Greta Johnsen - Podcast Details

Shows

Glamorous Trash - Cookies Only [PREVIEW] Viral Article Book Club: Venmo Brides and Bachelorette CapitalismChelsea is joined by Greta Johnson (Nerdette podcast) to unpack “You May Now Venmo the Bride,” an article by Elizabeth Genco in The Cut. They break down the rise of bridal party donation requests on social, the financial gymnastics of weddings, and whether Venmoing the bride is cringe or clever. Plus: the chaos and joy of weddings and how to celebrate love without going broke. Follow Chelsea:Instagram @chelseadevantezShow Notes:“You May Now Venmo the Bride” - The CutDonate - World Central KitchenDona...

2025-06-2700 min

Glamorous Trash: A Celebrity Memoir Podcast Viral Article Book Club: Venmo Brides and Bachelorette CapitalismChelsea is joined by Greta Johnson (Nerdette podcast) to unpack “You May Now Venmo the Bride,” an article by Elizabeth Genco in The Cut. They break down the rise of bridal party donation requests on social, the financial gymnastics of weddings, and whether Venmoing the bride is cringe or clever. Plus: the chaos and joy of weddings and how to celebrate love without going broke. Join the cookie community: Become a member of the Patreon Follow Chelsea: Instagram @chelseadevantez Show Notes: ...

2025-06-2738 min

Pop Culture Debate Club with Ronald Young Jr.Binge Watching vs. Weekly WatchingWhat’s the best way to watch TV shows: binge watching or weekly watching? Podcast hosts Greta Johnsen and Anna Sale square off this week. Greta says that binge watching is inherently superior because she believes in full unfettered access to information when you want it. Anna counters that weekly watching is the platonic ideal of TV watching and is what the TV gods intended when they created TV. After considering these well-crafted arguments, which side will Ronald Young Jr. pick in the battle between binge watching and weekly watching? Follow Greta @gretamjohnsen on Instagram. Anna...

2025-05-1536 min

The Stacks Ep. 350 The Best Books of 2024 with Greta Johnsen & MJ FranklinIt’s time to pick the best books of 2024! Joining me for this year-end celebration are two longtime friends of the show, podcast host Greta Johnsen and MJ Franklin, editor at The New York Times Book Review. In today’s episode, we share our top 10 books of 2024, reflect on the trends that defined this year in reading, and look ahead to the titles we’re most excited for in 2025.The Stacks Book Club pick for December is Tacky by Rax King. We will discuss the book on December 25th with Nora McInerny returning as our guest.You...

2024-12-181h 18

Gom Jabbar: A Dune Podcast Check out The Official Dune: Prophecy PodcastHosts Ahmed Ali Akbar and Greta Johnsen unpack the series premiere with Showrunner, Writer and Executive Producer Alison Schapker and Executive Producer and Writer Jordan Goldberg. Then, actor Emily Watson shares how she inhabits the role of Valya Harkonnen, a woman with a singular focus on her quest for influence and the unique ability to use ‘the Voice.’Join hosts Ahmed Ali Akbar and Greta Johnsen every week to dive deep into the new HBO Original series Dune: Prophecy. Featuring exclusive interviews with the show’s writers, cast and crew, this is the only podcast with the inside...

2024-11-1953 min

Chicago Humanities Tapes Greta Johnsen’s Love Letter to Podcasting, Public Radio, and Finding Your PeoplePublic radio and podcasting icon Greta Johnsen brings her consummate hypewoman energy to the Chicago Humanities Tapes studio. Topics include community building from her WBEZ podcast Nerdette days, her newsletter era, and being the co-host of The Official Game of Thrones Podcast. She chats with host Alisa Rosenthal on her love of curating as they discuss her upcoming Fall 2024 Chicago Humanities events. SHOW NOTES: Read the podcast transcript. PHOTO: Greta Johnsen and Alisa Rosenthal chat over Zoom. Ticket Information: 9/17 Abra Berens and Greta Johnsen: From Seed to M...

2024-09-0326 min

The Official Game of Thrones Podcast: House of the Dragon A Look Ahead to Season 2 with Showrunner Ryan CondalFor the last podcast episode before the Season 2 premiere, hosts Jason Concepcion and Greta Johnsen are joined once again by showrunner Ryan Condal. Together, they break down all the loose threads and shaky alliances from the end of Season 1. Jason and Greta also look ahead to Season 2 and make some predictions about where we may be headed—and who might not make it out alive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2024-06-1249 min

The Official Game of Thrones Podcast: House of the Dragon The Real History Behind Westeros with Medieval Historian Charles FarrisHosts Jason Concepcion and Greta Johnsen explore the greater world of Westeros. They discuss how George R.R. Martin took real history and “turned it up to 11” to create the bloody family feud in House of the Dragon. Then Jason and Greta are joined by Medieval Historian and Curator Charles Farris who consulted on Season 2 and helped bring that real world medieval grit to the series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2024-06-0553 min

The Official Game of Thrones Podcast: House of the Dragon Dragon Deep Dive with Sound Designer Paula FairfieldHosts Jason Concepcion and Greta Johnsen go deep on the dragons of Westeros. Which team has which dragons? Which dragons are battle tested? And how much are they extensions of their riders? Jason and Greta also talk with Sound Designer Paula Fairfield, who creates the dragons’ voices using the sounds of dolphins, bison, birds, and whales. Then Jason and Greta make their picks for the first-ever House of the Dragon: Dragon Draft. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2024-05-2953 min

The Official Game of Thrones Podcast: House of the Dragon The Enemy Within featuring Showrunner Ryan CondalIn the first podcast episode of the new season, hosts Jason Concepcion and Greta Johnsen are joined by showrunner Ryan Condal who teases where we’re going in Season 2 of House of the Dragon. Our hosts then analyze the latest trailer and casting news. And in revisiting key moments from Season 1, they ask: what went so wrong between Rhaenyra and Alicent? And is war really inevitable? Plus, Greta gives us a Westerosi TMZ recap of the first season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2024-05-2249 min

Text Me Back! With Lindy West And Meagan Hatcher-Mays From Our Pals At WBEZ, It's Nerdette!Hello friends! We wanted to share this fun episode of the WBEZ podcast Nerdette with you all. If you're looking for your next favorite read, look no further! Host Greta Johnsen and her professional book lovers - Miwa Messer, host of Barnes & Noble’s book podcast Poured Over, and Andrew Limbong, host of NPR’s Book of the Day podcast – talked all about their top picks of the year. Here are the books mentioned in the episode. For pictures, links and more details, head to Nerdette's website! Andrew’s picks: ‘Landscapes’ by Christine La...

2023-12-1841 min

Work Appropriate Should I Cover Up My Tattoo? with Greta JohnsenWe usually create Work Appropriate episodes around a theme, grouping similar questions together. But over time, we've amassed a collection of questions that are, shall we say, unique. Greta Johnsen, host of WBEZ's Nerdette, joins host Anne Helen Petersen to answer this cornucopia of singular submissions.Need advice about a sticky situation at work? We're here for you. Head to www.workappropriate.com and ask away-- or you can email workappropriate@crooked.comListen to Anne's guest appearance on NerdetteFollow @CrookedMedia on Instagram and Twitter for more original content, host takeovers and other community events.

2023-09-1337 min

Daily Fail The U.K. Is The Greatest Nation On Earth Because Americans Go There Sometimes (feat. Greta Johnsen)All aboard the Fail Train – this week, with special guest Greta Johnsen of WBEZ’s Nerdette! Our fails this week: The cast of Barbie have perfect skin because of tea and fermented foods and lasers, and not because of makeup or being rich or anything like that Famous Americans have reasons to be in the U.K., meaning they obviously like it more than their home country Prince William goes to work all on his own like a big handsome boy! Find us on Twitter @kristenmeinzer and @maurafcurrie, or Instagram @k10meinzer and @maura_frances, to share your feelings on these d...

2023-07-2836 min

The Stacks Unabridged: The Best of 2023...So Far with Lupita Aquino, Liberty Hardy, and Greta Johnsen*patron-only bonus episode teaser*Here by popular demand is our first Unabridged mid-year best of's (so-far) episode, featuring a trio of our favorite bookish friends - Book Riot's Liberty Hardy, Lupita Aquino (aka @Lupita.Reads) and Nerdette's Greta Johnsen. We list and discuss our favorite 2023 releases we've read, the backslist we're obsessed with, and a few picks we're looking forward to in the back half of the year.*This episode is exclusive to members of The Stacks Pack on Patreon. To join this community, get inside access to the show, and listen now, click the...

2023-05-2614 min

The Stacks Ep. 247 True Biz by Sara Nović -- The Stacks Book Club (Greta Johnsen)For our final book club pick of 2022, Greta Johnsen is back to discuss True Biz by Sara Nović, a novel about the teachers and students of a boarding school for the Deaf. We ask who the audience is for this book, and whether the Deaf community should have to teach hearing people about themselves. We also get into the topic of consent with children and parents, especially when it comes to medical decisions.Be sure to listen to the end of today's episode to find out what our book club pick will be in January 2023.Y...

2022-12-281h 03

The Stacks Ep. 244 Relentlessly Positive with Greta JohnsenToday we're joined by Greta Johnsen, host and producer of the Nerdette podcast from WBEZ Chicago, at host of HBO's House of the Dragon recap podcast. We get into Greta's positive approach to reviewing books and how she currates all things nerd. We also hold a grilled cheese debate and discuss the art of balancing book criticism with never having written a book.The Stacks Book Club selection for December is True Biz by Sarah Nović. We will discuss the book on December 28th with Greta Johnsen.You can find everything we discuss on today's s...

2022-12-071h 01

Black Girl Nerds 'House of the Dragon' Chat with Imara Jones of Translash Media and Greta Johnsen of 'The Official Game of Thrones Podcast: House of the Dragon'On this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast we're getting ready for House of the Dragon. Or what we would like to refer to as #DragonsYall! As we prep for watching and live-tweeting we chat with experts and superfans of the A Song of Ice and Fire fandom! House of the Dragon premieres on HBO Sunday, August 21st. Segment 1: We welcome Imara Jones of Translash Media and host of the Translash Podcast. She is an award-winning journalist, thought-leader, content creator and founder who pushes the envelope to help us think in new ways so that we ca...

2022-08-151h 25

City Cast Chicago Summer Book Recs from Nerdette’s Greta JohnsenWhether your summer plans include sitting on the beach, taking a road trip, flying, or just staying home — you might be looking for something good to read. “Nerdette” host Greta Johnsen — who’s already read about 50 books so far this year — is here with her summer reading recommendations. She says they all fall into the theme of being transported somewhere, from a residential school for deaf children to 1920s New York to an African safari to a more ghostly Chicago. Greta's List:True Biz by Sara NovicTrust by Hernan DiazTh...

2022-05-1918 min

City Cast Chicago Blackhawks’ Failure, Springfield Roundup, and Go Bulls!It’s Friday, and just like that, Spooky Season is almost over. “Nerdette” host Greta Johnsen and WTTW’s Amanda Vinicky join Jacoby Cochran to look back on the week and say goodbye to October. A few stories on our minds: The Chicago Blackhawks released the results of an independent investigation into allegations of sexual abuse against a former coach, state Dems dropped a new congressional map, and is Chicago turning a COVID corner? Our trio considers that question, and they share a couple of moments of joy from the week.Guests:Amanda V...

2021-10-2920 min

Nerdette Flashing Face After The Vax? It’s More Likely Than You ThinkOnce again, we have made it to Friday. This week, Vocalo’s Jill Hopkins takes over while Greta is away enjoying the exotic sights and sounds of central Michigan. Our panelists are Madison Malone Kircher and Rachelle Hampton, the hosts of Slate’s new internet culture podcast 'ICYMI.' They discuss the surprisingly fraught landscape of post-vax unmasking, Biden’s first 100 days, and the impending demise of Yahoo Answers. (RIP Babby!) Then, Greta Johnsen returns to chat with Alison Bechdel about her latest graphic novel.

2021-04-3022 min

Nerdette Movies Of The '90s: 'Pulp Fiction'The $5 milkshake. Once a shocking, exorbitant example of the scourge of inflation. Now, a hot bargain that shouldn’t be missed!Welcome back to Nerdette Recaps with Peter Sagal! It’s the podcast where we rewatch movies of the ‘90s and dissect them like the intense nerds we are.Episode 5 is all about 1994’s Pulp Fiction, starring John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis.Listen to this conversation with Peter Sagal, Tricia Bobeda and Greta Johnsen, then join us next week for our discussion of the original Toy Story.And do...

2020-09-0955 min

Nerdette Book Club: 'Members Only'Welcome to the Nerdette Book Club! Each month, we read a book and chat about it with a rotating group of panelists. This month’s pick is Sameer Pandya’s debut novel Members Only.It takes place over the course of one very intense week in the life of Raj, a middle-aged Indian-American anthropology professor. When he’s asked to help his tennis club interview potential new members, he’s thrilled by the opportunity to help diversify his tennis partners. But he makes a huge gaffe in front of a Black family, and the rest of his week get...

2020-08-281h 07

Nerdette A Good Old-Fashioned Field Trip: Nerdette Visits Argonne National LabArgonne National Laboratory is a massive research facility outside of Chicago that’s run by the U.S. Department of Energy. And this week, Nerdette hosts Tricia Bobeda and Greta Johnsen take you behind the curtain to learn about some of the innovative stuff happening there. Stuff like superbatteries, supercomputers, and questions that may never get answersThis episode originally aired on August 10, 2018.

2020-08-2530 min

Nerdette Book Club: Let’s Talk ‘Members Only’ With Author Sameer PandyaWe’re all human, but who has the right to make mistakes? That’s a question at the heart of Members Only, the debut novel from author Sameer Pandya. In it, Raj Bhatt's life falls apart after he makes a racist remark to an African-American couple at a posh tennis club.In this Nerdette Book Club author interview, host Greta Johnsen talks with Pandya about the weaponization of the term “cancel culture,” why a tennis club serves as the setting for a story about Indian-American identity and who gets to recover from their mistakes.Listen to this s...

2020-08-1422 min

Nerdette Nerdette Recaps ‘Clueless’ With Peter SagalSome of you may already be familiar with Nerdette Recaps with Peter Sagal, the podcast where Greta Johnsen and Nerdette cohost-emeritus Tricia Bobeda recapped Game of Thrones with Peter Sagal, host of NPR's Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me! Well we are very happy to announce that we’re BACK, and this time, we’re doing '90s movies! So here is our very first episode! It’s a recap of 1995's 'Clueless,' featuring Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, and Paul Rudd. We break it down, ask if it holds up, and hear from YOU, too. Recaps w...

2020-08-1159 min

Nerdette Preview: Nerdette Recaps Are Back on August 12What better way to remember a simpler decade than by watching some of the biggest films from 30 years ago?Join Greta Johnsen, Tricia Bobeda and Peter Sagal of NPR’s Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me! as they dissect movies from the ‘90s. (And yes, we’re totally gonna do Dazed and Confused.)Listen to this new trailer, then come back here on Wednesday, August 12 for fresh recap all about a classic film from 1995,Clueless.

2020-08-0502 min

Nerdette Book Club: 'Last Tang Standing'Welcome to the Nerdette Book Club! Each month, we read a book and chat about it with a rotating group of panelists. This month’s pick is Last Tang Standing by Lauren Ho.It tells the story of Andrea Tang, a thirtysomething Malaysian woman who lives and works in Singapore. Her love life is a mess and she’s vying for partner at her law firm, all while drinking a lot and somehow spending many hours playing Candy Crush.Listen along as Nerdette host Greta Johnsen discusses the book with podcast expert and Servant of P...

2020-07-3154 min

Nerdette Book Club: ‘The Vanishing Half’It's Nerdette Book Club! Each month, we read a book and chat about it with a rotating group of panelists.This month’s pick is Brit Bennett’s sophomore novel, The Vanishing Half.The story starts in rural Louisiana in the late 1950s, when two light-skinned Black girls run away from home to New Orleans. When one decides to pass as white, she leaves her past behind. The book unfolds to tell the stories of both sisters and their daughters as they live with the repercussions of the choices they’ve made.Listen along as Nerdett...

2020-06-261h 13

Nerdette Books To Read Right NowWidespread protests against police brutality have led many white people to ask how they can better understand the systems behind the disparities in our society.There are dozens of great resources out there. Nerdette host Greta Johnsen and NPR books editor Barrie Hardymon offer a few recommendations of the books they’ve found helpful. Plus a handful of summer reads, too.

2020-06-0525 min

Nerdette Book Club: ‘The City We Became’What if cities were embodied in human beings? If The Bronx were a human, what would she be like? And why is xenophobia so toxic? Listen along as Nerdette host Greta Johnsen discusses 'The City We Became,' the new novel from Hugo-award-winning author N.K. Jemisin, along with WBEZ host Jenn White and Michi Trota, editor for the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.And then get ready for next month’s Book Club pick: The Vanishing Half, a new novel by Brit Bennett.

2020-05-2958 min

Nerdette Video Games For NoobsThere are so many video game options that it can be hard to know where to begin. Which is why Nerdette host Greta Johnsen enlisted the assistance of Samantha Nelson, who writes about video games for The A.V. Club and Polygon. From simple task-oriented games to elaborate explorations, she’s got you covered. Plus, of course, we get plenty of recommendations from YOU.

2020-05-2518 min

Nerdette Book Club: A Not-Too-Spoilery Convo With Sci-Fi Author N.K. JemisinHow does one deal with existential horror from beyond? That’s one question at the heart of The City We Became, a new novel from Hugo Award-winning author N.K. Jemisin, in which New York City literally comes alive in order to fight off “creepy tentacle monster creatures."Nerdette's Greta Johnsen talked to Jemisin earlier this week about the novel, how all cities have personalities, and why she doesn’t describe racism with subtlety. AND in a couple weeks, we'll bring you a panel discussion on The City We Became for our May Nerdette Book Club.

2020-05-1536 min

Nerdette Should You Cut Your Own Hair?When Nerdette listeners told us last week what they would have done with a warning before stay-at-home orders, haircuts were top of mind. But is an at-home haircut ever a good idea?Nerdette host Greta Johnsen asked her friend (and hair stylist) Julia Pishko for some tips.

2020-05-0516 min

Nerdette Book Club: ‘You Never Forget Your First’Are you ready for a fresh look at George Washington and his many foul diseases? You've come to the right place! Nerdette host Greta Johnsen joins Lulu Miller, co-creator of NPR's Invisibilia podcast and author of Why Fish Don't Exist, to break down Alexis Coe’s new biography of George Washington, You Never Forget Your First. We also eat hoecakes and consider bloodletting.Plus, get ready for next month’s book club pick: The City We Became, a new fantasy novel by Hugo Award-winning author N.K. Jemisin.

2020-04-2437 min

Nerdette Book Club: Author Alexis Coe On George WashingtonWe’ve all heard the mythology around George Washington: He never told a lie! He had wooden teeth! There was a cherry tree that one time!But in her new biography, You Never Forget Your First, historian Alexis Coe revisits the origins of those myths and explores aspects of George Washington that may have been brushed over or misconstrued.Coe talked with Nerdette host Greta Johnsen about what surprised her most about our first president, the unfair portrayals of Washington’s mother, and why it’s important for women to write presidential histories.

2020-04-1719 min

Nerdette Book Club: ‘The Glass Hotel’Welcome to the Nerdette Book Club! Each month, we read a book and chat about it with a rotating group of panelists. It’s just like a normal book club, except you don’t have to share your industrial-sized carton of Good & Plentys. The book on tap today is Emily St. John Mandel’s The Glass Hotel. On one hand, it’s a novel about a 2008 Bernie Madoff-esque ponzi scheme. On the other hand, it’s a ghost story. For insights and analysis, follow along with Nerdette host Greta Johnsen and New York m...

2020-04-0356 min

Nerdette Ode to Pets!Sure, lots of celebrities are hosting conversations and table reads on social media these days. But author and actor John Hodgman has been hanging out on Instagram Live for months already, interviewing random humans and their pets, in a show he calls … wait for it … “Get Your Pets.” Nerdette host Greta Johnsen talks to Hodgman about why he thinks “Get Your Pets” is maybe, actually some of the most important work he’s done. Plus, we hear from you about some of the creatures keeping you company these days.

2020-03-3115 min $WBEZ\'s Reset$

WBEZ's Reset Things To Read, Watch And Do While You’re Stuck At HomeGreta Johnsen of WBEZ’s Nerdette podcast is a voracious reader and consumer of groovy pop culture. In a twist on the Reset broadcast’s “See Hear Eat” segment, Greta gives us some ideas for things to “Read Watch Do”.

2020-03-2212 min $WBEZ\'s Reset$

2020-03-2212 min

Nerdette Book Club: ‘Such A Fun Age’Welcome to the Nerdette Book Club! Where we read a book a month and chat about it with a rotating group of panelists. It’s just like a normal book club except no one shames you when you don't do the reading.This episode is all about Kiley Reid’s excellent debut novel, Such a Fun Age. It’s an incisive look at race and class in modern America, (and it also happens to be really funny.) Join Nerdette host Greta Johnsen, New York magazine advice columnist Heather Havrilesky and The Morning AMp and Mak...

2020-01-311h 04

Nerdette Nerdette Book Club 2020Nerdette has always been a podcast for book lovers, but for the first few months of 2020, we’re doubling down. Join host Greta Johnsen and a rotating cast of panelists as they discuss the year’s buzziest books.Whether you can’t wait to dive in or just want to sound like you know what you’re talking about with your book nerd buddies, this is the podcast for you.First up: Such a Fun Age, Kiley Reid’s debut page-turner about race and class in America. Read it, and share your thoughts by recording yourself a...

2020-01-1701 min

2020-01-1701 min $It\'s Been a Minute$

It's Been a Minute Weekly Wrap: Harvey Weinstein Trial Begins, Iran Conflict, Plus Getting Off TwitterElise Hu steps in for Sam this week, from member station WBEZ in Chicago. She's joined by NPR's Peter Sagal, host of 'Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!', and Greta Johnsen of WBEZ's 'Nerdette' podcast. They discuss Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood producer now on trial in New York for sex crimes. Plus, an Iranian-American writer shares her perspective on decades of disputes between Iran and the U.S. Also, Peter tries to get off Twitter.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

2020-01-1037 min

Nerdette Walking Into The SkySpoilers ahead!WHAT. A. FINALE. In the latest His Dark Materials, Will hunkers down in lots of places, Mrs. Coulter becomes increasingly unhinged, and we finally learn what the prophecy about Lyra’s betrayal really means.Join us as Greta Johnsen, Tricia Bobeda and Peter Sagal break down the final episode of the first season.

2019-12-2449 min

Preach Enneagram 101 With NerdetteIn this bonus episode, host Lee Hale enlists the help of some friends to learn about a phenomenon that’s wildly popular these days, especially among millennial Christians. But what is the Enneagram, exactly? Lee talks to an expert, and then he and Nerdette host Greta Johnsen take an Enneagram personality test and see what it reveals about them. From KUER and PRX. Note: The test used in this episode is from enneagramtest.net

2019-12-2026 min

Nerdette A Smorgasbord Of DelightTo celebrate the approach of another wonderful two-day break, Nerdette host Greta Johnsen talked with Alison Roman, author of the new cookbook Nothing Fancy, about three ways to make sure you host the most badass dinner party possible (she prefers to call it “having people over”). And did you know that the largest 3D printer in the world just printed the world’s largest 3D-printed boat? We talk to Habib Dagher, the executive director at the Advanced Structures and Composites Center at the University of Maine. His team was responsible for this accomplishment, so we asked him wh...

2019-10-1819 min $It\'s Been a Minute$

It's Been a Minute Weekly Wrap: #MeToo and Matt Lauer, Political Corruption, & Snoop Dogg ShenanigansNew sexual assault allegations came out this week against prominent news, political and entertainment figures. A few years into the #MeToo movement, what are our expectations about whether or how men accused of sexual harassment and assault can return to public life? Also, crackdowns on political corruption in Chicago intensify, and cell phone use by audience members during performances has led to a heated debate in the theater world. Plus, Snoop Dogg's performance at a university this week causes controversy. Sam hosts this weekly wrap episode from member station WBEZ in Chicago. His guests are Greta Johnsen, host of the...

2019-10-1136 min

Nerdette Book Club: ‘The Testaments’ Part 3We’ve finished The Testaments!Press play and join Nerdette host Greta Johnsen, New York Magazine’s Heather Havrilesky and Vocalo’s Jill Hopkins for this final installment of the #NerdetteBookClub.You’ll hear how each of us rated the book on a scale of 1-10 warm milks (10 being the best, obviously), what the professional reviewers thought, and how much your fellow book club members liked it!Plus, if you need post-Testaments-reading recommendations, check out this week's Nerdsletter (and subscribe)!And hey! Thanks for being a part of our inaugural book club. Di...

2019-10-0443 min

Nerdette Book Club: ‘The Testaments’ Part 2We’re two thirds of the way through Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments, and we’ve got a lot to talk about.This week is all about chapters 24 through 46, and our panel of intrepid feminists questions whether these storylines are just a little toooo convenient, whether it’s really possible to rip a person apart with your bare hands … and what the deal is with all that warm milk.Want to be a part of the #NerdetteBookClub? Easy! Just press play and join Nerdette host Greta Johnsen, New York Magazine’s Heather Havrilesky and Vocalo’s Jill Hopkins...

2019-09-2744 min

Nerdette Book Club: ‘The Testaments’ Part IOur reading of Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments has commenced!This week, we’re talking about book chapters 1 through 23. So … spoilers abound.Join Nerdette host Greta Johnsen, New York Magazine’s Heather Havrilesky and Vocalo’s Jill Hopkins as they contemplate the motives of Aunt Lydia, wonder what’s in that darn safe and talk smack about the mean girls of Gilead.To follow along with us, read The Testaments through chapter 46 (pages 124-282) before next Friday, September 27.And hey, we want to hear from you too! Sha...

2019-09-2043 min

Nerdette An Intro To Book Club: ‘The Testaments’Welcome to the Nerdette Book Club! It’s just like a normal book club but in podcast form, and you provide your own booze. In this episode, we're taking a look back at Margaret Atwood's 1985 dystopian novel 'The Handmaid's Tale' before sending you out to read Atwood's brand new sequel, 'The Testaments.' What are the rules of a book club podcast, you ask? Well, after this 'Handmaid’s Tale' refresher, we're all going to read 'The Testaments' together over the next three weeks — and talk about what’s happening, why a sequel to a 35 year...

2019-09-1328 min

Nerdette Introvert’s Guide To The Good LifeSeptember is right around the corner, which means fall is coming.To celebrate, Nerdette host Greta Johnsen talks with Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks, author and illustrator of the new graphic novel Pumpkinheads. It’s about Deja and Josiah, two high schoolers who love working at an amazing pumpkin patch every autumn. But the story starts on their last day of work as they try to enjoy everything the patch has to offer one last time.We also check in with an atmospheric scientist who’s about to head north — way north — for the world’s...

2019-08-3020 min

Nerdette Summer Reads!When anyone at WBEZ needs book recommendations, they go to Greta Johnsen, the station’s resident bookworm.So please enjoy Greta talking about some fantastic reads that you might want to pick up this summer.Contemporary Romantic FictionEvvie Drake Starts Over by Linda HolmesThe Unhoneymooners by Christina LaurenFantasyMagic for Liars by Sarah GaileyMystery/ThrillerSearching for Sylvie Lee by Jean KwokBiography/MemoirMore Than En...

2019-07-0512 min

Nerdette Lizzo On NerdetteLizzo recently landed on the Billboard 200 chart for the first time with her new album ‘Cuz I Love You,’ making now the perfect time to revisit her 2016 conversation with Nerdette's Greta Johnsen. Lizzo and Greta talk about what inspired her 2016 EP 'Coconut Oil' and how Lizzo became Lizzo.And your homework after listening to this episode is, of course, to play ‘Cuz I Love You’ on repeat, forever?P.S. Get in on our lovely new tote bags! One’s for Nerdette and one’s for Nerdette Recaps Game of Thrones with Peter Sagal. Find t...

2019-05-0324 min

Nerdette Move Over Holden CaulfieldDana Czapnik has always been drawn to wanderers and wonderers, the kind of fictional characters who are always contemplating who they are and the world around them. But aside from the work of Virginia Woolf, Czapnik said she hasn’t come across many female characters who get those kind of opportunities.“That was one of the things that I was thinking of when I was working on this,” Czapnik says of her new novel, The Falconer. “That I wanted to write a female character who has the space to just be and wonder.”Salman Rushdie called The...

2019-02-0817 min

Nerdette ICYMI: CRISPRNerdette host Greta Johnsen has a rare genetic disease that CRISPR might be able to fix. As a four-year old in Juneau, Alaska, Greta was diagnosed with an eye condition known as "Best disease." That name is somewhat of a misnomer in that "Best disease" causes premature macular degeneration — but curiously it happens to be among the best diseases for experimenting with CRISPR, a genetic engineering tool that can be used to edit DNA. CRISPR has been in the news a lot lately (Google it) so we're rebroadcasting this very special episode, one that follows the...

2018-12-2132 min

Nerdette Redefining Representation With ‘Well-Read Black Girl’A little while after Glory Edim created an Instagram account under the name Well-Read Black Girl, she said she started getting a lot of messages from young women thanking her for creating a space that offered reflections of themselves. “It’s not only just an Instagram account, but people don’t see themselves reflected in their libraries, in their bookstores, in everyday conversation,” Edim says on Nerdette podcast. “The common theme is: People don’t feel fully heard. And I’m doing my best to change that.” Well-Read Black Girl has since become a wide number of things, i...

2018-11-3019 min

Nerdette The Gender Pay GapAileen Rizo was working as a math consultant at the Fresno County Office of Education when she discovered a recently-hired male colleague was being paid significantly more than her for the same work. Aileen had more experience and education than this colleague. What then began as a fight for herself quickly turned into a fight for equality for women everywhere. Aileen talked about the tough decisions she's made for herself and her family on a recent episode of the WBEZ podcast The Trouble. On this week’s Nerdette, you’ll hear that exceptional episode of The Trouble in fu...

2018-09-2147 min

Nerdette U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth Talks Mothering, Senatoring, And CouponingU.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois is one of only 52 women to ever serve in the Senate. There are currently 23 female senators, which is an all-time high. “There are not enough women,” Duckworth tells Nerdette host Greta Johnsen. “We’re 20 percent of the Senate. That’s it. That’s wrong. We’re 51 percent of the population, yet 20 percent of those who make the laws that govern our lives.”Duckworth also recently became the first sitting U.S. senator to have a baby while in office when she gave birth to her daughter Maile on April 9. She tell...

2018-09-0720 min

Nerdette Happiness 101... Well, technically it's Pysc 157. This week Nerdette host Greta Johnsen speaks with the professor responsible for the most popular class in Yale University's 316-year history. Laurie Santos created a course called "Psychology and the Good Life” and about 1,200 students quickly enrolled in it. Put simply, the course teaches students how they can be happier.“The good news is that we can do it,” Santos tells Greta. “The bad news is that like all good things in life, it takes a lot of work.”First, listen in as Santos gives us three main recommen...

2018-08-2418 min

Nerdette NPR’s Audie Cornish On Being A New MomAudie Cornish says she had something like an epiphany after posting a photo of herself and her new baby on Twitter in April. "I realized, oh my god, I’m part of the problem," Cornish tells Greta Johnsen. "Because there is absolutely nothing worse than opening up a glossy magazine and seeing a picture of some woman with, like, a pet and a 3-year-old, everyone’s groomed to the nines, and she’s like, ‘I woke up like this.’”Cornish is the host of NPR’s daily news program 'All Things Considered.' She talked with Nerdette h...

2018-06-0120 min

Nerdette Power Up: Grace BonneyIn 2016, Grace Bonney spoke with 100 women doing creative work and turned those interviews into a book, In the Company of Women. It became a New York Times bestseller, and earlier this month, Bonney released a follow up: a biennial business magazine called Good Company. Plus, while she’s out promoting her new publication, she also runs the creativity website Design*Sponge. Like so many of us, Bonney is busy. So how does she refuel? “That’s one of the things I think everyone has a really pithy answer to, like yoga or meditating,” Bonney told Nerdette ho...

2018-05-1821 min

Nerdette Unwinding With The Kondabolu BrothersWe brought brothers Hari and Ashok Kondabolu on Nerdette to talk about making time for self-care in what can be a grinding, freelance economy. Instead, they unpacked their relationship. “Do you look up to me at all?” Hari asks his younger brother, with host Greta Johnsen listening in the wings.“No, we have completely different lives,” Ashok immediately responds.“This is not relaxing!” Hari says. Well, we tried. But Hari and Ashok DID give us some wonderful ideas about how to recharge your batteries by ignoring the phone, taking aimless walks...

2018-05-1125 min

Nerdette Power Up: Amy Schumer And Aidy BryantLet’s be real: life can be hectic sometimes. You don’t need to tell that to Amy Schumer and Aidy Bryant, two of the nation’s top female comedians. Who better to kick off our new project, Power Up? For the next few months, we're asking fascinating people how they set themselves up for success in an exhausting world. Knitting? Bowling? Researching the presence of alternate dimensions? “I literally will say to myself out loud in the mirror, like, ‘You got this, bitch,’” Schumer tells Nerdette host Greta Johnsen. Schumer and Bryant also talk about what...

2018-04-2718 min

Nerdette Class Is In Session: The TV That Makes You CryThe 90s TV drama 'My So-Called Life' had a profound impact on Nerdette host Greta Johnsen. (“Jordan Catalano still holds a special place in my heart,” she said of the <a href="http://mysocalledlife.wikia.com/wiki/Jordan_Catalano" target="" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: inherit;">fictional Liberty High School heartthrob</a> played by J...

2018-03-2300 min

Nerdette Tomi Adeyemi Calls Her New Book ‘Black Panther With Magic’Tomi Adeyemi is the 24-year-old author of 'Children of Blood and Bone,' a new young adult novel that — in terms of pop culture blockbusters — could be on par with 'The Hunger Games' or 'Harry Potter.' The book, the first in a West African-inspired fantasy series, hit shelves earlier this month — more than a year after the movie rights were picked up by Fox 2000. Adeyemi tells Nerdette that part of her motivation to write the book stemmed from racist reactions to 'The Hunger Games' movies. “There were people online being like, ‘Why’d they make Rue and Ci...

2018-03-1634 min

Nerdette I Have A Rare Genetic Disease. CRISPR Might Fix It.As a four-year old in Juneau, Alaska, Nerdette host Greta Johnsen was diagnosed with an eye condition known as "Best disease." That name is a misnomer for several reasons — the big one being that "Best disease" causes premature macular degeneration — but curiously it happens to be among the best diseases for experimenting with CRISPR, a genetic engineering tool that can be used to edit DNA. This very special episode of Nerdette follows Greta, her father, and Dr. Bruce Conklin, the scientist who's currently trying to develop the perfect CRISPR system to inject into some Johnsen family eyeballs. Plus...

2018-03-0931 min

Nerdette How A Creative Boss Gets It DoneIlene Chaiken has been a showrunner for TV hits like Fox’s Empire, an executive producer for Hulu’s The Handmaid's Tale, and a writer, producer, and director for Showtime’s The L Word in the mid-2000s. In other words, she’s a boss. “I don’t like the word that much,” Chaiken said on Nerdette. “I mean, I like it as in, ‘Oh, she’s a boss.’ You know, ‘She’s a badass. She’s a boss.’ But I don’t like the kind of hierarchical aspect of it.” Chaiken talked with Nerdette co-hosts Tricia Bobeda and Greta John...

2018-02-1624 min

Nerdette Author Margaret Atwood Says ‘The Harvey Weinstein Moment’ Will Last“I think it’s going to last more than a moment,” said the celebrated author on this week’s Nerdette. “But how much more than a moment, it remains to be seen." Nerdette co-host Greta Johnsen talks with author Margaret Atwood about the recent TV adaptations of her novels Alias Grace and The Handmaid's Tale, how her take on feminism has changed in recent years, and what needs to happen to make sure the “Harvey Weinstein moment” isn’t just a moment. Plus, we explore one of Atwood's nerd obsessions: The 1982 sci-fi film Blade Runner.

2017-11-2226 min

Adrift with Geoff Lloyd and Annabel Port EPISODE 14 - The fourteenth episodeRecorded in Chicago, with guest co-host Greta Johnsen, who's usually found podcasting as one half of Nerdette from WBEZ. https://www.npr.org/podcasts/399954056/nerdette-podcastMusic by Man & The EchoIncident Music by Emily HarrisonAlso featuring Geoff's mother-in-law, Lynn Barron from Highland Park, Illinois. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2017-11-2256 min

Nerdette Eve Ewing On Prince, Afrofuturism And SweatersKnitting can be dangerous. Just ask author, scholar, and (of course) knitter Eve Ewing. She explains what she calls “the sweater curse” to Nerdette hosts Tricia Bobeda and Greta Johnsen. They also discuss the impact of the late music icon Prince, the rise of Afrofuturism, and why Ewing can’t wait to get off social media. Plus, an excerpt from Ewing's new book of poetry Electric Arches.

2017-11-1031 min

Nerdette ‘Call Your Girlfriend’ Hangs With ‘Nerdette’ PodcastLike the Flintstones meeting the Jetsons, Betty and Veronica taking down the Predator alien, and Sabrina the teenage witch dating Eric Matthews on Boy Meets World, nothing beats an epic crossover. That’s why Nerdette hosts Greta Johnsen and Tricia Bobeda sat down with Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow, hosts of CALL YOUR GIRLFRIEND, the premiere podcast for long-distance besties everywhere. They talked friendship, feminism, and bodily fluids before playing a Newlywed-esque game to determine which pair of co-hosts knows each other better. It's the podcast mashup you didn’t know you needed — but definitely do.

2017-10-2730 min

Nerdette How The U.S. Poet Laureate Finds Poetry In Justin BieberAs the 22nd United States Poet Laureate, Tracy K. Smith wants to make poetry more accessible to people across the country. So WBEZ’s Greta Johnsen put Smith to the ultimate test by having her analyze this summer’s hottest hit, “Despacito” featuring Justin Bieber.

2017-09-0131 min

Nerdette Rainn Wilson: All About That BassoonNerdette host Greta Johnsen reveals that she has a secret nerdery: she used to play the bassoon. So this week, in one, grand, bassoon-filled extravaganza, Johnsen and co-host Tricia Bobeda bring back the bassoon. First, they talk with culture writer and bassoonist Eileen Reynolds about the history of the bassoon. Then, they call up the self-proclaimed “Bassoon King” Rainn Wilson. Plus, Chicago Philharmonic Principal Bassoonist John Gaudette plays a familiar tune.

2017-08-1131 min

Nerdette Forget Cats: Jenny Slate Is A Plant LadyActress and comedian Jenny Slate has played many memorable characters on shows like Parks and Recreation, Kroll Show, Girls, and Brooklyn 99. She also wrote and voiced her web series Marcel The Shell. Her most recent role is alongside Edie Falco and John Turturro in the film Landline. But from all of her work on TV and film, few people know about Slate’s one true love: houseplants. Nerdette’s Greta Johnsen talked with Slate about why she loves houseplants, what she names them and how they play into her future goals. Then, a plant expert answers all of Slate’s most...

2017-07-2833 min

Nerdette From ‘Homeland’ To ‘Freaks And Geeks,’ She Can Direct AnythingTV director Lesli Linka Glatter started her career as a choreographer, but after a serendipitous series of events, Glatter found her way to film and television directing. Since then, Glatter has directed a spate of well-loved shows, including Homeland, The Walking Dead, Justified, Mad Men, True Blood, Weeds, ER, The West Wing, and Gilmore Girls. Tricia Bobeda and Greta Johnsen sat down with Glatter to talk about the differences between directing film and TV, working on shows with strong, complex women leads, and why some days she thinks about opening a 24-hour coffee/poetry/shoe/book store.

2017-06-1630 min

Nerdette Jane the Virgin’s Jaime Camil Loves His Cast, Broadway, And Ancient AliensJaime Camil plays the dramatic, charismatic, slightly self-absorbed yet extra-endearing Rogelio De La Vega on the CW’s telenovela-style comedy, Jane The Virgin. Camil, who has starred in many Mexican sitcoms, films and telenovelas, tells Nerdette’s Greta Johnsen why Jane the Virgin is so relatable and how it’s changing the game for people of color on American television.

2017-05-1928 min

Nerdette Breaking Yoga Stereotypes With Jessamyn StanleyYoga enthusiast, expert and internationally recognized teacher Jessamyn Stanley breaks all the stereotypes of a yogi. Nerdette’s Greta Johnsen and Tricia Bobeda sat down with Stanley to talk about her new book, Every Body Yoga; how yoga is for everyone (and not just the models drinking coconut water in the Lululemon ads); and why yoga is more than just a way to burn calories.

2017-05-1234 min

Nerdette How To Build The Best Bad Robots With Simone GiertzYouTube’s queen of crappy robots, Simone Giertz, tells us how she got in the business of making the world’s best crappy robots, like an alarm clock that slaps you awake in the morning with a robotic arm, a robot that very terribly applies lipstick, and a vegetable chopper with 8-foot long knives.In an interview with Nerdette hosts Tricia Bobeda and Greta Johnsen, she talked about how building terrible robots is a constant learning experience.

2017-03-1026 min

Nerdette Nerdette: Brain Pickings Creator Maria PopovaMaria Popova, the creator of the website Brain Pickings, explains how her job is to reflect on everything from literature and physics to astronomy and art. She tells Nerdette hosts Tricia Bobeda and Greta Johnsen about her rigorous daily diet of reading, writing, tweeting, and reflecting, as well as her newest guilty pleasure: Playing bridge.

2017-02-1023 min

Nerdette Tom Hanks And Typewriters: A Love StoryTom Hanks is a little obsessed with typewriters. So when we put the Academy Award-winning actor in front of a pre-WWII Underwood Champion, he gave Nerdette hosts Tricia Bobeda and Greta Johnsen an impromptu master class on the machines he calls “self-contained printing presses with which you can change the world.”Want to support this show and get a sweet Nerdette mug and/or notebook as a thank you gift? Go to https://wbez.org/nerdalert

2017-01-2725 min

Nerdette Messing With Nature: Exploring The Future Of Food, Fertility And MoreThis is a special episode of Nerdette: hosts Tricia Bobeda and Greta Johnsen hear from entrepreneurs and scientists who are forging into the frontier with pigeons, infertility, food, and feces.

2016-08-1134 min

Vishnu Prasad Small Batch: Game of ThronesThe sixth season of HBO's Game of Thrones showed a real evolution in the way the show portrays women and in the season finale, several female characters ascended to power. All Things Considered host Kelly McEvers talks to Glen Weldon and Greta Johnsen, host of the Nerdette podcast, about the show. (This segment originally aired on All Things Considered on June 27th, 2016.)

2016-06-2805 min

Nerdette 601 The Red Woman: Nerdette Recaps Game Of Thrones With Peter SagalThe question on everyone's mind: Dead or alive? Join Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me’s Peter Sagal and Nerdette's Tricia Bobeda and Greta Johnsen as they discuss the premier of Game of Thrones' sixth season, and answer this and other questions: Is any character as good-hearted as the Onion Knight? Is Jamie set to go "Rambo" on Westeros? And what exactly did we learn about the Lady in Red? This and more on this week's Nerdette Recaps Game of Thrones with Peter Sagal.

2016-04-2844 min

WBEZ Gold Rush GretaSpot for WBEZ's Off-Air Pledge Drive, featuring Greta Johnsen, weekend anchor and co-host of the Nerdette podcast. Donate today: https://goo.gl/2UjW5C

2016-03-2800 min

General Admission Podcast Ep 33: Nerdette on Lists for Art & OscarsThis week, we welcome special guests Tricia Bobeda and Greta Johnsen, co-hosts of WBEZ's Nerdette podcast, a show that sets out to create "a safe space for nerding out about all the things you're watching, reading, listening to and encountering IRL." The guys (and ladies!) talk about lists, listicles and also manage to get in some Oscar chatter.

2015-02-1728 min

Nerdette Summer TV, lady podcasters, and an intern rantIt’s all happening! In our first episode, Nerdette co-hosts Greta Johnsen and Tricia Bobeda bring in a friend to play Frack, Marry Kill with three summer TV shows: Maron, Newsroom and Family Tree. Julie Shapiro of the Third Coast International Audio Festival talks about her piece in Transom that digs into why so few women host podcasts. And our intern has a rage-fueled list of things she’s worried may be Zooey Deschanel’s fault. http://nerdettepodcast.com

2013-06-0100 min

Nerdette Nerdette can't hardly wait for Arrested DevelopmentGreta Johnsen and Tricia Bobeda are nerding out hard about the return of Arrested Development. They talk hopes, fears and chicken dance in the first mini-episode of the Nerdette Podcast.

2013-05-2600 min