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Sex Related Interviews --
Bettina Aptheker
The Personal is the Political
Tapestries of Life: Women's Work, Women's Consciousness, and the Meaning of Daily Experience
Political intimacy is closely related to personal intimacy, just as social change is related to personal change. In 1997 Bettina Aptheker, the author of Tapestries of Life: Women’s Work, Women’s Consciousness, and the Meaning of Daily Experience, was a professor of women’s studies at the University of California at Santa Cruz, and a person who is clear and open about identifying herself as a lesbian. When we spoke in February of 1997, we explored the relationship of personal intimacy and political intimacy.
Bettina Aptheker recommends "Ceremony," by Leslie Marmon Philco.
Originally Broadcast: February 17, 1997
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The Human Stain
Director of The Human Stain
Robert Benton is the director of “The Human Stain,” which is based on the third novel of Philip Roth’s trilogy describing the turmoil of post-WWII America. It exposes the life of Coleman Silk, a Professor of Classics at a small New England College, an eminent Jewish intellectual and a devoted husband. Roth describes Silk as “ensnared by a history he hadn’t quite counted on.”
Originally Broadcast: November 1, 2003
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Amy Bloom
Love as Creator
Love Invents Us
Amy Bloom is a Connecticut-based author and psychotherapist and the author of a novel entitled “Love Invents Us.” This book, the enactment of psychological theory about human behavior, also traces the intimate details in the life of Elizabeth Howe from her childhood to middle age. I spoke with Amy Bloom by phone while she was on tour to discuss ‘Love Invents Us” and asked her, “how does love invent us?”
Amy Bloom recommends "Seeing Calvin Coolidge in a Dream," by John Derbyshire.
Originally Broadcast: February 12, 1997
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Self-Styled Outlaw Lesbians
Terminal Velocity
The concept of memoir versus fiction leads many authors to transform their personal experiences and life to fiction. Blanche Boyd is a native of South Carolina and a Professor of Literature at Connecticut College. She is also the author of the book entitled, “Terminal Velocity.” This is a book about a group of self-styled lesbian outlaws in the 1970s. We discussed the relationship of memoir and fiction, and how it applies to her work.
Blanche Boyd recommends "Cathedral" & "To the Waterfall," both by Raymond Carver.
Originally Broadcast: August 19, 1997
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A Man Becomes a Woman
She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders
“She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders,” by Jennifer Finney Boylan, is a book about a man who became a woman. For as long as he could remember, James Boylan felt he was in the wrong body. Spending his childhood playing ‘Girl Planet’ (where the air turned anyone who breathed into a girl) and in adolescent and young adult years dressing up in women’s clothing, James was convinced that the only thing that could save him was the love of the right woman. When he fell in love and got married, he threw out the women’s clothes and pledged his life to manhood. But being a loving husband, a responsible father, a respected professor, and an acclaimed writer couldn’t stop the feeling that he was, despite physical evidence to the contrary, a woman. With the unfailing support of his family, friends and several doctors, James became Jenny.
Jennifer Finney Boylan recommends "Huckleberry Finn," by Mark Twain.
Originally Broadcast: September 30, 2003
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Zana Briski
Ross Kauffman
Brothels of Calcutta, India
Born Into Brothels
"Born into Brothels" received the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2005. A tribute to the resiliency of childhood and the restorative power of art, "Born into Brothels" is a portrait of several unforgettable children who live in the red light district of Calcutta, where their mothers work as prostitutes. The most stigmatized people in Calcutta's red light district however are not the prostitutes, but their children. In the face of abject poverty, abuse, and despair, these kids have little possibility of escaping their mother's fate or for creating another type of life. In "Born into Brothels," directors Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman chronicle the amazing transformation of the children they come to know in the red light district. Briski, a professional photographer, gives them lessons and cameras, igniting latent sparks of artistic genius that reside in these children who live in the most sordid and seemingly hopeless world. The photographs taken by the children are not merely examples of remarkable observation and talent; they reflect something much larger, morally encouraging, and even politically volatile: art as an immensely liberating and empowering force. Devoid of sentimentality, "Born into Brothels" defies the typical tear-stained tourist snapshot of the global underbelly. Briski spends years with these kids and becomes part of their lives. Their photographs are prisms into their souls, rather than anthropological curiosities or primitive imagery, and a true testimony of the power of the indelible creative spirit. You can learn about this film and Kids with Cameras at http://www.kids-with-cameras.org. I spoke with Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman on February 2005. Beginning the conversation first with Zana Briski, I asked her to explain what drew her to India before the concept of Kids with Cameras was even a dream.
www.kids-with-cameras.org
Zana Briski recommends "Secret Life of Bees," by Sue Monk Kidd.
Originally Broadcast: March 15, 2007
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An Intimate History of American Girls
The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls
Advertising has had a major effect on how we view our bodies and on our individual self-image. The history of how this advertising has come to affect American girls as they pass through menarche and adolescence is presented in a book called “The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls.” This book describes the historical roots of acute societal and psychological pressures that girls feel today. It shows how the female adolescent experience has changed since 1895. The author, Joan Jacobs Brumberg, is a Professor of History and Women’s Studies at Cornell University in New York. In this two-part program, I spoke Professor Brumberg in October of 1997 and asked her what drew her to write “The Body Project.”
Joan Jacobs Brumberg recommends “Learning to Bow,” by Bruce Feiler & “The Grass Link,” by May Vinchi.
Originally Broadcast: October 14, 1997 & October 21, 1997
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Jack Cassell, M.D.
Urology, Good and Bad
Better Living Through Urology
Urinary tract diseases and their symptoms can affect all of us, men and women alike, whether we know it or not. Sometimes we don’t know it until it is too late. More people die each year from prostate cancer than from breast cancer or colon cancer. So education and prevention is perhaps our best medicine. Dr. Jack Cassell, a Florida urologist, and author of “Better Living Through Urology: 21st Century Solutions to Age-Old Problems,” discusses care of the urinary tract for men and women and how to avoid discomfort and disease that could be fatal. In this interview we visit with Dr. Cassell from his office Florida and begin with his description of what urine is.
www.blturology.com
Jack Cassell recommends "Human Sexual Response," by William H. Masters and Virginia E. Johnson.
Originally Broadcast: February 7, 2006
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Abha Dawesar
Babyji, A Story of Physics, Sex and Caste Politics in India
Babyji
Anamika Sharma, the lead character in the novel Babyji, by Abha Dewasar grows up in Delhi, India, studying quantum physics at school and sex out of school. The story follows the life of a girl who sets her own rules in a culture that historically demands the opposite. Our conversation begins with the author Abha Dewasar describing India, the place where she grew up, and where the life of Anamika takes place.
http://abhadawesar.com/
Abha Dawesar recommends "Purple Hibiscus," by Chimamanda Ngozi Ardiche.
Originally Broadcast: February 24, 2005
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Your Body Clock
The Body Clock Advantage: Finding Your Best Time of Day to Succeed in Love, Work, Play, and Exercise
Dr. Matthew Edlund, Director of the Gulf Coast Sleep Institute, believes that our body clocks affect us in every aspect of our lives. Dr. Edlund is the author of “The Body Clock Advantage: Finding Your Best Time of Day to Succeed in Love, Work, Play, and Exercise."
Dr. Matthew Edlund recommends "The Master and Marguerita," by Mikial Bulgakov.
Originally Broadcast: March 11, 2003
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Meet the Author of the Vagina Monologues
The Vagina Monologues
The Vagina Monologues, created and produced by Eve Ensler, tell the stories of women, their relationships, feelings, and, in some cases, abuse. In this edition of Radio Curious, we spoke with Eve Ensler about the origin of the the Vagina Monologues and the film, “Until the Violence Ends.”
Eve Ensler recommends "Bush in Babylon," by Tariq Ali.
Originally Broadcast: January 27, 2004
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Joelle Fraser
Growing up Hippy
The Territory of Men
"The Territory of Men” is an intimate self-expose written by Joelle Fraser, a former Mendocino Community College English teacher. Written as a series of short episodes and adventures, Joelle shares the life of a woman who was raised in the hippie life of the 70s, and now is an accomplished writer and teacher.
Joelle Fraser recommends "Last Stand," by Richard Manning.
Originally Broadcast: July 30, 2002
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Lynn Freed
Reflections on a Life
The Mirror
The personal journal is often not meant for the eyes of anyone but the writer. When a stranger’s journal is read, the reader often becomes a voyeur to the innermost secrets of another. And whether it is a true journal or one of fiction, who cares? Often, it remains a good story. Lynn Freed, originally of Durban, South Africa, wrote the fictional journal of Agnes LaGrange, entitled “The Mirror,” which reveals the thoughts, feelings, and loves of Agnes, starting when she arrived in South Africa to work as a housekeeper, and ending 50 years later.
Lynn Freed recommends “Misfit,” by Jonathan Yardly, “Essays,” by George Orwell & “Last Days in Cloud Cukooland Dispatches,” by Graham Boynton.
Originally Broadcast: December 12, 1997
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Estelle Freedman
The History of Feminism
No Turning Back—The History of Feminism and the Future of Women
Estelle B. Freedman, a Professor of History at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, specializing in feminism, is the author of “No Turning Back—The History of Feminism and the Future of Women.” She addresses many of the issues in her book in this edition of Radio Curious.
Estelle Freedman recommends "The Blind Assassin," by Margaret Atwood & "The Vagina Monologues," by Eve Ensler.
Originally Broadcast: April 2, 2002
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Michael Gurian
A Look at The Wonder of Boys, Ten Years Later
The Wonder of Boys, 10th Anniversary Edition
We explored the difficulties that boys have growing in American society ten years in a two part interview with Michael Gurian, author of “The Wonder of Boys: What Parents, Mentors and Educators can do to Shape Boys into Exceptional Men.” A tenth anniversary edition of “The Wonder of Boys” was released in 2006, and I spoke with Michael Gurian about his ideas and thoughts of what has occurred in the past ten years in relation to boys. The trend setting pressures of commercial advertising control the content distributed to boys and often are able to overwhelm the job of the parents to nurture to social development of children. In this interview with Michael Gurian who lives in Spokane Washington and recorded in mid-October 2006, we discuss the effects of media on the developing boy; content of what boys listen to when they have earphones on; the substitution of what comes from the earphones for what a boy would get in a relationship with parents, grandparents, or other meaningful people in a boys life.
www.gurianinstitute.com
Michael Gurian recommends “The Collected Poems of Mary Oliver” by Mary Oliver..
Originally Broadcast: October 10, 2006
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Holly Hollenbeck
Sex Lives of Wives
Sex Lives of Wives: Reigniting the Passion, True Confessions and Provocative Advise from Real Women
How to ignite sexual passion from a woman’s perspective is the topic of this edition of Radio Curious as we talk with Holly Hollenbeck, a former attorney from Omaha, Nebraska. Holly Hollenbeck is the author of “Sex Lives of Wives, Reigniting the Passion, True Confessions and Provocative Advice from Real Women.” She says her book is not so much directed at how to please your mate, but how to please yourself by pleasing your mate. Take a look at www.passionseekers.com, her website devoted to helping women find passion and inspiration in their long-term relationships. I spoke with Holly Hollenbeck from her home in Nebraska in mid September 2006, and asked her to describe what motivated to write “Sex Lives of Wives.”
Holly Hollenbeck recommends "Adults Only Travel: The Ultimate Guide to Romantic and Erotic Destination," by David West and Louis James.
Originally Broadcast: September 20, 2006
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Shari Holman
Not Even the Clothes on Her Back
The Dress Lodger
In England, in the 1830s, at the time of a major cholera epidemic, a young girl, the orphaned daughter of a prostitute, finds that working in a pottery factory does not earn her enough money for herself and her child. She must work at night like her mother, as a prostitute. Having virtually no money, she rents her dress, and is followed while she walks the streets so that she will not run off with her outfit. She is called a dress lodger. Shari Holman, a native of rural Virginia, and later a resident of Brooklyn, New York, has researched the lives of girls who were dress lodgers in England in the 1830s. She is the author of a book of historical fiction about Gustine, a 15-year-old dress lodger who lived and worked in Sunderland, England in 1831, entitled “The Dress Lodger.”
Shari Holman recommends "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down," by Anne Fadiman.
Originally Broadcast: February 6, 2001
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Tracing The 'Y' Chromosome
Y, The Descent of Men, Revealing the Mysteries of Maleness
Professor Steve Jones, author of the book, “Y, The Descent of Men, Revealing the Mysteries of Maleness,” discusses biological aspects of maleness created by the Y chromosome. Jones explores the effect of male hormones, hair loss, and the hydraulics of man’s most intimate organ. He lays out the case for and against masculinity.
Steve Jones recommends "Cherries, the Worst Journey in the World: A Biography of Alexy Cherry Gerard," by Sarah Wheeler.
Originally Broadcast: August 12, 2003
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Eunice Lipton
Seduced by France
French Seduction: An American’s Encounter with France, Her Father, and the Holocaust.
In a passionate blend of autobiography and cultural history, love, sex and art collide with hatred, withering French xenophobia and death, author Eunice Lipton, our guest in this edition of Radio Curious, describes her book “French Seduction: An American’s Encounter with France, Her Father, and the Holocaust.” Lipton, who lives in Paris and New York received her Ph.D. in art history at New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts. I spoke with her from her home in New York City the last week of March 2007 and asked her to tell us about her friends who she calls art since she describes paintings as her favorite companions.
Eunice Lipton recommends “The Good Soldier: A Tale of Passion,” by Ford Madox Ford..
Originally Broadcast: March 28, 2007
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Viagra: Is it for You?
The Viagra Myth: The Surprising Impact on Love and Relationships
Viagra, a drug with infinite name recognition and touted benefits, is, as we know, pervasively advertised on television and the Internet. But what is the truth and what is the fiction about this drug. These and other questions about increasing expectations of sexual performance and pleasure are answered by Dr. Abraham Morgantaler, an associate clinical professor at Harvard Medical School and the author of “The Viagra Myth: The Surprising Impact on Love and Relationships.”
Dr. Abraham Morgantaler recommends "Why I Can't Get Through To You," by Terrance Real.
Originally Broadcast: March 23, 2004
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Healthy Men
The Harvard Medical School Guide to Men’s Health
Dr. Harvey B. Simon is the author of “The Harvard Medical School Guide to Men’s Health” and the founding editor of the Harvard Men’s Health Watch newsletter. His book discusses a multitude of health issues that are unique to men and some are common to women as well.
Dr. Harvey Simon recommends "An Equal Music," by Vikram Seth.
Originally Broadcast: December 31, 2002
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Janna Malamud Smith
Why Mothers Worry About Their Children
A Potent Spell: Mother Love and the Power of Fear
Is the concept of “mother blame” a method to control women? Is motherhood really a fearsome job? Will a mother’s mistakes or inattention damage a child? “A Potent Spell: Mother Love and the Power of Fear” is a book written by Janna Malamud Smith, a clinical psychotherapist and daughter of the writer, Bernard Malamud.
Janna Malamud Smith recommends "Biography of Samuel Pepys," by Clair Tomilin.
Originally Broadcast: February 18, 2003
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