Episode 471

with Lulu Miller, Sopan Deb, and Moorea Masa

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello touch on some fascinating things that are mystifying listeners; writer and Radiolab co-host Lulu Miller unpacks the problematic practices of turn-of-the-century taxonomist David Starr Jordan, the subject of her book Why Fish Don't Exist; comedian and New York Times contributor Sopan Deb discusses his memoir Missed Translations about reconnecting with his immigrant parents; and Moorea Masa performs her single "Honey."

Lulu Miller
Writer

Lulu Miller is a science writer, author, and co-founder of NPR's program Invisibilia, a series focused on the unseen forces that control human behavior. Prior to creating Invisibilia, Lulu produced WNYC'S Radiolab and served as a reporter on the NPR Science Desk. As a reporter and writer, she has been recognized by the George Foster Peabody Awards, Third Coast International Audio Festival, and The Missouri Review, and her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, VQR, Orion, Electric Literature, Catapult, and elsewhere. Miller’s debut book, Why Fish Don't Exist, was published in April of 2020. Described as a nonfiction sci-thriller, Why Fish Don’t Exist seamlessly weaves elements of biography and memoir with the latest adventures in science, psychology, and philosophy. Website • Twitter

Sopan Deb
Journalist

Sopan Deb is a journalist, basketball writer, and culture contributor for The New York Times. Previously, he wrote and reported for The Boston Globe, NBC News, Al Jazeera, and CBS News, covering the campaigns of Marco Rubio, Lindsey Graham, Rand Paul and Donald Trump. Deb is also a comedian based in New York City, and in 2018 he appeared as a guest on The Special without Brett Davis. His memoir, Missed Translations: Meeting The Immigrant Parents Who Raised Me, was published in April of 2020 and chronicles his literal and emotional journeys to reconnect with his father in India and his mother in New Jersey. Twitter

Moorea Masa
Singer

Moorea Masa is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Raised in Portland by an Italian immigrant father and an African-American mother, Masa has toured with k.d. lang Allen Stone, and Big Wild, among others, and has supported other artists including Corrine Bailey Rae and Emily King. As part of Moorea Masa & The Mood, she released the full-length LP Shine a Light in 2018, and in 2021 she released the Heart in the Wild: Side A, which constitutes the first half of a forthcoming full-length LP. Website • Twitter • Spotify