Sharing a preview of a new Pushkin show, Where There’s a Will, which searches for the surprising places Shakespeare shows up outside the theater. You’ll hear Shakespeare helping autistic kids to communicate, shaping religious observances, in the Oval Office, and even at the center of a deadly riot in New York City. Uncover the ways Shakespeare endures in our modern society, and what that says about us. In this preview, host Barry Edelstein visits California’s Centinela State Prison for a one-of-a-kind production performed by incarcerated individuals. He asks: What makes Shakespeare a force of transformation and transcendence behind bars?

You can hear more episodes of Where There’s a Will at https://link.chtbl.com/wrbgshakespare

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In her new Pushkin audiobook Inside Voice: My Obsession with How We Sound, actress/writer/director/producer Lake Bell explored style shifting and code switching with the brilliant linguist John Baugh. In this excerpt, you'll hear him unpack the unique linguistic heritage of those who trace their ancestry to individuals who were enslaved Africans. You’ll also hear Kunal Nayyar, who played Raj on The Big Bang Theory.  And yes, that is his real accent.  Inside Voice is available at insidevoiceaudiobook.com, Audible, Apple Books, Spotify, and wherever audiobooks are sold.

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We're sharing a preview of Some of My Best Friends Are, another podcast from Pushkin. Harvard professor Khalil Gibran Muhammad and journalist Ben Austen are friends, one Black and one white, who grew up together on the South Side of Chicago. On Some of My Best Friends Are, Khalil and Ben, along with their guests, have critical conversations that are at once personal, political, and playful, about the absurdities and intricacies of race in America.In this preview, Khalil and Ben talk with author Saladin Ambar about his new book, Stars and Shadows: The Politics of Interracial Friendship from Jefferson to Obama. Through famous bonds ranging from Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe, to Barack Obama and Joe Biden, they explore the dynamics, benefits, and difficulties of cultivating interracial friendships. Hear the full episode, and more from Some of My Best Friends Are, at https://podcasts.pushkin.fm/sbfs2?sid=wrbg. 

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Here's a preview of a new podcast from Pushkin Industries, Story of the Week with journalist Joel Stein. On Story of the Week, Joel chooses an article that fascinates him, convinces the writer to tell him about it, and then interrupts a good conversation by talking about himself. Sometimes the story will be the one everyone is talking about, like the New Yorker article on smoking hallucinogenic toads. Other times we’ll find a story you might have missed, like the one in the Verge about the rock groupie turned hacker who had huge corporations at her mercy. These are stories you’ll tell your friends about. Stories that stick with you long after you forget whatever headline you just doom-scrolled through. Listen to Story of the Week at https://podcasts.pushkin.fm/sotw?sid=wrbg.

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Here's a preview from another Pushkin show, The Happiness Lab. Have you ever really loved a book series, a boyband, a TV show, or a celebrity? We're often too embarrassed to admit adoring some things for fear that we'll be seen as frivolous or childish - but we may be missing out on the happiness benefits that geeking out can bring. Dr. Laurie Santos explores the joy of fandom with Benedict Cumberbatch obsessive Tabitha Carvan, YA author Jennifer Lynn Barnes and Star Trek actor (and geek-vangelist) Wil Wheaton. Hear more from The Happiness Lab at https://podcasts.pushkin.fm/thls5?sid=wrbg.

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We’re sharing a special episode from another Pushkin podcast, Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso. Every week on Talk Easy, Sam invites an activist, artist, or politician to come to the table and speak from the heart – in ways you probably haven't heard from them before. Today, you’ll hear a recent conversation Sam had with Stacey Abrams. They discuss her Gubernatorial race in Georgia, the human toll of voter suppression, the role of writing in her life, and so much more. You can hear more from Talk Easy at https://podcasts.pushkin.fm/tewrbg.

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Glory speaks with author Tayari Jones about her award-winning novel An American Marriage. In this episode, the women talk about the healing power of Tayari’s work, her long writing process, and the value of sisterhood in her life. Glory also talks about a heartfelt memento she received from the author that she keeps close by on her own writing desk. 

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Glory speaks with actor and author Viola Davis about her new memoir, Finding Me. In the final episode of this season, Viola gets candid about books as a means of escape during her difficult childhood and how she and her sisters found salvation in literature while living in poverty in Rhode Island. Glory and Viola also talk about the author’s writing process and how this book became her legacy. 

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Glory speaks with poet and author Honorée Fanonne Jeffers about her award-winning debut novel, The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois. In this episode, Honorée opens up about being inspired by poet Lucille Clifton and about reading Tolstoy at an early age. She also shares her Soul Train scramble board-style writing process and how her faith deepened her love of the written word.

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Today, an episode from another podcast we think you'll like: Design Matters with Debbie Millman from the TED Audio Collective. Each week Debbie sits down with an exceptionally creative person to explore how they design the arc of their lives. In this episode, Ashley C. Ford joins to discuss her memoir “Somebody’s Daughter,” capturing a complex childhood shaped by family secrets, incarceration, and resilience. To hear more of these intimate conversations, including one that just released with Abbi Jacobson, find and follow design matters with Debbie Millman wherever you're listening to this. 

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