Tag Archives: Fiction

Podcast

Sadie Jones, THE UNINVITED GUESTS & Sabina Murray, TALES OF THE NEW WORLD

Sadie Jones
Sabina Murray

Sadie Jones talks about her supernatural Edwardian comedy, THE UNINVITED GUESTS. And Sabina Murray discusses her collection of historical short stories about explorers, exploiters and adventurers, TALES OF THE NEW WORLD. Continue reading

Podcast

Fiction from Thrity Umrigar & Michael David Lukas & OWS Poetry

Michael David Lukas
Thrity Umrigar

Michael David Lukas talks about his novel, THE ORACLE OF STAMBOUL. It’s the story of a young girl of astonishing talents who changes the course of the Ottoman Empire. And Thrity Umrigar tells us about her new novel, THE WORLD WE FOUND. Four college friends from Bombay India reconnect decades later when one of them falls gravely ill — and find their lives profoundly changed. Continue reading

Podcast

Novelists Russell Banks and Valerie Martin & biologist Michael Wojtech

Russell Banks

Russell Banks talks his acclaimed new novel, LOST MEMORY OF SKIN; Michael Wojtech tells how to identify trees in BARK and novelist Valerie Martin weighs in on writing fiction.

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Podcast

Peter Filkins, translator of H.G. Adler: Panorama & The Journey

Peter Filkins

Translator Peter Filkins talks about H.G. Adler’s PANORAMA. Set in the vanished world of pre-war Bohemia, it follows the young Joseph from childhood in Prague to adulthood in the concentration camps. Filkins also talks about Adler’s THE JOURNEY. And we preview next week’s show.

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Podcast

New Fiction from Scott Spencer & Dori Ostermiller

Scott Spencer
Dori Ostermiller

Two new works of fiction explore the chiaroscuro of the human heart and the dappled shadow it casts on those we love. We talk with best-selling author Scott Spencer about MAN IN THE WOODS and with Dori Ostermiller about her quasi-autobiographical debut novel, OUTSIDE THE ORDINARY WORLD.

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Podcast

Encore Episode: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi & Honor Moore

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Honor Moore

This week we feature an encore episode with Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie about her story collection THE THING AROUND YOUR NECK. And poet Honor Moore reads from and tells us about POEMS FROM THE WOMEN’S MOVEMENT. Please follow the link to access more information about the episode.

Podcast

James Howard Kunstler & John Michael Greer: The Long Descent In Fact and Fiction

James Howard Kunstler
John Michael Greer

Futurist James Howard Kunstler talks about THE WITCH OF HEBRON, his latest novel about a postindustrial, post collapse, America. And John Michael Greer spells out how we get to — and get through — the long emergency. His book is THE ECOTECHNIC FUTURE.

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Podcast

Sadie Jones and Fernanda Eberstadt: Testing the Limits of Courage

Fernanda Eberstadt
Sadie Jones

Sadie Jones talks about her new novel, SMALL WARS. Set in war torn Cyprus in 1956, it tells the story of a young British solider, and the effects of that war on him, his wife and their family. And we hear from Fernanda Eberstadt about her acclaimed new novel RAT. It’s about a girl of extraordinary courage who travels from a hardscrabble region of France to London in search of her father. Continue reading

Podcast

Navigating our Dysfunctional Health Care System

lionel shriver
Lionel Shriver
Patrick Malone
Patrick Malone

Patient advocate and author Patrick Malone talks about his book, The Life You Save: Nine Steps to Finding the Best Medical Care-and Avoiding the Worst. It’s about how to keep from being a victim of medical errors. We’ll also talk with novelist Lionel Shriver about her new novel, SO MUCH FOR THAT. It’s about health insurance gone very wrong. And Martin Espada, Richard Wilbur and other poets read at a benefit for the children of Gaza. Continue reading

Podcast

Masters of Art, Science and Deception

SJ Parris
SJ Parris
Mark Lamster
Mark Lamster

Mark Lamster talks with host Francesca Rheannon about the great Flemish Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens’ career as an unofficial diplomat for the Spanish Crown. And mystery writer S.J. Parris tells us about Renaissance scientist Giordano Bruno’s visit to Oxford in 1583. She spins a murder mystery around the visit and around Bruno’s mission as a spy for the English Crown. Continue reading

Podcast

Can only the super rich save us?

sue barry
Sue Barry
ralph nader
Ralph Nader

Ralph Nader talks about his latest book, ONLY THE SUPERRICH CAN SAVE US! It’s a “utopian fantasy” about a cadre of billionaires under the leadership of Warren Buffet who take on corporate America to save democracy and the planet. And neuroscientist Sue Barry talks about conquering a visual disability and training her brain to see normally. Her memoir is FIXING MY GAZE. Continue reading

Podcast

Best of 2009

It’s that time of year to reflect on “The List”: The Ten Best Of list, that is. This year was really tough (not unlike the 2008 best of list!), because there were so many show episodes I could have included. I was a bit chagrined that it was so dominated by men — I strive for gender balance in these lists — but so many of the guys wrote books of such heart and human compassion (Tracy Kidder, Abraham Verghese, Nicholsen Baker, Tyler Boudreau) that I just had to include them. Browse through the list and enjoy!

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Podcast

The Will To Resist

Dahr Jamail
Dahr Jamail

“Unembedded journalist” Dahr Jamail tells us about the profound impact on veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — and how they are fighting back. We also talk with mystery novelist Lisa Kleinholz, cookbook author Lora Brody and journalism prof and blogger B.J. Roche — they’re all panelists on the upcoming Write Angles writers conference taking place Nov 21, 2009 at Mount Holyoke College. Continue reading