Anna Deavere Smith, actor, playwright and activist, says she has been trying to become America, word for word. By conducting interviews and creating a narrative, she aims to make a current problem come alive. Deavere Smith offers her Brief but Spectacular take on listening to people.

When you actually hear a journalist grappling out loud with a story they're covering, it changes the news consumer's relationship with that journalist and that story, says Michael Barbaro of the New York Times. Barbaro gives his Brief but Spectacular take on his podcast, The Daily.

Dame Stephanie Shirley was so sick of being patronized that she decided to start her own software business -- then a laughable idea for a woman. But when her child was diagnosed with autism, it drove her toward a new life’s mission. Shirley gives her Brief but Spectacular take on making things happen.

For girls who didn't grow up seeing themselves as the main characters of books, award-winning poet Elizabeth Acevedo wants them to know that their stories are just as important as any other. Acevedo shares her Brief but Spectacular take on seeing you.