vanhoenacker, about his love affair, as a pilot, with the world's greatest cities Mark Vanhoenacker is a Boeing 787 pilot for British Airways and the author of ‘Imagine a City’ (Chatto & Windus/Knopf). Follow Mark on Twitter @markv747 or email him at mark.vanhoenacker@ft.com Named as one of the "100 most...

EPISODE 1536: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the KresusLabs founder and CEO Trevor Traina about his super app in which, he claims, we will store all our Web3 data Technology entrepreneur and private investor Trevor Traina has founded and co-founded several successful enterprises, including the Internet's first comprehensive product-comparison guide, CompareNet. After Microsoft purchased Com...

EPISODE 1535: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Mecca Jamilah Sullivan, author of BIG GIRL, about whether the American Republic was founded on anti-fat people principles Mecca Jamilah Sullivan is the author of the novel Big Girl, a New York Times Editors’ Choice selection and a best books pick from Time, Essence , Vulture , Ms. , Goodreads, Booklist, Library Reads, and SheReads.com. Her previo...