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- Public
Does the Sally Rooney affair amount to censorship?
The bestselling Irish author Sally Rooney and her publisher Faber have removed her books from UK shelves, due to current legislation which designates the group…
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The Enlightenment Under Fire | John Gray
Is the Enlightenment a force for good today? One of Britain’s most provocative thinkers, John Gray is a political philosopher known for dismantling…
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Rerun - Beowulf
Our Hallowe'en special from 2020 was on the Old English poem, Beowulf, composed somewhere in England more than a thousand years ago. The atmospheric tale of…
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Why Tim Winton thinks crisis is a catalyst for change
Beloved Australian literary voice and environmentalist Tim Winton is in conversation with Kim about how to keep going in a burning world. Watch the video…
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The Jackpod: Not on bread alone
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty looks back at a time when social values played a bigger role in American political life and hears a call for that ahead of…
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Archive: Citizen Kane
Orson Welles was only 25 when his film Citizen Kane was released in 1941. It is widely acclaimed as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, films yet made…
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First Draft - Edwidge Danticat (Returns Again)
Edwidge Danticat is the author of numerous books, including The Art of Death, a National Book Critics Circle finalist; Claire of the Sea Light, a New York…
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Inside the Issue | “God’s Arrow” by Shuang Xuetao
The actor Ken Leung reads “God’s Arrow” from issue no. 256 (Summer 2026), written by Shuang Xuetao and translated from the Chinese by Jeremy…
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Catherine Lacey Reads Lorrie Moore
Catherine Lacey joins Deborah Treisman to discuss “Which Is More Than I Can Say About Some People,” by Lorrie Moore, published in The New Yorker in…
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Téa Obreht Reads “Family Lore”
Téa Obreht reads her story “Family Lore,” from the November 9, 2026, issue of the magazine. Obreht, who was included in The New…
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Jaron Lanier on Silicon Valley’s new gods and AI addiction
Has Silicon Valley become “addicted to addiction”? Computer scientist and futurist Jaron Lanier joins Danny Fortson to discuss why he thinks AI…
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John Healey
Labour veteran John Healey has delivered his first budget speech as Chancellor of the Exchequer, declaring that his was a “budget for the working people…
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The Arts Hour Indian-Irish poet Nikita Gill
Nikki Bedi speaks to superstar Irish-Indian poet and New York Times-Bestselling author Nikita Gill about her latest “novel in verse Styx: The…
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Charming Devils
Meg Wolitzer presents two stories about persuasive, but not always trustworthy, characters. In “Fortune-Telling,” by Alix Ohlin, an actor tries on…
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You never see a seagull in a tree?
This is a catch-up version of James O'Brien's Mystery Hour. To join the game, call 0345 60 60 973, Thursdays at 12pm.
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Casablanca
Recorded at the Crossed Wires Festival in Sheffield, Misha Glenny and guests discuss Casablanca, one of the greatest films from Hollywood’s Golden Era…
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On Horror with Andrea Capra
In this show Robert Harrison discusses the concept of “ordinary horror” with Andrea Capra, Assistant Professor of Italian Studies at NYU. Dr…
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Between Friends: 'Introductions' by Moya Cannon
Hello friends! In between our fuller episodes, in which we share a conversation with someone talking about a poem that is very special to them, we thought we'd…
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Gillian Flynn: How to Write Thrilling Stories | How I Write
Learn more about Alpha School at ⁠https://go.alpha.school/howiwrite Gillian Flynn is the author of one of my favorite books of all time: Gone Girl…
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Roman Mars on Flags, Phones, and the Design of Everyday Life
Roman Mars has built one of podcasting's great empires out of noticing things everyone else walks past. His show, 99% Invisible, has racked up over 500 million…
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Meghan O'Rourke Reads Max Ritvo
Meghan O’Rourke joins Kevin Young to read and discuss “Poem to My Litter,” by Max Ritvo, and her own poem “Sectioned.&rdquo…
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Lea Ypi on Kant
Kant was born in 18th century Prussia. He showed great intellectual promise as a child, but didn't make a name for himself until his late forties, when he…
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The Jackpod: One cheer for private health insurance
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on why Sen. Bernie Sanders’ proposal for Medicare for All warrants more scrutiny than it's getting in progressive…
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The Siege of Paris
During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, the city of Paris was besieged by the Prussian army. The citizens of Paris experienced starvation and fuel shortages…
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The Verb - where the poetry kettle is always on
Are you ready for a poetry brew? Ian McMillan is and he's joined by: Graeme Richardson, Anglican priest and the Sunday Times poetry critic, with his debut…
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Andrew Meehan
The acclaimed Irish writer Andrew Meehan talks about his novel Hey Man and explores its link to three other works with presenter James Crawford. Hey Man tells…
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Novelist Min Jin Lee (‘Pachinko’) Has Something to Teach Us
“The rules of engagement have changed already.” Novelist Min Jin Lee (Pachinko) is a beacon of wit and wisdom. She returns to the show this week…
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Souvankham Thammavongsa Reads "Wall Cano"
Souvankham Thammavongsa read her story “Wall Cano,” from the November 2, 2026, issue of the magazine. Thammavongsa has published four volumes of…
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Ulysses: James Joyce's properly obscene book
Tom McCarthy, writing in the LRB, described James Joyce's Ulysses as a ‘heavy book, a book full of weight, a fallen book’; a ‘properly…
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On Jean-Baptiste Lamarck with Jessica Riskin
In this show, Robert Harrison discusses the remarkable evolutionary theories of French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck with Stanford professor Jessica Riskin…
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Bill Wyman
Bill Wyman, who is 90 years old this week, and was for 31 years the bass player of the The Rolling Stones, is our guest today. Bill talks to Gyles about his…
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Unexpected Guests
Meg Wolitzer presents two stories about unexpected guests. In Carlos Greaves’ “A Visit from the Tune Squad,” a procrastinating writer gets a…
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My dogs' strange relationship with the butchers?
This is a catch-up version of James O'Brien's Mystery Hour. To join the game, call 0345 60 60 973, Thursdays at 12pm.
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On Jean-Baptiste Lamarck with Jessica Riskin
In this show, Robert Harrison discusses the remarkable evolutionary theories of French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck with Stanford professor Jessica Riskin…
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Why Richard Dawkins thinks AI is conscious
Richard Dawkins is in conversation with Kim Hill. Half a century after The Selfish Gene the controversial evolutionary biologist reflects on his theories and…
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The Jackpod: A rough start for Gen Z
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty looks into the impact that AI is having on the job market for Gen Z graduates and the difference that choice of college major…
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Daisy Dixon on Depraved Art
Can a work of art be immoral? What does that mean? Daisy Dixon, author of Depraved: The Story of Dangerous Art discusses this question with Nigel Warburton in…
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Archive: Erasmus
One of the most celebrated thinkers of the Renaissance, Erasmus (c1466-1536) is best known for his works of classical and religious scholarship, and for his…
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First Draft - Yiyun Li (Returns)
Yiyun Li is the author of several works of fiction—Wednesday’s Child; The Book of Goose; Must I Go; Where Reasons End; Kinder Than Solitude; Gold…
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Iris Murdoch and Heidegger Podcast
In this episode Miles is joined by Justin Broackes (Brown, USA) and Matt Dougherty (CEU, Vienna) to discuss the influence of Martin Heidegger on Murdoch's…
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Michael Collins - Part 3
On the 22nd of August 1922, Michael Collins was shot dead in Béal Na Bláth, County Cork. His death at just 31 ensured he would become one of…
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George Saunders Reads “Appeasement, Ohio”
George Saunders reads his story “Appeasement, Ohio,” from the October 26, 2026, issue of the magazine. A winner of the Library of Congress Prize…
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The American Israel lobby – powerful political force or antisemitic fiction
Depending on who you talk to the American Israel Lobby is either one of the most powerful forces in US politics or an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory. In this…
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Predicted: How AI Is Restructuring Social Life with Mona Sloane (U California Press, 2026)
How AI is rewiring our social fabric—and how we can better shape our future. The age of AI is not what you think. Rather than ushering in a fourth…
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Better Tech
We’re in the wild west of cyberspace. It is a man-made ecosystem, this cyberspace, where man-made AI lives and flourishes, but we’re coming to know…
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Mostly Good Intentions
Meg Wolitzer presents three stories that explore good intentions and how they can go wrong. In “Mantis,” by Gina Chung, a deadly insect tries to…
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Isn't this a motoring question?
This is a catch-up version of James O'Brien's Mystery Hour. To join the game, call 0345 60 60 973, Thursdays at 12pm.
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59: Rosemary Sutcliff and the Magic of Childhood Reading
There is nothing more exciting than seeing children captivated by the magic of stories, and for many of us there’s no better children’s storyteller…
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Thomas More's Utopia
In 1516, the publication of one small book would coin a new word and give rise to centuries of literature, theory, and thought. In his most influential work…
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Alternative Intelligence: Jeanette Winterson on storytelling, AI and the Power of Imagination
Jeanette Winterson joined us to celebrate the French edition of One Aladdin, Two Lamps, her book-length exploration of storytelling, built around One Thousand…
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Jodi Picoult: The Writing Habits Behind 50 Million Books Sold | How I Write
Learn more about Alpha School at ⁠https://go.alpha.school/howiwrite Jodi Picoult is on the show today, and she has published 30 novels and sold more than…
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Blue Labour | Maurice Glasman
Does the left really need to be more conservative? What is the difference between capital C and lowercase c conservatism? Is the Blue Labour movement the best…
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Tony Juniper on EO Wilson
Edward Osborne Wilson was a pioneer across several fields of biology, from entomology to biodiversity. He is best known for his expertise on ants, his work…
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The Inner Life of Paris with Chloe Summers Edmondson
In this show, Robert Harrison and Chloe Summers Edmondson discuss the cultural history of Paris, from the Enlightenment to the present day. Dr. Edmondson is…
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The Jackpod: Above it all
On Point news analyst Jack Beatty on why Democrats need to embrace the "sticky symbolism" of billionaire private jets. *** Thank you for listening. Help power…
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Archive: The Measurement of Time
Misha Glenny chooses the first of his archive picks - bringing back classic conversations from the In Our Time archive, every Monday. Humans have tried to…
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Episode Nine | Sara Baume
In this episode, we chat with Sara Baume about her piece "On Handkerchiefs" (Tolka, Issue Eleven), as well as her book, Opening Night (2026). We discuss…
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Michael Collins - Part 2
Michael Collins is now one of the most powerful men in Ireland. But events that will tear Ireland apart and lead to his brutal assassination in Cork are…
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Poems to earth you
To 'earth' us this week, Ian McMIllan invites Owen Sheers, Jason Allen Paisant, Helen Mort, and David Morley to share poems that ground us - including work…
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Marlon James
The award-winning Jamaican novelist Marlon James on his Booker-shortlisted novel The Disappearers, as he and presenter James Crawford explore its connections…