714. The Edge of Space-Time with Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

When you subscribed to this podcast, I bet you thought, “When is Sarah going to interview an expert on theoretical physics ?” Today is your day!

My guest is Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein author of the book The Edge of Space-Time: Particles, Poetry, and the Cosmic Dream Boogie.

And if you’re thinking, I was really bad at physics – don’t worry, so was I. I found this book to be both incredibly engaging and just the right amount of challenging. Dr. Prescod-Weinstein is going to explain space-time, and how theoretical physics, Black feminist theory, Robert Frost, and the cosmos are all connected.

If you held your breath during the liftoff of Artemis II, and were crying when they splashed down safety, not to worry – so was I. I was extremely excited to interview Dr. Prescod-Weinstein, and the timing is perfect. We are in good hands.

NB: The transcript is already here! 

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Here are the books we discuss in this podcast:

You can find Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein’s

• Personal website: http://chanda.science
• Newsletter: http://news.chanda.science
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chanda.prescod.weinstein/
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/chanda.bsky.social

You can find the abstract for her work, “The Cosmos is a Black Aesthetic” at Duke University Press.

We also mentioned NASA’s image collection. 

And you can watch Dr. Prescod-Weinstein’s interview at Hot 97 on YouTube.

Support for this episode comes from The Awkward Agenda, an open-door romance featuring friends-to-lovers, found family, and pirate cosplay, from author Beth Morton.

Cali Barton is sick of playing a background character in her own life. Her plan to rock the world at her new job falls flat after she overhears her co-workers gossiping about her for being standoffish and her boss decides to coach her on her “approachability.” Turns out that for Cali, being quiet and thoughtful somehow translates to “wrong.”

Enter Simon Goldberg, her upstairs neighbor. While Cali spent her childhood flying under the radar, Simon’s Tourette syndrome taught him to roll with the punches. Simon believed he had made peace with his diagnosis. But when the company publishing his graphic novel wants him to go on tour to promote his work, Simon is panicked at the prospect. Television appearances? He’ll either make a fool of himself or become, ewww, an “inspiring story.”

When Simon comes across Cali, he offers to help her dismantle her social anxiety by taking her on a tour of the kind of awkward experiences she’s avoided. Helping her makes him realize just how closed off his own life has become, and having someone to laugh with makes opening up far easier. They learn to see one another for who they really are – but trusting themselves doesn’t come easy, and letting go is the hardest trick of all.

The Awkward Agenda has excellent averages on StoryGraph and Goodreads, and the reviews on Goodreads for this book are so thoughtful!

One reader wrote,

“There is something incredibly tender about watching two people decide—sometimes clumsily, sometimes bravely—to take up space in their own lives.

Simon’s idea of an “awkward agenda” — intentionally pushing Cali into situations she’d normally avoid — becomes the heartbeat of the story. But what makes this romance shine is that it’s never about fixing one another. It’s about witnessing.”

And one reader said, “I wish I had a bigger audience so I could tell more people about this book. It feels criminally under-reviewed. I’m really hoping it gets the attention it deserves, because it truly is fantastic.”

The Awkward Agenda by Beth Morton is available now digitally in Kindle Unlimited, and in print from retailers everywhere.