Gazing at the stars, falling in love, or listening to music, we sometimes feel a transcendent connection with a cosmic unity and things larger than ourselves. But these experiences are not easily understood by science, which holds that all things can be explained in terms of atoms and molecules. Is there space in our scientific worldview for these spiritual experiences? According to acclaimed physicist and novelist Alan Lightman, there may be. In his latest book, 

The Transcendent Brain: Spirituality in the Age of Science

, and his new public television mini-series, 

SEARCHING: Our Quest for Meaning in the Age of Science

, Lightman draws on intellectual history and conversations with contemporary scientists, philosophers, and psychologists and asks a series of thought-provoking questions that illuminate our strange place between the world of particles and forces and the world of complex human experience. 

Follow Alan Lightman on this enlightening journey that reveals spirituality may not only be compatible with science, it also ought to remain at the core of what it means to be human. Lightman is joined in conversation with Tim McHenry, Deputy Executive Director of the Rubin Museum of Art. ♦

In conversation with Tim McHenry, Alan Lightman illuminates our strange place between the world of particles and forces and the world of complex human experience.

Alan Lightman

We welcome novelists, scientists, and leading writers across disciplines to discuss new books shaping the cultural conversation at large.

 Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity

 helped revolutionize how we understand sexuality, gender, and the performative dimensions of identity. In the decades since, Butler has become one of our most trenchant and iconic public intellectuals—a thinker who has made countless timely and urgent interventions on questions of violence and peace, language and war, and precarity and cohabitation. Now, in 

 (2024), Butler returns to the topic that made their name, to illuminate how “anti-gender ideology movements” have become central to reactionary politics and rising authoritarianism worldwide.

In a special launch event, co-presented by Pioneer Works and Dia Art Foundation, Jack Halberstam joined Judith Butler on stage at Dia Chelsea to discuss their new book, what it’s like to be burned in effigy, and so much more. ♦

Jack Halberstam joins Judith Butler at Dia Chelsea to discuss their new book, what it’s like to be burned in effigy, and so much more.

Judith Butler and Jack Halberstam in Conversation

“Looking into Prince’s eyes,” writes Hilton Als in 

, “must be like looking at the world. Or more specifically, the world of one Black man loving another.” In this new, brilliant paean to the late, great, purple genius of music, Als takes an oblique inventory of himself—and of the culture that made them both, in all its racial, sexual, and emotive contours and contradictions.

The writer talks to Broadcast's very own Joshua Jelly-Schapiro about Prince’s outsize oeuvre and legacy, criticism as art, and how Als' own evolving practice, as a writer and curator alike, has shaped his singular creative voice.♦



The writer talks to Broadcast's very own Joshua Jelly-Schapiro about Prince’s outsize oeuvre and legacy, criticism as art, and how Als' own evolving practice, as a writer and curator alike, has shaped his singular creative voice.

Hilton Als: My Pinup

“The most interesting ideas are heresies.” So said Susan Sontag, a writer who refused party lines always, and whose work changed how we think about photography and identity, gender and metaphor, performance and play. 

—a new collection of Sontag’s seminal essays—emphasizes her ferocious intellect and ideological incongruities in equal measure.

To celebrate the book’s release by Picador, Pioneer Works hosted a conversation between three writers—Merve Emre, Sigrid Nunez, and Doreen St. Félix—to examine Sontag’s complex relationship towards womanhood. The three probe the writer’s refractive legacies, revealing her keen resonance in our new era of women watching women. 

To celebrate the release of "On Women" from Picador, Pioneer Works hosted a conversation between three writers—Merve Emre, Sigrid Nunez, and Doreen St. Félix—to examine Sontag’s complex relationship towards womanhood. The three probe the writer’s refractive legacies, revealing her keen resonance in our new era of women watching women. 

Merve Emre, Sigrid Nunez, and Doreen St. Félix on Susan Sontag Now

Dutch primatologist Frans de Waal argues that the study of our closest genetic relatives (an absolutely crucial way we make sense of our own biology) has been misguided by patriarchal assumptions. Primatologists, he says, have historically focused on masculine and feminine archetypes, and have systematically overlooked all who don’t fit this mold. In his experience, these outliers—gender non-conforming apes—comprise between 5-10% of chimpanzee populations. Unlike in human society, the chimpanzees are fully accepting of this diversity. 

He is joined by cinema icon Isabella Rossellini—creator of the natural sciences video series 

, with a master’s degree in animal behavior and conservation—to discuss his most recent book, 

. Together, they explore the matriarchal hierarchies of the ape kingdom, articulating all that we may learn about sex, gender, and nature from our simian cousins. This is inspiring without being maudlin: instead of looking to chimpanzees to justify who we are, we may look to bonobos to think about who we could be. ♦

Primatologist Frans de Waal is joined by cinema icon Isabella Rossellini to discuss his most recent book, "Different." Together, they explore the matriarchal hierarchies of the ape kingdom, articulating all that we may learn about sex, gender, and nature from our simian cousins.

Frans de Waal

Primatologist Frans de Waal in Conversation with Isabella Rossellini

Physicist Alan Lightman on Spirituality in the Age of Science

On the occasion of the publication of his evocative new book, 

The Biggest Ideas in the Universe: Space, Time, and Motion

, Sean Carroll takes us on a deep dive into the physics that pulls back the veil of mystery from the most complex ideas in the field. 

Sean Carroll is a Homewood Professor of Natural Philosophy at Johns Hopkins University, Fractal Faculty at the Santa Fe Institute, and the creator of the wildly popular YouTube series "The Biggest Ideas in the Universe," after which the book is named. Attracting fans eager to expand their minds, Carroll has a special knack for explaining the most expansive concepts in an entertaining, witty, and uniquely lucid way. In this author's view, the foundational concepts of classical physics from Newton to Einstein are as worthy of our gaze as the Mona Lisa, and he is committed to making these ideas accessible to all. ♦

On the occasion of the publication of his evocative new book, "The Biggest Ideas in the Universe: Space, Time, and Motion," Sean Carroll takes us on a deep dive into the physics that pulls back the veil of mystery from the most complex ideas in the field.

Sean Carroll

Physicist Sean Carroll on "The Biggest Ideas in the Universe" | Author Talks

Sean Carroll on the Biggest Ideas in the Universe

Elif Batuman joins Joshua Jelly-Schapiro to discuss Batuman’s new book 

, a novel that has given us new ways to think—and laugh—about how books shape our lives. 

, Batuman introduced us to Selin, a reluctant protagonist and unforgettable narrator searching her way through freshman year at Harvard, grappling with the confusions of first love and the growing realization that she is doomed to become a writer. In 

, it’s sophomore year and Selin’s quest for self-knowledge finds her trying to figure out the meaning of everything that happened over the summer. But then she sets out, with a prod from Kierkegaard, to seek the kinds of experiences she’ll need in order to ponder a lasting question: how does one live a life as interesting as a novel—a life worthy of becoming a novel—without going crazy? ♦

Elif Batuman joins Joshua Jelly-Schapiro to discuss Batuman’s new book Either/Or, a novel that has given us new ways to think—and laugh—about how books shape our lives. 

Elif Batuman on Life as Literature

In the eyes of eighteen-year old Hua Hsu, the problem with Ken—with his passion for Dave Matthews, Abercrombie & Fitch, and his fraternity—is that he is exactly like everyone else. Ken, whose Japanese American family has been in the United States for generations, is mainstream; for Hua, the son of Taiwanese immigrants, who makes ’zines and haunts Bay Area record shops, Ken represents all that he defines himself in opposition to. The only thing Hua and Ken have in common is that, however they engage with it, American culture doesn’t seem to have a place for either of them.

On September 28, 2022, Pioneer Works hosted the launch of 

 staff writer Hua Hsu's acclaimed memoir of friendship, music, art, and grief, 

. The event featured a special conversation between Hsu and one of his literary heroes, Lucy Sante. ♦

In the eyes of eighteen-year old Hua Hsu, the problem with Ken—with his passion for Dave Matthews, Abercrombie & Fitch, and his fraternity—is that he is exactly like everyone else. Ken, whose Japanese American family has been in the United States for generations, is mainstream; for Hua, the son of Taiwanese immigrants, who makes ’zines and haunts Bay Area record shops, Ken represents all that he defines himself in opposition to. The only thing Hua and Ken have in common is that, however they engage with it, American culture doesn’t seem to have a place for either of them.

On September 28, 2022, Pioneer Works hosted the launch of New Yorker staff writer Hua Hsu's acclaimed memoir of friendship, music, art, and grief, Stay True. The event featured a special conversation between Hsu and one of his literary heroes, Lucy Sante.

Hua Hsu and Lucy Sante

Stay True: A Conversation with Hua Hsu and Lucy Sante

Journalist and author Zoe Mendelson joins in conversation with Radiolab’s Molly Webster to discuss Mendelson’s new book 

. Written by the creators of the popular website and illustrated by Maria Conejo, this book on the pussy is based on “extensive reviews of peer-reviewed science that address old myths, confusing inconsistencies, and the influence of gender narratives on scientific research—always in simple, joyful language.” In the conversation, Mendelson and Webster discuss the book’s genesis (an inquiry into squirting), the importance of democratizing science, and how to create an inclusive feminist discourse spanning US-Mexico borders. ♦

Journalist and author Zoe Mendelson joins in conversation with Radiolab’s Molly Webster to discuss Mendelson’s new book Pussypedia. Written by the creators of the popular website and illustrated by Maria Conejo, this book on the pussy is based on “extensive reviews of peer-reviewed science that address old myths, confusing inconsistencies, and the influence of gender narratives on scientific research—always in simple, joyful language.” In the conversation, Mendelson and Webster discuss the book’s genesis (an inquiry into squirting), the importance of democratizing science, and how to create an inclusive feminist discourse spanning US-Mexico borders.

Pussypedia Author Zoe Mendelson in Conversation with Molly Webster

Neuroscientist, psychologist, and author, Dr. Carl Hart urges us to change the way we think about drug use. In his new book Drug Use for Grown-Ups: Chasing Liberty in the Land of Fear, published January 2021, he argues that the demonization (and profiteering) of drug use causes more harm than the drugs themselves—that as responsible American adults, we have an inalienable right to pursue happiness, and if that pursuit includes responsible drug use, we should be able to do that. He joins Janna Levin to discuss his recent book.

Dr. Hart is the Chair of the Department of Psychology at Colombia University. He is also Ziff Professor of Psychology in the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry at Columbia University.  In 2014, Dr. Hart was awarded the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award for his book High Price: A Neuroscientist’s Journey of Self-Discovery.

Janna Levin is Chair and Director of Science at Pioneer Works and Professor of Astronomy and Physics at Barnard College of Columbia University.

Drug Use for Grown-Ups: Dr. Carl Hart in Conversation with Janna Levin 

Dr. Carl Hart on Drug Use for Grown-Ups

Richard Dawkins was fifteen when he stopped believing in God. Deeply impressed by the beauty and complexity of living things, he felt certain that they must have had a designer. Learning about the theory of evolution changed his mind. In his 2019 book, Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide to Atheism, Dawkins provides an accessible primer to atheism for readers looking to rethink some of the big questions that shaped his own path towards seeing the magnificence of a world without God.

In twelve fiercely funny, mind-expanding chapters, Dawkins explains how the natural world arose without a designer—the improbability and beauty of the “bottom-up programming” that engineers an embryo or a flock of starlings—and challenges head-on some of the most basic assumptions made by the world’s religions: Do you believe in God? Which one? Is the Bible a “Good Book”? Is adhering to a religion necessary, or even likely, to make people good to one another? Dissecting everything from Abraham’s abuse of Isaac to the construction of a snowflake, Outgrowing God is a concise, provocative guide to thinking for yourself.

Richard Dawkins on Outgrowing God

Brian Greene, the world-renowned physicist and best-selling author of The Elegant Universe, launches his captivating new book Until the End of Time: Mind, Matter, and Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe at Pioneer Works. Join Janna Levin, our Director of Sciences, in conversation with Brian Greene to grasp and gain a refined appreciation for our fleeting, but utterly exquisite, moment in the cosmos.

Until the End of Time: Brian Greene in Conversation with Janna Levin

Gloria Steinem and Ronan Farrow in conversation activist to activist, author to author, on feminism and journalism as they launch their latest books at Pioneer Works. As Gloria says, “The Truth Will Set You Free but First It Will Piss You Off.”

Read the article: https://pioneerworks.org/broadcast/gloria-steinem-ronan-farrow-vibe-theater/

Gloria Steinem and Ronan Farrow in Conversation

In her profound and breathtaking new book, The First Cell: And the Human Cost of Pursuing Cancer to the Last, Azra Raza offers a searing account of how both medicine and our society (mis)treat cancer, how we can do better, and why we must. Told through the moving, true stories of patients she has treated in the past thirty-five years, this book explores cancer from every angle: medical, scientific, cultural, and personal. Tune in for a conversation between two authors, colleagues, and best friends, Prof. Azra Raza and Prof. Siddhartha Mukherjee, who have devoted their lives to improving medical approaches to suffering and death and to making the unbearable easier to bear.