EP299: Origin of the Phrase "In a Nutshell" a...

On this episode of Our American Stories, The United States Constitution is the oldest written constitution still in force, yet one question about the document continues to shape debates about American history: Did the Constitution support slavery, or did it leave room for the ins ...  Show more

On this episode of Our American Stories, Joe Garman wanted to minister to people on his own terms, and certainly not in a prison setting. As he tells it, God had other plans. He would end up forming ARM, one of the largest prison ministries in the world. Support the show (https:/ ...  Show more

This week, James Marcus goes partying with Susan Sontag and George Steiner; and Laura Beers sheds a light on Eileen O'Shaughnessy, George Orwell's first wife.'Maestros and monsters: Days and nights with Susan Sontag and GeorgeSteiner', by Robert Boyers'Wifedom: Mrs Orwell's invis ...  Show more

For the final installment in the Wonder Women series, Diane von Fürstenberg—the woman behind the iconic fashion line—welcomes Katie and Brian to her company's Manhattan headquarters for a conversation about her full and colorful life. They discuss her wide-ranging philanthropy, h ...  Show more

Dung Ha (c. 1965-2000) was a powerful Vietnamese gangster who challenged the “Godfather of Saigon.” She broke gender expression rules and sexuality norms, creating a name for herself that lives on today. For Further Reading: Dung Ha: Vietnam’s Lesbian Mob Boss Dung Hà Police Fina ...  Show more

This week, Ysenda Maxtone Graham on the women who fought their way into horticulture; and Mary Beard leads us down a Homeric rabbit hole.'An almost impossible thing: the radical lives of Britain's pioneering women gardeners', by Fiona Davison'Homer and his Iliad', by Robin Lane F ...  Show more