Christopher Lydon in conversation with Bina Venkataraman
Manship Artists Residency + Studios (MARS) presents “Can We Talk?,” a live interview with public radio host Christopher Lydon and author Bina Venkataraman at the Shalin Liu Performance Theater in Rockport, MA. Filmed on February 28, 2020, this 30-minute excerpt from their hour-long conversation highlights the discussion between Bina and Chris about Venkataraman’s new book entitled, The Optimist’s Telescope, Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age and her role as Editorial Page Editor at The Boston Globe.
Named a Best Book of 2019 by NPR, The Optimist’s Telescope asks the question – “How might we mitigate losses caused by shortsightedness?” Bina Venkataraman, a former journalist and adviser to the Obama administration, sees the way forward. Venkataraman urges us to make decisions that will benefit us overtime and which will serve not only those alive today, but generations to come. Their discussion and the theme of the book collided in relevance during the 2020 coronavirus crisis.
Manship Artists Residency + Studios produced and created this event as part of its artist residency program. Bina Venkataraman and her husband, painter Andrew Fish, were artists in residence during the inaugural season of the Manship Artists Residency in Spring 2019.
ORDERING BINA’S BOOK
Share this insightful book with your friends and neighbors — ask your local library to purchase it for your community! The Optimist’s Telescope also can be ordered through your local independent book store and online from Penguin Random House.
Praise for The Optimist’s Telescope:
“How might we mitigate losses caused by shortsightedness? Bina Venkataraman, a former climate adviser to the Obama administration, brings a storyteller’s eye to this question. . . . She is also deeply informed . . . heed Venkataraman’s impassioned call for making a commitment to future change.” —The New York Times Book
