The heart and heartbreak of the American South

Imagine what you can learn about a city by picking up the garbage of the people who live there. Simon Paré-Poupart, a sociologist and garbageman in Montreal, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his life on the back of a garbage truck, why he prefers the term G-men to garbagemen, and the people who are called to do this dirty job well and with pride. His book is “Trash!: A Garbageman’s Story,” and his companion piece in Harper’s is “The Conscience of the City.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

In many Black households of yesteryear, portraits of Martin Luther King, Jr. hung alongside pictures of John F. Kennedy and Jesus. Sharron Wilkins Conrad, fellow at Southern Methodist University’s Center for Presidential History, joins guest host John McCaa to discuss how Black families viewed martyred leaders who advocated for change and how that respect didn’t extent to President Johnson, who was tasked with actually passing Civil Rights legislation. Her book is “The Trinity: John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Civil Rights in African American Memory.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Soccer has a massive following around the world. So why do teams lose money? Stefan Szymanski is professor of sport management at the University of Michigan and a leading sports economist. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why, with all the money and sponsorships and hype around professional soccer teams, they operate on thin margin and how “moneyball” style analytics could change the game. His book, written with co-author Simon Kuper, is “Soccernomics (2026 World Cup Edition): Why European Men and American Women Usually Winand American Men Don’t (Yet).”   Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The new American pope has been a very vocal critic of American foreign and domestic policy. Victor Gaetan, senior international correspondent for National Catholic Register, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss Pope Leo’s policies which have been met with ire by President Trump why he is orienting the church away from Europe and the West to be more global, and what Catholics think of him so far. His article “The Not-So-Quiet American” was published in Foreign Affairs. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Microbes have lived on this planet since long before humans, and they’ll be here long after we’re gone. Shayla Love is a journalist who writes about science, health and the mind. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss these masters of evolution that can mutate in a single generation, why climate change is making harmful microbes adapt even faster, and the good news about how these organisms are good for our body and our planet. Her article “Breeding Ground” was published by The New Yorker. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The damage caused by alcohol costs Americans billions of dollars, and it largely goes unnoticed. Isabella Cueto, chronic disease reporter for Stat, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the harms of alcohol from elevated cancer risk to liver damage to its impact on violent crime and why public health officials don’t seem to have a cohesive strategy to combat its very real consequences. Her series, written with Lev Facher, is “The Deadliest Drug.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

For two-time National Book Award winner Jesymn Ward, the deep South is the only place she can call home. The author talks with host Krys Boyd about the pain and heartbreak she’s felt in rural Mississippi, why the draw of family keeps hope alive, and why she writes for anyone experiencing loss or grief. Her book of essays is “On Witness and Respair.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Creativity knows no bounds but it’s best captured within set limits. Author and journalist David Epstein joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why too many choices make it hard to start a project, how to avoid leaning on the status quo when we don’t know where to start, and how we can unlock our unlimited potential. His book is “Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Iran was filled with hope during the 1979 revolution; that was soon dashed. Yeganeh Torbati is a correspondent for The New York Times covering Iran, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss Iran’s recent history from the promise of democracy to oppressive rule and further corruption and why the killing of leader Ali Khamenei signals more bad news for the country. Plus, we’ll hear about the people still there fighting for democracy. Her book, written with Bozorgmehr Sharafedin, is “Stolen Revolution: Betrayal and Hope in Modern Iran.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

To really understand the nuts and bolts of economics, look to the black market. Alvin E. Roth is Craig and Susan McCaw Professor of Economics at Stanford University and the George Gund Professor of Economics and Business Administration Emeritus at Harvard University. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2012. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his work on organ donation which led him to study what he called “repugnant transactions” like sex and drugs and why he feels banning them completely doesn’t always have the effect we think it does. His book is “Moral Economics: From Prostitution to Organ Sales, What Controversial Transactions Reveal About How Markets Work.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices