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When Neil Selkirk first saw one of Arbus’s photographs as a young man at someone’s house in London, it almost sent him screaming into the street. Unsettled and shaken, the encounter instead opened his eyes to the uncanny powers of photography. It turned Selkirk into an important photographer and, ultimately, an indispensable collaborator to some of the greatest photographers of all time, including Richard Avedon, Diane Arbus, and other greats. In our conversation on great photographers and the art of photography, based on Selkirk’s edited book Why Photographs?, we discuss essential dimensions of photography, including riveting detail, spontaneity, credibility, and the gift of chance, and how they were celebrated by early photographers but soon denounced by an establishment that saw photography as a threat to painting.
19 Oct 2026
Christmas Carols: An English Enchantment with John Potter (Yale UP, 2026)
The English Christmas carol has been sung in court and cloister, tavern and field since medieval times. But with the first Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols in 1880—and with a view to encouraging revellers into church—the humble carol became integral to the Christmas tradition. Carol concerts are attended all over the world, and the service at King’s College, Cambridge, has been broadcast since 1928 to millions of listeners.
In Christmas Carols: An English Enchantment (Yale University Press, 2026), singer and author John Potter guides us through the development of this unique tradition. Carols, originating as secular delights of the medieval and Tudor court and chapel, were brought by the Victorians to a new urban audience. Priests, poets, and composers have rearranged ancient songs and created new ones ever since, incorporating European carols into the evolving English tradition.
Taking us from their earliest origin to their flourishing during the early music revival, this is an enlightening account of a beloved phenomenon.
This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda’s interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts.
18 Oct 2026
Action Bodies: VFX, Identity, and Embodiment in Blockbuster Cinema with Drew Ayers (U Texas Press, 2026)
In Action Bodies: VFX, Identity, and Embodiment in Blockbuster Cinema, Drew Ayers (Eastern Washington University) examines how the contemporary action genre redefines embodiment across human, superhuman, animal, and machine forms. Ayers argues that action films are a crucial site for understanding how popular media both reflect and shape cultural debates about identity, citizenship, disability, and ethics in the era of big data and algorithmic culture.
Who has been a guest on New Books in Popular Culture
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Jim Cullen
Melissa Ziobro
Elana Levine
Tom Lutz
John Holmstrom
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Apple Podcasts (US)
3.5 / 5
8 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
5 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 26 / 100
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Quality
40
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
31
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