Category

Journalism

History, Journalism, Non Fiction

Jul 16: Russell Shorto’s Taking Manhattan

July 16, 2025

The Astonishing Events that Created New York and Shaped America’s Future

Taking Manhattan with author Russell Shorto

What could $24 worth of beads and trinkets get you in 1626? How about the entire island of Manhattan. It’s no secret the Dutch brokered that deal with the Indigenous inhabitants, but often overlooked is the history behind the English seizure of the island, turning New Amsterdam into New York and changing the course of American history.

Tackling the challenge of researching this little known but pivotal moment in our history is author, investigative journalist, and historian Russell Shorto. Today we explore the fascinating details and meet some of the key characters integral to the transition. Russell paints a picture that’s maybe less about seizure, and more about collaboration between two parties who once pointed cannons at each other.

Meet Russell Shorto

Russell Shorto is the best-selling author of eight books, including Smalltime, Revolution Song, Amsterdam, and The Island at the Center of the World. He is the director of the New Amsterdam Project at the New York Historical and senior scholar at the New Netherland Institute.

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History, Journalism, Memoir, Non Fiction, Writers on Writing

Jul 02: John Seabrook with The Spinach King

July 2, 2025

The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty

The Spinach King with author John Seabrook

As heir to the complicated C. F. Seabrook legacy, longtime New Yorker staff writer John Seabrook confronts his family’s extraordinary story in THE SPINACH KING: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty.

In a spellbinding tale of money, ambition, succession, and immense power, Seabrook breaks through his family’s carefully cultivated façade, revealing long-held secrets of greed, corruption, and exploitation.

We discuss why John Seabrook felt an obligation to turn his meticulous investigative reporting skills inward, upending the narrative he grew up with. How he stayed objective after discovering the level of deceit within his ancestry. And how he balanced reporting as a journalist, with great storytelling.

Meet John Seabrook

John Seabrook has been a staff writer at The New Yorker for more than three decades. He is the author of The Song Machine, Flash of Genius, Nobrowand other books. The film ​“Flash of Genius” was based on one of his stories. He and his family live in Brooklyn.

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History, Journalism, Non Fiction

Apr 02: Taking Manhattan with Russell Shorto

April 2, 2025

The Extraordinary Events that Created New York and Shaped America

Taking Manhattan with author Russell Shorto

It’s well known that in 1626, Indigenous inhabitants sold the entire island of Manhattan to the Dutch for just $24 worth of beads and trinkets. What’s not so well known is the history behind the English seizure of the island and its transformation from New Amsterdam to New York.

Author, investigative journalist, historian Russell Shorto took on the challenge of researching the fascinating details behind this. Today we explore some of the highlights around that, and meet some of the key characters integral to the transition. Russell also presents a picture that’s maybe, less about seizure, and more about collaboration between the parties who once pointed cannons at each other.

Meet Russell Shorto

Russell Shorto is the best-selling author of eight books, including Smalltime, Revolution Song, Amsterdam, and The Island at the Center of the World. He is the director of the New Amsterdam Project at the New York Historical and senior scholar at the New Netherland Institute.

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Environment, Journalism, Non Fiction, Social Issues

Mar 26: David Lipsky and How America’s Anti-Science Movement was Set Up

March 27, 2025

The Parrot and the Igloo: Climate and the Science of Denial

The Parrot and the Igloo with author David Lipsky

“Lipsky spins top-flight climate literature into cliffhanger entertainment.” ~ The New York Times

David Lipsky is a writer’s writer as well as a reader’s writer. In The Parrot And The Igloo: Climate And The Science Of Denial, Lipsky explores how the virulent “anti-science” movement in America was set up by design.

In other words, it was planned, programmed, and paid for.

Today, we learn when, how, and why planned “denial” movements began, and who won the casting call to become the first Celebrity Doubter and “paid voice” behind the massive Climate Denial Campaign.

We look at scientists who sounded warning bells. And how we went from being a country that supported science, to a population divided into science supporters versus science deniers, hucksters, and propagandists.

Meet Bestselling Author David Lipsky

David Lipsky is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Absolutely American and Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself, the basis for the movie The End of the Tour. He’s written for The New York Times, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Harper’s Magazine, and is a recipient of the National Magazine Award and the GLAAD Media Award. His work has appeared in The Best American Short Stories and The Best American Magazine Writing anthologies. Lipsky teaches writing and literature at NYU and lives in New York City. The Parrot And The Igloo is a NYT Editors’ Choice, a New Yorker and Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2023, and a USA Today Must Read.

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Historical, Journalism, Non Fiction, Writers on Writing

Jan 29: Michael Cannell Discusses Blood and The Badge

January 29, 2025

The Mafia, Two Killer Cops, and a Scandal That Shocked The Nation

Blood and the Badge with author Michael Cannell

Michael Cannell‘s BLOOD AND THE BADGE reads like a novel – except it’s not. This true tale features Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracapp, two decorated NYPD detectives, who double-dipped as Mafia informants and paid assassins.

Considered the most corrupt chapter in NYPD history, Cannell sheds new light on Eppolito and Caracapp, who the Mafia cap called his “Crystal Ball”.

We discuss: Why the FBI couldn’t indict them. What motivated both cops to betray their own, frame innocent people, set up assassinations. And, what drove the detective who finally broke the cold case, putting them where they belong – behind bars.

Meet Michael Cannell

Michael Cannell is the author of five non-fiction books, most recently Blood and the Badge: The Mafia, Two Killer Cops, and a Scandal That Shocked the Nation. His previous books include A Brotherhood Betrayed: The Man Behind the Rise and Fall of Murder, Inc., and Incendiary: The Psychiatrist, the Mad Bomber and the Invention of Criminal Profiling. Cannell has worked as a reporter for Time and an editor for The New York Times. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Sports Illustrated and many other publications.

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Journalism, Non Fiction, Social Issues

Jan 15: Protect Yourself from Cyber Attacks with Nicole Perlroth

January 15, 2025

What You Can Do Today to Keep You and Your Data Safe from the Cyber Weapons Arms Race

This is How They Tell Me the World Ends with Author Nicole Perlroth

Even if everything seems to be working and functioning normally, chances are, a cyber attack has already infiltrated your digital world without your knowledge.

In This is How They Tell Me the World Ends, Nicole Perlroth reveals unreported stories of the cyberweapons market, the most secretive, invisible, government-backed market today. We discuss the active participation of the US. How a pre-strike of cyber attacks on Ukraine aided Russia before they attacked on land. And the singularly most vital thing you can do to protect yourself and your data.

About Nicole Perlroth

Nicole Perlroth was the lead cybersecurity, digital espionage, and sabotage reporter at The New York Times for a decade, where her work was optioned for film and television. She’s a regular lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Today, she increasingly prefers life off the grid. This Is How They Tell me The World Ends is Nicole’s first book, and a New York Times bestseller.

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History, Journalism, Non Fiction, Writers on Writing

Aug 07: Michael Castleman Shares The Untold Story of Books

August 7, 2024

A Writer’s History of Book Publishing

The Untold Story of Books with author Michael Castleman

Are physical books here to stay? The answer might surprise you. There are so many interesting stories and trails and fun facts in Michael Castleman‘s The Untold Story of Books: A Writer’s History of Book Publishing that we couldn’t put it down. Whether you’re a writer, reader, bibliophile, librarian, publisher, or just interested in how it started and where it’s at stories, we think you’ll enjoy it too.

Michael shares insights into Bestseller Lists; why they don’t tell the whole story and how they can be manipulated. We explore when and why book dedications began. How a machine designed for pressing olive oil changed the publishing industry, and what that meant for scribes and authors. We also peek into traditional versus independent (indi) and self publishing. How the digital revolution and AI impacted the industry – and where Michael sees it all going.

Meet Author Michael Castleman

Michael Castleman is a journalist and author of bestselling books on sexuality, health, and the history of book publishing. He also writes fiction. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Michigan, Michael Castleman earned an M.A. in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism. He has lived in San Francisco since 1975.

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Environment, Journalism, Non Fiction, Science, Social Issues

Jun 26: The Parrot & The Igloo with NYT Bestselling Author David Lipsky

June 26, 2024

Climate and the Science of Denial

The Parrot and the Igloo with author David Lipsky

“Lipsky spins top-flight climate literature into cliffhanger entertainment.” ~ The New York Times

He’s known as a writer who finds the stories behind the stories. In The Parrot And The Igloo: Climate And The Science Of Denial, David Lipsky explores how the virulent “anti-science” movement in America was no accident. It was planned, programmed, and paid for.

Today, David Lipsky shares why he describes his book as a story about ingenuity and folly. We look at some of the inventors who created our world. Scientists who sounded warning bells. Why Mark Mills is one of David’s favorite people in this story. How we went from being a country that supported science, to a population divided into science supporters versus science deniers, hucksters, and propagandists.

We learn when, how, and why planned “denial” movements began (think Christmas 1953 and cigarette companies). And who won the casting call to become the first Celebrity Doubter and “paid voice” behind the massive Climate Denial Campaign.

Meet Bestselling Author David Lipsky

David Lipsky is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Absolutely American and Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself, the basis for the movie The End of the Tour. He’s written for The New York Times, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Harper’s Magazine, and is a recipient of the National Magazine Award and the GLAAD Media Award. His work has appeared in The Best American Short Stories and The Best American Magazine Writing anthologies. Lipsky teaches writing and literature at NYU and lives in New York City. The Parrot And The Igloo is a NYT Editors’ Choice, a New Yorker and Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2023, and a USA Today Must Read.

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Journalism, Non Fiction, Social Issues

May 22: Untold Stories of Today’s Most Secretive, Invisible, Government-Backed Market with Nicole Perlroth

May 22, 2024

This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends

This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends with Author Nicole Perlroth

Cyber security, sabotage, and digital espionage expert Nicole Perlroth joins us with a big wake-up call. This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends: The Cyber Weapons Arms Race might read like fiction, but it’s all fact, and author Nicole Perlroth shares untold stories of today’s most secretive, invisible, government-backed market.

Nicole sheds light on who is involved in cyber warfare and what they do – including why and how the United States Goverment is one of the biggest customers of hacked information. We look at why Russia targeted cyber attacks on Ukraine before it invaded on land, and why it continues to apply cyber attacks. Nicole explains what Zero Day means and the impact of the Zero Day Market … and that segues into why cyber security is national security. We also share the single, most important thing you should do today, to protect yourself and your data.

Meet Nicole Perlroth

This Is How They Tell me The World Ends: They Cyber Weapons Arms Race is a New York Times bestseller, earned the Business Book of the Year Award, and was shortlisted for the McKinsey and Financial Times Best Book Award. Nicole Perlroth was the lead cybersecurity, digital espionage, and sabotage reporter at The New York Times for a decade, where her work earned Nicole a Pulitzer Prize nomination, and was optioned for film and television. Nicole is a regular lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Today, she increasingly prefers life off the grid.

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Journalism, Non Fiction, Social Issues

May 22: This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends with Nicole Perlroth

March 22, 2023

The Cyber Weapons Arms Race – What You Need to Know & Do Today!

This is How They Tell Me the World Ends with Author Nicole Perlroth

If you think cyber attacks won’t or can’t impact you, Nicole Perlroth joins us today to say they can, they will, and they probably already have whether or not you know it.

Nicole Perlroth’s new book shares untold stories of the cyberweapons market, the most secretive, invisible, government-backed market today. We discuss how the US is involved. How and why Russia plagued Ukraine with cyber attacks before they attacked on land. And the single, most important thing you can do, to protect yourself and your data.

About Nicole Perlroth

Nicole Perlroth was the lead cybersecurity, digital espionage, and sabotage reporter at The New York Times for a decade, where her work was optioned for film and television. She’s a regular lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Today, she increasingly prefers life off the grid. This Is How They Tell me The World Ends is Nicole’s first book, and a New York Times bestseller.

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