Keen On America

Episode 1359 : In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to THE ANGEL MAKERS author Patti McCracken about some early 20th century women from the Hungarian village of Nagyrev who poisoned 160 husbands, boyfriends and sons (plus a few females) Patti McCracken was born in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in October 1964. At fifteen, she moved with her family to Clearwater, Florida. After college, she worked for a...

EPISODE 1358 : In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to FINDING THE WORDS author Colin Campbell about the death of his two children and how he and his wife have tried to work though this loss with both hope and purpose. COLIN CAMPBELL is a writer and director for theater and film. The short film he wrote and directed with his beautiful and talented wife, Seraglio, was nominated for an Academy Award....

EPISODE 1357 : In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to SAY ONE KIND THING author Susan Verde about positive self-talk, self-acceptance and how mindfulness can heal the trauma of childhood. New York Times bestselling author, Susan Verde grew up in the heart of Greenwich Village in New York City. Ultimately, she moved to the Hamptons where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a M...

EPISODE 1356: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the THE COLLABORATORS author Ian Buruma about three men and women who actively collaborated with evil during World War II Ian Buruma was born in the Netherlands. He studied Chinese at Leiden University and cinema at Nihon University, Tokyo. He has lived and worked in Tokyo, Hong Kong, London, and New York. He is a regular contributor to Harper’s...

EPISODE 1355: In this  regular weekly KEEN show, Andrew talks to SignalRank CEO and THAT WAS THE WEEK newsletter author Keith Teare about the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and its impact on the broader start-up economy 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...

EPISODE 1354 : In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Jean Hanff Korelitz about the legacy of Philip Roth, THE HUMAN STAIN, and a novelist's "right" to tell other people's stories. Jean Hanff Korelitz was born and raised in New York City and educated at Dartmouth College and Clare College, Cambridge. She is the author of the novels: The Latecomer (limited series adaptation forthcoming from Kristen...

In this KEEN ON episode, CRASH LANDING author Liz Hoffman offers the inside story of how the world's biggest companies and governments mostly enabled us to survive the COVID economy Liz Hoffman is the business and finance editor at Semafor. Previously, she was a senior reporter at The Wall Street Journal, where she covered financial markets, corporate dealmaking, and the machinations of Wall Stree...

EPISODE 1352: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to WHO DOES THAT BITCH THINK SHE IS? author Craig Seligman about Doris Fish, the rise of drag and why we need to dress Ron DeSantis up as a woman. Over the past three decades Craig Seligman has contributed hundreds of articles and reviews to a wide variety of magazines, journals, newspapers, and websites, including The New Yorker , The New Republic...

EPISODE 1351: In this KEEN ON show, THE NOISE OF TYPEWRITERS author Lance Morrow remembers the golden age of American journalists such as John Hersey, Henry Luce and Carl Bernstein ( apologies for the poor sound quality of this interview which was recorded on his antique iphone) LANCE MORROW, the Henry Grunwald Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, is an American essayist whose wor...

EPISODE 1350: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the co-author of THE EMPATHY ADVANTAGE, Chris Shipley, about the new rules and language for leaders in our post COVID world. Chris Shipley has documented, influenced, and predicted the impact of technology on business and society for more than 30 years. As a journalist, she covered the tech industry for leading publishing companies. As an analyst...

EPISODE 1349: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to AI BATTLE ROYALE author Ashley Marc Recanati about how to protect your job from the disruption of the 4th Industrial Revolution of smart machines Over the past twenty years, Ashley Recanati has lived and worked in the three powerhouses that are Europe, the U.S. and China, rising from odd jobs to general management through financial control, thank...

EPISODE 1348 : In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to WITHOUT A DOUBT author and Y Combinator healthcare investor Surbhi Sarna about the current state of the American medical system and how young female entrepreneurs and technologists can go from underrated to unbeatable Surbhi Sarna is an entrepreneur, partner at Y Combinator, advocate for innovation in healthcare, and investor. She has worked as...

EPISODE 1347: I n this KEEN ON conversation, Andrew talks to Jackie Robinson scholar and 42 TODAY editor Michael G. Long on why we why Robinson's political legacy is at least as important as his sporting one Michael G. Long writes about civil rights, nonviolent protest, and gender and sexuality. He’s the editor of 42 Today: Jackie Robinson and His Legacy , as well as the author and editor of sever...

In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to the co-author of BIG CON, Rosie Collington about how how the consulting industry weakens our businesses, infantilizes our governments, and warps our economies Rosie Collington is a Ph. D. candidate at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, where she researches the political economy of outsourcing. She has written for The Guardian, OpenDemocrac...

In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to THAT WAS THE WEEK newsletter author Keith Teare about the the dismal collapse of start-up value, the failure of US government to rein in Big Tech, and the  seemingly relentless rise of AI 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...

EPISODE 1344: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to MARRIAGE BOX author Corie Adjmi about growing up New Orleans, her Jewish-Syrian ancestory and her guilt about writing about "flawed" Jewish fictional characters Corie Adjmi is the author of the short story collection Life and Other Shortcomings , which won an International Book Award, an IBPA Benjamin Franklin award, and an American Fiction Award...

In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to WOMEN ARE THE FIERCEST CREATURES author Andrea Dunlop on why today is such a rage-inducing time to be a woman and how to address gender injustice. Andrea Dunlop is the author of the novels Women Are The Fiercest Creatures , Losing the Light , She Regrets Nothing , We Came Here to Forget, and the novella Broken Bay all from Atria Books (Simon & Schuster)...

In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to the Amsterdam based Reinier de Graaf, the author of architect, verb , about a new language of building which has infected architecture with the doublespeak of corrosive words like "wellness", "innovation" and "livability" Reinier de Graaf (1964, Schiedam) is a Dutch architect and writer. He is a partner in the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), whe...

In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to HOW THE WEST BROUGHT WAR TO UKRAINE author Benjamin Abelow on what he sees as the real reasons for the Russian invasion of Ukraine and what the West needs to do to help end the war Benjamin Abelow has worked in Washington, DC, writing, lecturing, and lobbying Congress about nuclear arms policy. He holds a B.A. in modern European history from the University...

In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to DEATH OF A GREAT MAN author Peter Kramer about Donald Trump's psychiatric condition and the nature of his inner life.  Peter D. Kramer is the author of eight books, including Ordinarily Well , Against Depression , Should You Leave?, the novel Spectacular Happiness , and the international bestseller Listening to Prozac . Dr. Kramer hosted the nationally synd...

In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to the author of THE FOREST, Alexander Nemerov, about his truthfully subjective image of America in the 1830s Alexander Nemerov is Carl and Marilynn Thoma Provostial Professor in the Arts and Humanities at Stanford University. His new book, The Forest: A Fable of America in the 1830s , is just out from Princeton University Press. His most recent book is Fierce...

In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to 50 STATES OF MIND author Ryan Bernsten on how everyone in America is connected and nobody is lost Offering a fresh perspective on U.S. politics, American national and Oxford University Masters graduate Ryan Bernsten’s book 50 States of Mind: A Journey to Rediscover American Democracy will be published on March 28, 2023 by UK publishers Bite-Sized Books. Ber...

In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to GNAR COUNTRY author Steven Kotler about the biology of aging and how to stay "rad" while growing old. Steven Kotler is a New York Times bestselling author, an award-winning journalist, and the Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective . He is one of the world’s leading experts on human performance. He is the author of 11 bestsellers (out of fourtee...

In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to the author of UNLIKELY HEROES, Derek Leebaert, about Franklin Roosevelt's four key lieutenants - Harold Ickes, Harry Hopkins, Frances Perkins and Henry Wallace - and the radically new world that they collectively made. Derek Leebaert won the biennial 2020 Truman Book Award for Grand Improvisation . His previous books include Magic and Mayhem: The Delusions...

In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to BLOOD MONEY author Kathleen McLaughlin about an exploitative American blood industry that, she believes, is sucking the blood of the poor Kathleen McLaughlin is an award-winning journalist who reports and writes about the consequences of economic inequality around the world. A frequent contributor to The Washington Post and The Guardian , McLaughlin’s repor...