Viewpoints

There was a time when science fiction stories had to be a part of some established arc or it wouldn’t get made. Now the stand-alone sci-fi is thriving once again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With technology constantly changing, new ways of documenting stories are being used to allow people access to reading them. These new inventions have led many people to wonder just how storytelling happened in the past, and what changes have allowed for stories to continue to be told over time. Storytelling has always been an important part of human communication. In the past, stories relied on oral communication. Martin Puchner, Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Harvard University and author of The Written Word: The Power of Stories to Shape People, History, Civilization explains that before written word, stories had to be able to withstand being told from one generation to the next by remaining relevant. He also explains that there were rare exceptions to this rule, in which some stories were lost and then rediscovered, a feat that Dr. Puchner says is very lucky. The only way to ensure that a text survived from one generation to the next was to continue to verbally communicate the story.

YouTube stars rack up huge followings and a lot of cash. But YouTube’s hottest star is in a lot of hot water over one of his videos. How should the internet regulate itself? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Authors Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein use humor to explain philosophical beliefs from deep thinkers, like Immanuel Kant and John Locke. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TV theme songs: they’re the soundtrack to our childhoods. But have you ever stopped to think about their evolution or how many of them you’ve grown fond of? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We talk to marketing specialists about how to craft a good ad, how ads are effectively measured and what makes an ad memorable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many directors and authors have used Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window as a frame for their own story line. The plot details the events of a person who is spying on their neighbor and witnesses a murder. A.J. Finn, author of The Woman in the Window, talks about his book that follows a similar narrative, and how he used his personal experience to make it a story of his own. Despite sharing some of the same details with other books, Finn wanted his version to rely on the emotional aspects of the story because of his experience with mental illness. He explains, “ ...I plugged into the narrative this character who had experienced much of what I’ve experienced, who had struggled much as I had struggled, whose grief felt to me comparable in intensity even though our circumstances were different, and if The Woman in the Window is notable for anything, and I hope it is, I would like it to be the emotional resonance.” Listen to Finn tell us more about the inspiration behind his debut novel, as well as his own story of me

We highlight Binge Mode, a podcast made for obsessive fans of cultural touchstones, like Game of Thrones, Pixar’s Coco, and Star Wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the last year, two movies including Christopher Nolan’s latest blockbuster have introduced the story of Dunkirk to American audiences. We talk to Michael Korda, a historian and author, who explains some of the real history, including why Hitler and Churchill acted the way they did throughout the ordeal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Awards season is here and one contender is the divisive Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. The film’s racial politics has set the stage for an interesting stretch run to Oscars season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We talk about the reasons for cities, their role as cultural epicenters, and a radical plan to stop American cities from decaying under our very feet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We like to think we’re in control of our own actions… but are we? We talk to Dr. John Bargh, a professor of psychology at Yale University and author of Before You Know It: The unconscious reasons we do what we do, to discuss just how much of what we do is dictated by our unconscious minds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We look ahead to the movies set to be released this year, from blockbusters like Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald to more serious fare like Damien Chazelle’s Neil Armstrong biopic, First Man. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For decades, science fiction was a genre written almost exclusively by white males. Now, the genre is flourishing with diverse voices, thanks in part to the trailblazing writer Octavia E. Butler. Historian Gerry Canavan discusses the obstacles Butler faced and her legacy on one of the most popular genres in American literature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The news typically shows us stories about the national government being stuck in a gridlock on most of the big, important issues. Sarah Van Gelder, co-founder of Yes! Magazine, went on a trip across America to see how change is being made at the local level and found inspirational stories and examples of community involvement solving big problems while paving the way for a better future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lena Waithe won an Emmy last year for her work on Master of None. Now, she brings her passion project to the screen in Showtime’s newest show, The Chi. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The world of television has never been busier. With more than 500 scripted shows airing in 2017, it's never been harder to keep up with the medium. We talk to TV critic Alan Sepinwall about staying on top of things, the trends of TV, and one of the great shows of the century so far, Breaking Bad. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices