{"podcast":{"title":"New Books in History","slug":"new-books-in-history-160748","podcast_index_feed_id":160748,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/LIT3360275696","website_url":"https://newbooksnetwork.com/category/politics-society/history/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/5259aaca-f298-11e8-9c09-2ffd527922e7/image/6997b2fe61dc73a9d4ffd37b9e862b62.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"New Books Network","episode_count":500,"summary":"This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: ⁠newbooksnetwork.com⁠ Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to get informative, engaging content straight to your inbox: ⁠https://newbooksnetwork.substack.com/⁠ Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky to learn about more our latest interviews: @newbooksnetwork Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history","last_synced_at":"2026-07-13T16:19:40.703970+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-history-160748"},"episode":{"title":"John Kapusta, \"Self-Realization Nation: How Artists of the Creative Counterculture Made a New America\" (U California Press, 2026)","slug":"john-kapusta-self-realization-nation-how-artists-of-the-creative-counterculture-made-a-new-america-u-california-press-2026","published_at":"2026-06-28T08:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-history-160748/john-kapusta-self-realization-nation-how-artists-of-the-creative-counterculture-made-a-new-america-u-california-press-2026","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-history-160748","url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/chtbl.com/track/1C3AGD/traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK2662381866.mp3","audio_url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/chtbl.com/track/1C3AGD/traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK2662381866.mp3","summary":"John Kapusta's Self-Realization Nation: How Artists of the Creative Counterculture Made a New America (U California Press, 2026) is the story of an unexpected group of performing artists who led one of the most influential artistic movements in contemporary American history. After World War II, personal fulfillment emerged as a defining American cultural ideal. Self-realization--the quest to become our authentic selves--remains a powerful part of American culture and arts today. In Self-Realization Nation, John Kapusta provides a lively cultural history of how an overlooked movement of musicians, dancers, and actors championed the ideal of self-realization. These performers, who spanned many backgrounds, identities, genres, and artistic styles, became what he calls the creative counterculture. Artists as varied as Sonny Rollins, John Cage, Anna Halprin, Alice and John Coltrane, and Pauline Oliveros shared an approach to creativity focused on letting go of limiting beliefs and subverting oppressive social norms. Through colorful vignettes, Kapusta reveals how these artists made their art and how their approach spread beyond the performing arts to influence such fields as psychology, education, and wellness. Ultimately, these creative counterculturists came to define a new vision of an America where everyone was free to be themselves, together. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history","meta_description":"John Kapusta's Self-Realization Nation: How Artists of the Creative Counterculture Made a New America (U California Press, 2026) is the story of an unexpe…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2600,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/new-books-in-history-160748/episodes/john-kapusta-self-realization-nation-how-artists-of-the-creative-counterculture-made-a-new-america-u-california-press-2026/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-history-160748/john-kapusta-self-realization-nation-how-artists-of-the-creative-counterculture-made-a-new-america-u-california-press-2026.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}