The Connection with Marty Moss-Coane

Jamie Wyeth comes from a family of artists. Besides his famous father, Andrew Wyeth, there is his grandfather, illustrator N.C. Wyeth. Jamie, like his family, has strong ties to the Brandywine River Valley and to rural Maine. And while he inherited his family’s gifts, he has carved out his own artistic vision. It hasn’t always been easy. In this edition of The Connection, a conversation with Jamie Wyeth about his journey to find his place in the world, the ghosts that haunt him and why he thinks painting is an odd thing to do. Also joining us is filmmaker Glenn Holsten, whose new documentary is “Jamie Wyeth and the Unflinching Eye.” His previous film about Andrew Wyeth was featured on PBS’ American Masters.

A Pew Research Center poll in 2023 found that 65% of Americans were exhausted and 55% were angry about the state of our political system. And that was before the 2024 election! Even though the election results are official, the political polarization and partisan antipathy have not cooled down. The divide between people with different political opinions is as wide as ever. They increasingly view each other with mistrust and ridicule, which can lead to never ending conflicts and estrangement. Is this any way to run a democracy? This week on The Connection, learning to disagree better and connect across our differences. Our guests are clinical psychologist William Doherty and political scientist Lia Howard. Bill is one of the founders of Braver Angels, an organization that works to bridge the partisan divide. Lia heads up the Political Empathy Lab at the University of Pennsylvania.

How often have you heard the phrase, “Oh they’re such a narcissist!”? It’s word that’s become part of our common lingo, describing someone who feels entitled, needs constant praise and attention, is grandiose, manipulative and extremely sensitive to criticism. Chances are, you know someone who fits this description. This week on The Connection, we explore the dangers of having a relationship with a narcissist. They are skilled at manipulating others by seducing them with affection — then undermining their wellbeing and sense of self. Our guest is clinical psychologist Ramani Durvasula, an expert in understanding the abusive patterns of narcissistic relationships, how they begin with “love-bombing” and end up in “gaslighting.” Her latest book is It’s Not You: Identifying and Healing from Narcissistic People.

We are living in a time of sexual upheaval as evidenced by the Dobbs decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, attempts to ban books with LGBTQ themes, the fight over trans rights, the election of the first transgender member of Congress, the easy access to pornography and rising popularity of polyamory. Historian Rebecca L. Davis says we have been here before, because the tension between erotic liberation and prudery has been with us for 400 years. She says there has never been a golden age of sexual stability in America. Her new book, Fierce Desires, traces the evolution of sexuality from a reflection of one’s social and religious status to one of individual identity. She joins us to discuss what history can tell us about today’s political conflicts over gender and sex.

Generally speaking, when we use the word intelligent, we are referring to IQ or cognitive strengths. That’s the ability to process and understand information and use it to generate new knowledge. But what about EQ or emotional intelligence? That’s the ability to manage and express one’s feelings and recognize those feelings in others. It turns out there are different kinds of intelligence. This week, we talk about what it takes to recognize, understand, express and regulate your emotional life. We’ll look at how it connects you with yourself and others and how we can use it to make a better world. Our guest says that being an “emotional scientist” is a good place to start. Psychologist Marc Brackett is the founder and director of the Center for Emotional Intelligence at Yale University. He’s the author of Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help our Kids, Our Selves and Our Society.

What makes you angry? Being disrespected, ignored or interrupted? Feeling powerless, threatened or betrayed? Being cut off in traffic or put on hold? People talking in movie theaters? People constantly on their phones? Noisy leaf blowers? Long lines? We’ve all gotten mad about something, whether it’s important or trivial. That’s just part of life. But how we experience and express our anger is where things get complicated. Some lash out at others while some turn their anger in on themselves. What is our anger telling us, when is it justified, how does it lead to aggression and how can we channel it for the good of our relationships? Our guests are psychologist and anger researcher Ryan Martin and clinical psychologist Andrea Bonior.

Author Oliver Burkeman on why it’s time to settle for your imperfections and ditch the relentless self-help messaging of productivity and control.

Leonardo da Vinci was more than a great artist, famous for The Last Supper and Mona Lisa. He was a draughtsman, an engineer, a scientist, a sculptor and an architect. He had a voracious curiosity and believed that real understanding was best found in nature, not in a musty library. He didn’t complete half the paintings he started and left behind thousands of pages of drawings. A new two-part Ken Burns documentary about Leonardo da Vinci airs November 18th and 19th on WHYY. It explores the lively mind of da Vinci, finding connections between art and science, imagination and elements in the natural world. Filmmakers Sarah Burns and David McMahon, who lived in Florence where Leonardo lived, join us today to tell us how they brought this 15th century genius to life.  Also with us is Jack Hinton, curator at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

There’s a lot of talk about fascism as we count down the final days of a contentious and consequential presidential election. Members of former President Trump’s administration have told journalists that Trump has fascist beliefs, admires dictators and has contempt for the U.S. Constitution. Trump has promised he will prosecute his enemies and order mass deportations, if elected. Our guest Timothy Snyder specializes in the history of authoritarian governments and the Holocaust. His 2017 book, On Tyranny, offered lessons for protecting democracy against the threats of 20th century totalitarianism. His new book, On Freedom, asks Americans to expand our understanding of liberty by embracing a more inclusive freedom that connects us rather than divides us — that builds bridges not barriers. On this week’s edition of The Connection: tyranny, fascism, freedom and democracy.

‘Tis the season for ghouls, goblins, witches and ghosts. Halloween can be traced back to the Celts who marked the start of the cold, dark winter with bonfires, costumes and ritual celebrations to ward off the dead. Coming up, why do we like to be frightened? Why do so many of us enjoy horror movies and roller coasters, devour crime stories and read fairy tales to our kids and grandkids. Our guest is behavioral scientist, Coltan Scrivner, who studies morbid curiosity, organizes zombie crawls and runs scary film festivals. He says scaring ourselves can have evolutionary and psychological benefits. It can even make us more empathetic.