Around the presidential election of 2016, songwriter Gabe Kahane decided to take a break from everyday life, escape technology and explore the country by rail. While traveling, he aspired to engage in conversation--but not argue--with strangers of all types of background. This is his brief but spectacular take on how conversations in train dining cars can lead to “radical empathy.”

Oscar-nominated actor Bryan Cranston, best known for his role as Walter White in “Breaking Bad,” didn't get his big break until age 40, when he was cast in the family TV sitcom "Malcolm in the Middle." Now, he'll be playing the role of Howard Beale in the upcoming Broadway production of “Network.” He shares his brief but spectacular take on an unusual career trajectory and the role of luck.

Hasan Minhaj, a former correspondent for “The Daily Show,” grew up in California as the son of immigrants, experiencing childhood as a "brown kid in America." With his new show "Patriot Act" premiering this week on Netflix, Minhaj shares his brief but spectacular take on political satire, the "American Dream Tax" and the wisdom he gained working with Jon Stewart.

Phil Kaye is a Japanese-American poet and filmmaker and co-director of “Project Voice,” an organization that partners with schools to bring poetry into the classroom. He shares one of his poems, “Surplus,” for a brief but spectacular take on his grandfather, Cheerful Al, and the limitations of "traditional masculinity." Kaye's latest book Date & Time is available now.