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Dr. Ibram X. Kendi is the Andrew Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University and the founding director of the BU Center for Antiracist Research. Kendi was recognized as one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World, and awarded a 2021 MacArthur Fellowship, popularly known as the Genius Grant. He joins to to discuss his new book, "How to Raise an Antiracist" (One World).

Vanessa Hua is a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle and the author of the novel “A River of Stars” and a story collection, “Deceit and Other Possibilities.”In her new novel “Forbidden City” (Ballentine Books) – it’s the eve of China’s Cultural Revolution and sixteen-year-old Mei dreams of becoming a model revolutionary. When the Communist Party recruits girls for a mysterious duty in the capital, she seizes the opportunity to escape her impoverished village. It is only when Mei arrives at the Chairman’s opulent residence—a forbidden city unto itself—that she learns that the girls’ job is to dance with the Party elites.

Shame is a powerful and sometimes useful tool: When we publicly shame corrupt politicians, abusive celebrities, or predatory corporations, we reinforce values of fairness and justice. But as Cathy O’Neil argues in "The Shame Machine" (Crown), shaming has taken a new and dangerous turn. It is increasingly being weaponized—used as a way to shift responsibility for social problems from institutions to individuals.

Bard SummerScape returns this year with eight weeks of live music, opera, dance, and theater. Highlights include the 32nd Bard Music Festival “Rachmaninoff and His World;” a new production of Strauss’s The Silent Woman, directed by Christian Räth; a World Premiere commission from Pam Tanowitz and David Lang; a new adaptation of Molière’s Dom Juan, directed by Ashley Tata; and more. Gideon Lester is Artistic Director of the Fisher Center at Bard and Senior Curator at the Open Society University Network’s Center for the Arts and Human Rights. A festival director, creative producer, and dramaturg, he has collaborated with and commissioned a broad range of American and international artists across disciplines.

This is our first show in June this year, and so much like it’s the beginning of June on the calendar, it’s also the beginning of June in the correct answers this week, which will each start with the letters JU.

Jacob’s Pillow gets underway soon for this summer’s Dance Festival, including 10 weeks of performances, talks, community events, exhibitions, and more. This year marks the 90th Anniversary Season of the Dance Festival, which will celebrate the reopening of the renovated Ted Shawn Theatre and a return to indoor performances at Jacob’s Pillow. There will be works that connect nine decades of Pillow history to genres that have never been a part of the Festival before. Jacob’s Pillow Executive and Artistic Director Pamela Tatge joins us.

Azar Nafisi, The New York Times bestselling author of "Reading Lolita in Tehran" returns with a guide to the power of literature in turbulent times, arming readers with a resistance reading list, ranging from James Baldwin to Zora Neale Hurston to Margaret Atwood. How can literature, through its free exchange, affect politics?

The Religious Right has acted as a social movement preoccupied with a number of cultural issues, such as abortion and same-sex marriage. In her deeply reported investigation, Katherine Stewart believes they are a political movement that seeks to gain power and to impose its vision on all of society. Her new book is: "The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism." Katherine Stewart writes about politics, policy, and religion for The New York Times, Washington Post, NBC, and The New Republic. Her previous book, "The Good News Club," was an examination of the religious right and public education.

Jim Kaat spent 25 years in the majors, pitching in the 50s and the 80s, and never really left, also working as a coach and broadcaster. And now, at age 83, the 16-time Gold Glover and winner of 283 games is finally being inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in July.

At many campuses, it’s the end of the semester for college students and their weary instructors alike. And that got me thinking about some famous college graduates.