the memory palace

A White Horse 12.06.2026 13min

This episode was originally released in 2016 in the days after the shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. It is re-released every year on the anniversary of the incident. Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm. The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that’s a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you’d like to directly support this show, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate.

Episode 245: The Self-Believer, or Hasting by Musket and Sextant 10.06.2026 14min

Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm. The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that’s a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you’d like to directly support this show, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate. Music The Barr Brothers play Static Orphans Resavoir plays Facets We hear Le mort de l'enfant from Hikaru Hayashi's score to The Naked Island. South Seas by David Pike Trust in Me from Sould Flutes Flowering Jasmine from Gidon Kremer Tesko Mi Je Zabrovit Tebe from Branko Mataja.

Episode 244: Pathways 23.05.2026 10min

Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm. The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that’s a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you’d like to directly support this show, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate. Music Two (Duvet and Correspondences) from Laurie Torres' gorgeous album, Après coup. Notes I implore you to get lost in the interactive map at livingnewdeal.org. And then go out in the woods.

Episode 243: The Brothers Switzer 01.05.2026 12min

Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm. The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that’s a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you’d like to directly support this show, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate. Music The Skydiver from the great Lalo Schiffrin's score to the quite poor, The Mask of Sheba. Charlie Megira plays The Girl Who was Frightened of Ashtrays Ellen's Image from the great Lalo Schiffrin's score to the quite excellent, The Fox. What if... from Keegan Dewitt's score to the quite charming, Heart Beats Loud. Notes There was a very good article in Cabinet Magazine by Christopher Turner about the Switzer Brothers that includes excerpts from an unpublished autobiography from Bob. I also really enjoyed this one from Liz Stinson about the science and art of Day Glo.

A Story and a Song (A Memory Palace/Song Exploder Crossover Event) 10.04.2026 29min

Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm. The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that’s a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you’d like to directly support this show, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate. You can hear Rollercoaster and more of Hrishi's music at Hrishikesh.co. Pre-order his new album wherever you do that sort of thing! Music Halcyon and Photosynteses and Embryo by H. Takehashi Intro by Library Tapes The Florist Wears Knee Breeches by M. Sage Notes I found Andrew Isenberg's book, The Destruction of the Bison, An Environmental History, completely fascinating. If you want to do a deep dive on Madison Grant, I'd recommend Defending the Master Race: Conservation, Eugenics, and the Legacy of Madison Grant by John Peter Spiro. If you want to do a deep dive on the Catalina Buffalo, this site is a fun place to start.

Episode 242: The Handwriter 22.03.2026 16min

Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm. The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that’s a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you’d like to directly support this show, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate. Music Drywall from Johann Johannson's score to Sicario. Castle Song by Green-House Tea by Resevoir La Valse du Progres by Delphine Dora Arrival by Domenique Dumont Sarah in Bath from Kryzystof Komeda's score to Fearless Vampire Killers Thread of Light by Golden Retriever In Some Spirit World by Geotic Notes This one was pulled together with tiny threads of information, much provided by the NCRA's website itself. You can find links to three fascinating (really!) studies on the brains of transcribers here, here, & here.

Episode 122: Hercules 07.03.2026 12min

Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm. The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that’s a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you’d like to directly support this show, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate. This episode originally dropped in 2018. We start with Facing the Obstacles, from Robert Simonson's score to The Final Member. Nice Breeze Isn't It? by Simon Rackham The Things Left Unsaid, by Caleb Burhans. View from a Balcony by Isorinne. 1979 by Deru. The Julianna Barwick remix of This Will Destroy You's The Puritan.

Episode 241: Stay Gold 23.02.2026 12min

Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm. The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that’s a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you’d like to directly support this show, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate. Music Marisa Anderson plays He is Without His Guns Bing & Ruth play Broad Channel (Solo Piano) Greg Haines plays Peter's Advice Notes You can listen to the full recording here.

Episode 240: Islanders 06.02.2026 20min

Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm. The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that’s a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you’d like to directly support this show, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate. Music Unseen Forces by Justin Walter Peperomia Seedling by Green-House Ebb Tide by Houston & Dorsey Little Miss Echo by Raymond Scott Stellify by Francesco Albanese Chain Home by Rogerson and Eno Luna by Digitonal Caroline Shaw plays The Orangery from Plan & Elevation Notes The place to start with all of this is here. It'll lead you out to the Bishop Museum's work, the lovely documentary produced by Hawai'ian Public Television, everywhere where you'd want to go.

Pinch hitting! 16.01.2026 42min

With Nate surprisingly sidelined, his friends and fellow Radiotopians at This Day save (This) day. Here's the show description: In our new series "50 Weeks That Shaped America," we're headed to January 1920 and the first night of Prohibition. Hide your booze! Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the long road to prohibition, going back decades, and the political forces that led to the ban of alcohol. Join our America250 newsletter community! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get access to early, ad-free versions of the show. Plus bonus features throughout the year. To support our work and get access to everything, subscribe now. This Day is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPod.com Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Follow us on social @thisdaypod Our team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Audrey Mardavich is our Executive Producer at Radiotopia. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Public Domain Theater 2026 03.01.2026 3h 27min

Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm. The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that’s a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you’d like to directly support this show, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate. Starting off the year with a new tradition: the first annual Public Domain Theater, in which Nate reads an important work of American literature that entered the public domain on January 1st of a given year. First up, the first Nancy Drew mystery, The Secret of the Old Clock.

Nate's Favorite Episode of the Year: Emma and the Trail 18.12.2025 19min

Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm. The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that’s a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you’d like to directly support this show, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate. I have recently launched a newsletter. You can subscribe to it at thememorypalacepodcast.substack.com. Music Sincerely Yours by LLLL Across the Other Side by Infinite Scale Sunset by Resavoir Mammoth by Golden Brown Unassigned by Vernon Spring Swimming by Explosions in the Sky Pure (Ride the World) by The Brendan Eder Ensemble Le Tunnel by Sylvain Chauveau Floating Away by Lullatone Notes There's a ton written about Emma Rowena Gatewood but so much of it, including this story, owes a huge debt to Ben Montgomery's book, Grandma Gatewood's Walk, which excavated the story of her life with her husband. Besides that, it is wonderfully written. Totally recommend it.

Episode 239: Blank Pages 06.12.2025 18min

Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm. The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that’s a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you’d like to directly support this show, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate. Music The Lady With the Golden Stockings from the Sun Ra Arkestra The Sage from the Chico Hamilton Quintet Falling in Love with a New York Pigeon by Birb Bocherini's fourth quintet as performed by the Ensemble of St. Martin of the Fields From a Dream by Oregon Jaybird from the great Charlie Parr Pool of Love by Les Baxter And House Tuner Theme from Will Bates' gorgeous score to The Sound of Silence.

From The Memory Palace Audiobook: Fine New England Granite 26.11.2025 17min

Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Buy the audiobook wherever you get audiobooks (like libro.fm!) The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that’s a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you’d like to directly support this show, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate. I have recently launched a newsletter. You can subscribe to it at thememorypalacepodcast.substack.com. Audio excerpted courtesy of Random House Audio from THE MEMORY PALACE by Nate DiMeo, read by a full cast. Excerpt read by Nate DiMeo, © 2024 Nate DiMeo, ℗ 2024 Penguin Random House, LLC. All rights reserved.

Episode 238: The Crypt of Thornwell Jacobs 06.11.2025 21min

Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm. The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that’s a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you’d like to directly support this show, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate. Music Kara-Lis Coverdale's A480 Palimpsest from Will Bate's score to The Sound of Silence Harriett Smith and Robert Martin Meet in the Rain from Isobel Waller Bridge's score to Emma. The Play from Dan Romer's score to (the terrific) Station Eleven. Cutting Branches from a Temporary Shelter from the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. Sustainable from H. Takahashi. Notes There's a particularly good article by Colin Dickey about Jacobs and The Crypt in American Scholar. You can read all 1100 pages of Jacobs' autobiography here, if you haven't already.

A Teach-In for History 23.10.2025 15min

On Sunday, October 26th, 2025, Nate DiMeo of this here show, The Memory Palace, and his friends and colleagues at his fellow Radiotopia show, This Day, will be holding a good, old-fashioned teach-in in defense of history and museums currently targeted by the Trump Administration. Readings and lectures from sun-up to sundown on the National Mall in Washington D.C. Learn more here. Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm. The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that’s a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you’d like to directly support this show, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate.

Episode 237: Vigil 02.10.2025 12min

Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm. The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that’s a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you’d like to directly support this show, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate. Music On-ness by Tom Rogerson and Eno. Etude by Joep Beving Ebb Tide by Houston & Dorsey

Episode 133: Antidisestablishmentarianism 19.09.2025 14min

Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm. The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that’s a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you’d like to directly support this show, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate. This episode was originally released in October of 2018. Music We start with the very English, Voluntary No. 4 in b-flat Minor, by Margaret Phillips. Hear Nero’s Nocturne from Chilly Gonzales. Some of The Stars vs. Creatures by Colleen. Abide with Me from the Thelonious Monk Septet off his Monk’s Music album. Walzer fur Robert by Anne Muller off of Erased Tapes Volume 5. Evening at Eight by Keith Kenniff. and Berceuse by Alexandra Streliski.

Episode 236: The Times 07.09.2025 13min

Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm. The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that’s a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you’d like to directly support this show, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate. Music A couple by C. Diab: Tiny Umbrellas and Crypsis The beginning of Cats Cradle (Iris) by Hannah Epperson Dawning and Wind by Shida Shihabi A couple from Ceeys: Neighbour II and Union Notes I really enjoyed reading both Lew Irwin's Deadly Times: the 1910 Bombing of the L.A. Times and America's Forgotten Decade of Terror, and Bread and Hyacinths: the Rise and Fall of Utopian Los Angeles, by Lionel Rolfe As an, at this point, long-time Angeleno, I highly recommend visiting the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Summer Reading: Two Transcendent Poems About Public Transportation 21.08.2025 18min

Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm. The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that’s a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you’d like to directly support this show, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate. While Nate takes a little summer break, he reads you two poems.