If you've ever wondered why some authors are so much more prolific than others or why sometimes you just can't seem to get a word down on paper, tune in to "The Infinite Mind." Next week, the public radio show's host, Brown's Dr. Peter Kramer, clinical professor of psychiatry and human behavior, will discuss - with guests Fran Lebowitz, Joyce Carol Oates and Aimee Mann - the mystery of writer's block.
Kramer, also a practicing psychiatrist and author of five books, took over the position of host of "The Infinite Mind" from Dr. Fred Goodwin on April 6 when the two co-hosted an eighth anniversary retrospective. Kramer will begin hosting on his own April 13 with the program on writer's block.
The show is recorded in Providence at the WRNI-AM studios but airs from several stations across Massachusetts.
According to Bill Lichtenstein '78, the show's creator, "The Infinite Mind" has, since its launch in 1997, taken a broad look at issues of the mind and brain, exploring how biology and neurology are responsible not only for mental health problems, but also for how people feel and behave.
"It's about taking neuroscience, which can be a very complicated scientific discipline, and making it engaging and accessible and entertaining to all of our listeners," he said.
Inspiration for the show originally came from the public radio documentary series, "Manic Depression: Voices of an Illness," produced by Lichtenstein's company Lichtenstein Creative Media, based in Boston. The pieces told the stories of people recovering from mental illnesses such as manic depression and schizophrenia.
Kramer, who has "made a career out of looking at all the different aspects of issues relating to the mind," was the perfect candidate to serve as Goodwin's replacement, Lichtenstein said. "He brings a lot of strength to the broadcast with his perspective on the human mind and how it intersects with social and medical and ethical issues."
Before being named its new host, Kramer had been a guest host of "The Infinite Mind" on several occasions, winning national awards for his programs on domestic violence and on mental health care for immigrants.
Kramer said the opportunity to host the show came at a good time because he was just finishing his most recent book, "Against Depression." Though he said all his books tend to take about four years to complete, "this seemed like a longer four years than the others," so the quick turn-around pace of radio was especially appealing to him.
"Peter has done a lot of his work in books and those have taken a fair amount of time to produce," Lichtenstein said. "We're giving him a weekly platform to do what he does so well."
Future topics on the show will include multitasking and electroconvulsive therapy - a mix of what Kramer called "popular issues" and those that are "more straight within psychiatry and mental healthcare." The show covers a wide range of issues relating to the mind, brain and health care. "It's not all medical pathology," Kramer said.
And as for covering technical medical issues which have become popular news items, such as those related to the Terri Schiavo case, he said, "This type of show is not necessarily going to be there while the story is hot, but when the dust has settled, we will find out what ... experts think about the matter."
According to Kramer, radio is a good medium to use for changing the public perception of mental illness. "There is less stigma attached to mental illness than there has been in the past, but there's still a battle to be fought on that front," he said.
Kramer said part of the fun of hosting the radio show is figuring out how to give the "right voice" to issues of mental health and mental illness. He said he wants to bring a humane perspective to how the public views problems of the mind and brain, approaching them with a degree of lightness while still conveying their seriousness.
"The Infinite Mind" is broadcast in Boston on WUMB-FM, in Worcester, Mass., on WBPR-FM and in Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard on WCAI-FM. It is also available online at www.theinfinitemind.com.
