Universities are one of the most hallowed institutions in our society — but critics argue they’re closer to hedge funds that conduct classes. Higher education is largely tax-exempt, based on the idea that universities benefit the public at large, including the communities where they are located. Yet urbanist and historian Davarian Baldwin argues that cities … Continued


Pushing Limits

Two Writers; Three Books – Pushing Limits – May 5, 2023

Interviews with two authors with disabilities who have written books from their lived expertise. Stephanie Heit is the author of Psych Murders, a poetic memoir of her encounters with the psychiatric medical system.  Dr. Sami Schalk, professor of gender studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, discusses her book, Bodyminds Imagined: (Dis)ability, Race, and Gender in … Continued


Pirates are some of the most immediately recognizable figures in popular culture –- and some of the most inaccurately represented. Historian Marcus Rediker argues that the actual pirates who lived during the 17th and 18th centuries created a remarkably egalitarian world for themselves at sea, democratically electing their leaders and sharing their takings equally. Resources: … Continued


The poorest and most vulnerable regularly find themselves at the mercy of the juvenile and criminal justice systems – through policing and detention, of course, but also child removals and child support, property seizure, and probation. Scholar and lawyer Daniel Hatcher illustrates how U.S. courts, prosecutors, sheriffs, and probation departments are generating vast amounts of … Continued