Getting Curious With Jonathan Van Ness

Refresh your beach playlist with a second serving of Getting Curious LIVE! For our last episode of the summer season, we’re giving you a taste of some top-shelf interviews recorded on Kesha's Weird & Wonderful Rainbow Ride Cruise, at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, and backstage at Jonathan’s Road to Beijing tour in Brisbane.   Featuring interviews with Detox, Thorgy Thor, Bob The Drag Queen, Erin Gibson, Nicole Byer, and Mawaan Rizwan.   Find out what today’s guests and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com, and full versions of each of the conversations excerpted in today’s episode are available for free wherever you’re listening to the show. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podca

We’re celebrating the dog days of summer with two weeks’ worth of our favorite Getting Curious tapings from festivals, tour stops, and even a cruise. This week, cool down with interviews recorded live at Clusterfest and Outside Lands in San Francisco, and Vulture Fest in New York. The guests are amazing, the humor is on point, and the admission is free. Featuring interviews with Cat Cohen, Ayo Edebiri, Julio Torres, Jaboukie Young-White, Michelle Wolf, Florence Welch, and Justin Theroux. Find out what today’s guests and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join Jonathan and archaeologist James Doyle as they explore early Mesoamerican arts, cultures, and communities on this week’s Getting Curious. Listen in to learn about the numeral and writing systems that connected Mesoamerican societies thousands of years ago, the significance of commodities like jade and marine shell, and the ways in which Mesoamerican traditions continue today.   James Doyle is an assistant curator in the Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. James is on Twitter @JamesDoyleMet and on Instagram @jamesdoylenyc.   Want to learn more? Check out some of James’ writing for the Met, including: Ancient Maya Sculpture Ancient Maya Painted Ceramics Olmec Art Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to

We are in for a real treat this week as Dr. Sarah-Elizabeth Byosiere joins Jonathan for an episode all about dogs! How do dogs perceive colors and sounds? What are best practices for dog training? Is alpha behavior a real thing? And are Jonathan’s dogs Pablo and Elton on track to be best friends?!   Sarah-Elizabeth Byosiere, Ph.D., is the Director of the Thinking Dog Center and Assistant Professor at Hunter College (CUNY) where she focuses on studying the behavior and cognition of domestic dogs, and occasionally cats.   You can follow Dr. Byosiere on Twitter @SEByosiere, and follow the Thinking Dog Center on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @HunterTDC.   Want to learn more about dog behavior? Here are some recommended resources: How to Choose a Dog Trainer Guide to Cooperative Care Companion Animal Psychology Blog Bark Magazine Fear Free Pets Whole Dog Journal The Other End of the Leash Blog Pet Professional Guild IAABC Foundation Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by foll

One in four women and one in two trans people will experience intimate partner violence in the United States, and the primary obstacle to safety for survivors is financial security. Sonya Passi joins Jonathan to discuss what it looks like to reframe intimate partner violence as a structural economic issue, and what it will take to give survivors the support they need to thrive.   As a sensitivity warning, this episode discusses intimate partner violence in detail. We hope that centering an episode on this important topic helps to bring awareness to survivors’ experiences, and the incredible work that Sonya and other advocates are doing through organizations like Freefrom.   Sonya Passi is the founder and CEO of FreeFrom, a national organization on a mission to create pathways to financial security and long-term safety for survivors of gender-based violence. Sonya and her work emphasize the creativity, resourcefulness, and power that each survivor has to achieve financial independence, and to build communi

On the eve of the Tokyo Olympics, we’re turning our attention to another era of athletic competitions: the ancient Olympics. Professors Sarah E. Bond and Joel Christensen join Jonathan to discuss these early games and what they reveal about ancient Greek and Roman politics, religions, gender roles, and more. After you listen, make sure to check out Dr. Bond’s first appearance on the show: Would I Have Been The Toast Of The Ancient Mediterranean? Sarah E. Bond is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Iowa and the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Her book, Trade and Taboo: Disreputable Professionals in the Roman Mediterranean, was published with the University of Michigan Press in 2016. Follow her on Twitter @SarahEBond. Joel Christensen is Professor and Chair of Classical Studies and Senior Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs at Brandeis University. He also runs the blog sententiaeantiquae.com and the associated Ancient Greek and Roman (and Cats) Twitter account @sentantiq. He has published

This week on Getting Curious, we’re going from table to farm to learn more about where our food comes from, and who is producing it. Activist and lawyer Mónica Ramírez joins Jonathan to discuss the history of farmwork in the United States, the labor conditions facing contemporary farmworkers, and the work she and her peers are doing to prioritize legal and mental health support for farmworker communities.   Mónica Ramírez is an attorney, author and activist. She is the founder of Justice for Migrant Women and co-founder of Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, The Latinx House, and Poderistas (formerly She Se Puede). Mónica has received numerous awards, including Harvard Kennedy School’s first Gender Equity Changemaker Award, Feminist Majority’s Global Women’s Rights Award and the Smithsonian’s 2018 Ingenuity Award. She was named to Forbes Mexico’s 100 Most Powerful Women’s 2018 list and TIME Magazine included her in its 2021 TIME100 Next list. Mónica is also an inaugural member of the Ford Global Fellowship. F

This week on Getting Curious, Sister District’s Lala Wu and Gaby Goldstein are here to remind us that there are no off-year elections, only odd-year elections—and we’re in the midst of a major campaign season. Lala and Gaby break down why this year’s state legislature races are a bellwether for the midterms, what’s going on with redistricting, and how you can get involved in electing progressives across the country. Once you’ve listened to the episode, make sure to check out Gaby’s first appearance on Getting Curious, in 2018 (“How Do We Flip Red States Blue In The Midterms?”) and head over to Instagram for a 2020 conversation with Sister District’s Rita Bosworth. Sister District is a grassroots organization of over 50,000 members, which provides hands-on field and fundraising support to endorsed state legislative candidates. Sister District Action Network, their affiliated c4, focuses on political research, civic engagement and state legislator support. You can learn more at https://sisterdistrict.com/. S

Last June, LGBTQIA+ activist, journalist, and media personality Ashlee Marie Preston joined Jonathan on Instagram Live for a conversation about Pride, racial justice, and everyday acts of resistance. To round out Pride this year, we’re releasing that conversation as a podcast episode.   Follow Ashlee Marie Preston on Instagram @ashleemariepreston and Twitter @AshleeMPreston, and learn more about her work at YouAreEssential.org. Make sure to revisit her first appearance on Getting Curious, recently released from our archives: “Am I A Self-Karen?”   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. While you're on Instagram, check out some of our other Instagram Live conversations with activists, politicians, scientists, and more friends of the show. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is

This week on Getting Curious, Jonathan and David Yi explore the history of beauty beyond the gender binary. Listen in to learn about Neanderthals who used highlighters, Korean warriors who invented three-in-one sticks, ancient Egyptians who relied on anti-aging creams, and more stunning historical figures.   David Yi is the co-founder of good light, a gender-inclusive beauty brand, and editor of Very Good Light, a men's and masc-identifying beauty publication. They are the author of the new book PRETTY BOYS, which honors beauty icons past and present who have redefined masculinity and gender expression.   You can find David on Twitter and Instagram @seoulcialite; good light is @goodlight.world; and Very Good Light is at @verygoodlight.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by head

This week, Professor Jue Guo returns to Getting Curious, which means we are returning to Early China! She and Jonathan discuss what a week in the life might look like for a royal hairdresser, a performance artist, a regional king, and other figures from this period and place. This episode can be enjoyed on its own, but if you can’t get enough of Early China, make sure to check out Professor Guo’s first appearance on the show, where we ask: Can You Set The Scene For Early China? Jue Guo is an Assistant Professor of Barnard College in New York City. She is a social and cultural historian of Early China (terminus ante quem ca. 3rd century CE), with a geographical focus on southern China. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and

Put on your ruby red slippers and click your heels three times, because this week’s episode of Getting Curious is taking us to Kansas. Congresswoman Sharice Davids joins Jonathan to discuss her historic election (and re-election!); her experience representing Kansans in Congress; and her new children’s book Sharice’s Big Voice. Sharice Davids is currently serving as the representative for Kansas’ Third District in Congress. Sharice was raised by a single mom and worked her way from Johnson County Community College to Cornell Law School, juggling multiple jobs to put herself through school. In 2018, she became one of the first two Native American women ever to serve in Congress and the first LGBTQ+ person to represent Kansas in the House of Representatives. You can follow Representative Davids on Twitter @sharicedavids and Instagram @shariceforcongress. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are availabl

We are ringing in Pride Month with a very special episode of Getting Curious, recorded live from the set of Netflix’s Queer Eye. Listen in for sit-down interviews with Tan France, Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, and Antoni Porowski—and guest appearances from Queer Eye’s stellar production team.   You can follow the Fab Five on Instagram @tanfrance, @bobby, @karamo, and @antoni. Keep up with all things Queer Eye on Instagram @queereye.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Grab your Ugg boots and mini skirts and give three cheers for each of Carly Patterson's Olympic medals because this week on Getting Curious, 2004 is back in style. As billions of Brood X cicadas start to emerge across the eastern United States after 17 years, we’re re-releasing our episode from last summer with Dr. Jessica Ware, all about these trending insects.   Dr. Ware is a curator of Odonata and non-Holometabolous insect orders at the American Museum of Natural History, New York and a professor at the Richard Gilder Graduate School. You can follow Dr. Ware (and her amazing cicada coverage!) on Twitter @JessicaLWareLab and Instagram @jessicaleeware42.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan

It’s no secret that we rely on technology in our daily lives. So it shouldn’t be a secret how that technology works, who is developing it, and just how biased it can be. This week on Getting Curious, returning guest Meredith Broussard joins Jonathan to discuss how data rights are civil rights—and how we can all get involved in efforts to defend them.   Data journalist Meredith Broussard is an associate professor at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute of New York University, research director at the NYU Alliance for Public Interest Technology, and the author of “Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World.” Meredith is featured in the documentary Coded Bias, directed by Shalini Kantayya, now available to stream on Netflix.   You can follow Meredith on Twitter and Instagram @merbroussard, and keep up with her work at meredithbroussard.com. For more information on Coded Bias, head over to CodedBias.com and follow @codedbias on Instagram and Twitter.   Make sure to visit the film’

This week’s episode of Getting Curious isn’t a snack, it’s a whole meal. Culinary creator, writer, and video host Sohla El-Waylly joins Jonathan to discuss cooking basics, ancient recipes, and their shared affinity for a certain discontinued Taco Bell classic.   Sohla El-Waylly can currently be seen starring in The HISTORY® Channel’s online series Ancient Recipes with Sohla. Sohla is also currently one of the first-ever Resident Experts for Food52 with Off Script with Sohla, her curated monthly online column and video series. She is also a contributor to The New York Times Cooking vertical. You can keep up with Sohla’s work on Instagram @sohlae and at www.hellosohla.com.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @J

This week on Getting Curious, things are looking up: to Canada! Professor Jeffers Lennox joins Jonathan to discuss early Canadian history, including British, French, and Indigenous relations in northeastern North America; Canada’s role in the American Revolution; Canada’s confederation story; and what the deal actually was with Benedict Arnold.   Jeffers Lennox is an associate professor of History at Wesleyan University. His current book project is North of America: British Provinces, the Revolution, and Creating the United States (under contract, Yale University Press).   You can follow Jeffers on Twitter @jefferslennox, and keep up with his work at www.jefferslennox.com.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitte

This week on Getting Curious, Jonathan sits down with the creators and cast of Netflix’s new animated musical movie Arlo The Alligator Boy. Joining the discussion is director and writer Ryan Crego; supervising producer Blake Lemons; Mary Lambert, who plays Bertie; Michael J. Woodard, who plays Arlo—and Jonathan, who plays Furlecia! Listen in to learn all about the writing, casting, voiceover, and animation process.   You can follow Ryan on Instagram @creegsmamation; Blake @blahlemons; Michael @MichaelJWoodard; and Mary @MaryLambertSing. For more on Arlo The Alligator Boy, and the upcoming Netflix series I ♥ Arlo, follow @NetflixFamily on Instagram.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vannes

This week on Getting Curious, multidisciplinary visual artist Lanecia Rouse joins Jonathan to discuss how creative expression can help us make sense of our lives. Lanecia shares how she sources materials—like magazines, bricks, and strings—for her works; how she contends with questions of religion, grief, and joy in her art; and how she became a full-time artist.   Lanecia is a multidisciplinary visual artist based in Houston, TX and the owner and creator of LAR Art Studio. Her portfolio includes a range of abstract painting, photography, teaching, writing, speaking, and collaborative creative community engagement projects nationally and abroad.   You can follow Lanecia on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @larartstudio and keep up with her work at www.laneciarousetinsley.com.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com.

This week’s Getting Curious is going to the dogs—and the cats and the cows and the crocodiles! Philosopher and writer Eva Meijer joins Jonathan for a conversation about how non-human animals communicate, why humans have often underestimated other species’ capacity for language, and what we can do to build more sustainable, respectful relationships with other species.   Among Eva’s books is Animal Languages, recently translated into English by Laura Watkinson and published by MIT University Press. Follow Eva on Facebook and Twitter @meijereva, and on her website www.evameijer.nl.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.c