PBS News Hour - Brief But Spectacular
Episodes
A Brief But Spectacular take on how life is a play
08 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Actor and comedian Lyric Lewis discovered her love of performance through improv. She went on to make history as one of the first Black women in The G...
A Brief But Spectacular take on channeling identity through art
01 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Wendy Red Star is a multimedia artist who grew up on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana. Her work spans photography, sculpture, fiber arts and per...
A Brief But Spectacular take on empowering 'soccer grannies'
25 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Beka Ntsanwisi is working to empower older women in South Africa, where the average life expectancy is in the early to mid-60s. She started a soccer l...
A Brief But Spectacular take on the signs of exploitation
16 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Edgar Ramirez is an LA-based artist who transforms street signs. Inspired by the industrial landscape where he grew up, he turns the signs into striki...
Julian Shapiro-Barnum's Brief But Spectacular take on Recess Therapy
25 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Julian Shapiro-Barnum is the creator and host of "Recess Therapy," an online series where he talks with kids about everything from friendship to the m...
A Brief But Spectacular take on embracing curiosity and asking questions
19 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Journalist Nayeema Raza's new podcast, "Smart Girl Dumb Questions," is all about embracing curiosity and realizing there's no such thing as a dumb que...
A Brief But Spectacular take on protecting what we love
27 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Freediver and ocean conservationist Hanli Prinsloo has spent her life helping others connect with the ocean and understand our responsibility to care ...
Minnijean Brown-Trickey's Brief But Spectacular take on walking like you belong
19 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Minnijean Brown-Trickey is one of the original members of the Little Rock Nine, the teenagers who integrated Central High School after the 1954 Brown ...
A Brief But Spectacular take on questions of belonging
06 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Taylor Irvine is a photojournalist from the Flathead Reservation in Montana, whose work focuses on nuanced portrayals of life in Native communities. H...
A Brief But Spectacular take on helping children in foster care
31 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kaitlin Davis is a social worker in Oklahoma who drives close to nine hours round-trip in the flatlands to meet face-to-face with foster children. Wit...
A Brief But Spectacular take on putting the pieces back together
25 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
At the beginning of this year, the community of Altadena was one of several devastated by wildfires in California. Gina Clayton-Johnson, the founder o...
A Brief But Spectacular take on the power of trees and creating a cooler future
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kayla Stuart is a Tennessee-based urban forester who leads the organization Tree CPR to create healthier stronger communities as climate change escala...
A principal’s Brief But Spectacular take on bringing hospitality to education
11 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Joseph Martinez is the longtime school principal of Carpenter Community Charter in Los Angles. Families know him as the principal who literally picks ...
A Brief But Spectacular take on connecting through reading
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
At the Men’s Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles, a new children’s library inside the visitors’ center is giving kids a place to re...
A Brief But Spectacular take on leadership and community through farming
01 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this season of gathering around the table, we hear from self-proclaimed proud “AG youth” Anixia Davila from Salinas Valley, California,...
A Brief But Spectacular take on finding a place where you belong
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes, the right learning environment can change everything. For Courtney Irwin, that place was a youth development center in Salinas, California....
David Kelley’s Brief But Spectacular take on creativity and design
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For decades, David Kelley has helped people unlock their creativity. A pioneer of design, he founded the Stanford d.school as a place for creative, cr...
A Brief But Spectacular take on preventing homelessness
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dana Vanderford and Fred Theus work together in Los Angeles County’s homelessness prevention unit. It uses AI-driven data to identify people at ...
A Brief But Spectacular take on building inclusive communities
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
A Brief But Spectacular take on embracing disability pride
11 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tiffany Yu is the founder of Diversability and author of "The Anti-Ableist Manifesto." After a childhood accident left her with a permanent disability...
A Brief But Spectacular take on the power of connection
26 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Matthew Rantanen grew up in Washington State, near Nez Perce, Coeur d’Alene, Colville and Spokane communities — an experience that shaped ...
A Brief But Spectacular take on revolutionizing women’s health care
11 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After struggling to find doctors who properly treated her own menopause symptoms, Joanna Strober created Midi Health, a virtual clinic designed for th...
The Dog Lady’s Brief But Spectacular take on rethinking rescue
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lori Weise is a longtime activist affectionately known as the “Dog Lady.” As the founder of a downtown Los Angeles dog rescue, she's dedic...
A Brief But Spectacular take on agrivoltaics
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Byron Kominek returned to his family's Colorado farm with a bold idea: grow crops and harvest solar energy. At Jack’s Solar Garden, Byron has tr...
A comedian’s Brief But Spectacular take on dad jokes
19 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Comedian and illustrator Mo Welch has built a career blending sharp humor with emotional honesty. Her recent special, "Dad Jokes," explores her childh...
A Brief But Spectacular take on caring for LGBTQ+ seniors
16 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Older LGBTQ adults face a number of challenges, especially when it comes to finding housing and care. SAGE, a national advocacy leader in this space, ...
Sarah Silverman’s Brief But Spectacular take on saying goodbye
09 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah Silverman is known as one of the sharpest, most fearless voices in comedy, pushing the art form in new directions. In her new Netflix special, "...
A Brief But Spectacular take on big talk
02 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kalina Silverman is a storyteller who's transforming how we connect with each other. Her "Big Talk" project turns simple conversations into profound e...
A Brief But Spectacular take on building a birthright to capital
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Darrick Hamilton is an economic scholar and director of the Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy. Growing up in Brooklyn, he witnessed first...
A Brief But Spectacular take on building a brighter future
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Our Brief But Spectacular is shining a light on three aspiring builders from a hands-on vocational construction program in Salinas, California. Many o...
A Brief But Spectacular take on motherhood as a master’s in soft skills
28 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When Riccarda Zezza returned from maternity leave to discover her role had vanished, she transformed a career setback into a powerful new opportunity....
A Brief But Spectacular take on family
18 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Maggie Doyne's decision to postpone college and work with refugees in India transformed her life and the lives of many others. Her story has been capt...
Robert Trujillo’s Brief But Spectacular take on manifesting a dream
10 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Robert Trujillo grew up in Santa Monica, California, where his passion for music set the stage for an extraordinary career. Today, he’s known as...
Lawrence Chu’s Brief But Spectacular take on treating each day like a grand opening
07 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lawrence Chu is the heart and soul behind Chef Chu's, a beloved dining destination in the Bay Area for over five decades. Known for his culinary artis...
A Brief But Spectacular take on the art of bringing people together
22 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
During the pandemic, a project called “Artists and Elders” was formed to connect artists to isolated older adults in their community. The ...
Renowned pianist Lang Lang’s Brief But Spectacular take on loving what you play
01 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lang Lang, one of the world's most famous classical pianists, discovered his passion for piano while growing up alongside other musicians in China. To...
Mark Rober’s Brief But Spectacular take on being amazed at the world around us
31 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Mark Rober discovered his passion for engineering as a kid, tinkering with gadgets and building creative contraptions. A former NASA engineer turned Y...
A Brief But Spectacular take on being a wildland firefighter amid climate change
17 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah Jakober is a U.S. Forest Service wildland firefighter who serves on the Grand Ronde Rappel Crew based in Grande, Oregon. She shares her Brief Bu...
A Brief But Spectacular take on living your best life while aging
29 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ximena Abogabir is the co-founder of a Chilean organization dedicated to changing attitudes about aging. She shares her Brief But Spectacular take on ...
A Brief But Spectacular take on multigenerational housing
16 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Older adults will soon outnumber children on a global scale. Bridge Meadows is an innovative multigenerational housing community in Oregon that foster...
A Brief But Spectacular take on how anyone can give
08 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Fabiola Moreno Ruelas is a first-generation college graduate working for the California state legislature. She is also the founder of the Ruelas Fulfi...
Flossie Lewis’s Brief But Spectacular take on her 100th birthday
03 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Many will remember Flossie Lewis, who was among our earliest profiles on Brief But Spectacular. She spoke to us in 2016 about growing old and living w...