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.Door Arik Korman

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 Ear…

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,…

Luke Raley, outfielder and first baseman for the Seattle Mariners, discusses how he manages stress when he walks up to the plate, how he stays grounded in reality as a major league baseball player, and what advice he has for young people who want to become professional athletes.Door Arik Korman

Daniela Rus, Director of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at MIT, discusses how smart robots actually are, what the differences are between robotics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, and why Iron Man is her favorite superhero. Dr. Rus' new book is The Heart and the Chip: Our Bright Future with Robots.…

Adam Gopnik, staff writer at The New Yorker, discusses how to overcome our anxiety about trying new things, how to redirect our kids away from having too much screen time, and what ultimately gives us the most happiness in life. Adam's latest book is All That Happiness Is: Some Words on What Matters.…

R. Derek Black (they/them), a doctoral candidate in history at the University of Chicago whose father was a former Grand Wizard in the Ku Klux Klan and started Stormfront, the Internet's first white supremacist website, discusses how it felt to be the heir apparent to a white nationalist movement, how they interacted with family after renouncing wh…

Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, New York Times bestselling author and Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia University, discusses whether you can be a fan of consumer sports like the NFL and still criticize them, how we can disrupt America's systemic racism, unchecked capitalism, and mass incarceration, and why it's important to value and respect the l…

Communication, collaboration, and conflict management expert Elaine Lin Hering discusses how to create a sense of safety in the workplace or at home so that people will feel comfortable speaking up, how much conflict is healthy in an organization or a family, and how to teach our children when to speak up. Elaine's new book is Unlearning Silence: H…

Novelist, screenwriter, and Russian translator Katya Apekina discusses what to say to our kids about the Russia-Ukraine war, what it's like trying to raise a bilingual, bicultural child, and what it feels like to leave your family behind and move to a new country. Katya's new novel is Mother Doll.Door Arik Korman

Burnout management coach and TikTok star Emily Ballesteros discusses what burnout does to us, what the impacts are of not having a "third place," and how hard we really need to work. Emily's new book is The Cure for Burnout: How to Find Balance and Reclaim Your Life.Door Arik Korman

Iconic Washington winegrower Dick Boushey discusses how the Washington wine industry has changed over the years, what advice he would give to people who want to get into the winegrowing business, and what he's looking forward to at this year's Taste Washington March 16th and 17th at Seattle's Lumen Field Event Center. Info at TasteWashington.org…

Jamie Peha, Executive Director of the Auction of Washington Wines and the Host and Editor-in-Chief of Table Talk Northwest, discusses how she navigated her unique career path, how we can help our kids appreciate fine wine and good food, and how Jamie sees Washington wine evolving. The 8th Private Barrel Auction takes place on March 15th at The Wine…

Award-winning journalist Prachi Gupta discusses what to do when family members become estranged, what it's like being labeled as a model minority, and what it would take for everyone in the United States to feel seen and valued for who they really are. Prachi's debut memoir is They Called Us Exceptional and Other Lies That Raised Us. She will speak…

National Public Radio Science Correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce discusses what we can say to our kids to soothe their fears, what it's like being a national science correspondent for NPR, and what Nell's primary role is as a parent. Her new book is Transient and Strange: Notes on the Science of Life.…

Kliph Nesteroff, who has been called the “premier popular historian of comedy,” by The New York Times, discusses how cultural taboos have changed over time, whether the political right is better organized than the left, and when free speech should be limited. Kliph's new book is Outrageous: A History of Showbiz and the Culture Wars.…

Adam Nicolson, author of many books on history, landscape, and great literature, discusses how the pushback that the Greek philosophers endured in their time compares with today's red states versus blue states, slavery's role in how the Greek philosophers were able to make a living, and how we can make philosophy relevant to our kids, given their r…

David Brooks, one of the nation’s leading writers and commentators who is an op-ed columnist for The New York Times and appears regularly on PBS NewsHour and Meet the Press, discusses how we can get over our fear of connecting with others, how we can help our kids see others deeply and feel seen themselves, and how we can apply his principles to ge…

Dan Ariely, bestselling author of Predictably Irrational and a Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics at Duke University, discusses how stress and ostracism lead to misbelief, what we can do as individuals to bring our country back together, and how big of a national problem misbelief actually is. Dan's new book is Misbelief: What Makes R…

Amy Schneider, a 40-game Jeopardy! champion - the most successful woman ever to compete on Jeopardy! and the first openly transgender contestant to qualify for the Tournament of Champions, discusses how her ADHD became a Jeopardy! superpower, how she discovered her gender identity, and how good she is at bar trivia. Amy’s new book is In the Form of…

Wynton Marsalis, internationally acclaimed musician, composer, educator, and a leading advocate of American culture, discusses what he says to kids who want to be musicians, what makes the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra unique, and what he is trying to tell the world through his music. Wynton and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra perform in Se…

Cat Bohannon, a researcher and author with a Ph.D. from Columbia University in the evolution of narrative and cognition, discusses why gynecology was the most important human invention, why not conducting medical research on females is dangerous, and how the female body drives evolution. Cat's new book is Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million …

Dan Egan, author of the New York Times bestseller The Death and Life of the Great Lakes, discusses what extreme measures people have used to find phosphorus, how phosphorus is misused in U.S. agriculture, and how it's so essential to all life on earth. Dan's latest book is The Devil’s Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance.…

Acclaimed author Simon Winchester discusses whether we should limit the information we take in, how much information leaders should have, and which knowledge is truly important today. Simon's latest book is Knowing What We Know: The Transmission of Knowledge from Ancient Wisdom to Modern Magic.Door Arik Korman

Writer Ben Purkert discusses how masculinity has evolved, how we can help our sons feel good about who they really are, and why it's important to examine what it means to be a man. Ben's debut novel is The Men Can't Be Saved.Door Arik Korman

Writer Adrienne Brodeur, author of the bestselling memoir Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me, discusses whether it's possible to be highly successful without having skeletons in the closet, what it's like writing a novel versus writing a memoir, and where the title of her new novel Little Monsters came from.…

Astronomer and science enthusiast Philip Plait discusses what it would be like to explore the surface of Saturn's moon Titan, how realistic it would be to put ourselves in suspended animation in order to visit distant planets, and what it would be like to live on Mars. Philip’s latest book is Under Alien Skies: A Sightseer’s Guide to the Universe.…

Ellie Zeron of Elk Haven Winery and Zeron Vineyards discusses why she chose to plant a vineyard on Red Mountain, how to make wine drinking more accessible, and what it's like being a Latinx person in a white male-dominated industry. Learn more at ElkHavenWinery.com, ZeronVineyards.com, and RedMountainAVA.com…

Former FBI Director James Comey discusses how it feels as a parent to watch your child excel in the same line of work as yours, how powerful organized crime is today, and what it's like working for the FBI. James' new crime novel is Central Park West.Door Arik Korman

Physicist Michio Kaku, science correspondent for CBS This Morning, discusses what quantum computers could do, how we can implant memories and possibly even skills like in the movie The Matrix, and how the adoption of quantum computing would impact the workforce. Dr. Kaku’s latest book is Quantum Supremacy: How the Quantum Computer Revolution Will C…

Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and New York Times columnist Timothy Egan discusses the parallels between America in 1925 and America today, how to talk to our kids about history, and how Indiana's KKK Grand Dragon David Stevenson was just like some contemporary politicians. Tim's latest book is A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan’s Plot to …

Lizzie Stark, a participation designer and author, discusses what eggs say about us and about power, which came first - the chicken or the egg, and how cooking eggs leads to a state of flow. Lizzie's latest book is Egg: A Dozen Ovatures.Door Arik Korman

Adam Gopnik, bestselling author and staff writer for The New Yorker, discusses why it's important to improve a skill that we're bad at, why an enduring accomplishment is so valuable, and whether it really does take 10,000 hours to achieve mastery. Adam's latest book is The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery.…

#1 New York Times bestselling author and mindfulness expert Susan Verde discusses how to support our children by being present to them, how we can help ourselves appreciate that we matter, and how we can learn to let go. Susan’s latest book is Say One Kind Thing: Lessons in Acceptance, Love, and Letting Go.…

Frichette Winery owners and winemakers Shae and Greg Frichette discuss what makes their wine unique, what they are looking forward to at this year's Taste Washington, and what it's like to raise a 10-year-old son in the world of wine.Door Arik Korman

World-renowned choreographer Crystal Pite discusses her career path, how she developed her community of collaborators, and how she interprets movement when she's out in the world. Crystal's company, Kidd Pivot, performs "Revisor" in partnership with On the Boards at Seattle's Paramount Theatre on March 1st.…

Experimental physicist, science communicator, and academic Suzie Sheehy discusses what the difference is between an experimental physicist and a theoretical physicist, what physics has gained from international collaboration, and what scientific breakthroughs could be coming in the near future. Dr. Sheehy's new book is The Matter of Everything: How…

Millie Korman Selinger was born in Poland on September 1, 1938. She lived in Poland until 1947, when her family escaped to Germany and then to the United States in 1948. Over the years, Millie asked her mother many questions about the reasons why they moved around so much during her childhood — she’d had no idea that they were refugees, and for a l…

Biologist and award-winning author Danielle Clode discusses what makes koalas unique among animals, how they get along socially, and what their greatest threats are now and in the future. Danielle’s latest book is Koala: A Natural History and an Uncertain Future. Follow her on Instagram and on Twitter @DanielleClode…

Sofi Tukker, a musical duo made up of Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern best known for their songs "Best Friend", "Purple Hat", and "Drinkee," discuss the band's creative process, how they would describe the tribe of fans they have cultivated, and to what Sophie and Tucker attribute their success. Sofi Tukker's latest album is Wet Tennis. Info …

Deafblind disability rights activist Elsa Sjunneson discusses what ableism is, what a truly inclusive society could look like, sound like, and feel like, and why visibility of people who are disabled is so important. Elsa's memoir is Being Seen: One Deafblind Woman’s Fight to End Ableism.Door Arik Korman

James Vincent, a senior reporter for The Verge, the Vox Media site devoted to technology and society, discusses whether the U.S. will ever fully adopt the metric system, how we can free ourselves from being controlled by measurements, and whether today's standardized measurements might be missing something. James' new book is Beyond Measure: The Hi…

Virginia Johnson, Artistic Director of Dance Theatre of Harlem, shares what it was like being a principal ballerina, how she became the DTH artistic director, and how to encourage our kids if they're dreaming of a career in the arts. Dance Theatre of Harlem performs Saturday, November 5th at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle. Info at STGPresents.org…

Lewis Black shares how he managed failure to become a successful standup comedian, what he thinks about current world events, and what he would do if he were President of the United States. Lewis performs his newest show, Off The Rails, on October 22nd at McCaw Hall in Seattle. Info at STGPresents.com and LewisBlack.com…

Award-winning documentary filmmaker Evgeny Afineevsky discusses what it's like to be in Ukraine right now, how we can talk to our kids about the war, and where the Ukrainian people's resilience comes from. Evgeny's latest film is Freedom on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom.Door Arik Korman

Cody Keenan, President Obama's chief speechwriter, talks about Barack Obama as a leader, how we can engage our kids in the political process so they'll feel empowered, and how to write a great speech. Cody's new book is Grace: President Obama and Ten Days in the Battle for America.Door Arik Korman

Nonfiction writer E.B. Bartels discusses why we bring pets into our homes despite knowing that most of them won't live long, whether grief over losing a pet is a first-world problem, and why we get so intensely sad when a pet dies. E.B.'s new book is Good Grief: On Loving Pets, Here and Hereafter.Door Arik Korman

Former NPR Education Correspondent Anya Kamenetz discusses the impacts of keeping students out of school as long as we did during the COVID pandemic, why this past school year was so challenging for students and educators, and why it's so important for schools to prioritize relationships and social-emotional well-being moving forward. Anya's new bo…

Nate Bowling, a past Washington state Teacher of the Year and National Teacher of the Year Finalist, discusses whether there's a way to bring our country together, whether we should prosecute former president Trump, and why it's so important to participate in state and local elections. Follow Nate on Twitter @nate_bowling…