Nerdette
Nerdette is a weekly interview show that helps you unwind with fun conversations, inspiring ideas, and delightful recommendations. And join us every month for the Nerdette Bookclub!
- Update frequency
- every 5 days
- Average duration
- 30 minutes
- Episodes
- 634
- Years Active
- 2013 - 2024
Author Reif Larsen, homework from The Best Show and Nazila Fathi
Homework this week comes from Tom Scharpling and Jon Wurster of The Best Show. We talk with author Reif Larsen about ambiguity, unfinished lists, and the divine futility of making art. And Iranian jo…
Tue 24 Mar 2015
Live at Adler Planetarium: Pi Day!
It's a space nerd extravaganza! Astronomers and scientists from Adler Planetarium talked with us in front of a live audience as part a Pi Day celebration. And you're really going to want to hear thes…
Tue 17 Mar 2015
The race to build a super battery, Broad City's musical mind and Girl Scouts' origin story
Author Steve LeVine tells us about the motley crew of scientists on a quest to build a world-changing super battery. Get to know Hot Sugar, the musical maverick from Comedy Central's Broad City. And …
Tue 10 Mar 2015
Comedian Maz Jobrani and when Helen Keller met her 'Miracle Worker'
Maz Jobrani explains why he stopped taking terrorist TV parts but agreed to play Jafar, then shares insights on everything from telling jokes in Middle East to getting his kids to sleep. We travel b…
Wed 04 Mar 2015
Boozy botany and the story of Marian Anderson
'Drunken Botanist' author Amy Stewart on the glorious tradition of turning plants into alcohol. Delicious homework from a winery sherpa and cider nerd. And we celebrate civil rights icon and opera si…
Tue 24 Feb 2015
Director Richard Linklater and Ferguson Librarian Scott Bonner
Richard Linklater explains why it took 12 years to make his new film Boyhood. Scott Bonner, who runs the Public Library in Ferguson, Mo., talks about how he made the library a safe space. We remember…
Tue 17 Feb 2015
Melody Kramer's open-source life, singing civil rights and a geek's guide to dating
We talk to Melody Kramer, a public media oracle and digital brainiac who's taking her open-source ethos to the federal government. Beyonce singing her civil rights at the Grammys inspired us to get t…
Tue 10 Feb 2015
Scott McCloud on comics, Elizabeth Blackwell's backstory and librarian nerd confessions
Scott McCloud creates stunning graphic novels and he's written the definitive text on why comics deserve more respect. We get the backstory of Elizabeth Blackwell, America's first female doctor. Plus…
Tue 03 Feb 2015
Miranda July on writing books, living clumsily, and meditation
Miranda July talks about her new book, what it was like to make the Somebody App, and the overarching theme of her work: coming together clumsily. Plus, remembering Great Lady Nerd of History Bessie …
Tue 27 Jan 2015
Astronaut and NOAA head Kathy Sullivan, Indira Gandhi's legacy and beating the winter blahs
We talk to the first U.S. woman to walk in space: Kathy Sullivan. Now she's in charge of NOAA and leads research on everything from the bottom of the ocean to the surface of the sun. We get to know I…
Tue 20 Jan 2015
Getting to know Invisibilia, Susan B. Anthony, and Vinyl Me Please
We're baaaack! We talk with Lulu Miller and Alix Spiegel, hosts of the new NPR show Invisibilia. Then we get to know Great Lady Nerd of History Susan B. Anthony, and the inspiration behind Vinyl Me P…
Tue 13 Jan 2015
Roxane Gay on being a 'Bad Feminist'
Roxane Gay is the author of the fantastic book of essays 'Bad Feminist' and many of our favorite tweets. We discuss what it takes to keep fighting the good fight on social media when there is so much…
Wed 10 Dec 2014
Peter Sagal: A nerd we're thankful for
This week we revisit our conversation with Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me host Peter Sagal. Hear him discuss his love of running, Lord of the Rings and Ray Bradbury.
Tue 25 Nov 2014
Margaret Atwood on feminism, science fiction and the future of books
Author Margaret Atwood is the queen of speculative fiction. We discuss feminism, the future of books and her latest collection of stories: Stone Mattress. Also: Why she loves duct tape. All that plus…
Wed 19 Nov 2014
Ask a Mortician's Caitlin Doughty nerds out about death
Caitlin Doughty is host of the popular YouTube series Ask a Mortician and author of the new memoir Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons From the Crematory. We talk about the history and present of…
Tue 11 Nov 2014
Author Simon Rich on 'Spoiled Brats' and being a history nerd
Simon Rich was the youngest staff writer ever on Saturday Night Live. His new book 'Spoiled Brats' is a collection of funny stories, including one about time travel in Brooklyn that's being turned in…
Wed 05 Nov 2014
Lady spies of the Civil War, Harry Potter and a Halloween challenge
The author of Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy uncovers maverick women of the Civil War. A night at a campfire with war reenactors. Plus Harry Potter homework and nerd confessions collected live while p…
Wed 29 Oct 2014
Hank Green, Cameron Esposito and the history of lady pockets
Super nerd Hank Green on the evolution of YouTube. Comedian Cameron Esposito gives homework. And Ariana Tobin of Marketplace on the disappearing act of pockets in women's fashion. Plus your nerd conf…
Wed 22 Oct 2014
Ada Lovelace Day, Hopscotch, Lucius and Serial's Sarah Koenig
It's Ada Lovelace Day! In celebration of the mother of computer programming, we get to know a great lady nerd of today: Hopscotch app co-founder Jocelyn Leavitt. Then we go behind-the-scenes at Seria…
Tue 14 Oct 2014
Comedian Judah Friedlander and puzzlemaster Will Shortz
Turns out comedian Judah Friedlander and New York Times Crossword editor Will Shortz both really, really love ping pong. We also talk about Judah's time on 30 Rock, Will's puzzle prowess and hear an …
Tue 07 Oct 2014
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