Better Known

Simon Tolkien discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Simon Tolkien is the grandson of JRR Tolkien and a director of the Tolkien Estate. He is also series consultant for the Amazon series, The Rings of Power. Simon studied Modern History at Trinity College, Oxford and went on to become a barrister specializing in criminal defence. He left the law to become a writer in 2001 and has published five novels which mine the history of the first half of the last century to explore dark subjects – capital punishment, the Holocaust, the Blitz and the Battle of the Somme. The epic coming-of-age story of Theo Sterling, set in 1930s New York, England and Spain, is being published in two volumes, The Palace at the End of the Sea in June, which is available at https://www.amazon.co.uk/Palace-End-Sea-Novel-Sterling/dp/1662528647 and The Room of Lost Steps, which will be available at https://www.amazon.co.uk/Room-Lost-Steps-Novel-Sterling/dp/1662528663 on 16th September this year. The International Brigades https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/02/24/soldiers-of-solidarity-spanish-civil-war/ Gustave Caillebotte https://www.bbc.co.uk/culture/article/20150706-caillebotte-the-painter-who-captured-paris-in-flux Port Meadow, Oxford https://www.oxford.gov.uk/directory-record/673/port-meadow The Conversation https://www.theguardian.com/film/article/2024/jul/04/the-conversation-review-gene-hackman-is-unforgettable-in-coppolas-paranoid-classic Gerard Manley Hopkins https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v36/n07/helen-vendler/i-have-not-lived-up-to-it Santa Barbara, California https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/guide-to-santa-barbara This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Daria Lavelle discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Daria Lavelle was born in Kyiv, immigrated to the US with her family as a child and now lives in New Jersey with her husband and their three children. She holds a BA from Princeton University and an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College. She writes fiction, with short stories published in a variety of US outlets. Aftertaste is her debut novel. It's already sold into 13 territories with a major motion picture in development. It is available at https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/aftertaste-daria-lavelle/7752339 Putting Salt on Fruit - the easiest way to elevate and bring out the deepest flavors of your food (even out of season)! But one that most people don't think of combining with their fruit dishes. Opera for Fantasy Lovers - Opera is woefully unfashionable among younger people, and most high-fantasy and speculative fiction lovers I know have no interest in this stuffy art form, and yet, some of the most formative and epic and compelling narratives ever presented are operatic in form. The Hoboken, NJ food scene - New York (and Brooklyn, and Queens) get most of the love and accolades for their restaurant offerings, but Hoboken, NJ, is like the best kept secret of Italian-American cuisine and fabulous cocktails. The film What Dreams May Come - this 1998 film is largely forgotten / unknown among anyone under the age of 30, but it's worth revisiting as one of the most interesting and beautiful explorations of death, grief, love, and the Afterlife. Family Recipes - this is perhaps an imperative to listeners to take the time to learn their family recipes from their older generations. Finding Your Tribe - I'd love to talk about several ways this has been true in my life, from writing cohorts to mom groups with my kids, to the debut groups I'm part of this year as I move toward publication. This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Michelle Young discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Michelle Young, a journalist and professor of architecture at Columbia University, spent four years researching The Art Spy: The Extraordinary Untold Tale of WWII Resistance Hero Rose Valland, which is available at https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-art-spy-michelle-young?variant=43046200836130. A veritable female Monuments Man, Valland has, until now, mostly been written out of the annals, despite bearing witness to history's largest art theft. While Hitler was amassing stolen art for his future Führermuseum, Valland secretly worked to stop him. Michelle Young is an award-winning journalist, author, and professor whose writing on looted and lost art has appeared in Hyperallergic, The Forward, and The Wilson Quarterly. She is a graduate of Harvard College in the History of Art and Architecture and holds a master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, where she is a professor of architecture. Rose Valland was one of the most medalled women from all of WWII Hollywood optioned Rose's memoir and it became the Burt Lancaster caper The Train 3. Rose witnessed the Nazis burn approx 500 modern paintings of art and it really happened Rose was lesbian and started living with Joyce Heer, her life partner, starting in the mid 1930s.  Rose was spying in the field, as well as in the museum. She also worked directly with Resistance operatives, which is how she directly helped sabotage the last train of art intended to leave France, carrying 1000 paintings.  One of the very first things the Nazis did when they occupied a country was to loot its art, in particular from Jewish families. There is a direct line between art looting and the extermination camps This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Róisín Lanigan discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Róisín Lanigan is an editor and writer based in London and Belfast. Her work has appeared in i-D, VICE, The Atlantic, New Statesman, The Fence and Prospect, amongst other publications. She was longlisted for the Curtis Brown First Novel Prize in 2019, and won the Blue Pencil Agency First Novel Award in 2020. I Want to Go Home But I'm Already There is her first novel and is available at https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/459281/i-want-to-go-home-but-im-already-there-by-lanigan-roisin/9780241668535 Dulse https://pacificharvest.co/blogs/learn/7-mindblowing-health-benefits-of-atlantic-dulse?srsltid=AfmBOoq6KFW9CJ2ZhY0K-LZcyK3zhku4Xe2I0CniSHs1noqs-VRI7Mq- Pigeons https://www.reddit.com/r/unpopularopinion/comments/lx86p7/pigeons_are_underrated_animals/?rdt=55432 The Montreal Screwjob https://prowrestling.fandom.com/wiki/Montreal_Screwjob Paris Is Burning https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/paris-is-burning-1991 Parkland Walk https://www.parkland-walk.org.uk/ The Ballymurphy Massacre https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/may/11/the-ballymurphy-shootings-36-hours-in-belfast-that-left-10-dead This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Laura Spinney discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Laura Spinney is a writer and science journalist. Her writing on science has appeared in The Guardian, The Economist, Nature and National Geographic, among others. She is the author of two novels, The Doctor (2001) and The Quick (2007), and a collection of oral history, Rue Centrale (2013). Her bestselling non-fiction account of the 1918 flu pandemic, Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World (2017), was translated into more than 20 languages. Her latest book, Proto: How Once Ancient Language Went Global, the story of the Indo-European languages, appeared in 2025. She lives in Paris. Osmothèque – international perfume archive in Versailles. Conserves 4,000 perfumes, of which 800 have “disappeared” Studs Terkel. Legendary American broadcaster, writer, actor and historian Circus elephants, or rather their owner-handlers. A dying breed, as they should be, but they deserve our compassion and respect Papuan languages. Nearly 900 of them, vast majority of which are undocumented Gloria! 2024 Italian-Swiss film, directorial debut of Margherita Vicario Marija Gimbutas. Lithuanian-born archaeologist who got it right on the word's largest language family, Indo-European This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Sara Leila Sherman and Mort Sherman discuss six things which should be better known. Sara Leila Sherman is a distinguished classical musician and educator, renowned for her work in making music accessible to young audiences through her children's concert series, Mozart for Munchkins, and the non-profit Little Mozart Foundation. Morton Sherman, PhD is the retired Senior Associate Executive Director of The School Superintendents Association, known for his visionary leadership during a 25-year career as a superintendent dedicated to elevating academic standards. Their new book is Resonant Minds, which is available at https://www.amazon.com/Resonant-Minds-Transformative-Power-Music/dp/1475874960. Audiences used to participate in classical music performances. During Mozart's time, audiences didn't sit silently—they clapped between movements, shouted requests, and sometimes even sang along. Music has always been a deep part of our lives, socially, culturally, and politically. For example, the song “Amazing Grace” has been used as a tool for healing in nearly every American crisis. Music affects the brain faster than conscious thought. Our nervous system begins responding to music—adjusting heart rate, releasing dopamine, and even triggering memory—before our brains fully process the sound. The best leaders intentionally listen like musicians. Great conductors don't just give cues—they respond to the ensemble. Groove isn't just a feeling—it's your brainwaves syncing with sound. When we listen to music with a steady beat—especially music with a strong groove—our brainwaves begin to entrain to the rhythm. That's not poetic language—it's neuroscience. Music builds memory—and memory builds culture. When students or communities sing the same song across generations, they're not just repeating notes. They're participating in a kind of living history. This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Jo Harkin discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Jo Harkin studied literature at university. She daydreamed her way through various jobs in her twenties before becoming a full-time writer. Her debut novel Tell Me an Ending was a New York Times book of the year. Her new novel is The Pretender, which is available at https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-pretender/jo-harkin/9781526678348. She lives in Berkshire, England. The ruin of Minster Lovell. This was the estate of the Viscount Lovell, one of the main characters in The Pretender. It's got enough standing walls and a beautiful vaulted entryway to allow you to imagine life there, but also the setting is stunning. Alice Chaucer's tomb, and the concept of the Memento Mori. An hour away from Minster Lovell, in Oxfordshire, are the former lands of the Earl of Lincoln, another main character in the novel. In the pretty village of Ewelme, St Mary's church contains the tomb of Alice Chaucer – grand-daughter of the poet himself, and the grandmother of Lincoln. The Fabliaux. A modern English verse translation of medieval French Fabliaux. These were stories told across all levels of medieval society. And they were absolutely filthy. Food/drink suggestion. A recipe for an overlooked and delicious medieval dish – the pre-potato pea pottage. Exhibition. The British Library Treasures room has a permanent display of original books, maps and manuscripts, including medieval and Tudor era items such as pages from Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks, Beowulf, and the first printing of the Canterbury Tales. Misericords. Westminster Abbey is on every London tourist's must see list, but often-overlooked feature are the misericords. In the magnificent Henry VII's chapel, where his and Elizabeth of York's tombs are located, the original 16th century hinged oak seats were not visible to the general public. This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Madeleine Gray discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Madeleine Gray is a writer and critic from Sydney. She was a 2021 Finalist for the Walkley Pascall Prize for Arts Criticism, and has written for publications including the Sydney Review of Books, Australian Book Review and the Times Literary Supplement. She has a MSt in English Literature from the University of Oxford and is a current doctoral candidate at the University of Manchester. Green Dot is her first book, which is available at https://www.waterstones.com/book/green-dot/madeleine-gray/9781399612784. The fact that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are not recognised in the Australian constitution. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/14/australia-rejects-proposal-to-recognise-aboriginal-people-in-constitution Who the 78ers are https://www.78ers.org.au/the-ongoing-role-of-the-78ers The television show Deadloch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deadloch The song 'Scar' by Missy Higgins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKn7XAMNV-g Trade union membership in Australia is far too low https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/earnings-and-working-conditions/trade-union-membership/latest-release Kim Cattrall scatting with an upright bass https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBmt2KN5tsY This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Alex Conner discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Alex Conner is an ADHD coach and brain scientist who combines his personal experience with ADHD to be a trusted voice in psychoeducation. He is co-founder and co-host of The ADHD Adults podcast, one of the UK's most popular ADHD resources. Alongside James Brown, Alex co-founded ADHDadultUK, a registered charity, and Focusmag.uk, an evidence-based online magazine for adults with ADHD. Alex has published research and articles on ADHD and, as an honorary Professor at Aston University, he also delivers ADHD coaching and training to thousands of people. His new book, co-written with James Brown, is ADHD Unpacked, which is available at https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/adhd-unpacked-9781526679369/ ADHD is not new or over-diagnosed. ADHD is not a superpower for everyone who has it. ADHD is more than inattention and hyperactivity: the emotional side of ADHD. Stigma: adding insult to injury. ADHD doesn't come alone for most people: co-existing conditions/neurodivergences. Nobody is neurodiverse, and nobody is neurotypical. Why the language of ADHD matters. This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Rebecca Lemov discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Rebecca Lemov is a historian of science at Harvard University and has been a visiting scholar at the Max Planck Institute. Her research explores data, technology, and the history of human and behavioural sciences. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts with her family. Her new book is The Instability of Truth, which is available at https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324075264. Brainwashing is not about other people https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-of-mind/202412/so-youve-been-brainwashed-without-realizing-it-what-now The rise and fall and rise of Barbara Pym https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/06/06/when-barbara-pym-couldnt-get-published Kate Smith https://musicologynow.org/kate-smith-and-our-minstrel-past/ Nashville film https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jun/25/nashville-review-robert-altman The story of the three frogs by Czeslaw Milosz https://bookhaven.stanford.edu/2016/06/happy-birthday-czeslaw-milosz-he-was-no-hero-and-he-knew-it/ Brainwashing and trauma are connected, but that was never, or rarely ever, recognized by the experts. https://www.randifine.com/post/brainwashing-the-cunning-psychological-tactic-used-in-narcissistic-abuse-domestic-violence-and-cults This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Kate Kemp discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Kate Kemp is an Australian writer living in the UK. She trained as an occupational therapist and then as a systemic psychotherapist, and has worked with families and individuals in mental health services in both Australia and the UK. In 2021, she won the Stylist Prize for Feminist Fiction and the Yeovil Literary Prize. The Grapevine is her first novel and is available at https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/kate-kemp/the-grapevine/9781399618977/. It's okay to change your mind https://medium.com/darius-foroux/its-okay-to-change-your-mind-c4a0166b0a6d We don't need sameness for belonging, we need acceptance https://medium.com/@ilana_73874/belonging-without-blending-in-a-story-of-self-acceptance-b5c9e90f661b Caring for someone who is dying is one of the most intimate things you can do https://www.cancervic.org.au/get-support/facing-end-of-life/caring-for-someone-nearing-the-end-of-life Primadonna Festival https://primadonnafestival.com/ The paintings of Vilhelm Hammershøi https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2008/jun/25/art.denmark Monteverdi's Madrigals https://www.grahamsmusic.net/post/monteverdi-s-madrigals This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Shari Dunn discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Shari Dunn is a polymath, an accomplished journalist, and a former attorney, news anchor, CEO, and university professor. She is an American Leadership Forum Fellow and has been awarded the prestigious Executive of the Year Award in 2018, the 2019 Women of Influence Award (Portland Business Journal), the Associated Press Award for Best Spot News, and the Wisconsin Broadcasting Association Award for Best Morning News Show. Her work has been cited in the Wall Street Journal and quoted in TIME and Fast Company among others. Shari is also a sought-after speaker. She holds a BA in philosophy from Marquette University and a JD from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. Her new book is Qualified, which is available at https://thesharidunn.com/. Reconstruction's impact on our past and our present https://time.com/5562869/reconstruction-history/ The myth of merit https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-myth-of-meritocracy-runs-deep-in-american-history/ That Imposter Syndrome is a misidentification https://hbr.org/2021/02/stop-telling-women-they-have-imposter-syndrome What Competency Checking means https://fortune.com/2024/08/23/kamala-harris-competency-check-black-women-careers-elections-politics/ That the pipeline (of Black and other candidates of color in the workplace) is blocked, not broken or empty https://sharidunn.substack.com/p/election-2024-competency-checking Why “color blindness” in the workplace, health and society doesn't work https://hbr.org/2017/09/colorblind-diversity-efforts-dont-work This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Imran Mahmood discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Imran Mahmood is a criminal defence barrister with over thirty years' experience. His debut novel You Don't Know Me was longlisted for both the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year and the CWA Gold Dagger in 2017, and selected by Simon Mayo as a BBC Radio 2 Book Club choice in the same year. It was then adapted into a four-part BBC crime drama, airing on a prime-time BBC One slot in 2021, before being released internationally on Netflix the following year and becoming one of the platform's most streamed shows. His second novel, I Know What I Saw (2022) was named a Sunday Times Crime Novel of the Month and reached No. 2 on the Audible charts. Mahmood has written three screenplays and is a regular contributor to the Red Hot Chilli Writers podcast. His new novel is Finding Sophie, which is available at https://www.waterstones.com/book/finding-sophie/imran-mahmood/9781526647566 Sentencing for Crimes https://www.sentencingacademy.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Mandatory-Minimum-Sentences-Explainer.pdf The Deep and Lasting Power of Books https://medium.com/@ariszavitsanos/the-enduring-power-of-literature-why-it-matters-now-more-than-ever-42900c18e7b The Quran https://www.nybooks.com/online/2017/02/09/crafting-the-koran/ Manipulation by Politicians and Social Media Algorithms https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2021-01-13-social-media-manipulation-political-actors-industrial-scale-problem-oxford-report Mycorrhizal Networks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycorrhizal_network Turritopsis dohrnii https://thebiologist.rsb.org.uk/biologist-features/everlasting-life-the-immortal-jellyfish This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Dani Heywood-Lonsdale discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Dani Heywood-Lonsdale is a writer with family roots in Hawaii and the Philippines. She holds a Doctorate in Education and teaches English Literature in Oxfordshire, having previously taught in Florence and London over the past decade. Before pursuing a career in academia, she worked for a nonprofit in New York City and studied social policy and development at LSE. The Portrait Artist is her first novel, and is available at https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/portrait-artist-9781526669988/. Adoration of the Magi by Leonardo da Vinci in the Uffizi museum, Florence An unfinished masterpiece. Da Vinci was commissioned by the monks of San Donato in Scopeto in 1481, but he left for Milan the following year leaving it unfinished. Ristorante Academia. In Piazza San Marco: quiet, unassuming, unpretentious, DELICIOUS authentic food. The kindest, friendliest staff; every friend I have sent raves about it. The dark, sad and beautiful origins of the original Peter Pan text by JM Barrie James Barrie lived in his brother David's shadow until he was 6. In 1867, David died in a skating accident, age 14; Barrie forever tried to cheer his devastated mother—who eventually found comfort in the idea that David would remain a boy forever. Wired to Create by Scott Barry Kaufman ‘Offers a glimpse inside the “messy minds” of highly creative people. Molokai hot bread. A secret delicacy on the tiny island of Molokai, Hawaii: A rival between cinnamon-sugar hot bread and strawberry-cream cheese hot bread. Archimede ceramic shop in Ortygia, Sicily In a deceptive location (right by the cathedral and seemingly touristy), this shop has the most exquisite works of art. This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Kathleen deLaski discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Kathleen deLaski is an education and workforce designer, as well as a futurist. She founded the Education Design Lab in 2013 to help colleges begin the journey to reimagine higher education toward the future of work. Her non-profit has helped 1200 colleges, orgs and economic regions design shorter, more affordable pathways for learners to achieve their economic goals. She spends time as a senior advisor to the Project on Workforce at Harvard University and teaches human-centered design and higher ed reform as an adjunct professor in the Honors College at George Mason University. In a previous career, Kathleen spent twenty years as a TV and then a digital journalist, including time as ABC News White House correspondent. Followed by a political appointment as the first female Pentagon spokesperson. Her new book is Who Needs College Any More?, available at https://www.whoneedscollegeanymore.org/. Only 38% of Americans have a 4 year college degree, yet American education and hiring system is really only set up to help this minority succeed. The “College for all” movement of the last several decades is basically dead and that may not be a bad thing White people, generally, are best positioned to skip the college degree. A lot of the focus and debate is on elite colleges, which is odd, because they provide 2% of the college “seats” in America We are in a period of the great skills shakeup in history, which has upended hiring and will continue to do so. AI is both “the race track” for fixing or democratizing the hiring system, but also could be the nemesis for entry level workers. This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Ivan selects five conversations from previous Better Known episodes, including discussions with Henry Hemming, Brooke Allen, Mark William Jones, AJ Jacob and Meg Rosoff. Eric Maschwitz https://spartacus-educational.com/SPYmaschwitz.htm The correspondence between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams https://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/livingrev/religion/text3/adamsjeffersoncor.pdf Rommel in 1942 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sportpalast_speech The World Jigsaw Championships https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/cj9j24v7ejmo High Wind in Jamaica https://patricktreardon.com/book-review-a-high-wind-in-jamaica-or-the-innocent-voyage-by-richard-hughes/ This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Jeff Sebo discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Jeff Sebo is Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, Affiliated Professor of Bioethics, Medical Ethics, Philosophy, and Law, Director of the Center for Environmental and Animal Protection, Director of the Center for Mind, Ethics, and Policy, and Co-Director of the Wild Animal Welfare Program at New York University. His research focuses on animal minds, ethics, and policy; AI minds, ethics, and policy; and global health and climate ethics and policy. He is the author of The Moral Circle and Saving Animals, Saving Ourselves and co-author of Chimpanzee Rights and Food, Animals, and the Environment. He is also a board member at Minding Animals International, an advisory board member at the Insect Welfare Research Society, and a senior affiliate at the Institute for Law & AI. In 2024 Vox included him on its Future Perfect 50 list of "thinkers, innovators, and changemakers who are working to make the future a better place." There is a realistic possibility of sentience in all vertebrates and many invertebrates, including insects. There will be a realistic possibility of sentience in advanced AI systems within the next decade as well. We have the ability (and the responsibility) to consider welfare risks for all potentially sentient beings in decisions that affect them. Industrial animal agriculture is bad for humans, nonhumans, and the environment at the same time. Fortunately, we can replace it. Rapid AI development creates risks for humans, nonhumans, and the environment at the same time. Fortunately, we can slow it down. Human-caused global changes affect wild animals too. Fortunately, we can build a safer infrastructure for humans and animals alike. This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Diana McCaulay discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Diana McCaulay is a Jamaican environmental activist and the award-winning author of five novels. Winner of the Gold Musgrave Medal, Jamaica's highest award for lifetime achievement across the arts and sciences; twice Winner of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize for the Caribbean region (in 2022 and in 2012), she has also been shortlisted for the IMPAC Dublin Award, among other nominations, and is the winner of the Watson, Little 50 Prize for unrepresented writers aged 50+. Her new novel is A House For Miss Pauline, available at https://www.dialoguebooks.co.uk/titles/diana-mccaulay/a-house-for-miss-pauline/9780349704265/. What a healthy coral reef looks like https://simonmustoe.blog/what-does-healthy-coral-reef-look-like/ The Legacies of British Slave ownership project https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/ The Taino artefacts in the British Museum https://www.artoftheancestors.com/blog/taino-arts-british-museum That the Caribbean is not just a playground for tourists ht tps://www.tiharasmith.com/blogs/behind-the-brand/the-caribbean Jamaica's south coast https://www.visitjamaica.com/listing/treasure-beach/474/ How long ago scientists warned of the impacts of putting greenhouse gases in the atmosphere https://www.rigb.org/explore-science/explore/blog/who-discovered-greenhouse-effect This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

For this week's episode, enjoy some of the highlights of Better Known over the years, featuring excerpts from Ivan's interviews with Jonathan Sayer, Kate Mosse, Jon Glover, Geoff Dyer, Alice Loxton, Anand Menon, Helen Lewis and Ben Schott Jonathan Sayer on Le Coq clowning https://sites.google.com/education.nsw.gov.au/jacqueslecoq/jacques-lecoq/overview-of-his-approach-to-acting Kate Mosse on how there are more statues in Edinburgh to animals than to women https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/campaign-seeks-change-fact-edinburgh-statues-animals-women-58867 Jon Glover on Maggie and Ted https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2021/jun/29/maggie-ted-review-two-tory-prime-ministers-one-long-spat Geoff Dyer on Calabash literature festival in Jamaica https://www.vogue.com/article/calabash-literary-festival-in-jamaica-is-the-islands-best-kept-secret Alice Loxton on The French House, Soho https://www.timeout.com/london/bars-and-pubs/french-house Anand Menon on The Middle https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/03/21/the-middles-realpolitik Helen Lewis on the Modesty Blaise novels https://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/sep/19/crimebooks.features Ben Schott on Polari https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polari This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Adam Howorth discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Adam Howorth was born in Stamford, Lincolnshire and grew up in rural Northamptonshire. After moving to London to work in the music industry, he later contributed to The Times and Billboard before joining Apple, where he worked for 18 years. Adam lives near the river in Southwest London, with his wife and two daughters. His new novel is Fallen Feathers, which is available at https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/fallen-feathers-adam-howorth/7735635?ean=9781836280088. Hemingway's Boat https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/jan/08/ernest-hemingway-boat-hendrickson-review Good manners https://www.headspace.com/articles/the-importance-of-good-manners Life is about perspective https://medium.com/picturethis/life-is-all-about-perspective-4b8cebb6ced4 How to tie your laces https://www.nike.com/gb/a/how-to-tie-shoelaces Chip with an 8 iron not a wedge https://golf.com/instruction/nick-faldo-pros-cut-strokes-answers/ Chateau La Faviere 2018 https://www.majestic.co.uk/wines/ch-la-favieres-61200 This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Nilanjana Dasgupta discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Nilanjana Dasgupta is provost professor of psychology and inaugural director of the Institute of Diversity Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is the author of many articles; the winner of the Hidden Bias Research Prize from the Kapor Foundation; and the recipient of multiple U.S. government research grants. Her work has been featured in the New York Times and other major outlets. Her new book is Change the Wallpaper. Diversity training doesn't change people's behavior nor the organizations in which they work. Do you know we spend 8 billion dollars on diversity training each year? Only a few DEI trainings are grounded in science; most are not. Our behaviour is shaped by situational forces more often than our personal beliefs. What do I mean by situational forces? They include the opinions of our colleagues, peers, and bosses. The roles we occupy and the role-based norms and expectations of how we should act. The path to culture change is not individual heroes. In fact, individuals acting alone are powerless. But individuals acting together with intention are powerful movers of cultures. Talent is made, not born. Did you know that young Einstein early in life was pretty average? He struggled in school as a child. He didn't get admission into his college of choice the first time but got in after a second attempt. Playing for change: A global music project turned movement turned non-profit organization for social good that connects the world through music. The idea came from the belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and connect people across the world. Travel in Kerala, India. A mixture of cultures, religions, ethnic groups, food, weather, landscapes, showing co-existence and contrasts. On the west coast of India, jutting out into the Arabian Sea. This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

James Marriott discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. James Marriott is a columnist at The Times, writing about society, culture and ideas. The poetry of Geoffrey Hill https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v07/n06/tom-paulin/the-case-for-geoffrey-hill CAT S22 Flip https://www.reddit.com/r/dumbphones/comments/16p2an2/cat_s22_flip_reviewjustwow/?rdt=55955 Uzbekistan https://www.wildfrontierstravel.com/en_GB/blog/places-to-visit-in-uzbekistan The acronym WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_WEIRDest_People_in_the_World The War Against Cliche by Martin Amis https://www.theguardian.com/books/2001/apr/14/fiction.martinamis Rossini's opera L'Italiana in Algeri https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPodHwCbE5k&pp=ygUQI2l0YWxpYW5hZW5hcmdlbA%3D%3D This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Keetie Roelen discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Keetie Roelen is a leading thinker in poverty and social policy and a longstanding advocate for social justice. She currently works as a Senior Research Fellow and Co-Deputy Director at the Centre for the Study of Global Development at The Open University, the largest university in the UK. She is also founder and host of the podcast Poverty Unpacked, exploring the hidden sides of poverty in conversation with a broad range of experts. Keetie has a PhD in Public Policy and has been working in the field of poverty, social policy, and international development for more than 15 years. Keetie has widely published in academic journals and books, and her work has featured in media such as the Guardian and BBC World Service. She has spoken about how to address poverty to multiple audiences, ranging from government ministers at the UN and MPs in UK parliament to students and activists. Keetie is passionate about contributing to a fairer world and creating more prosperous lives for all. Across her career, she has listened to personal accounts of hundreds of families and interviewed dozens of experts, building a deep appreciation of the complexities and opportunities for addressing adversity. Her new book is The Empathy Fix (https://atlantic-books.co.uk/book/the-empathy-fix/) which seeks to tell a new story about why hardship persists and how we can break the cycle. European films https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/feb/10/european-film-must-see-25-movies Transplant Games https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-66336861 Early paintings by Van Gogh https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/artwork/early-paintings-by-vincent-van-gogh.htm Assistance dogs https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/guidance/assistance-dogs-guide-businesses-and-service-providers ATD Fourth World https://www.atd-fourthworld.org/who-we-are/ Dominicanen bookshop in Maastricht https://www.awellreadwanderer.com/boekhandel-dominicanen-unique-bookstore/ This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Matt Kohut discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Matthew Kohut is the author of Speaking Out: The New Rules of Business Leadership Communication (2024). He is the coauthor of The Smart Mission: NASA's Lessons for Managing Knowledge, People, and Projects (2022), and Compelling People: The Hidden Qualities That Make Us Influential (2013), one of Amazon's Best Business Books of 2013. As the managing partner of KNP Communications, Matt has prepared CEOs, elected officials, and public figures for events from live television appearances to TED talks. Find out more at https://www.matthewkohut.com/. The best way to get someone to agree with you is to start by agreeing with them. Reciprocity makes the world go round. Machiavelli's dilemma–is it better to be loved than feared or feared than loved?––is a false choice. Few people remember this sentence that followed the question: “One should wish to be both, but…it is difficult to unite them in one person.” Knowledge is profoundly social. What you know is deeply influenced by your context and culture. It comes from a combination of experiences and reflective learning, and it's often difficult to articulate. If you want people to remember what you say, tell a story. As prophets and philosophers have known for millennia, stories stick with us. Purpose leads to motivation; struggle leads to meaning. A shared purpose gives a group something to strive toward. A shared sense of meaning only comes when experience is followed by reflection and discussion. Listening to understand another person's perspective takes different skills than listening to analyse a problem and make a decision. None of us really know what it's like to walk in another person's shoes. This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Adam Higginbotham discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Adam Higginbotham is the author of Midnight in Chernobyl, winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction and one of the New York Times' Ten Best Books of 2019. His latest book, Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space, was published by Avid Reader Press in May this year. An immediate New York Times bestseller, Challenger is the winner of the 2024 Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction. William Friedkin's Sorcerer https://rogersmovienation.com/2024/04/07/classic-film-review-reconsidering-sorcerer-1977/ Roger Boisjoly https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2012/02/06/146490064/remembering-roger-boisjoly-he-tried-to-stop-shuttle-challenger-launch The Allen Room at the New York Public Library https://www.nypl.org/about/locations/schwarzman/research-study-rooms Len Deighton https://www.deightondossier.net/ Strong Words magazine https://www.strong-words.co.uk/ Peter Nichols' A Voyage For Madmen https://thetidesofhistory.com/2022/10/09/book-review-a-voyage-for-madmen-by-peter-nichols/ This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

To mark the 350th episode, comedian Al Murray discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Al Murray's alter ego, The Pub Landlord, is one of the most recognizable and successful comic creations of the past twenty years. He is also the author of many successful books including Watching War Films with My Dad and Command, a sharply entertaining analysis of the key allied military leaders in the Second World War. He is well known for co-hosting the hugely popular Second World War history podcast, We Have Ways of Making You Talk with fellow bestselling military author James Holland. Arnhem: Black Tuesday is his first history book about a single campaign and is available at https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/305659/al-murray. To view his tour dates visit: www.thepublandlord.com “It remains one of the great joys in comedy to see the Pub Landlord befriend and belittle the front rows, blithely dishing out attributes to them, responding with superfast wit… So long as he has an audience with a pulse and an onstage pump that dispenses frothy lager for him to spill on them, Murray will always be a good night out.” - Dominic Maxwell, The Times Bernard Law Montgomery https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v03/n12/john-keegan/the-mothering-of-montgomery Zeno's The Cauldron https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/468655/the-cauldron-by-zeno/9781804996621 Blood stem cell donation via DKMS https://www.dkms.org/get-involved/become-a-donor Bill Bruford https://www.loudersound.com/features/ive-been-booted-out-of-king-crimson-about-three-times-bill-bruford-on-a-life-in-music Scale modelling https://uk.airfix.com/community/blog-and-news/tips-and-tricks/new-case-study-explains-positive-benefits-scale-modelling The culture of remembrance in Arnhem https://www.airbornearnhemwest.nl/en/welkom-bij-de-website-van-de-airborne-herdenking-in-arnhem-west-english/ This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Jon Moynihan discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Jon Moynihan is a businessman and venture capitalist who started his career advising companies and banks in the Netherlands, the US and the UK as a specialist in mergers and turnarounds. He then ran the global firm PA Consulting Group for 21 years. He subsequently transitioned into venture startups, creating over 20 companies to date, most of them in the science and technology fields. Jon has worked as a volunteer in the charity sector all his life, including in Bangladeshi refugee camps and other developing countries, in educational think tanks, both managing and fundraising for charities, more recently in the arts sector where, among other activities, he was president of the Royal Albert Hall for a number of years. Jon sits in the House of Lords as Baron Moynihan of Chelsea. His new book is Return to Growth: How to Fix the Economy, available at https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/return-to-growth-jon-moynihan/7711930?ean=9781785909030. Most of the economies of the world continue to grow: but not the Social Democracies, especially in Europe. It's incontrovertible that too-large government results in flattened growth. People in the UK are on average earning some 5 per cent less than they were 17 years ago. If you spend more than the OECD average on Education, as the UK does, the extra spend doesn't improve educational outcomes. The UK, compared with just about every other developed economy was far more incontinent on its spending during Covid. The impact of China's one-child policy is that by the year 2100, the threat of China will have receded. It will be dominated by its elderly, and its population will be half that of India's. This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Delayed Gratification co-founders Rob Orchard and Marcus Webb discuss with Ivan six things which should be better known. Rob Orchard and Marcus Webb are co-founders of Delayed Gratification, the world's first Slow Journalism magazine, launched in 2011. Delayed Gratification revisits events after the dust has settled and makes a virtue of being “Last to Breaking News.” Along with Delayed Gratification's art director Christian, Rob and Marcus are co-authors of An Answer For Everything, the critically acclaimed book of infographics published by Bloomsbury. Their new book Misc., a compendium of delightfully random facts discovered in 13 years of research for the magazine, was published by Bloomsbury in October 2024 and is available at https://www.slow-journalism.com/misc. Drowning people pulled from the Thames used to be treated with tobacco enemas https://bcmj.org/special-feature/special-feature-tobacco-smoke-enemas Andre Agassi used Boris Becker's tongue to win tennis matches https://www.businessinsider.com/andre-agassi-beat-boris-becker-watching-tongue-serves-2021-4 Life on Mars sounds horrible https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2845199/ Movie star Hedy Lamarr is the unsung heroine of Bluetooth https://www.forbes.com/sites/shivaunefield/2018/02/28/hedy-lamarr-the-incredible-mind-behind-secure-wi-fi-gps-bluetooth/ One hardy entomologist set himself the task of being bitten by as many insects as possible, and recorded the experiences in lyrical prose https://www.chemistryworld.com/careers/the-man-who-gets-stung-by-insects/2500173.article Many of the very worst films ever released have made more than half a billion dollars at the box office https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest-grossing_films This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Andrew Hindmoor discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Andrew Hindmoor grew up in Sheffield, left, went to Australia, and boomeranged back to Sheffield in 2013. He is a Professor of Politics and Co-Director of the Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute. He recently published Haywire: A Political History of Britain Since 2000 with Penguin which was the Times' 'book of the week' when it was released. He has previously published 12 Days Which Made Modern Britain with Oxford and academic books on the financial crisis and the state. He makes a mean lemon meringue pie. North Stradbroke Island, Queensland. https://stradbrokeisland.com/ The Americans boxset https://www.amazon.co.uk/Americans-Complete-Seasons-1-6-DVD/dp/B07FYBZMN5 Hitchhiking https://medium.com/@korkmazlarr/the-exhilarating-journey-unveiling-the-benefits-of-hitchhiking-27f996c6d2ca The Office for National Statistics data on happiness and life satisfaction (https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/bulletins/measuringnationalwellbeing/april2022tomarch2023 for the most recent release) Philip Short's biography of Vladimir Putin https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/430057/putin-by-short-philip/9781784700935 The alternative walk from Wasdale. Don't go East from Wasdale up Scafell Pike. Go West and walk the horseshoe across Red Pike, Pillar and Great Gable. This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Josie Lloyd discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Josie Lloyd, also writing as Joanna Rees, is the Sunday Times No.1 bestselling international author of over twenty novels and has been translated into 27 languages. Come Together, which she co-authored with her husband Emlyn Rees, was number one for 10 weeks and made into a Working Title film. Josie Lloyd recently wrote contemporary women's fiction novels The Cancer Ladies Running Club and Lifesaving for Beginners, which was a #1 Bookseller Heatseeker. Miss Beeton's Murder Agency is her first crime novel and is at https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/josie-lloyd-book-3-josie-lloyd/7270237. Isabella Beeton - she of the 'Book of Household Management' fame is still relevant today. Her weighty Victorian tome was full of common sense advice on how to run a household, but lots of it still rings true: like cooking a big meal on a Sunday and using the left-overs all week. Creative collaboration is a magical thing. When I first met Emlyn, my husband, he was my agent's assistant and we came up with a crazy idea to write a book together. There's no perfect way to be 'a writer'. And certainly staring at a blank screen is not necessarily a good way to start. It's breast cancer awareness month and having been through it - and having been inspired to write The Cancer Ladies' Running Club - it's important that people know that there are two types of breast cancer - lobular and ductal. Having breast reconstruction surgery is not the only option after breast cancer. I had a prosthetic breast made that matches my bumpy chest wall and it's a game-changer. More people need to know that this is a great alternative to surgery. Daily Qi Gong is amazing. As a busy mum of three with a successful career, cancer came as an enormous shock. I realised that I'd put my own well-being at the very bottom of my list. This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Historian Alice Hunt discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Alice Hunt is Professor of Early Modern Literature and History at the University of Southampton. She is the author of The Drama of Coronation (Cambridge University Press) and has previously written about the Tudors and James I, and often appears in the media to discuss monarchy. Her new book is Republic: Britain's Revolutionary Decade 1649-60, which is available at https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/republic-britain-s-revolutionary-decade-1649-1660-alice-hunt/7688859. She lives in Winchester. The Republic. The fact that we once were a republic, that it was called and known as a republic, and what this republic was actually like should all be better known. Richard Cromwell. Eldest surviving son of Oliver Cromwell who succeeded his father as Lord Protector. Samuel Hartlib. Polish entrepreneur who moved to England and flourished in the creative, reforming energy of the 1650s. An inveterate communicator and intelligencer, he knew everyone who was anyone at the time and had a finger in every pie. He feverishly promoted ideas to the new republican government that were way ahead of their time: paper money, a national bank, a health service, state schools, the return of the Jews. The Compleat Angler by Izaak Walton. This beautiful, sweet, quiet book about fishing was a huge bestseller in the 1650s. Forde Abbey, Dorset. I absolutely loved discovering Forde Abbey during the research for this book. This former Cistercian monastery, nestled in the valley of the River Axe, completely transformed my thinking about who the puritan, republican men were who governed England at this time. The Experimental Philosophy Club. This is the name of the society of young, curious, committed scientists who met in Oxford during the 1650s to share ideas and plan experiments. This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Nabeel Qureshi discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Nabeel S. Qureshi is an entrepreneur and researcher specializing in artificial intelligence and healthcare. He is the CEO of a new startup company and a Visiting Scholar at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Nabeel is based in New York and grew up in Manchester, England. The filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/01/17/the-metaphysical-world-of-apichatpong-weerasethakuls-movies Empson's Seven Types of Ambiguity https://www.nybooks.com/articles/1975/01/23/incomparable-empson/ Wittgenstein's late notebooks, Culture and Value https://prismatically.blog/2020/08/30/wittgenstein-culture-and-value-whereof-one-cannot-speak-thereof-one-must-be-silent/ The pianist Grigory Sokolov, especially his recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations https://open.spotify.com/track/0iD6SmRyOj23fCKyG4x8zj?si=decbea5bd38f4515&nd=1&dlsi=ce22c9bdf87a4ba4 The essay Art as Technique by Viktor Shklovsky https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/english/currentstudents/undergraduate/modules/fulllist/first/en122/lecturelist-2015-16-2/shklovsky.pdf A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v15/n08/john-lanchester/indian-summa This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Edward Carey discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Edward Carey is a writer and illustrator who was born in North Walsham, Norfolk, England, during an April snowstorm. He is the author of the novels Observatory Mansions and Alva and Irva: the Twins Who Saved a City, and of the YA Iremonger Trilogy, which have all been translated into many different languages and all of which he illustrated. His 2018 novel Little has been published in 20 countries. His novella The Swallowed Man, set inside the belly of an enormous sea beast, was published in 2022. His latest novel Edith Holler will be published on 3rd October by Gallic Books and is available at https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/edith-holler-edward-carey/7601350?ean=9781913547783. He has written plays for the National Theatre of Romania and the Vilnius Small State Theatre, Lithuania. In England his plays and adaptations have been performed at the Young Vic Studio, the Battersea Arts Centre, and the Royal Opera House Studio. He has collaborated on a shadow puppet production of Macbeth in Malaysia, and with the Faulty Optic Theatre of Puppets. Edward will be in the UK in October and speaking about Edith Holler in bookshops around the country: Waterstones Trafalgar Square (3rd October), Mr B's Emporium (4th October), Blackwells Oxford (5th October), Blackwells Manchester (7th October) and Dragon Hall, National Centre for Writing in Norwich (8th October). Commonplace books https://balzerdesigns.typepad.com/balzer_designs/2023/06/what-is-a-commonplace-book.html Whitby Museum https://whitbymuseum.org.uk/ The art of Charles Altamont Doyle https://huntington.org/exhibition/unseen-world-charles-altamont-doyle The fairy tales of Giambattista Basile https://www.britannica.com/biography/Giambattista-Basile Norwich undercrofts https://www.norwichunderground.xyz/undercrofts/ Victorian toy theatres https://craftsmanship.net/the-rise-and-fall-of-toy-theatre/ This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Steve Prest discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Steve Prest was a Weapon Engineer Officer who joined the Royal Navy after reading Electronic and Electrical Engineering at Loughborough University. He served in the Defence Communications Services Agency in Corsham in support of Op TELIC 1 (Iraq); undertook a short tour in Afghanistan as a Liaison Officer to Task Force Helmand; and has served on exchange with the French Navy. In the UK he has worked in Defence Equipment and Support, MOD, the Permanent Joint Headquarters and the Maritime Capability Division of Navy Command Headquarters. At sea he was the Weapon Engineer Officer in HMS WESTMINSTER undertaking operations in the Mediterranean (Libya), Arabian Gulf and Indian Ocean; and then the Commander Weapon Engineer in HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH, bringing the ship out of build and home to Portsmouth. Joining the nascent Navy Acquisition organisation in 2017, he was previously the Programme Director of the Type 31 Frigate Programme. He then became Deputy Director Navy Acquisition (Equipment and Systems), and Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) for the Maritime Electronic Warfare and Mine Hunting Capability Programmes. He fulfilled the role of Director Navy Acquisition from September 2022 until May 2023 and finished his career as Deputy Director People Change Programmes in Navy Command HQ. Still working out what he wants to do when he grows up, Steve is now an independent consultant, advisor, commentator and speaker in the Defence sector and beyond. He has set up his own company, Alatar Ltd, and his self-appointed mission is “to help brilliant people to do amazing things”. He is married to Kerry and they live on the Hampshire coast with their daughter, Emily. He enjoys reading and is a keen fan of most sports, participating when time and body allow. The Royal Navy and what it does. That life is stochastic not based on fate, otherwise risk management wouldn't work! The Scouring of the Shire - from Lord of the Rings. It was a crucial part of the narrative arc in the books but missed out from the otherwise brilliant films. Captain Cook. Everyone knows that he "discovered" Australia (he didn't really, but...) but his qualities as a leader and maritime professional should be better known. That inclusive leadership isn't "woke nonsense" but is, at its heart, just good leadership. Bluestone 42 - a BBC comedy drama about a British bomb disposal detachment details the camaraderie and bonds shared between the soldiers in the unit as they risk their lives defusing bombs. This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Ivan Wise discusses four anti-war plays which should be better known. Post Mortem by Noel Coward http://www.ww1plays.com/2015/07/noel-cowards-serious-war-play.html The White Disease by Karel Capek https://artsfuse.org/198970/arts-commentary-pestilence-on-stage-part-one-karel-capeksthe-white-plague/ O'Flaherty VC by George Bernard Shaw https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O%27Flaherty_V.C. Last Days of Mankind by Karl Kraus https://www.theguardian.com/culture/1999/dec/13/artsfeatures4 This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Marieke Bigg discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Marieke Bigg is the author of Waiting for Ted, and This Won't Hurt. Writing across fiction and non-fiction, she deconstructs the cultural givens around bodies, minds and identity. She holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Cambridge, where she studied the technological transformation of human reproduction. In addition to her books, Marieke speaks about the sociology of medicine and psychiatry, and collaborates with biologists and artists to explore the social potential of science. She is also a training psychotherapist. She now lives in London. Her new book is A Scarab Where The Heart Should Be, available at https://deadinkbooks.com/product/a-scarab-where-the-heart-should-be/. In Vitro Fertilisation - while most people know what it is, knowing more about this process and its history opens up new ways of thinking about the role of reproduction in society and will have us questioning what we currently regard as natural truths Bruder Klaus Field Chapel, Peter Zumthor - a chapel mentioned in my book, shaped by pouring concrete over 112 tree trunks that were burnt away. Taxonomy - how when we learn the names of natural things, we look more closely, and experience our place in nature. In Praise of Shadows, Jun'ichirō Tanizaki - the ideas in this essay are often around for me, and also guided my thinking about my prtoagonist. The essay on traditional Japanese astheatics is a warning against an incessant pursuit of light (perfection, stimulation, happiness) in Western culture. Anne Mclaren - an embryologist who I wrote my PhD on. Fascinating scientist who worked on IVF, sending mice to space with NASA, worked with Russian scientists during the cold war, and starred in an HG Wells film as a child. The Way Out is In - podcast by followers of the Buddhist monk and peace activist, Thit Naht Tahn. This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Kathy Willis discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Katherine Willis CBE is Professor of Biodiversity in the department of Biology and the Principal of St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford. She is also a Crossbench Peer in the House of Lords. Previous roles include Director of Science at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and a member of the UK Government's Natural Capital Committee. In 2015, Kathy was awarded the Michael Faraday Medal for public communication of science from the Royal Society. Her new book is Good Nature: The New Science of How Nature Improves Our Health. Staring out of a window onto greenery instead of a brick wall or a general urban scene. Having a vase of yellow or roses or houseplant with green-white leaves on your desk. Even if you only have 20 minutes for your walk or run, always head for the park/urban green space. Why? Because experiments show that there is a much greater reduction in our stress hormones (salivary amylase, cortisol and adrenaline) if we exercise in green space rather than on the streets. Garden without your gloves. Why? Because experiments show when we do so the environmental microbiota (good bacteria) found in biodiverse environments, including organic soils, is transferred onto our skin and into our gut. Visit the Mediterranean garden at the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew. Why? Because this hidden gem at Kew has a whole host of health benefits associated with it due to the smells (volatile organic compounds) given off by the mediterranean herbs lavender, rosemary, and mint. Buy a diffuser and diffuse the scents of cypress trees in your home or office. Why? Because clinical experiments and field trials are showing that when we do so, not only are stress hormones reduced, but also it can trigger a significant increase of natural killer cells in our blood. This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Bruce Omar Yates discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Bruce Omar Yates was born in London to an English father and an Indian mother. Bruce grew up in the South of France before returning to London to study Literature and Film at King's College London. Bruce is principal songwriter for the cult rock groups Famy, who released their album We Fam Econo in 2014, and Los Porcos, who released their album Porco Mio in 2016. The Muslim Cowboy is his first novel and is out now from Dead Ink Books at https://deadinkbooks.com/product/the-muslim-cowboy/. English Milk Punch: a delicious low-ABV punch made from brandy, tea, spices and milk. It was popular in Victorian times - Dickens would drink it - as it is shelf stable. After refrigeration came along it lost popularity. I Cantautori Genovesi: Fabrizio De Andre, Gino Paoli, Luigi Tenco (and others) - a group of arty, literary songwriters from Genoa in the 1960s. They would enter songs to compete against each other in the Sanremo Music Festival. Deep romance. Luigi Tenco shot himself after losing the competition one year. Martin Maloney: A lesser celebrated but wildly influential painter from the YBA generation. His painting style is deliberately crude but makes deeply educated references to the canon. Sickle Cell Disease: One of the most common inherited diseases in the world, very cruel and life threatening, and particularly rife in West Africa and India. The Gulag Archipelago: Not exactly unknown, but not enough people have read it. The subject of Soviet war crimes is neglected relative to their scale, the book had a big historical impact, and Solzhenitsyn was a really great writer. Parenting: Discussion in the culture might make you think that parenting is exhausting, stressful, financially burdensome, and so on, but it's not, it's just wonderful. This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Pedro Domingos discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Pedro Domingos is a renowned AI researcher, tech industry insider, and Professor Emeritus of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington. He is the author of the best-selling book The Master Algorithm: How the Quest for the Ultimate Learning Machine Will Remake Our World (Basic Books, 2015), which has been translated into over twelve languages and sold over 300,000 copies. His new book is 2040: A Silicon Valley Satire at https://2040novel.com/. Moravec's paradox: what seems hard for AI is easy and vice-versa. https://www.scienceabc.com/innovation/what-is-moravecs-paradox-definition.html Automation creates more jobs than it destroys, and AI is no exception. https://www.paltron.com/insights-en/does-ai-create-more-jobs-than-it-destroys John von Neumann was the greatest genius of the 20th century. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/23/books/review-man-from-future-john-von-neumann-ananyo-bhattacharya.html Olaf Stapledon's "Star Maker" is the greatest science fiction novel of all time. https://yardsaleofthemind.wordpress.com/2021/08/25/olaf-stapledons-star-maker-book-review/ "Her" is that rare thing: a realistic depiction of AI in a movie. https://www.wired.com/story/spike-jonze-her-10-year-anniversary-artificial-intelligence/ Portugal's discoveries in the 15th and 16th centuries started the age of globalization. https://www.history.com/news/portugal-age-exploration This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Harriet Constable is a journalist and filmmaker based in London. Her journalism and documentary work has featured in outlets including the BBC, Economist and New York Times. She is a graduate of Colombia University's School of Journalism summer school, is a Pulitzer Center grantee and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Her first novel is The Instrumentalist. Anna Maria della Pietà: the greatest violinist of 18th century, possibly a composer in her own right, fundamental to Vivaldi's music, grew up in the extraordinary Ospedale della Pietà - the original conservatoire of music Synaesthesia: people think it's seeing music through colour - which it is in The Instrumentalist - but it's more than that. Words can have smells and taste, one sense can trigger another in profound ways. Bach's Cello Suite in G minor while standing on a mountain: anyone can enjoy classical music, it's supposed to be listened to LOUDLY, it's supposed to be magnificent. Go somewhere epic, ideally in nature, and play this piece. Track the mountain with your eyes. The Foundling Museum: the UK's first children's charity, a heartfelt ode to the orphans and their parents. Female musicians: Fanny Mendelssohn, Clara Schulman, Nannerl Mozart, Francesca Caccini - listen to Nocturne in G minor. Spaghetti Aglio Olio This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

C. Michelle Lindley discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. C. Michelle Lindley's writing has been featured in The Georgia Review, Conjunctions, and more. She has received support from the National Endowment for the Arts and has an MFA in Creative Writing from Cornell University and a BA from the University of Berkeley in English and Art History. The Nude is her first novel. Dictee by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha https://asianreviewofbooks.com/content/dictee-by-theresa-hak-kyung-cha/ 2022 Irma Vep remake https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/irma-vep-tv-review-1235151952/ The Island of Naxos https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Tourism-g189431-Naxos_Cyclades_South_Aegean-Vacations.html The Pie Scene from David Lowery's A Ghost Story https://www.thewrap.com/rooney-mara-devoured-pie-9-minute-ghost-story-scene/ Ana Mendieta's Ocean Bird Washup https://www.ft.com/content/a6c4090e-2cda-11e3-8281-00144feab7de Kate Braverman https://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet-books/2019/10/rip-kate-braverman-1949-2019 This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Richard Davenport-Hines discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Richard Davenport-Hines is a British historian and literary biographer. His history of the Profumo scandal, An English Affair, was published in 2013. His book on espionage scandals, Enemies Within: Communists, the Cambridge Spies and the Making of Modern Britain was published in January. His other books include biographies of W. H. Auden, Marcel Proust and John Maynard Keynes. He was a Visiting Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford in 2016. His new book is History in the House: Some Remarkable Dons and the Teaching of Politics, Character and Statecraft. Anthony Quayle's novel Eight Hours from England https://thelastwordbookreview.com/2019/09/22/eight-hours-from-england-by-anthony-quayle/ Wrest Park in Bedfordshire https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/wrest-park/ The Merlin app that can identify birdsong https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/ Christopher Spence, founder of London Lighthouse hospice https://www.theguardian.com/society/2007/may/23/publicservicesawards29 Raccoons https://www.peta.org.uk/blog/13-astounding-facts-didnt-know-raccoon-dogs/ Feedback, the global campaign against food-waste & the ecological damage done by bad agricultural practices https://feedbackglobal.org/about-us/ This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Susanna Rustin discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Susanna Rustin is a leader writer on social affairs at The Guardian, where she has worked for more than 20 years. Before that, she worked at the Financial Times. Sexed is her first book. The "Reform Firm" - the group of women's rights campaigners with Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon at the centre of it, in the middle of 19th century. They organised the first big suffrage petition presented in the House of Commons, ran a magazine for women from Langham Place (just off Oxford Circus), campaigned for jobs and education - Bodichon co-founded Girton college with Emily Davies and she was George Eliot's dear friend. But apart from feminist historians and biographers, hardly anyone knows about them. Victorians are deeply unfashionable for some very good reasons but there is lots to admire about them as well. Feminist evolutionary biology - feminists going all the way back to George Eliot were deeply and justifiably suspicious of his theory of natural and sexual selection, which they realised would be used as an argument for the naturalness of male dominance and authority, and female passivity and inferiority. But there is the most wonderful tradition of research by female evolutionary biologists and anthropologists - many of them American but some important Brits too - who from the 1970s onwards published research that presented a radical, alternative view of female primate and human behaviour, and countered the masculinist bias in evolutionary science up to that point. Sarah Blaffer Hrdy's book Mother Nature first published in 1999, 25 years old this year, is a beautiful and deeply illuminating book. I think people educated in social sciences/ humanities need to take off their blinkers when it comes to the ways in which humans have - like every other life form! - been shaped by evolutionary forces. Winifred Holtby - wonderful novelist and essayist; overlooked feminist thinker. She died aged 37: her posthumously published South Riding is a wonderful, sweeping, romantic novel about local government in Yorkshire. a writer for an era of devolution and the return of deep poverty. The law that enables people to set up parish councils (also called town councils and community councils), in the area they live in - and collect taxes locally - known as a precept - to spend on neighbourhood improvements and services. The gender gap in higher education - girls now significantly outnumber boys at UK universities and this isn't discussed enough. The history of psychotherapy and psychoanalysis in Britain This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

A.J. Jacobs is an author, podcaster and human guinea pig. He has written four New York Times bestsellers that combine memoir, science, humor and a dash of self-help. His most recent book is "The Year of Living Constitutionally," in which he tries to understand our nation's primary document by adopting the mindset and lifestyle of our Founding Fathers. The result is “fascinating and necessary” (Booklist) and “marvelously witty and wise” (Kirkus). He hosts the “The Puzzler With A.J. Jacobs,” a daily podcast produced by iHeart media, in which he gives short, audio-friendly puzzles to celebrity guests. His previous books include “The Year of Living Biblically,” “The Know-It-All” and “Thanks a Thousand.” He has told several Moth stories, and given several TED talks that have amassed over 10 million views. His weekly newsletter can be found at https://substack.com/subscribe/experimentalliving. He was the answer to 1 Down in the March 8, 2014 New York Times crossword puzzle. Benjamin Franklin's autobiography — specifically his advice on epistemic humility https://apuedge.com/humility-benjamin-franklin-and-arguing-with-humility-part-ii/ James Madison's notes on the Constitution https://lawmagazine.bc.edu/2016/02/a-cautionary-tale-about-the-notes-of-james-madison/ Walking sticks https://www.stickandcaneshop.co.uk/country-sticks The World Jigsaw Championships https://www.worldjigsawpuzzle.org/ Padel https://ipadel.co.uk/The-Rules The MIT Mystery Hunt http://puzzles.mit.edu/ This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Katherine Bucknell discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Katherine Bucknell edited all four volumes of Christopher Isherwood's Diaries , a volume of letters between Christopher Isherwood and his partner Don Bachardy (The Animals), and W.H. Auden's Juvenilia: Poems 1922-1928. Co-editor of Auden Studies, a founder of The W. H. Auden Society, and director of the Christopher Isherwood Foundation, she is widely recognised as a leading authority on Isherwood, and her new biography Christopher Isherwood Inside Out is now available. She is also the author of five novels. She was born in Vietnam, raised in America, and lives in London. Christopher Isherwood's novel Prater Violet https://lonesomereader.com/blog/2024/1/30/prater-violet-by-christopher-isherwood DH Lawrence's novel The Lost Girl https://journals.openedition.org/lawrence/2328 The Nucleo Project https://www.thenucleoproject.org/ Marfa Stance https://www.marfastance.com/ How scallops move https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGdXxoHJaBA The value of memorising poetry https://theconversation.com/ode-to-the-poem-why-memorising-poetry-still-matters-for-human-connection-121622 This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Tom Newton Dunn is a presenter, political commentator and writer. He first made his name as an award-winning defence correspondent covering the Iraq and Afghan wars. He went on to be Political Editor of The Sun for 11 years, leading coverage of four general election campaigns and the Brexit referendum, and interviewed seven British Prime Ministers and US President Donald Trump. Moving to broadcast, Tom helped launch Times Radio as the new station's Chief Political Commentator and the presenter of its flagship Sunday morning political programme. He moved to TalkTV on its launch to anchor an hour-long weeknight news programme. He continues to write for The Times and The Evening Standard. His book is Letters from Everest, available at https://harpercollins.co.uk/products/letters-from-everest-unpublished-letters-from-mallorys-life-and-death-in-the-mountains-tom-newton-dunn?variant=40964397269070. Britain once invaded Tibet, and by brutal force (in 1904). This was the earliest origin of the modern day conquest of Mount Everest. Mallory was bisexual, and had homosexual affairs with other Bloomsbury Group members Mallory had ADHD - or at least, I'm certain he did, as it explains much about him, from his obsessiveness to his forgetfulness (though of course he was never diagnosed) The Mallory family think George's habit of climbing with a photograph of wife Ruth could be a key clue to whether he reached the top We revere noble failure more than success - we do for Mallory More than 300 climbers have died while trying to summit Everest since. Mallory was only the first This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Alex Edmans discusses with Ivan six things which should be less well known. Alex's new book is May Contain Lies, about misinformation, and so, in a reversal of the usual format, he discusses six ideas and beliefs which have been overexposed. Alex Edmans is Professor of Finance at London Business School. Alex has a PhD from MIT as a Fulbright Scholar, and was previously a tenured professor at Wharton and an investment banker at Morgan Stanley. Alex has spoken at the World Economic Forum in Davos, testified in the UK Parliament, and given the TED talk What to Trust in a Post-Truth World and the TEDx talks The Pie-Growing Mindset and The Social Responsibility of Business with a combined 2.8 million views. He serves as non-executive director of the Investor Forum, on the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Responsible Investing, on Royal London Asset Management's Responsible Investment Advisory Committee, and on Novo Nordisk's Sustainability Advisory Council. Alex's book, Grow the Pie: How Great Companies Deliver Both Purpose and Profit, was a Financial Times Book of the Year and has been translated into nine languages, and he is a co-author of Principles of Corporate Finance (with Brealey, Myers, and Allen). His latest book is May Contain Lies: How Stories, Statistics, and Studies Exploit Our Biases – And What We Can Do About It, available at https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520403932/may-contain-lies. His six things which should be less well-known are: Mothers should exclusively breast-feed their babies You can be an expert in anything if you devote 10,000 hours to it Starting with why is the secret to success Diverse teams always perform better More information makes you more informed Grit is more important than IQ in driving achievement This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Jonn Elledge is a New Statesman columnist, and a contributor to the Big Issue, the Guardian, the Evening Standard, and a number of other newspapers. He was previously an assistant editor at the New Statesman, where he created and ran its urbanism-focused CityMetric site, and spent six happy years writing about cities, maps and borders and hosting the Skylines podcast. He has written over a hundred editions of the Newsletter of (Not Quite) Everything. His new book is A History of the World in 47 Borders: The Stories Behind the Lines on Our Maps. He previously wrote The Compendium of (Not Quite) Everything: All the Facts You Didn't Know You Wanted to Know and, with Tom Phillips, Conspiracy: A History of Bollcks Theories, and How Not to Fall for Them. Babylon 5 https://www.douxreviews.com/2015/08/babylon-5-series-review.html Life & Fate by Vasily Grossman https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v29/n20/john-lanchester/good-day-comrade-shtrum The Truth about Markets by John Kay https://scholarship.richmond.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1036&context=economics-faculty-publications Why there was no Danish holocaust https://www.history.com/news/wwii-danish-jews-survival-holocaust Nehru's affair with Lady Mountbatten https://www.indiatoday.in/india-today-insight/story/from-the-india-today-archives-1980-mountbattens-and-nehru-friendship-in-high-places-2413716-2023-07-30 Ethiopian food https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/ethiopian-food-best-dishes-africa/index.html This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Henry Oliver discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Henry Oliver is a writer, speaker, and brand consultant. He writes regularly for outlets like the New Statesman, The Critic, and UnHerd. He writes the popular Substack The Common Reader, which was recently mentioned in the Atlantic. His book Second Act is about late bloomers. In 2022, he was given an Emergent Ventures grant. Izaac Walton https://newcriterion.com/article/the-right-angle/ Wren churches https://sixinthecity.co.uk/news/2023/03/51-wren-churches/ Lyrics of Noel Coward songs https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v45/n13/rosemary-hill/mushroom-cameo Lichfield https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/The-City-of-Lichfield/ Byron Janis Bach recording https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdL3-xwoFik Elizabeth Jenkins https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/sep/07/elizabeth-jenkins-obituary This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Jamaica Kincaid discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Jamaica Kincaid was born in St. John's, Antigua. Her books include At the Borrom of the River; Annie John; Lucy; The Autobiography of My Mother; My Brother; Mr Potter; and See Now Then. She teaches at Harvard University and lives in Vermont. Her new book is an Encylopedia of Gardening for Colored People at https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/9780374608255?gC=5a105e8b. Let Love Come Between Us by James and Bobby Purify https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32CgFcOSbxw 26 of the 50 United States bear the names of Native Americans https://thoughtcatalog.com/james-b-barnes/2014/10/26-states-that-were-named-by-native-americans-was-your-state/ The Travels of William Bartram https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/americas-first-great-enviromentalist-florida-william-bartram-180983452/ The first paragraph of the 3rd Chapter of the Life of Frederick Douglas https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/narrative/full-text/chapter-iii/ Ervartung, a mono-drama opera with music by Arnold Schoenberg https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2002/feb/01/artsfeatures.classicalmusicandopera The seed packet was invented by The Shakers, an English Protestant sect, who immigrated to America and made many beautiful and useful things for the home. Their beliefs were quite severe regarding sex so no children were produced to ruin the beautiful and useful things they made for the home https://digventures.com/2018/02/11-things-we-still-use-that-were-invented-by-the-shakers/ This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Caroline Eden returns to discuss with Ivan six things which should be better known. Caroline Eden is a writer and book critic contributing to the Financial Times, Guardian and the Times Literary Supplement. Her new book is Cold Kitchen: A Year of Culinary Journeys. Her earlier books include Samarkand, Black Sea and Red Sands, winner of the prestigious André Simon Award and a Book of the Year for the New Yorker. Ukrainian borsch Uzbek melons Russian pirozhki Polish pierogi  Armenian lavash Turkish boza This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm