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TED Talks Daily Book Club: Love Letter to a Garden | Debbie Millman
Debbie Millman, host of the Design Matters podcast, another podcast in the TED Audio Collective, doesn’t have a natural green thumb. But when the pandemic hit, she embraced the challenge and picked up gardening as a new hobby. As she learned to grow vegetables in her home garden, she realized the earth had much to teach her about growing as a human being, too.
Debbie documents this journey in her new book, “Love Letter to a Garden” — a visual story with bright illustrations and recipes from her partner, Roxane Gay. Joining host Elise Hu for this TED Talks Daily Book Club interview, Debbie shares the lessons she learned from her failures and successes in the garden. She also digs into reconnecting with the earth amid a climate crisis and getting inspired by the resilience of nature growing all around us.
The TED Talks Daily Book Club series features TED speakers discussing their latest books and exploring their ideas beyond the page. Stay tuned to our feed for more interviews like this one and for special live book club events open exclusively to TED members.
This interview was recorded live as part of the TED Membership program. TED Members are invited to attend our live recordings and participate in Q&As with authors. To join in on the fun, sign up at go.ted.com/membership
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TED Talks Daily Book Club: A Little Daylight Left | Sarah Kay
47:20|Sarah Kay is a spoken word poet and the author of the new poetry collection "A Little Daylight Left." In this TED Talks Daily Book Club interview with host Elise Hu, Kay reflects on her relationship with poetry — from reading the poems her parents left in her lunchbox to frequenting the local dive bar’s weekly poetry slam to becoming an “accidental ambassador” of spoken word. She also talks about how she uses different artistic mediums to invite others into poetry, showing how the art form can open you to community, healing and vulnerability.The TED Talks Daily Book Club series features TED speakers discussing their latest books and exploring their ideas beyond the page. Stay tuned to our feed for more interviews like this one and for special live book club events open exclusively to TED members.Let curiosity lead | Yara Shahidi
12:55|Don't second-guess what "distracts" you, says actor-producer Yara Shahidi; that's your curiosity coming through. The star of hit shows like "black-ish" and "grown-ish" tells how she learned to spot clues to her own future — and how you can, too.I'll probably lose my job to AI. Here's why that's OK | Megan J. McArdle
10:38|Artificial intelligence could cost many of us our careers — but that doesn’t mean we should stop its development, says journalist Megan J. McArdle. As she watches AI encroach on her own craft, she shares a fresh take on the 19th-century Luddites, who tried to destroy machines that would upend their trade. Looking back, McArdle reframes today’s fears with a poignant question: If we halt progress to protect the present, what might we be stealing from the future?The autism spectrum isn't what you think it is | Chloé Hayden
13:43|Actress Chloé Hayden is best known for her role as Quinnie on the popular TV show "Heartbreak High" — one of the first-ever autistic characters to actually be played by an autistic person. Now, she's inviting us to imagine a world where seeing autistic people in any role isn't groundbreaking, it's simply expected.The razor-thin line between contagion and connection | Dan Taberski
14:10|After a mysterious wave of tics and twitches swept through a small-town high school in New York, documentary podcaster Dan Taberski set out to investigate what was really happening. Drawing on extensive research and intimate interviews with the people involved, he explores the roots of mass hysteria — and what it reveals about the line between illness and belonging. What happens when the very thing that makes us sick ... is also what connects us?Let's get real about free speech | Greg Lukianoff
13:13|"Too many people believe in something closer to freedom from speech rather than freedom of speech," says attorney Greg Lukianoff. In a timely talk, he warns against the rise of "mob censorship" — and reminds us why free speech is the best check on power ever invented.The US bombed Iran. Now what? | TED Explains the World with Ian Bremmer
47:32|On June 21, the United States launched strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites, escalating the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. Political scientist Ian Bremmer explains why President Trump decided to bomb Iran, the risk of a broadening war and what to look for next at this uncertain moment. (This interview, hosted by TED’s Helen Walters, was recorded on June 22, 2025.)Sunday Pick: Kara Swisher | Design Matters
01:13:04|Tech journalist, opinion leader, and disruptor—Kara Swisher has hosted hundreds of newsmaking interviews tracking tech and media's changing power dynamics, often going head-to-head with the most prominent figures in the technology industry. She joins a live studio audience to talk about her inimitable career covering the ever-evolving world of technology.How do you prepare for jobs that don't exist yet? A work expert and a YouTuber answer | Jon Youshaei and Michelle Weise
28:39|Video creator Jon Youshaei and workplace expert Michelle Weise team up to crack the code on how to thrive through career chaos. They discuss how technological change is upending traditional career paths, explore the art of making your skills stand out and offer essential advice for young people entering the workforce. (This conversation is part of "TED Intersections," a series featuring thought-provoking conversations between experts navigating the ideas shaping our world.)