Keen On America

EPISODE 1534: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Elizabeth Currid-Halkett, the author of THE OVERLOOKED AMERICANS, about the resilience of rural America and it means for the future of the country Elizabeth Currid-Halkett is the James Irvine Chair in Urban and Regional Planning and professor of public policy at the University of Southern California’s Price School of Public Policy. She teaches co...

EPISODE 1533: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks with Ana Castillo, author of DONNA CLEANWELL LEAVES HOME, on her "truth seeking" fictional characters and her amusement at being considered the "grande dame of Chicana literature" Ana Castillo is a celebrated poet, novelist, short story writer, essayist, editor, playwright, translator, and scholar. Born and raised in Chicago, her award winning, best...

EPISODE 1532: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Hal Hershfield, the author of YOUR FUTURE SELF, about how to escape the tyranny of the present and make tomorrow better today Hal Hershfield is a Professor of Marketing, Behavioral Decision Making, and Psychology at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and holds the UCLA Anderson Board of Advisors Term Chair in Management. His research, which sit...

EPISODE 1531: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of THE CHILE PROJECT, Sebastian Edwards, about the story of the Chicago Boys and the downfall of neoliberalism Sebastian Edwards is the Henry Ford II Professor of International Economics at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the Co-Director of the National Bureau of Economic Research's "Africa Project" and previously serv...

EPISODE 1530: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the inspiration behind THE SIBERIAN JOB, John Kleinheinz, on how he got rich in post communist Russia and what he learnt about the value of free markets and democracy John Kleinheinz is the CEO of Kleinheinz Capital Partners, Inc., the investment advisor for the Global Undervalued Securities Fund, a global-macro themed hedge fund which at its pea...

EPISODE 1529: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of THE DISSIDENT, Paul Goldberg, about Detente, Kissinger, the Y-word and the similarities between the Moscow of 1976 and 2023 Paul Goldberg is the author of the novels The Yid , which was a finalist for the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature and the National Jewish Book Award's Goldberg Prize for Debut Fiction, and The Château. As...

EPISODE 1528: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of ONLY THIS BEAUTIFUL MOMENT, Abdi Nazemian, about growing up gay in Los Angeles, the value of listening and why he's in awe of young people in Iran today Abdi Nazemian spent his childhood in a series of exciting locations (Tehran, Paris, Toronto, New York), but could usually be found in his bedroom watching old movies and reading. Ab...

EPISODE 1527: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of HERE BEGINS THE DARK SEA, Meredith F. Small, about Fra Mauro, the 15th century Venetian monk whose map of the world marked the beginning of our global age Meredith F. Small is a professor of anthropology at Cornell University and the author of Our Babies Ourselves; What's Love Got to Do With It? and Inventing the World: Venice and t...

EPISODE 1526: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Jon Michaud, the author of LAST CALL AT COOGAN'S, about the life and death of one of New York's most beloved saloons JON MICHAUD is the Collection Management Librarian at the Millburn Free Public Library. His debut novel When Tito Loved Clara (Algonquin) was named a best book of the year by The Barnes & Noble Review and was a finalist for the...

EPISODE 1525: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Umut Ozkirimli, the author of CANCELLED offers a leftist alternative to what he sees as the intolerance of "woke" politics Umut Özkırımlı is a Senior Research Fellow at IBEI (Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals), a professor at Blanquerna, Ramon Llull University, and a Senior Research Associate at CIDOB (Barcelona Centre for International...

EPISODE 1524: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Jessi Kneeland, the author of BODY NEUTRAL, about her revolutionary new guide to overcoming body image issues Jessi Kneeland (they/them) is a coach, writer, and speaker dedicated to helping people overcome the suffering associated with body anxiety, insecurity, and negativity, and to improve their relationship with their bodies. After working as...

EPISODE 1523: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Jared Fishman, the author of FIRE ON THE LEVEE, about the New Orleans police murder of Henry Glover and the search for justice after Hurricane Katrina Jared Fishman is the founder and executive director of Justice Innovation Lab, an organization that designs data-driven solutions for a more equitable, effective, and fair justice system. Justice I...

EPISODE 1522: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of WE CAN HEROES, Paul Burston, about his survival story as a prominent British gay activist, journalist and novelist Paul Burston was born in York, raised in South Wales and now divides his time between London and Hastings. From the age of 23, he was an AIDS activist with ACT UP London and also worked for the gay police monitoring gro...

EPISODE 1521: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Kate Strasdin, the author of THE DRESS DIARY OF MRS ANNE SYKES, about fashion, fabric and femininity in 19th century England Kate Strasdin is a dress historian who has been fascinated by old clothes since she was a child. She is a lecturer in Cultural Studies at Falmouth University and is a freelance consultant for dress and textile exhibitions....

EPISODE 1520: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Matthew Clavin, the author of SYMBOLS OF FREEDOM, about the way in which African American slaves were inspired by the American symbols of independence in their fight for true freedom Matthew J. Clavin is Professor of History at the University of Houston and the author of The Battle of Negro Fort: The Rise and Fall of a Fugitive Slave Community ,...

EPISODE 1519: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Siena Sterling, the author of THE GAME SHE PLAYS CAN TURN DEADLY. about twisted plots, twisted people and twisted writers like Patricia Highsmith and Fyodor Dostoievski Siena Sterling is an American living in London. Before moving to England, she worked at Doubleday bookstore in New York, in political campaigns, and for the Federal Railroad Admin...

EPISODE 1518: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of the ITALIAN SQUAD, Paul Moses, about the true story of the early 20th century New York cops who fought the rise of the Mafia Paul Moses is Professor Emeritus of Journalism at CUNY-Brooklyn College and a former reporter and editor at Newsday . He is the author of An Unlikely Union: The Love-Hate Story of New York's Irish and Italians...

EPISODE 1517: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of THE PALESTINE LABORATORY, Antony Loewenstein, about how, in his view, Israel exports the technology of occupation around the world Antony Loewenstein is an independent journalist, best-selling author, filmmaker and co-founder of Declassified Australia. He's written for The Guardian , The New York Times , The New York Review of Books...

EPISODE 1516: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of THE HEARTBEAT OF THE WILD, David Quammen, about how to write with both appropriate spiritual reverence and scientific accuracy about the wilderness David Quammen is an author and journalist whose eighteen books include Breathless (2022), The Tangled Tree (2018), Spillover (2012), The Song of the Dodo (1996) and, most recently, The H...

EPISODE 1515: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Jordan Crandall, the author of AUTODRIVE, about the imminent age of superintelligence in which we will won't be able to distinguish man and machine Jordan Crandall is Professor of Visual Arts at University of California, San Diego. He is the author of five books, including Drive , an anthology of his artworks, media installations, and theoretical...

EPISODE 1514: In this regular weekly show with THAT WAS THE WEEK newsletter author Keith Teare, Andrew and Keith discuss the upcoming Apple virtual reality headset, the supposed investment boom in AI and Elon Musk's ambition of reinventing Twitter as X Keith Teare is a Founder and CEO at SignalRank Corporation. Previously he was Executive Chairman at Accelerated Digital Ventures Ltd - A UK based g...

EPISODE 1513: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Stephen Games, the publisher of BookLaunch Quarterly & EnvelopeBooks, about the Big Book industry, the importance of rigorous editing and why literary agents serve no real purpose Stephen Games is the founder of EnvelopeBooks , the British publishing house set up to help authors who have struggled to find a mainstream publisher or agent. Name...

EPISODE 1512: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Alex Ryvchin, author of THE 7 DEADLY MYTHS, about antisemitism from the time of Christ to Kanye West and the Ashburton Army Alex Ryvchin is co-Chief Executive Officer of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the author of internationally acclaimed books of history and politics, and a best-selling children’s author. He writes for leading publ...

EPISODE 1511: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Chad Williams, the author of THE WOUNDED WORLD, about W.E.B. Du Bois and the First World World Chad Williams is the Samuel J. and Augusta Spector Professor of History and African and African American Studies at Brandeis University. Chad earned a BA with honors in History and African American Studies from UCLA, and received both his MA and Ph. D....

EPISODE 1510: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Eliot Ackerman, the author of the novel HALCYON, which imagines an America where Al Gore becomes President and there is technology that can resurrect dead people ELLIOT ACKERMAN is the author of the novels Red Dress in Black and White , Waiting for Eden , Dark at the Crossing (a finalist for the National Book Award), and Green on Blue (a finalist...