Roberta sits down with RPL director Lorri Steinbacher and “What’s in a Name?” journalist and essayist Jeannette Cooperman for a lively and thought-provoking conversation about the power of names. From given names and nicknames to hyphenation and reinvention, the trio explores how names shape identity, carry meaning, and spark emotion. At the heart of the discussion is The Names, a brilliant new novel by Florence Knapp that raises big questions about who we are—and who we might become.

Things we talked about in this episode:

“Naming Names: From Birth Names to Stage Names, from HUAC to Gravestones, Why Your Name becomes a Form of Fate” by Jeannette Cooperman from The Common Reader

The Names by Florence Knapp

Episode Credits:

Our thanks to Jeannette Cooperman and Lorri Steinbacher for joining us today.
You can learn more about Jeannette at jeannettecooperman.wordpress.com and her essays for The Common Reader at commonreader.wustl.edu/authors/jeannette-cooperman/
The 1964 clip of “What’s Your Name?” was performed by Don & Juan
A Bend in the Road is written, hosted, and produced by Roberta Panjwani and created by Roberta Panjwani and Diane Sims.
Our Assistant Producers for this episode are Melissa Egan and Elias Rosner.
Our Editors are Roberta Panjwani and Elias Rosner.
Our Technical Directors and Audio Engineers are Matt Giannotti and Elias Rosner.
Our Digital Media Producer is Melissa Egan.
Original Music is written and performed by Diane Sims.
Logo and Website created by Parker Gaidimas.

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