News & Events

Featured Book Launch

New York Times Bestseller: Parent Nation: Unlocking Every Child’s Potential, Fulfilling Society’s Promise by Dana Suskind and Co-Written by Lydia Denworth.

Parent Nation has also become a bestseller on: The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, & Publishers Weekly! Get your copy today!

 

Upcoming Appearances

Over the last few months of 2022 Lydia has had the distinct pleasure of getting to know Cas Holman, who is a designer for play, and helping her write a book proposal. Lydia and Cas recently sold it to Avery (Penguin Random House). The working title is PLAYFUL: How to Play and Why You Should Never Stop. It’s all about the importance of free play for adults. Lydia will be spending a lot of 2023 in the studio with Cas making this book a reality. Keep an eye out for more updates on the book and follow the journey by signing up for Lydia’s newsletter!

2023 News

We know a lot about adolescent brain development but translating it into policy can be complicated. In May, I moderated the 2023 Adolescent Brain Development Symposium: Adolescent Brain Development & Public Policy for UCLA. Give a listen to these sessions I moderated at UCLA on criminal justice, reproductive rights and more.

 

2022 News

December was busy and ended with a great event held by FAN – Family Action Network. “From social neuroscience to primate studies, behavioral science to developmental psychology, Denworth assembled a narrative that was both fascinating and actionable.” – FAN

This fall included an event held by The Swell x Stripes – The New Pause Symposium: “I was honored to be part of the symposium about rethinking midlife and menopause!”

This summer, Lydia took a walk down memory lane with Todd Houston and shared her advice for raising a child who is deaf or hard of hearing. Listen to it here.

Lydia joined Fiona Murden’s podcast this summer to speak on how much friendship really does effect us and our health.

You may also want to check out the Fascinating Nouns Podcast that Lydia joined in May and learn more about how the first introductions to Friendship as well as a look into Lydia’s article: Can’t Buy Me Luck: The Role of Serendipity in the Beatles’ Success.

This summer, Lydia joined the women at the Transition Network focusing on ways the Pandemic has changed our priorities.

Spring of 2022, Lydia got the gift to be back in person talking about Friendship with Sheri Resnik, who organizes intimate author events at her home outside Philadelphia.

Early this year, Lydia joined Project BFF. Read all about it here and enjoy a little more insight into Lydia’s friendships in her own life!

The Growth Island Podcast – Lydia joined Mads Friis to speak about Friendship. Enjoy the podcast here and hear more about how to build stronger friendships and more!

Lydia joined K. Todd Houston on the The Listening Brain Podcast. They spoke about Lydia’s book I Can Hear You Whisper. Listen to it here.

 

2021 News

This fall, Lydia told the story of Clair “Pat” Patterson on the show RadioLab. Patterson was one of the hero’s in Lydia’s first book Toxic Truth. Listen to the show here.

Lydia spoke with Paul Taylor, the podcast host of MindBodyBrain about the crucial need for friendship for a healthy life. Listen to the full episode here.

On September 21st, Lydia joined host Dr. Robyn Silverman on the podcast How to Talk to Kids About Anything. She spoke about the lifechanging benefits of friendship and how to speak with kids about the bonds of friendship. Listen to the full episode here.

Lydia spoke with Renee Garfinkel, Ph.D., the series host of The New Books Network’s Van Leer Jerusalem Series on Ideas. Listen to the full podcast here.

On June 5th, Lydia spoke with LA based radio station KCRW about friendship and post pandemic life. Listen to the full episode and read about it here.

Lydia had the opportunity to speak to the Institute of Women’s Leadership of Marquette University in May of this year. She spoke on the topic of her most recent book Friendship.

In March, Lydia participated in the Children’s Museum of Manhattan’s series Parenting in Place. The virtual series was created to encourage, support, and inspire parents at home. Lydia’s episode is here.

Lydia spoke to the Princeton Club of Chicago  and the Princeton Women’s Network on February 24th.

Lydia spoke about the science of resilience in a keynote speech to a large group of wellness professionals in Alaska. This event was sponsored by the Fairbanks Wellness Coalition in February.

2020 News

Lydia join Mike Curruthers on the Something You Should Know Podcast. Listen to it here.

Lydia made an appearance on the Today Show to speak with Hoda Kotb and guest co-host Maria Shriver on the importance of friendship to people’s health. Watch here.

Lydia was the keynote speaker at the 7th Annual Innovators in Education Conference sponsored by Center for Communication and Learning in Maryland in October 2020.

In fall of 2020 Lydia spoke with Dave Asprey on the Bullet Proof Radio.

In September of 2020 Lydia was a keynote speaker for the virtual TinyCon which is “world class speakers, networking, and learning for Executives and HR pros.” Check out what TinyCon is all about here.

In April 2020 Lydia appeared on The Unmistakable Creative Podcast with Srinivas Rao. The episode aired a second time in December in the ‘Best of 2020’ edition. They talked about all things friendship including the trials and tribulations of middle school. The podcast can be found here.

Lydia spoke at Social Media Week in May of 2020. Social Media week is a four week long virtual conference that included 270 other fantastic speakers and over 10,000 people attending.

Armchair Expert

 

Lydia has been on more podcasts this spring. Here are some links.

Lydia has been talking about the importance of friendship during the Covid-19 pandemic. Among the highlights were her conversation with Ari Shapiro on All Things Considered, with Alison Stewart on WNYC’s All of It, with Mina Kim on KQED Forum and with Lori Stokes on Good Day New York.

Lydia hung out in the attic with Dax Shepard and Monica Padman for an episode of Armchair Expert. The show was taped just before social distancing went into effect.

Lydia chatted with Ann Friedman on Call Your Girlfriend.

Lydia and Friendship were featured on a variety of podcasts. Here are a few links:

Friendship was featured on Good Morning America as part of their celebration of Galentine’s Day, the Feb. 13th holiday invented by Amy Poehler’s character on Parks and Recreation to celebrate girlfriends. Here’s the clip.

Lydia talked about Friendship with CBS’s Errol Barnett for the CBS This Morning podcast. Listen here.

Lydia on GMA

Friendship was named a Next Big Idea Club Must-Read Nonfiction Book for Winter 2020. The NBIC is curated by Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Susan Cain and Dan Pink. They chose six finalists and I am honored to be one of them! Read more here.

Organizational psychologist and best-selling author Adam Grant named Friendship one of his 20 new leadership books for 2020. These books were his “top picks for books that have the potential to have a lasting impact on your thoughts and actions.” Check out his full list here.

Here are all the books that made Adam Grant’s list.

Friendship has been named one of Apple Books Most Anticipated Books for Winter 2020.

Reviews are starting to roll in and they’re good!

Booklist gave Friendship a starred review: “Denworth’s work achieves the best of science writing by making complicated concepts clear. She uses intelligent observation, empathy, and curiosity to offer a friendship manifesto that will absolutely affect readers’ own personal approaches to friendship.”

Library Journal: “Verdict: After reading Denworth’s treatise on friendship, you may want to immediately call your best friend or make a new one.”

Kirkus Reviews: “Convincing evidence that evolution endowed us with a need for friends, support, comfort, stimulation, and, ultimately, happiness.”

 

 

2019

I was a guest on KNRS in Salt Lake City to talk about my story in Scientific American on social media and well-being. Listen in here.

 

I was a guest on Radiolab’s episode G: Problem Space. As part of a discussion of IQ tests, I shared the story of Herb Needleman and the use of such tests in the battle over lead poisoning. Give it a listen. (I appear around 27:40 but you should start at 22 minutes in for the set-up.)

Cochlear Celebration

I spoke and moderated two panels at Cochlear Celebration 2019 in Nashville.

 

2018

I was a guest on the Books in Three Bytes podcast to talk about storytelling and science. We covered the stories that inspired each of my books including the one I’m working on now.

My feature on suicide prevention appeared in the April issue of Scientific American. I talked about it on the online business network Cheddar.

I took the stage to talk about friendship as one of 14 finalists in the TED NYC Idea Search on January 24. Stay tuned for more news on this front.

2017

  • I appeared on Wisconsin Public Radio’s Morning Show to talk about empathy with John Munson. Listen in here.
  • I talked about the neuroscience of empathy with Krys Boyd, host of Think on KERA in Dallas (an NPR affiliate.) You can catch our conversation here.
  • My feature on empathy is in the December 2017 issue of Scientific American.
  • The Impact of Touch With Lydia Denworth: I talk all about affective touch with Cathy Biase on The Health Hub, a Radio Mario Canada show and podcast.

  • I talked about writing and coping with what life hands you on The Role Models Podcast with David Noël.
  • See the September 2017 issue of Scientific American for my article on the perennial and controversial question: “Is There a ‘Female’ Brain?” It’s part of a special issue on sex and gender you won’t want to miss.
  • Friendship: A Natural History (working title) will be published by W.W. Norton some time in 2019. Here’s the August 8, 2017 announcement in Publisher’s Marketplace: “Science journalist and I CAN HEAR YOU WHISPER author Lydia Denworth’s FRIENDSHIP: A Natural History, a new look at the sociobiological origins of friendship, from its evolutionary underpinnings in the animal world, to its indispensable role in humans’ ability to survive and thrive, to Quynh Do at Norton, by Dorian Karchmar at William Morris Endeavor (NA). Foreign: Janine Kamouh at WME UK: Matilda Forbes Watson at WME.”

 

2014-2016

I Can Hear You Whisper is called “timely and rigorous . . . enthralling . . . tender and moving”  in The New York Review of Books.

In June, Lydia was the Commencement speaker for CUNY Graduate Center’s Audiology Program and spoke to the Special Education Office of New York City’s Department of Education.

Lydia talked about sound, music and Deaf brains with John Schaefer on WNYC’s Soundcheck.

Lydia spent an hour talking about the book with Marty Moss-Coane on WHYY’s Radio Times.

I Can Hear You Whisper featured in People (May 12) and Parents (June)

I Can Hear You Whisper adapted on Time.com

I Can Hear You Whisper featured in The New York Times

Lydia and Alex featured on CBS This Morning

Lydia interviewed by Andy Borowitz on The Leonard Lopate Show    

Lydia is first featured author in World Science Festival’s new Smart Reads column

I Can Hear You Whisper mentioned in Vanity Fair’s “Hot Type” (May)

Reviews of I Can Hear You Whisper:
The New York Review of Books
The Washington Post
Publishers Weekly
Kirkus Reviews
About.com
Michael Chorost
Sudden Silence