Listen in: How the Universe Got Its Spots January 20, 2023 Is the universe infinite or just really big? With this question, cosmologist Janna Levin announces the central theme of this book, which established her as one of the most direct, unorthodox, and creative voices in contemporary science. Read More
The curse of long-ruling autocrats January 18, 2023 In October 2022, during the 20th Party Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping was “reelected” as the party’s chairman, paving his way for a third term as China’s top political leader. Read More
Back to the Moon January 18, 2023 Just over half a century since Neil Armstrong first stepped foot on the lunar surface, a new space race to the Moon is well underway and rapidly gaining momentum. Read More
An excerpt from The Aesthetic Cold War January 17, 2023 In “Africa and Her Writers,” a feisty Chinua Achebe begins by proclaiming, “Art for art’s sake is just another piece of deodorized dog shit.” The joke, of course, comes at high modernism’s expense, and he was neither the first nor the last figure from decolonizing regions of the world to rail against writing for a privileged few. Read More
On the misuse of legacy: The Struggle for the People’s King January 14, 2023 On a humid day in late August 2010, the right-wing Tea Party activist and Fox News television host Glenn Beck held a rally to “Restore Honor” at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Read More
Listen in: Queer Career January 13, 2023 Workplaces have traditionally been viewed as “straight spaces” in which queer people passed. As a result, historians have directed limited attention to the experiences of queer people on the job. Read More
Flipping failure January 09, 2023 “Failing big” has been much in the news—it’s part of an exciting strategy that also includes “move fast and break things” and “no risk, no reward!” But what about failing small? Read More
Listen in: What Do You Want Out of Life? January 06, 2023 What do you want out of life? To make a lot of money—or work for justice? To run marathons—or sing in a choir? To have children—or travel the world? The things we care about in life—family, friendship, leisure activities, work, our moral ideals—often conflict, preventing us from doing what matters most to us. Read More
PUP Speaks: Karen Greenberg on the long legacy from 9/11 to 1/6 January 05, 2023 The events of both September 11, 2001 and January 6, 2021 were unprecedented in our nation’s history. In this video from Karen Greenberg, we can see how increased secrecy and decreased accountability within American politics post 9/11 fostered a political climate in which Trumpism was able to thrive. Read More
The Aesthetic Cold War January 04, 2023 How did superpower competition and the cold war affect writers in the decolonizing world? Peter Kalliney explores the various ways that rival states used cultural diplomacy and the political police to influence writers. Read More
Jay Phelan and Terry Burnham on how to uncover the ‘secret syllabus’ January 03, 2023 Drawing on decades of learning and teaching experience, Professors Jay Phelan and Terry Burnham show how students at both graduate and undergraduate levels can master the ‘secret syllabus’ and get the most out of their college experience. Read More
Lessons from the past about the future of capitalism January 02, 2023 The capitalist economic system has delivered wealth to the world population on an unprecedented scale. At the same time, many people feel unhappy about how little the economy does for them. Read More
Daisy Hay on Dinner with Joseph Johnson January 01, 2023 Joseph Johnson was an extraordinary man, who brought together an extraordinary range of people. But Dinner with Joseph Johnson is not straightforwardly a biography of him—or even a book about him. Read More
What Hollywood gets wrong (and right) about neuroscience December 23, 2022 Become a martial arts expert by uploading the ability to fight directly to your brain. Build a new body and insert the mind of a lost loved one into this newly created person. Read More
A look inside Running Out December 22, 2022 On the high plains of western Kansas, there is no clear line between water and second chances. Although I didn’t know it at the time, I was in search of both when I turned my Prius off a two-lane highway and onto the washboard gravel that led back to the farm. Read More