New Books Network Podcast

MIT Press Podcast May 28, 2023

Appendix N

The Eldritch Roots of Dungeons and Dragons

Peter Bebergal

Hosted by MIT Press

Dungeons and Dragons expert Jon Peterson (The Elusive Shift, Game Wizards) speaks with Peter Bebergal (Season of the Witch, Too Much to Dream) about his new book Appendix N, an anthology …

Popular Culture May 25, 2023

Rude Girls

Women in 2 Tone and One Step Beyond

Heather Augustyn

Hosted by Rebekah Buchanan

In her latest book, Rude Girls: Women in 2 Tone and One Step Beyond (Sally Brown Publishing, 2023), Heather Augustyn explores the ska revival in the UK during the lates 1970s and 1980s …

Popular Culture May 19, 2023

Celebrity Nation

How America Evolved into a Culture of Fans and Followers

Landon Jones

Hosted by Latoya Johnson

Writer and editor Landon (Lanny) Jones, a former PEOPLE magazine editor, reveals how the cult of celebrity has shaped our politics, culture, and personal lives. In Celebrity Nation: How America Evolved …

Popular Culture May 12, 2023

Gathering of the Tribe

A Companion to Occult Music on Vinyl

Mark Goodall

Hosted by Rebekah Buchanan

In his new series, Gathering of the Tribe (Headpress, 2022) Mark Goodall explores the mysterious power of sound and tone. Each book in the series is devoted to reviewing records …

Music May 12, 2023

Breaks in the Air

The Birth of Rap Radio in New York City

John Klaess

Hosted by Bradley Morgan

In Breaks in the Air: The Birth of Rap Radio in New York City (Duke UP, 2022), John Klaess tells the story of rap's emergence on New York City's airwaves …

Literary Studies May 11, 2023

Female Heroes in Young Adult Fantasy Fiction

Reframing Myths of Adolescent Girlhood

Leah Phillips

Hosted by Miranda Melcher

The heroic romance is one of the West's most enduring narratives, found everywhere, from religion and myth to blockbuster films and young adult literature. Within this story, adolescent girls are …

Game Studies May 7, 2023

The World of Final Fantasy VII

Essays on the Game and Its Legacy

Jason C. Cash and Craig T. Olsen

Hosted by Rudolf Thomas Inderst

Final Fantasy VII altered the course of video game history when it was released in 1997 on Sony's PlayStation system. It converted the Japanese role-playing game into an international gaming …

Jewish Studies May 7, 2023

Peak TV's Unapologetic Jewish Woman

Exploring Jewish Female Representation in Contemporary Television Comedy

Samantha Pickette

Hosted by Zalman Newfield

In Peak TV’s Unapologetic Jewish Woman: Exploring Jewish Female Representation in Contemporary Television Comedy (Lexington Books, 2022), Samantha Pickette analyzes the ways in which contemporary American television is establishing a …

Recall This Book May 4, 2023

Journalistic Collaboration (JP)

A Conversation Steve Fainaru and Mark Fainaru-Wada

Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru

Hosted by Elizabeth Ferry and John Plotz

Steve Fainaru and his brother Mark Fainaru-Wada wrote a bestselling and award-winning book (and accompanying PBS documentary series) about the NFL coverup of concussion trauma, League of Denial. This conversation …

Film May 2, 2023

Madness at the Movies

Understanding Mental Illness through Film

James Charney

Hosted by Melek Firat Altay

The study of classic and contemporary films can provide a powerful avenue to understand the experience of mental illness. In Madness at the Movies: Understanding Mental Illness through Film (Johns …

Music April 30, 2023

Lady Gaga

Applause

Annie Zaleski

Hosted by Bradley Morgan

As one of the world's best-selling musicians, Lady Gaga has set the musical bar high. Since her debut album, The Fame (2008), she has sold more than 124 million records …

Media April 26, 2023

Sesame Street

A Transnational History of Childhood

Helle Strandgaard Jensen

Hosted by Pete Kunze

In Sesame Street: A Transnational History (Oxford UP, 2023), author Helle Strandgaard Jensen tells the story of how the American television show became a global brand. Jensen argues that because …

Popular Culture April 25, 2023

Who Cares Anyway

Post-Punk San Francisco and the End of the Analog Age

Will York

Hosted by Rebekah Buchanan

In Who Cares Anyway: Post-Punk San Francisco and the End of the Analog Age (Headpress, 2023), Will York draws on over 100 interviews with musicians, artists, and scene participants as well as …

Global Media & Communication April 20, 2023

Dislike-Minded

Media, Audiences, and the Dynamics of Taste

Jonathan Gray

Hosted by Aswin Punathambekar and Jing Wang

In this episode, our host Sim Gill discusses the book Dislike-Minded: Media, Audiences, and the Dynamics of Taste (NYU Press, 2021) by Jonathan Gray. You’ll hear about: A brief history of …

American West April 20, 2023

Speculative Wests

Popular Representations of a Region and Genre

Michael K. Johnson

Hosted by Stephen Hausmann

The Western as a genre is alive and vibrant, argues University of Maine - Farmington professor of English literature Michael K. Johnson. In Speculative Wests: Popular Representations of a Region and a …

Mathematics April 19, 2023

Solving the Price Is Right

How Mathematics Can Improve Your Decisions on and Off the Set of America's Celebrated Game Show

Justin L. Bergner

Hosted by Jim Stein

The Price is Right is television's longest-running game show. Since its inception in 1956, contestants have won cars, tropical vacations, diamond jewelry, even a live horse, and the hosts' excited …

Food April 19, 2023

Breakfast Cereal

A Global History

Kathryn Cornell Dolan

Hosted by Miranda Melcher

Breakfast Cereal: A Global History (Reaktion, 2023) by Dr. Kathryn Dolan presents the long, distinguished and surprising history of breakfast cereal. Simple, healthy and comforting, breakfast cereals are a perennially …

Film April 18, 2023

Killin' Generals

The Making of The Dirty Dozen, the Most Iconic WW II Movie of All Time

Dwayne Epstein

Hosted by Daniel Moran

An explosive inside look at The Dirty Dozen, the star-studded war film that broke the rules, shocked the critics, thrilled audiences, and became an all-time classic. The year was 1967 …

MIT Press Podcast April 16, 2023

The Garage: A History

Olivia Erlanger and Luis Ortega Govela

Hosted by MIT Press

On this episode of the MIT Press podcast, Olivia Erlanger and Luis Ortega Govela discuss their book, Garage. Frank Lloyd Wright invented the garage when he moved the automobile out …

Film April 13, 2023

Sylvia Kristel

From Emmanuelle to Chabrol

Jeremy Richey

Hosted by Bradley Morgan

A trailblazing figure in film and popular culture, Netherlands native Sylvia Kristel became one of the biggest stars in the world as Emmanuelle in 1974. Alongside her most famous role …