Thu, Jan 14, 2016
When photographer Ken Van Sickle was 23 and living in Paris, he could barely afford rolls of film. One night, hearing that jazz great Chet Baker was playing, he went and took only two pictures, and one was blurry. So what's happened to photography now that everyone has the technology to take as many pictures as they like? Van Sickle offers his Brief But Spectacular take.
Thu, Jan 21, 2016
Journalist and author A.J. Jacobs has been called a "human guinea pig," a title he's earned by diving into his subjects and radically changing his lifestyle: he once spent a month without telling a single lie, and a year obeying every rule in the Bible. He offers his Brief But Spectacular take on his immersive brand of journalism.
Thu, Jan 28, 2016
Jad Abumrad, co-host of Radiolab, says he grew up in a kind of in-between space, as an Arab kid in Nashville. That experience molded him as a journalist, able to stand back as an observer, and to allow the fumbling awkwardness of discovery to come through. Now Abumrad offers his Brief But Spectacular take on why radio will never die.
Thu, Feb 18, 2016
Danai Gurira is a playwright and performer who wants to make sure women of color don't search in vain for stories they can relate to. Her latest play, "Eclipsed," is premiering on Broadway, and she also has a starring role in AMC's "The Walking Dead." Gurira offers her Brief but Spectacular take on growing up in Zimbabwe and telling African stories on American soil.
Fri, Mar 4, 2016
Growing up as an Asian-American woman, Thao Nguyen didn't have many opportunities to express her feral side. Now, as singer-songwriter for the group Thao and The Get Down Stay Down, she can display the primal aspects of her personality onstage. Thao Nguyen offers her Brief But Spectacular take on self-expression and "the beast within."
Thu, Mar 17, 2016
For the first installment of today's Brief But Spectacular double-feature, we turn to former Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Holtz-Eakin. He gives his #BriefButSpectacular take on the policy challenges facing the United States today. He currently serves as President of the American Action Forum policy institute.
Thu, Mar 31, 2016
As a professional model and television host, Padma Lakshmi can travel the world and live the glamorous lifestyle most people only dream about. But one of the best benefits of her fame is the ability to fight for women, especially against female-specific diseases like endometriosis, which she suffers. Lakshmi offers her Brief But Spectacular take on food, travel and celebrating all things female.
Thu, Apr 7, 2016
New writers are often told, "write what you know." But according to actor and writer Danny Strong, professional writers shouldn't shy away from the unfamiliar - they should write what they're passionate about. Strong gives his Brief But Spectacular take on writing what you don't know.
Thu, Apr 28, 2016
As the hosts of BuzzFeed's popular "Another Round" podcast, Heben Nigatu and Tracy Clayton set out to break the mold and create a space where they didn't have to filter their opinions for a white audience. Nigatu and Clayton give their ?Brief But Spectacular take on creating media that's unapologetically black.
Thu, May 5, 2016
Flossie Lewis says she's 91 years old and badly crippled. But just because her body is starting to go doesn't mean her personality or character should. Taking walks, watching politics and writing a little bit of light verse help keep Lewis as optimistic now as she was at 15. Lewis gives her Brief But Spectacular take on growing old with grace.
Thu, May 12, 2016
Humans tend to view animals as a source of entertainment, but anthropologist Laurel Braitman is more concerned with entertaining them. That's why she started putting on music concerts for everything from wolves to miniature donkeys. The only rules: no people, and no food bribes for attention. Braitman gives her Brief But Spectacular take on non-human entertainment and animal madness.
Thu, May 19, 2016
Recording artist and producer Pell began making music to identify himself in a new place, as his family was forced to flee to Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. That's why he believes the goal of an artist is to tell their own story and define their own themes. Pell gives his Brief But Spectacular take on how life experience influences his music in a genre he calls "experimental soul."
Thu, May 26, 2016
Comedian Tim Heidecker's style has been described by critics as absurd, offensive, disgusting anti-comedy, but Heidecker politely disagrees. What he considers not funny, however, is the theft of his and other performers' content. Illegal downloads makes it tougher for him and his team to make more comedy. Heidecker gives his Brief But Spectacular take on why people should pay for things.
Thu, Jun 2, 2016
Teenagers today have never known a world without smartphones and social media, and most of them can't even conceive of a time where people sat around the dinner table without checking their Instagram pages. We asked a handful of eighth-graders from a Los Angeles public school to give their Brief But Spectacular takes on what technology means to them.
Thu, Jun 9, 2016
People tend to be afraid of silence - they develop verbal defense mechanisms like small talk to instantly fill gaps in conversation. But according to radio journalist Alex Blumberg, some of the most amazing moments on air come from the "raw electric silence" of true emotion. Blumberg gives his Brief But Spectacular take on good tape and why silence really is golden.
Thu, Jun 16, 2016
Growing up in Palm Springs, Iranian-American Muslim comedian Negin Farsad yearned to fit in. But as she grew older amid rising Islamophobia, Farsad realized she had her own people, and she could use her comedy to do more than make people laugh - she could make them think. Farsad gives her Brief But Spectacular take on being an Iranian-American Muslim female comedian lady.
Thu, Jun 23, 2016
Playwright David McMillan vividly remembers the day O.J. Simpson was acquitted, because it created a national atmosphere in which racial assumptions were challenged. The debate over the court's decision forced Americans to see their country for what it was, rather than what they believed it to be. McMillan offers his Brief But Spectacular take on why the Simpson verdict still matters today.
Thu, Jun 30, 2016
Comedian Tig Notaro lost her mother, ended a long-term relationship and got diagnosed with breast cancer all in the same year. It was, she says, more than she could handle, but it also spurred a writing spree that helped her cope with her illness. Notaro offers her Brief but Spectacular take on healing through comedy.
Thu, Jul 21, 2016
While covering a presidential campaign is exciting, it's also "a lot of schlepping around to Holiday Inn Expresses, eating out of your lap in plastic containers on a bus. Pretty grueling, not all that glamorous." The New York Times's Amy Chozick explains what it's like to cover Hillary Clinton in this week's #BriefButSpectacular.
Thu, Aug 4, 2016
As host of WNYC's "Here's the Thing," actor Alec Baldwin has been criticized for doing too much talking. He counters that he's trying to push guests, such as Andrew Weiner, Chris Rock and Molly Ringwald, to share something the audience doesn't already know about them. Baldwin offers his Brief but Spectacular take on why his show is about conversations, not interviews.
Thu, Aug 11, 2016
Lynsey Addario has been kidnapped twice in international battle zones while photographing the horrors of war. She has witnessed the loss of lives - and has feared losing her own. Addario acknowledges that her job requires "great sacrifice." But when she sees the impact of her work, she finds it impossible to stop doing it. Here's her Brief but Spectacular take on life as a photojournalist.
Thu, Aug 18, 2016
David Remnick has been a writer for The New Yorker since 1992 and its editor since 1998. In the age of modern media, his job requires not only producing a quality magazine, but also keeping up financially and technologically. One of his favorite experiences is encountering a young writer with something new to say. Here he shares his Brief but Spectacular philosophy on editing - and being edited.
Thu, Aug 25, 2016
Dr. Danielle Sheypuk is attempting to derail the stigma around sex and people with physical disabilities. Born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2, Sheypuk knows what it's like to have a disability - and a sex life. But she worries that popular culture tends to show only able-bodied individuals having sex in traditional ways. This is her Brief but Spectacular take on how "anything can be sexy."
Thu, Sep 1, 2016
You may not have heard of Daniel Handler, but you've probably heard of his pen name: Lemony Snicket. Handler, author of the children's book series "A Series of Unfortunate Events," says much of children's literature is about "enforced morality," but he focuses on the bewildering nature of childhood. Handler gives his Brief but Spectacular take on putting his bewilderment into words.
Thu, Sep 8, 2016
Christian Robinson says he had a hard time reading as a child, and so he didn't have a great relationship with books. But he could always find solace in drawing. Today, he has turned his childhood hobby into a career as an illustrator, using images to speak and "reflect the diverse world that we live in." Christian Robinson offers his Brief But Spectacular take on illustration as communication.
Thu, Sep 15, 2016
Damon Gilbert is a black police officer in one of the most violent cities in the country. He describes his experience on the force in Oakland, California, as well as how he's dealt with the police as a private citizen. Gilbert offers his Brief but Spectacular take on what it means to be a cop in 2016.
Thu, Sep 22, 2016
Carl Reiner never thought about going into comedy growing up. That was until he met Mel Brooks. A friendship that started in 1961 with the "2,000-Year-Old Man" skit, the two close friends now have a nightly movie date. Reiner gives his Brief but Spectacular take on his comedic career.
Thu, Oct 6, 2016
Dr. BJ Miller does not work to heal patients, but to ensure quality of life amid advanced or serious illness. Sometimes people suggest his job is depressing, but Miller doesn't see it that way. When people are dying it changes how they live, he says. Miller gives his Brief but Spectacular take on dying and living.
Thu, Oct 13, 2016
While many families may look like the archetype of mom and dad and kids, every family has something that makes them different, says author Rumaan Alam. The makeup of his family - a brown man and a white man with two black boys - requires that he and his husband practice what he calls "radical honesty" with his kids. Alam gives his Brief but Spectacular take on family.
Thu, Oct 20, 2016
The first thing that casting director David Rubin does when he reads a screenplay is to forget the writer's character descriptions. Instead, he's on the lookout for an actor's authenticity, as well as diversity. Rubin offers his Brief But Spectacular take on what he sees as the most illuminating auditions.
Thu, Oct 27, 2016
How he went from dunking breaded clams in hot grease to becoming a famous chef and television personality, Anthony Bourdain has no idea. But he says he learned everything he needed to know about life - and gained self respect - by working as a dishwasher. He gives his Brief but Spectacular take on vegetarians, being a bad boy and why he thinks brunch is ridiculous.
Thu, Nov 3, 2016
As teenagers, Vaughn Brown and Ivan Mayo were incarcerated at Rikers Island, where they confronted danger from fellow inmates, solitary confinement and their own thoughts. The two have vowed to never go back to jail. But being branded a felon can make restarting one's life a major challenge. Brown and Mayo give their Brief But Spectacular takes on being in jail and getting out.
Thu, Nov 17, 2016
New Yorker magazine cartoon editor Bob Mankoff says he and his staff spend an extraordinary amount of time selecting and editing the cartoons that readers might not find funny. Mankoff offers his Brief But Spectacular take on the cartoons that strike the balance between amusing and poignant.
Thu, Nov 24, 2016
New Yorker magazine cartoon editor Bob Mankoff says he and his staff spend an extraordinary amount of time selecting and editing the cartoons that readers might not find funny. Mankoff offers his Brief But Spectacular take on the cartoons that strike the balance between amusing and poignant.
Thu, Dec 1, 2016
On November 8, multiple states legalized marijuana for medical or recreational purposes - so Joe Dolce's new book on the substance's history in the U.S. is timely. Dolce argues marijuana's bad reputation is a result of political demonization, including an intentional name change and association with hippies and disorder. This is his Brief but Spectacular take on the past and future of cannabis.
Thu, Dec 8, 2016
From a young age, Jacqueline Novogratz wanted to be a force for good in the world. Now she is combating poverty by bringing business to communities that haven't had access to banking. Instead of just giving away money or resources, Novogratz's nonprofit invests in entrepreneurs with the goal of bettering people's lives. This is Novogratz's Brief But Spectacular take on the moral imagination.
Thu, Dec 15, 2016
Due to the proliferation of social media, getting people to read serious journalism is harder than ever, says New York University professor Jay Rosen. Anyone with a smartphone can produce content, and Facebook doesn't have an editor in chief - so it's up to consumers to be selective about their news sources. This is Rosen's Brief But Spectacular take on journalism in today's digital world.