Grinnell College: Authors and Artists

Sep 09 2024 33 ep. 21

Grinnell College: Authors and Artists Podcast artwork

“Authors and Artists” features interviews delving into the creative processes and latest work of alumni, faculty, and staff from Grinnell College, one of the top liberal arts colleges in the world, renowned for its commitment to social responsibility.

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Sharon M. Quinsaat, "Insurgent Communities: How Protests Create a Filipino Diaspora" (U Chicago Press, 2024)

Sep 09 2024 57 mins

When people migrate and settle in other countries, do they automatically form a diaspora? In Insurgent Communities: How Protests Create a Filipino Diaspora (U Chicago Press, 2024), Sharon M. Quinsaat explains the dynamic process through which a diaspora is strategically constructed. Quinsaat looks to Filipinos in the United States and the Netherlands—examining their resistance ag

Sandy Moffett, "The Ghost of Craven Snuggs: A Midwestern Murder Mystery" (Ice Cube Press, 2022)

Dec 20 2022 23 mins

Today I talked to the wonderful Sandy Moffett. Sandy joined the Grinnell faculty in 1971 and teaches Acting, Directing and American Theatre. Although now Emeritus, he continues to teach and direct when called upon. He is also devoted to conservation and prairie restoration and has been responsible for the restoration and preservation of nearly 900 acres of native grassland and wood

Virginia R. Dominguez and Brigittine M. French, "Anthropological Lives: An Introduction to the Profession of Anthropology" (Rutgers UP, 2020)

Dec 07 2022 48 mins

Anthropological Lives: An Introduction to the Profession of Anthropology (Rutgers UP, 2020) introduces readers to what it is like to be a professional anthropologist. It focuses on the work anthropologists do, the passions they have, the way that being an anthropologist affects the kind of life they lead. The book draws heavily on the experiences of twenty anthropologists interview

Grant Faulkner, "All the Comfort Sin Can Provide" (Black Lawrence Press, 2021)

Nov 21 2022 43 mins

Today I had the pleasure of talking to Grant Faulkner. We discuss National Novel Writing Month, of which Grant is the executive director, 100 Word Story, of which Grant is a practitioner and editor, and Grant's book of short stories All the Comfort Sin Can Provide (Black Lawrence Press, 2021). Here's a bit about the book, a book I highly recommend you buy and read. "With raw, lyric

May-lee Chai, "Tomorrow in Shanghai and Other Stories" (Blair, 2022)

Nov 01 2022 37 mins

In a vibrant and illuminating follow-up to her award-winning story collection, Useful Phrases for Immigrants, May-lee Chai's latest collection Tomorrow in Shanghai (Blair, 2022) explores multicultural complexities through lenses of class, wealth, age, gender, and sexuality--always tracking the nuanced, knotty, and intricate exchanges of interpersonal and institutional power. These

Gerald Lalonde, "Athena Itonia: Geography and Meaning of an Ancient Greek War Goddess" (Brill, 2019)

Oct 17 2022 35 mins

In Athena Itonia: Geography and Meaning of an Ancient Greek War Goddess (Brill, 2019) Gerald V. Lalonde offers a comparative study of the social, political and military aspects of the cult of Athena Itonia and its propagation among the four regions of ancient Greece where major evidence has come to light. Marshall Poe is the founder and editor of the New Books Network. He can be re

Beronda L. Montgomery, "Lessons from Plants" (Harvard UP, 2021)

Sep 15 2022 21 mins

We know that plants are important. They maintain the atmosphere by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. They nourish other living organisms and supply psychological benefits to humans as well, improving our moods and beautifying the landscape around us. But plants don't just passively provide. They also take action. Beronda L. Montgomery explores the vigorous, creative li

Jillian Peterson and James Densley, "The Violence Project: How to Stop a Mass Shooting Epidemic" (Harry N. Abrams, 2021)

Aug 31 2022 32 mins

Using data from the writers' groundbreaking research on mass shooters, including first-person accounts from the perpetrators themselves, The Violence Project: How to Stop a Mass Shooting Epidemic (Harry N. Abrams, 2021) charts new pathways to prevention and innovative ways to stop the social contagion of violence. Frustrated by reactionary policy conversations that never seemed to

Joseph Mileti, "Modern Mathematical Logic" (Cambridge UP, 2022)

Aug 15 2022 47 mins

Today I had the pleasure of talking to Joe Mileti, associate professor of mathematics at Grinnell College. Even if you are not "into" math, you will enjoy this conversation. We talked about how math is not what you think it is. It's not just memorizing formulas and grinding. It's about thinking and, like all thinking, it involves abstraction, logic, using analogies and metaphors, a

Jin Feng, "Tasting Paradise on Earth: Jiangnan Foodways" (U Washington Press, 2019)

Aug 01 2022 41 mins

Today I talked to Jin Feng of Grinnell College about her fascinating book Tasting Paradise on Earth: Jiangnan Foodways (U Washington Press, 2019). Preparing and consuming food is an integral part of identity formation, which in contemporary China embodies tension between fast-forward modernization and cultural nostalgia. Jin Feng's wide-ranging exploration of cities in the Lower Ya