Free Food For Thought

"Silence seems native to all of us...it shocks me to think about all of the people who seem to give it away so easily." This week, Melanie and Skip sat down with former U.S. Poet Laureate Kay Ryan to discuss her collections of poetry, her love of silence, and her evolution as a poet.

"Particularly as a member of a migrant family living the United States, history, religion, [and] culture was seen as a way to protect us in what was perceived to be a foreign land that at times could be very hostile toward us. History was like a refuge for us." This week, Alexander Aviña sat down with Brian and Skip to discuss revolutions in the Mexican countryside during the Cold War, CIA involvement in the international drug trade, and what the latest season of Netflix’s Narcos doesn’t cover.

"Our society at the moment, our world, which is so parched for empathy, really needs poetry. We need poets--there is something about poetry that's emotional, it is of course emotional, but it speaks to us." Sam and Nandeeni sit down with Dr. Nikky Guninder Kaur Singh to discuss how her early life, feminism, and poetry has impacted her study of religion.

"Writers are always in thrall to their personality. My personality is such that I almost never want to write the argument that is the consensus view, for better or worse...if everybody has kind of agreed on an issue, then there might be something that we’re overlooking.” Thomas Chatterton Williams sat down with Shiv and Brian to discuss moving from Brooklyn to Paris, obtaining his first book deal, and confronting racial differences in his immediate family.

“There’s a sense that data can provide all the answers [to addressing poverty] but you never ask the people what they think. What is it like to be poor? What is it like to be that person?…That logic is different from the people in headquarters who are making decisions. This antiseptic way of dealing with the problems of poor people in development is a major, major constraint to our work today.” Marc Sommers sat down with Sabrina and Melanie to discuss about reflections on his experiences as a high school headmaster in Africa, conflict-resolution in developing countries, and his journey moving from on-site volunteer work to academia.

"One of the greatest vaccinations to fear is having a mission." Carl Wilkens sat down with Nandeeni and Sam to discuss his initial experiences in developing Africa, his relationship with God, and the decision that made him the only American to willingly reside in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide.

“I think we all love to work with our medium…we love to work with language, and so the prospect of having a whole morning where we’re writing and rewriting—maybe doing a little reading—you know, to me, that’s pure delight.” Mel and Sophia sat down with Joyce Carol Oates to talk about her start as a novelist in the 1960s, her love for teaching, and the intricacies of her writing process.

“History is the cheap way and the fast way to get experience…You want to do things? Read about people who did.” Larry Arnn sat down with Skip and Nick to discuss how he became director of research for the official biography of Winston Churchill, the drawbacks of historical narratives, and the value of studying history today.

“The museum is becoming this place for conversation and shared memory...and that’s kind of been the Obama effect as well.” Over Family Weekend at Claremont McKenna College, Skip and Melanie sat down with Kim Sajet, Director of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. to talk about her life and career as a museum director, the political nature of portraiture, and how the Obama Portraits have taken the Gallery by storm.

"We have to do better with our law enforcement communities. Other countries have it much better than we do." Rabia Chaudry sat down with Elena and Zach to discuss wrongful convictions, Adnan Syed, and social justice in law enforcement.

"[The Republican Party] is largely a zombie movement at this point, willing to be captured by the next cult of personality." Erick Erickson sat down with Nandeeni and Zach to discuss getting his talk radio show by accident, the threats he received for not supporting Donald Trump in 2016, and the intersection between theology and party.

“If you’re in negotiations with adversaries…you have to understand their culture, you have to understand what interests they are representing for their country at the table, but also what their own personal psychology is — not to become their analyst, but to understand the things that might press their buttons, the things that might help get progress to move forward, and those things that are going to be big obstacles.” Ambassador Wendy Sherman sat down with Bryn and Nick to talk about being the only woman at the negotiating table, discussing the “red line” in Syria with President Obama, communicating via text message with other colleagues in the room during the Iran deal negations, and why she doesn’t think politics stops at the water’s edge.

"I don't support police brutality. But with that said, I do think if you think about Chicago every so often, and children dying because of stray bullets, you have to think, 'Well we need policing here'...I think there's a way to be aggressive in policing without being brutal to people. And the more we're able to do that, the better off we'll be." Michael Fortner sat down with Will and Anna to discuss mass incarceration, Harlem politics, and the Rockefeller drug laws.

"The point of politics is to govern. It is not to express yourself; it is not to make woke gestures about things. It is about governing...you cannot do anything for women, African-Americans, migrants, [or] LGBT people if you do not hold power." Mark Lilla sat down with Skip and Sabrina to discuss identity politics, the importance of state government, and advice to Democratic candidates running in 2020.

"I think what makes a good writer is empathy — empathy with the reader. It is about being able to split your mind in two...being an expert on a certain topic, but also being able to communicate it to a reader who hasn't had your experiences." Benn Steil sat down with Nandeeni and Zach to discuss the importance of the 1944 Bretton Woods conference, why he considers World War II the pinnacle of American foreign policy, and China's growing influence in the academic world.

"Germany is the...largest economy and most populous country in the European Union...but nonetheless, Angela Merkel, Germany's Chancellor, would be the first to admit that Germany still needs the United States in 2018. This is why we are in such a fraught period in the U.S.–German and U.S.–European relationship ... [President Trump] is trying to renegotiate this relationship with Europe in a way that is deeply concerning to Germany and our other European allies." Karen Donfried sat down with Sabrina and Will to discuss serving as President Obama's senior advisor on Europe during the Snowden leaks, researching the conclusion of the Cold War in Germany, and the importance of strengthening transatlantic partnerships.

“India has been fortunate in the transition from President Obama to President Trump. [It] does not fall neatly into one of two categories of countries that have been somewhat problematic. One are traditionally inimical relationships such as Iran, North Korea, and to some degree Russia and China. The other set of countries that are facing challenges from Trump are traditional allies and trade partners such as Mexico and Canada. India has not been in the front of these two lines of criticism." Nandeeni and Shiv sat down with Dhruva Jaishankar to discuss the impact of his liberal arts education on his approach to studying international politics, current research on U.S.- India relations, and power shifts in the South Asian region.

“The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991… they lost their superpower status, they lost their ideology. So there was a big drop in Russian national pride… and I think the idea was if [Vladimir Putin] came in as this strong, tough, masculine leader then Russia itself could come, as they say, 'off its knees' and become a strong, empowered country again.” Bryn and Skip sat down with Valerie Sperling to talk about her initial experiences abroad in Leningrad, the separation of the Russian church and state, and the gendered nature of politics in Russia.

“Liberal education should be teaching students to ask tough questions of the books they are reading, to ask tough questions of one another, to see things from a multiplicity of points of view...[this] makes us more civil, more tolerant, endows us with greater empathy—all qualities, it seems to me, we want to encourage in liberal and democratic citizens." Zach and Will sat down with Peter Berkowitz to talk about reforming the college academic curriculum, the importance of the classics to liberal education, and why Claremont McKenna is doing a good job promoting viewpoint diversity.

“People are drawn to fascism because democracy is hard, self-rule is hard. People want a strong leader to come in and take care of their problems. People are tempted to accept a leader who can do it all for us. These are concepts that political philosophers...continue to explore." Skip and Shiv sat down with Jason Stanley to discuss the impact of the Holocaust on his family and his research, the politics of language, and the relationship between nationalism and fascism.