KERA's Think

D.E.I. may be on the way out, but there are still tools out there for those who want to address structural inequality. Nilanjana Dasgupta is provost professor of psychology and inaugural director of the Institute of Diversity Sciences at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss our status quo cultural norms — from the way we speak to who ends up in the C-suite — and how money can influence what we see as blind luck. Her book is “Change the Wallpaper: Transforming Cultural Patterns to Build More Just Communities.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Feminist author Roxane Gay has put together a compendium of notable feminist works, but even she says it’s not the last word. The contributing opinion writer for The New York Times joins host Krys Boyd to talk about editing a new collection that looks at hundreds of years of feminist writers and why the ideas around women’s rights are always evolving. She’s the editor of “The Portable Feminist Reader.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

It might not exactly look like a game, but the economy has winners and losers and there are ways to beat the system. Daryl Fairweather, chief economist at Redfin, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what she calls the game of economics and why it’s set up for those who are already financially well off to continue winning – and how using game theory can help level the playing field. Her book is “Hate the Game: Economic Cheat Codes for Life, Love, and Work.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

 Scientists are using the secrets of biology to unlock living well past current human life spans. Venki Ramakrishnan shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for uncovering the structure of the ribosome. A member of the National Academy of Sciences, Venki runs a research group at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the quest to live forever, if that’s even ethical, and what it looks like to alter our physiology. His book is “Why We Die: The New Science of Aging and the Quest for Immortality.”  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Vauhini Vara, an insightful author and editor, discusses her journey exploring selfhood through conversations with A.I. She questions whether these interactions can rival those with friends or therapists. The conversation touches on how A.I. shapes our identities based on shared data, and humorously addresses its limitations in understanding human emotions. Vara also reflects on the darker implications of social media on mental health and authentic expression, offering a thought-provoking perspective on navigating personal and digital realms.

At the beginning of the pandemic, messages of togetherness were everywhere. That quickly changed. David Wallace-Wells joins host Krys Boyd to discuss Covid five years on, how the pandemic changed the way we view each other, and the distrust it has woven into our most venerable institutions. His opinion piece in The New York Times is “How Covid Remade America.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Medical child abuse, formerly known as Munchausen by Proxy, is not as rare as we’ve been led to believe. Detective Mike Weber has 40 years of law enforcement experience, including 15 years as a crimes against children investigator. He joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss his experience with several cases of medical child abuse, profiling of the mothers who committed the injuries, and how he meticulously uncovered evidence of these notoriously difficult to diagnose crimes. His book, written with co-author Andrea Dunlop, is “The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Jenny Anderson, co-author of "The Disengaged Teen," shares her expertise on the puzzling disconnect many teens feel towards learning. She discusses the pervasive boredom and stress in educational settings and offers strategies for re-engagement. Key topics include the importance of personalized learning, the impact of neurodiversity, and how nurturing individual interests can reignite passion. Anderson emphasizes parental support as crucial in a teen's identity journey, advocating for autonomy and resilience to boost academic motivation and mental health.

Sisters of Mary Morning Star is a group of Catholic nuns who work with women on Texas’ death row. New Yorker staff writer Lawrence Wright joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss the deep bonds the sisters have with condemned inmates, what it says about faith and friendship, and how they view the death penalty as law. His article is “The Nuns Trying to Save the Women on Texas’s Death Row.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

In the 2024 election, Democrats lost the presidency and control of the Senate. What now? Katie Glueck covers American politics with an emphasis on the Democratic Party for The New York Times. She joins guest host John McCaa to discuss why the Blue Wave never materialized, the current mood of a party marked by in-fighting, and strategies Democratic Party leadership might employ heading into the 2026 mid-terms. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices