RadioWest
488 episodes - English - Latest episode: 18 days ago - ★★★★★ - 711 ratingsKUER’s award-winning interview show explores the world through deep thinkers who host Doug Fabrizio asks to think even deeper. Join writers, filmmakers, scientists and others on RadioWest: A show for the wildly curious.
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Episodes
The Sexual History Of The LDS Church
April 22, 2021 23:15 - 50 minutes - 2.93 KBNatasha Helfer, a sex therapist and now-former member of the LDS church, has lost her church membership for, in part, being outspoken about her professional stance on sex.
How Interior Secretary Deb Haaland Could Shape Western Lands
April 16, 2021 02:38 - 49 minutes - 2.92 KBThe writer David Treuer notes in a new article in The Atlantic that before Columbus arrived in North America, Native people controlled one hundred percent of the land that would become the United States. Today, they control just about two percent of it.
Through The Lens: ‘Youth V Gov’
April 15, 2021 21:29 - 49 minutes - 2.92 KBThe planet’s youngest generations will bear the weight of climate change. So some young people are fighting back — by suing the United States government.
The Parenting Journey Of NPR’s Michaeleen Doucleff
April 09, 2021 22:41 - 42 minutes - 2.48 KBAs a new mom, NPR science reporter Michaeleen Doucleff was overwhelmed by motherhood and underwhelmed by the parenting advice she found in American parenting guidebooks. So, she set off to see what other cultures could teach her.
Mark Hofmann Part Three: The Art Of Forgery
April 08, 2021 20:34 - 45 minutes - 2.68 KBBesides being important figures in American history and letters, what do Emily Dickinson, Mark Twain, Abraham Lincoln and many others have in common? All had documents forged in their name by Utah’s Mark Hofmann.
Web Extra: Derek Kitchen On Exploring Polyamory
April 06, 2021 19:23 - 25 minutes - 1.48 KBBefore he was a Utah State Senator, Derek Kitchen was part of an important lawsuit that challenged the state’s ban on same-sex marriage. But while he was open about his homosexuality, he chose not to talk about the polyamorous part of his life, because…it’s complicated.
Heather McGhee On The Hidden Cost of Racism
April 01, 2021 23:06 - 49 minutes - 2.9 KBWe know that racism is dangerous to a healthy society — physically dangerous, morally dangerous and also, Heather McGhee argues, economically dangerous for everyone in the country.
Polygamy, Polyamory And The Changing American Family
April 01, 2021 22:31 - 50 minutes - 2.93 KBWhen the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in 2015, many conservatives worried that the law opened the door for polgamists and polyamorists to also have their unions sanctioned by law.
Avi Loeb And The Search For Extraterrestrials
March 27, 2021 01:20 - 50 minutes - 2.94 KBIn 2017, a telescope on Maui spotted … something hurtling through our solar system. While much of the scientific community offered various explanations, astrophysicist Avi Loeb’s stood out: This, he asserted, was a piece of alien technology.
Bari Weiss On Cancel Culture
March 25, 2021 22:23 - 49 minutes - 2.92 KBJournalist and author Bari Weiss believes that cancel culture is damaging cherished American ideals like free speech and thought, pluralism and the presumption of innocence.
George Takei On America’s Anti-Asian History
March 18, 2021 22:24 - 51 minutes - 3 KBWith the enactment of President Franklin Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066, roughly 120,000 Japanese Americans were imprisoned by their own government during the Second World War. The actor and activist George Takei was one of them.
Through The Lens: ‘Rebel Hearts’
March 18, 2021 22:20 - 51 minutes - 3.01 KBAs protests and calls for social reforms swept through the country in the 1960s, a group of nuns in Los Angeles saw the need for change in their own conservative, cloistered world.
Mark Hofmann Part Two: The LDS Church
March 13, 2021 00:05 - 50 minutes - 2.94 KBFor the second part of our Mark Hofmann coverage, we take a closer look at one aspect of Hofmann’s strange story: his dealings with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Brian Greene: ‘The End Of Time’
March 11, 2021 22:57 - 50 minutes - 2.94 KBTheoretical physicist Brian Greene has a special talent: He can explain complicated scientific principles in a way that makes them comprehensible to the layperson.
Brian Greene: ‘Until The End Of Time’
March 11, 2021 22:57 - 50 minutes - 2.94 KBTheoretical physicist Brian Greene has a special talent: He can explain complicated scientific principles in a way that makes them comprehensible to the layperson.
Mark Hofmann Part One: Jared Hess And Tyler Measom
March 06, 2021 01:08 - 49 minutes - 2.91 KBOctober 15, 1985 was one of those idyllic Salt Lake City fall days: deep blue skies, trees covered in red and gold leaves. And then, two pipe bombs exploded in different parts of the city, killing two people.
John Colapinto: ‘This Is The Voice’
March 05, 2021 22:13 - 1 hour - 3.94 KBHow much can you know about someone just from hearing their voice? According to journalist John Colapinto, more than you might think.
Jared Hess And Tyler Measom On ‘Murder Among The Mormons’
March 05, 2021 01:08 - 49 minutes - 2.91 KBOctober 15, 1985 was one of those idyllic Salt Lake City fall days: deep blue skies, trees covered in red and gold leaves. And then, two pipe bombs exploded in different parts of the city, killing two people.
Steve Urquhart’s Spiritual Trip
February 26, 2021 23:32 - 51 minutes - 3 KBIn 2020, former Utah State legislator Steve Urquhart founded a religion. Their sacrament? Magic mushrooms.
Ex-Mormons And Psychedelics
February 26, 2021 18:00 - 51 minutes - 3 KBThere’s a community of former members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who believe they’ve found healing and discovered a new sense of spirituality in magic mushrooms.
RadioWest Book Club: 'Brave New World'
February 25, 2021 00:31 - 40 minutes - 2.39 KBOn Monday, Feb. 22, 2021, the RadioWest Book Club met via Zoom with David Dunaway to discuss "Brave New World," by Aldous Huxley.
Avalanches And The Human Factor
February 20, 2021 00:49 - 51 minutes - 3.01 KBOn Feb. 6 of this year, two groups of skiers went into Salt Lake City’s Millcreek Canyon for a day of powdery ski runs in the backcountry.
Trump’s Impact on Western Land
February 06, 2021 04:03 - 51 minutes - 3.02 KBThis Friday on RadioWest , we’re examining former-President Trump’s impact on the environment and public lands here in the West. Like so many issues these days, this is divisive territory.
Psychologist Maria Konnikova On 'The Biggest Bluff'
February 05, 2021 23:08 - 51 minutes - 3 KBMaria Konnikova was having a bad year. So, to help pull herself out, this Harvard-trained psychologist decided to take up high stakes, competitive poker as a way to study human behavior.
Sundance: ‘Touch of the Master’s Hand’
February 03, 2021 16:06 - 51 minutes - 3 KBGregory Barnes begins his Sundance short with this quote from former-LDS church president Gordon B. Hinkley: “In these latter-days, pornography has spread further, and reaches wider, than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is a tragic evil among us.”
Sundance: ‘Summer of Soul’
February 03, 2021 03:54 - 48 minutes - 2.86 KBWhile Woodstock dominated the music news in 1969, down in New York City, the Harlem Cultural Festival provided its 300,000 attendees with something more than sex, drugs and rock and roll. It gave many of them hope.
Sundance: ‘Misha and the Wolves’
February 01, 2021 04:12 - 49 minutes - 2.9 KBIt had all the makings of a Hollywood blockbuster: The memoir of a young Jewish girl living in Germany in the 1940s who escaped Nazi persecution by fleeing to the woods and living with a pack of wolves.
Sundance: ‘Playing With Sharks’
January 30, 2021 02:28 - 49 minutes - 2.91 KBIf you’ve seen the 1975 blockbuster Jaws , you’ll likely remember the scene when a great white shark attacks the cage holding Richard Dreyfuss’ character – a real-life moment captured not by Steven Spielberg, but by marine filmmaker Valerie Taylor.
Sundance: ‘Bring Your Own Brigade’
January 29, 2021 18:00 - 49 minutes - 2.92 KBRaging, out-of-control wildfires have become part of the new normal, especially here in the increasingly arid West. But why? Why are wildfires getting bigger and harder to put out?
How Can We Heal America?
January 22, 2021 23:24 - 51 minutes - 3 KBThis week, newly-inaugurated President Joe Biden told the country that restoring the soul of America will require more than words; it "requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy: unity."
Robert Stickgold and Antonio Zadra On Dreams
January 22, 2021 00:05 - 55 minutes - 3.24 KBWhy do we dream? That’s one of the questions that Antonio Zadra and Robert Stickgold are trying to answer in their book, When Brains Dream: Exploring the Science and Mystery of Sleep .
How Ammon Bundy Influenced Far Right Extremism
January 15, 2021 23:48 - 54 minutes - 3.19 KBIn recent months, Ammon Bundy has made a name for himself as the de-facto leader of the anti-mask, health-freedom movement in Idaho. But it's his past actions that are giving some additional cause for concern in the waning days of the Trump presidency.
Through The Lens: ‘76 Days’
January 15, 2021 02:09 - 49 minutes - 2.91 KBIn January 2020, the majority of the world was unaware that a health crisis had hit Wuhan, China. Medical professionals and patients there quickly found themselves in a desperate situation, while their government worked to keep the story from spreading.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox
January 08, 2021 23:02 - 54 minutes - 3.2 KBThis week, Spencer Cox became Utah’s 18th governor. He takes office during a deep political divide, a global pandemic and an economic crisis. So, what are his plans to see Utah safely through this difficult time?
Daniel Lieberman On Why We Avoid Exercise
January 08, 2021 00:03 - 50 minutes - 2.94 KBThe new year means a lot of us are committing to new exercise routines — routines we’re going to “get right” this time. Only, what if we didn’t evolve to exercise at all?
Good Habits, Bad Habits
January 01, 2021 22:55 - 50 minutes - 2.94 KBFor the new year, we’re sharing our conversation with psychologist Wendy Wood, who told us that changing habits and keeping goals isn’t about willpower — it’s about tapping into our unconscious selves.
The Lost Art Of Scripture
December 31, 2020 23:24 - 50 minutes - 2.94 KBOn this New Year’s Day, we’re revisiting our 2019 conversation with religious scholar Karen Armstrong about the history of sacred text.
The Story Of Handel’s 'Messiah'
December 23, 2020 05:08 - 50 minutes - 2.95 KBHandel’s Messiah is likely the world’s most famous oratorio – it’s certainly the most performed. But what's the story behind it?
Two Classic Christmas Stories
December 23, 2020 05:06 - 59 minutes - 3.51 KBOn this 2020 Christmas, we know the holiday will look different than it has in years past, distanced as many of us are from family and loved ones. RadioWest’s gift to you is something familiar – two of our favorite holiday stories.
McKay Coppins On The LDS Church’s Identity Crisis
December 18, 2020 23:47 - 49 minutes - 2.92 KBIn a new article for The Atlantic , staff writer McKay Coppins, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, writes that members of the LDS Church spent 200 years assimilating to the American ideal, only to have the country leave them behind.
Through The Lens: ‘Jingle Bell Rocks!’
December 18, 2020 22:59 - 51 minutes - 3 KBHumbugs may sneer, but filmmaker Mitchell Kezin is obsessed with Christmas music, and he isn’t alone.
RadioWest Book Club: 'Just Mercy'
December 17, 2020 17:50 - 48 minutes - 2.83 KBOn Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, the RadioWest Book Club met via Zoom with Jennifer Springer to discuss "Just Mercy," by Bryan Stevenson. GUEST Jennifer Springer is the Managing Attorny for the Rocky Mountain Innocence Center . RadioWest excutive producer Cristy Meiners led this disucssion.
Rebecca Wragg Sykes On Why Neanderthals Matter
December 12, 2020 03:33 - 49 minutes - 2.92 KBThe pop culture stereotype of a Neanderthal – even the word itself – conjures the image of a stumbling buffoon, dressed in a loincloth, banging some rocks together. But who actually were our ancient relatives?
Fareed Zakaria’s Post-Pandemic Lessons
December 10, 2020 21:07 - 50 minutes - 2.94 KBWhat have you learned in the pandemic? Go ahead, make a list. Maybe you learned how to bake sourdough bread, took up knitting or perhaps you learned how our current system of government hasn’t been working for everyone.
Land Art, ‘2001’ And Utah’s Mysterious Obelisk
December 04, 2020 18:00 - 51 minutes - 3.01 KBHow can a simple column of metal capture the world’s imagination? Easy: Put it in Utah’s Red Rock Country and suggest it’s the work of extraterrestrial beings.
The Power Of Touch
December 03, 2020 22:13 - 51 minutes - 3 KBThe COVID-19 pandemic has created a world where we humans don’t touch each other nearly as much as we used to. How will a touchless world change us? Neuroscientist David Linden told us that touch is crucial to early human development, even more so than being able to see or hear. And touch is key to life satisfaction and happiness when we’re older, too. (Even basketball teams have more wins when team members positively touch each other.) But after the pandemic ends, will people even want to to...
RadioWest's 2020 Holiday Books Show
November 27, 2020 22:47 - 50 minutes - 2.95 KBThe holidays aren’t the holidays around here if we don’t check in with our three local booksellers for gift ideas and cozy winter reads, even if we have to do it via Zoom this year.
Historian John Turner On The Plymouth Pilgrims
November 26, 2020 22:43 - 49 minutes - 2.89 KB400 years ago this month, a group of separatists from the Church of England landed in the New World looking for religious freedoms. But what did freedom really mean to this small band? Many of us grew up hearing an idealistic tale of the Mayflower and its cargo of “spiritual pilgrims” that in recent years, scholars have largely overturned with a darker, more violent story. In his new book They Knew They Were Pilgrims, historian John Turner offers a more nuanced look at the Plymouth Colony and...
The History of Vaccines
November 21, 2020 02:11 - 51 minutes - 3.01 KBWith the news this week that a COVID-19 vaccine is well underway, we’re taking a look at the historic origins of immunizations.
How We Breathe
November 19, 2020 23:18 - 49 minutes - 2.92 KBTake a breath. Like, right now. Did you use your nose or your mouth? Turns out, that matters.