Big Books & Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller

Conversations on books and ideas, Fridays at 11 a.m.

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Annie Duke on how to get better at quitting
On this week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas: Why success means quitting more often. Annie Duke writes that we often stay at a job that makes us unhappy or hang onto a relationship that’s going nowhere because we associate quitting with failure. That’s wrong!
From the archives: John Tierney on the science behind willpower
If you like books that delve into fascinating science research, you’re in for a treat this week. Friday, on Big Books and Bold Ideas, host Kerri Miller talks with cognitive behaviorist and former professional poker player Annie Duke about the science of quitting. We’re teeing it up with another book that looks at why we do what we do: “Willpower,” the 2011 powerhouse work by psychiatrist Roy F. Baumeister and science journalist John Tierney.
David Treuer on the republishing of his first novel, 'Little'
David Treuer’s first novel, “Little,” was republished by Graywolf Press in November. What does Treuer think of his inaugural work now, almost 30 years after it was first released? And how has he grown as both a writer and a person? That’s the conversation on this week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas with host Kerri Miller.
From the archives: David Treuer on 'The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee'
David Treuer’s first novel, “Little,” is being republished this month by Graywolf Press. MPR News host Kerri Miller will talk to him about that on Friday’s Big Books and Bold Ideas. In the meantime, enjoy this 2019 conversation between the two about Treuer’s award-winning book, “The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee.”
It’s Jessie Burton week at Big Books and Bold Ideas. Enjoy a conversation from the archives, when host Kerri Miller talked with Burton about her runaway hit “The Miniaturist.” Then Friday, come back to hear a new discussion between the pair about “The House of Fortune,” which is a companion novel to “The Miniaturist” that was published earlier this year.
The 2022 season of Talking Volumes ended on a joyous, raucous note with poet Ross Gay. Don’t miss this rollicking conversation between Gay and host Kerri Miller as they talk about how to grow joy from the often messy and painful soil of living.
From the archives: Poet Tracy K. Smith at Talking Volumes in 2019
The season finale of the 2022 Talking Volumes season will appear on Big Books and Bold Ideas this week, featuring poet Ross Gay talking about joy. Enjoy this 2019 Talking Volumes conversation with another poet, Tracy K. Smith, as you anticipate what’s coming.
“Signal Fires” is Dani Shapiro’s much-anticipated return to fiction, and it examines how what binds families together can also tear them apart. She appeared on the Talking Volumes stage this month to talk with MPR News host Kerri Miller about her book and what she’s learned about family secrets.
From the archives: Dani Shaprio ponders marriage in 'Hourglass'
This Friday’s Big Books and Bold Ideas will feature last week’s Talking Volumes conversation between host Kerri Miller and author Dani Shapiro, where they ponder family secrets, shame and regret. While you wait, enjoy this archive discussion between Miller and Shapiro after the release of “Hourglass,” Shapiro’s memoir about marriage.