December 23, 2025 - Ron Chernow, Tara Roberts, and a Victorian Gothic Thriller

Ron Chernow―prizewinning author of seven books, including the National Book Award winner “The House of Morgan,” the Pulitzer Prize winner “Washington: A Life,” and the George Washington Book Prize winner “Alexander Hamilton”―joins The Culture Show to talk about his new biography “Mark Twain.”    From there we talk to National Geographic Explorer  in Residence Tara Roberts. She joins The Culture Show to talk about her book “Written in the Waters: A memoir of History, Home and Belonging.” Finally, author JM Varese joins The Culture Show to talk about his latest novel, a Victorian Gothic thriller that is rooted in the real-life Victorian scandal when arsenic was used  to make decorative wallpaper. JM Varese is Director of Outreach for The Dickens Project at UC Santa Cruz.