Get Lit, 'Fathom,' Gem Show

[REBROADCAST FROM DECEMBER 7, 2020] We’ll air our conversation with National Book Award winner, Pulitzer Prize finalist, and Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction winner, Louise Erdrich, from our latest Get Lit with All Of It book club about her new novel, The Night Watch Man. The book is inspired by the true story of Erdrich’s grandfather, a Chippewa man who fought to oppose the “Termination Bill,” an attempt by the federal government in the 1950s to terminate Native American rights.  [REBROADCAST FROM DECEMBER 7, 2020] As part of our latest Get Lit with All Of It book club, we’ll air a performance by singer-songwriter and activist, Buffy Sainte-Marie. A new documentary titled, “Fathom,” highlights the research of two scientists who have dedicated their lives to understanding whale culture and attempting to interpret whale communications. Director Drew Xanthopolous and Dr. Michele Fournet, a subject of the film who works to decode whale songs, join us to discuss the documentary, which premieres on June 25 on Apple TV+. The Gems and Minerals exhibits at the American Museum of Natural History have come back home to New York City where visitors can marvel at samples of vibrant, colorful and otherwise interesting products of our planet's geological churnings. Dr. George Harlow, a geologist and curator of the Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals, joins us to talk about the rocks and minerals on display, how nature made them, and how humanity has integrated these materials into its culture. Plus, we get a peek at the museum's other exhibitions, including their "Creatures of Light: Bioluminescent Animals Exhibition."