The Arik Korman Show

Clare Frank , the State of California’s first female Chief of Fire Protection, discusses how she got hooked on pickleball, how pickleball players and tennis players can make peace, and whether pickleball has a bright future. Clare's new book is Just One More Game: A Pickleball Quest .

Robert Moor , bestselling author of On Trails , discusses how we can think more like trees, how cultures around the world celebrate trees, and what it's like to climb to the top of a 300-foot giant sequoia. Robert's new book is In Trees: An Exploration .

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi , one of the world’s foremost historians and leading antiracist scholars, discusses his analysis of the ICE occupation of Minneapolis, how the Iran war is connected to Great Replacement Theory, and what we can collectively do to fight back against authoritarianism. Dr. Kendi's new book is Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age .   Dr. Kendi recently spoke at Town H...

Nelson Dellis , a six-time US Memory Champion, two-time Guinness World Record holder, Grandmaster of Memory, keynote speaker, and world-renowned memory coach, discusses what it takes to have a genius mindset, how we can talk to our kids to encourage them to stay curious their entire lives, and what it was like climbing Mount Everest. Nelson’s new book is Everyday Genius: Hacks to Boost Your Memory...

Alex Stewart , Head Winemaker for Avallé , whose brands include Matthews , Tenor , From the Sky Down , Jaine , Single Barrel , and Blackboard , discusses what the transition was like from Quilceda Creek to Matthews Winery, what is extraordinary about Washington wine grapes, and how drinking wine is connected to special memories. Info at TasteWashington.org and Avalle.us

Award-winning novelist Hala Alyan discusses how she is thinking about teaching her daughter about her rich culture, how she talks to her daughter about current world events, and what Hala's own upbringing looked like. Hala's new memoir is I’ll Tell You When I’m Home .

Shadi Hamid , an acclaimed columnist at The Washington Post, discusses whether America has the ability to learn from its past mistakes, what some examples are of America using its power for good, and what we should say to our kids about why we need to restore American power. Shadi's latest book is The Case for American Power .

John B. King Jr. , who served in President Barack Obama’s cabinet as the tenth U.S. Secretary of Education, discusses how important it is for every student to have at least one caring adult in every school building, how we can shift mindsets so that educators believe every student can learn, and what the value is of higher education. Secretary King’s new book is Teacher By Teacher: The People Who...

Martha Barnette , longtime journalist and co-host of the popular radio show and podcast A Way with Words , discusses how one can make a living after learning Latin and ancient Greek, what local dialects or colloquialisms stood out to her when she traveled around the United States, and how we can get our kids as excited about language as she is. Martha's new book is Friends with Words: Adventures i...

Choreographers and Pacific Northwest Ballet dancers Amanda Morgan and Christopher D'Ariano discuss how they decided to become professional dancers, how much of dance is drive versus talent, and how we can encourage our kids to pursue their dreams. Their new work, AfterTime , has its world premiere this weekend to kick off PNB's In the Upper Room repertory program. Info at PNB.org

Award-winning tech journalist Vauhini Vara discusses whether tech companies are delivering on their promises, how AI chatbots manipulate us into giving them data, and how we can circumvent bias baked into the AI code itself. Vauhini's latest book is Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age .

Internationally renowned nature writer Robert Macfarlane discusses how rivers used to play a bigger role in human culture, how rivers influenced our personal life journeys, and how rivers help us reimagine the flow of time itself. Robert's latest book is Is a River Alive?

Cultural icon William Shatner and renowned astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson discuss Bill's experience in space, whether Neil would travel beyond Earth, and how to instill a lifelong sense of curiosity in our kids. Bill and Neil were recently in Seattle for their groundbreaking two-person show, The Universe Is Absurd . There could be another show this fall in Los Angeles. Info at futureofspac...

Scientific expert Nathan H. Lents discusses what human relationships looked like before marriage was invented, how animal sexuality compares to human sexuality, and how we can help human society stop being so uptight. Nathan's latest book is The Sexual Evolution: How 500 Million Years of Sex, Gender, and Mating Shape Modern Relationships .

Cassidy Randall , an award-winning writer who tells stories on the environment, adventure, and people who expand human potential, discusses what cultural barriers women adventurers had to endure in the 1970s, how the world reacted after Grace Hoeman and her team completed their climb, and how we can talk to our kids about this incredible but unknown accomplishment. Cassidy's new book is Thirty Bel...

Acclaimed author Sameer Pandya , Associate Professor of Asian American Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, discusses how we should listen to our teens when they try to speak to us, how to talk to teens about their futures while giving them both agency and guidance, and how we can bridge communication gaps as a society. Sameer's new novel is Our Beautiful Boys .

Tyler Williams and JJ Williams , brothers who are the third generation head winemaker and general manager of Kiona Vineyards , a family-owned winery in eastern Washington’s Red Mountain American Viticultural Area that is celebrating its 50th anniversary, discuss how Washington winemaking is evolving, why owning a vineyard and a winery is unique, and how wine should be marketed in the future. Info...

Dr. Keon West , a social psychologist at the University of London, discusses which scientific studies demonstrate the effects of racism in society, what the science says are effective ways to respond to racism, and how we should talk about racism with our kids. Professor West's new book is The Science of Racism: Everything You Need to Know but Probably Don’t – Yet .

Betsy Wills , co-founder of YouScience, a national online psychometric-assessment service, and Alex Ellison , founder of Throughline Guidance, a college and career counseling practice, discuss next steps after discovering your superpowers, how to maximize career wellness, and what the difference is between burnout and boredom. Betsy and Alex's new book is Your Hidden Genius: The Science-Backed Str...

John Kaag , a professor of philosophy at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, discusses whether the Blood family members, who play a prominent role in American history, are people to emulate or a cautionary tale, where the Bloods are now, and how their story relates to today's polarization in America. John's latest book is American Bloods: The Untamed Dynasty That Shaped a Nation .

Linguist and psychologist Julie Sedivy discusses how she developed her love of languages, how language imprints upon us in utero, and how language can bring our country together. Julie's new book is Linguaphile: A Life of Language Love .

Charles Bock , a creative writing professor at New York University, discusses what happened after his daughter Lilly read his memoir, why he never imagined himself having kids while he was growing up, and how he ended up bonding with Lilly. Charles' new book is I Will Do Better: A Father’s Memoir of Heartbreak, Parenting, and Love .

Writer, journalist, and academic Ellen Ruppel Shell discusses why baby eels are worth $2,500 a pound, how we can disrupt the baby eel black market, and what we're really eating when we order unagi at a Japanese restaurant. Ellen's new book is Slippery Beast: A True Crime Natural History, with Eels .

University of Sydney professor Peter Godfrey-Smith , author of the bestselling Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness , discusses how life on Earth has changed our planet, whether there might be life on other planets, and what the future of humanity could look like. Professor Godfrey-Smith's new book is Living on Earth: Forests, Corals, Consciousness, and the Maki...

Yale professor Ebony Reed , a seasoned journalist who is also the Chief Strategy Officer at the Marshall Project, a news outlet focused on the justice system, discusses the intersection of race and money, how the current Black/white wealth gap compares to the gap after the Civil War, and how we should talk to our kids about wealth. Ebony’s new book, co-authored with Louise Story, is Fifteen Cents...