Nick Offerman is best known for his role as Ron Swanson, the mustachioed, libertarian outdoorsman who led the Pawnee, Ind., Parks and Recreation Department on the beloved show “Parks and Recreation.” But there’s more to Offerman than Swanson: His new book, “Where the Deer and the Antelope Play,” was inspired in part by his conversation with the agrarian poet ... Show More
Jun 19
I Keep Telling People We’re Living in This Dystopian Novel
A hypervisual, looks-obsessed, wellness-crazed, postliterate society where we’re constantly staring at screens and evaluating one another based on metrics, as the country around us feels like it’s falling apart: That sounds like the world we live in. It’s also the world Gary Shte ... Show More
1h 18m
Jan 2022
Nick Offerman | Design Matters with Debbie Millman
Reflecting on his remarkable life and career, Nick Offerman (best known for his iconic portrayal of Ron Swanson on "Parks and Recreation") shares his insights on acting, marriage and the current state of the world. This is an episode of Design Matters with Debbie Millman, another ... Show More
1h 3m
Oct 2021
Nick Offerman Gets Down to Earth
For Hollywood stars, there might be nothing harder than staying grounded. Just ask Nick Offerman, who became famous for his portrayal of Ron Swanson on the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation. Ever since, Offerman, who was raised on a pig farm in rural Illinois, has strived to stay c ... Show More
39m 23s
Aug 2020
Hannah Gadsby on comedy, free speech, and living with autism
Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby became a global star with her Netflix special Nanette. It’s a remarkable piece of work, and it does what great art is supposed to do: Give you a sense, however fleeting, of what it is like to live inside another human’s experience. Gadsby’s new s ... Show More
1h 31m
Oct 2023
Baratunde Thurston — How to Be a Social Creative
Baratunde Thurston is a comedian, writer, and media entrepreneur. He has eyes open to the contradictions, strangeness, and beauty of being human. He looks for learning happening even amidst our hardest cultural tangles. And he intertwines all of this, innovatively and searchingly ... Show More
1h 9m
May 2024
The Man Who Invented The Wild West
Rerun: Gun totin’, horse ridin’ spectacular ‘Buffalo Bill’s Wild West’ opened in Omaha, Nebraska on 17th May, 1883 - the start of a multi-decade run.
With a cast of hundreds, including Calamity Jane, Sitting Bull, and Annie ‘Get Your Gun’ Oakley, it toured the world - and forever ... Show More
11m 17s
Oct 2023
"Danube Art" w/ Baratunde Thurston
Hello, Puzzlers! Puzzling with us all this week: writer and activist Baratunde Thurston, host of "How to Citizen" and America Outdoors. Join host A.J. Jacobs and his guests as they puzzle–and laugh–their way through new spins on old favorites, like anagrams and palindromes, as we ... Show More
8m 2s
Feb 2024
"Political Insults" w/ Andy Borowitz
Hello, Puzzlers! Puzzling with us today: New York Times best-selling author and satirical writer of The Borowitz Report, Andy Borowitz! Join host A.J. Jacobs and his guests as they puzzle–and laugh–their way through new spins on old favorites, like anagrams and palindromes, as we ... Show More
10m 24s
Dec 2020
Local Legends: Viola Desmond
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know -- but definitely s ... Show More
8m 27s