Happy To Be Here

Greta Johnsen

4.8 (1.4K)
SOCIETY & CULTURE
UPDATED WEEKLY

Happy to be Here is an interview podcast for the recovering perfectionist and the perpetually curious. It’s full of conversations you can sink your teeth into, so you can learn a little about almost everything.

EPISODE 1

Introducing Happy To Be Here!

Welcome to Happy To Be Here, the show for the perpetually curious! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

1 min
05/28/2024

Goodbye for now!

As y’all probably know, we’re calling this the “goodbye for now” episode of Nerdette because it’s our last episode while we’re employees at WBEZ. So, we thought it was the perfect time to call up Nerdette co-creator Tricia Bobeda and Nerdette Recaps co-host Peter Sagal to play our favorite game, Burden or Delight. Then, we hear from YOU about what Nerdette has meant to you for the past 11 years. We ultimately hope to find a new home for Nerdette! You can keep in touch with the team by joining our Facebook group, following Anna (@annabaumanation) and Greta (@gretamjohnsen) on Instagram, and subscribing to Greta’s newsletter. Thank you for 11 amazing years. We love you! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

35 min
05/24/2024

Nerdette Book Club: More with Amor Towles, LIVE!

May’s Book Club selection is the fabulous short story collection ‘Table for Two’ by Amor Towles. It was amazing to get to talk to Amor in front of a LIVE audience in Chicago a few weeks ago. Since we were only able to share about half of that conversation in the podcast feed, we decided to bring you more from our chat and dive even deeper into the book! A programming note – this is our second to last episode as a production at WBEZ. We are ultimately looking for a new home for the show. But until we figure that out, we’ll have one more episode on Tuesday. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

20 min
05/17/2024

All the books to read this summer!!!

This week, we ask voracious reader Liberty Hardy to rave about the best books coming out this summer. Liberty is the host of the Book Riot podcast ‘All the Books!’ She and Greta trade their top picks. Here are the titles in the order that they’re mentioned in the episode: ‘Fire Exit’ by Morgan Talty (6/3) ‘The Ministry of Time’ by Kaliane Bradley (5/7) ‘The Stardust Grail’ by Yume Kitasei (6/1) ‘Oye’ by Melissa Mogollon (5/14) ‘Margo's Got Money Troubles’ by Rufi Thorpe (6/11) ‘The God of the Woods’ by Liz Moore (7/2) ‘Bear’ by Julia Phillips (6/25) ‘Hum’ by Helen Phillips (8/6) ‘The Most’ by Jessica Anthony (7/30) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

21 min
05/10/2024

A kitchen therapy session with Tamar Adler

This week, cookbook author and leftovers lover Tamar Adler joins us to answer YOUR questions on cooking, hosting and eating. Tamar is the author of 'The Everlasting Meal' and 'The Everlasting Meal Cookbook: Leftovers A-Z.' She also writes the newsletter “The Kitchen Shrink,” where she regularly gives out culinary advice. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

38 min
05/07/2024

Nerdette Book Club LIVE with Amor Towles!

This week, we are bringing you a special LIVE edition of Nerdette Book Club!!! The great Amor Towles, author of 'A Gentleman in Moscow' and 'The Lincoln Highway,' joined us in front of a live audience at the Athenaeum Theater in Chicago to discuss our May Book Club selection, his most recent book 'Table for Two!' It’s a collection of six different short stories set in New York City and a novella based on characters from his first novel, 'Rules of Civility,' set in Los Angeles during the Golden Age of Hollywood. This is a spoiler-free conversation! We’ll be back at the end of the month with more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

32 min
05/03/2024

A joyfully defiant summer playlist

This week, we’re sharing some of the best new music out this summer! Our friend Kristen Kurtis is the assistant music director and Morning Show host at WXPN in Philadelphia. We asked her to bring us some fun and maybe even a little angry songs to rock out to this summer. You can find this collection of “joyfully defiant” songs below or listen along on our Spotify playlist. Want to add to the playlist? Send us an email at nerdettepodcast@gmail.com or a dm on Instagram! “Hater’s Anthem” by Infinity Song “Change Shapes” by Lauren Mayberry “Sometimes” by Mannequin Pussy “Suffer” by Pillow Queens. “Cartagena” by Reyna Tropical “Broken Man” by St. Vincent “The Feminine Urge” by The Last Dinner Party See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

16 min
04/30/2024

Nerdette Book Club discusses ‘Beautyland’

Our April Book Club pick is Marie-Helene Bertino’s second novel 'Beautyland.' It tells the story of Adina, a girl born in Philadelphia in 1977, just as the Voyager I spacecraft launches from Earth in search of extraterrestrial life. As a child, Adina learns she herself is an alien, and her mission is to send her observations about humanity to her supervisors via fax machine (it is the ‘80s, after all). With that conceit, Bertino paints a gorgeous tapestry of what it means to be human, filled with poetic descriptions of the utterly mundane. This book is full of love, longing, and curiosity. We are joined by two expert readers: Mira Jacob, the author of the novel ‘The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing’ and the graphic memoir ‘Good Talk,’ and Molly McGhee, whose novel ‘Jonathan Abernathy You are Kind’ was our January Book Club selection! We discuss the book in detail, including spoilers! So if you have not read the book yet, go back and listen to our spoiler-free chat with author Marie-Helene Bertino in the feed first. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

44 min

See All (641)

Greta Johnsen

Host

4.8

out of 5

1,403 Ratings

So excited you’re here!

3d ago

GlorianeP

Greta brings so much joy to this show and my day. I love her books/reading content, recipe content and general delight.
Love Fridays!

05/17/2024

Mrs.W 2008

Always look forward to Nerdette on Fridays. Greta is such a great host, and I love the recap and variety of topics. Always the best book recommendations too!
Love it

04/18/2024

BowBugs74

How is this podcast being cancelled. It’s part of my Friday morning routine. Thank you for such a great podcast and can’t wait to hear what’s next because I’ll be there listening. 🙂🤓😕😄👏🏼🙌🏽📚
I will support you anywhere

04/06/2024

idontQe

If you move to patreon or another pod platform I will remain a loyal listener!! This is one of my Sat rituals and I will support all efforts to keep this community going!!

Happy to be Here is an interview podcast for the recovering perfectionist and the perpetually curious. It’s full of conversations you can sink your teeth into, so you can learn a little about almost everything.