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

On this episode of Our American Stories, Dustin Tomlinson grew up in rural Missouri, the youngest of four brothers on a cattle farm where competition was part of everyday life. Like a lot of people in small towns, he had arm wrestled plenty of times on truck hoods, in hayfields, ...  Show more

On this episode of Our American Stories, most Americans remember Brian Keith as Uncle Bill on the television series Family Affair. Calm, steady, and dependable, he played the bachelor suddenly responsible for raising his niece and nephew.That calm presence came from a life far fr ...  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