How To Academy Podcast

For the past four years, Ed Miliband has been discovering and interviewing brilliant people all around the world who are successfully tackling the biggest problems we face, transforming communities and pioneering global movements. In this podcast, he draws on the most imaginative and ambitious of these ideas to provide a vision for the kind of society we need. He presents an inspiring array of real solutions to the toughest and most urgent of these problems, and argue that the key to success is to raise our sights and think big. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bringing together leading Afghan politician and women’s rights advocate Fawzia Koofi, who was a member of the recent delegation negotiating peace with the Taliban; Sunday Times chief foreign correspondent Christina Lamb; and award-winning war correspondent and New Yorker writer Jon Lee Anderson, this podcast explores both the transformation of everyday life in Afghanistan and the major humanitarian and political questions presented by the new status quo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Old Winchelsea to Skara Brae, Matthew Green transports us to Britain's shadowlands - the once thriving towns and cities that are now lost to time and memory.Drowned by storms. Buried by sand. Requisitioned by the army. One of Britain's most exciting young historians, Matthew Green has travelled the British Isles in search of the remnants of settlements that once adorned the nation's map - until nature, disease, politics or economics reduced them to ruins. In this episode of the podcast, he shares stories of medieval boomtowns, an ancient settlement that predates the pyramids, and many more highlights that cannot be found in any contemporary tourist's guidebook. In the face of climate change and other major historical forces, this tour of Britain's shadowlands serves as a powerful reminder of the transcience not only of our own lives, but of the manmade world itself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our family relationships fundamentally influence our health and happiness -- but we think too narrowly about the impact of our families on our lives.In this episode of the podcast, bestselling psychotherapist Julia Samuel turns from her acclaimed work with individuals to draw on her sessions with a wide variety of families. She explores a range of common issuUncovering how deeply we are influenced by our families, she offers a moving and reassuring meditation that, amidst trauma and hardship, will tell us unforgettable stories of forgiveness, learning and love. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1982, East Germany's fearsome secret police - convinced that writers were embedding subversive messages in their work - decided to train their own writers, weaponising poetry in the struggle against the class enemy.Journalist Philip Oltermann spent five years rifling through Stasi files, digging up lost volumes of poetry from musty basements, and tracking down the surviving members of the circle to uncover the little-known story of this famously ruthless intelligence agency's obsession with literature. In this episode of the podcast, he joins us to reveal what he discovered.Praise for Philip Oltermann's The Stasi Poetry Circle:'A magnificent book . . . at once touching, exquisite, devastating and extraordinary.' - Philippe Sands'A vivid, funny, and imperturbable portrait of Soviet Russia's most loyal satellite.' - Nell Zink'Grippingly well-written' Anthony Quinn, Observer'Oltermann's own prose is fast-moving and lucid, with a enjoyably pulpy, hardboiled quality' TelegraphThe podcast is presented in partnership with Surfshark. Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/HOWTOPOD - Enter promo code HOWTOPOD for 83% off and 3 extra months free. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The concept of a shared, single heritage and culture is central to Vladimir Putin’s justification for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But what is the true story of the two nations, and how can it illuminate the nature of the conflict? This episode of the podcast brings together historian Simon Sebag Montefiore, whose books on Russia include The Romanovs and Stalin - The Court of the Red Tzar, and award-winning foreign correspondent Luke Harding, who was expelled from Russia by the Kremlin in 2011 in the first act of its kind since the end of the cold war. Together they reflect on the deep roots of the conflict and share their insights in the ongoing invasion.The podcast is presented in partnership with Surfshark. Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/HOWTOPOD - Enter promo code HOWTOPOD for 83% off and 3 extra months free. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Max Porter broke new ground with his highly-original debut Grief is a Thing With Feathers, and firmly established himself as a major literary talent with his second novel Lanny. The cult author joined us to explore his latest and most ambitious novel yet: The Death of Francis Bacon, a collection of 'verbal paintings' depicting the final moments of the artist’s life. What responsibility does an author owe to their subject, and to their audience, in the age of the Internet? Is culture becoming less tolerant of ambiguity? How far can a novelist experiment before commercial considerations kick in? Max answers all these questions and more -- and gives us a breathtaking performance from the new novel quite unlike any literary reading you've ever heard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alan Moore, a transformative force in comic books, revolutionized the genre, inspiring many literary giants. Joining him is B. Catling, a sculptor, poet, and author known for his imaginative narratives. They delve into how imagination shapes storytelling, contrasting it with reality's limitations. The duo discusses the intricate relationship between creativity and societal narrative, especially in times of turmoil. They also emphasize the evolution of ideas in writing while encouraging listeners to embrace their inherent imaginative abilities.

Food writers Olia Hercules and Alissa Timoshkina have been friends since university and together they have come together to launch #CookForUkraine - a campaign which aims to raise awareness and funds through a shared appreciation of the rich tradition of Ukrainian cooking with supper clubs, events and encouraging people to share recipes, along with the stories behind the dishes. In its first weeks they have whipped up an extraordinary amount of support from everyone from Jamie Oliver to Nigella Lawson as well as numerous restaurants and institutions.Here they talk to Hannah MacInnes about the campaign, about the war and the tragic impact it is having on both the people of Ukraine and of Russia, on their families and friends, the strong cultural ties between the two countries, their rich culinary traditions and much more.Please head to their website and justgiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cookforukraine to find out more and to donate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this engaging discussion, David Wengrow, an archaeologist and co-author of The Dawn of Everything, shares groundbreaking insights into the origins of human civilization. He challenges traditional narratives, presenting archaeological evidence of complex societies long before agriculture. Wengrow and Yanis Varoufakis explore non-hierarchical urban life, rethink economic myths surrounding barter, and discuss how indigenous critiques have shaped Enlightenment thought. Their conversation invites listeners to reconsider historical assumptions and envision a more nuanced future.