Author Interviews

Emily Henry on 'embarrassing, giddy, freefall' of writing, reading and being in love

4:57pm April 23, 2024

NPR's Juana Summers speaks with Emily Henry about her new book FUNNY STORY and the difficulty of writing a genuinely nice person while also creating obstacles in getting two people together.

After decades creating and publishing recipes, cookbook author Joan Nathan has released what she said is likely her final book, a cookbook and memoir called "My Life in Recipes."

Books
Arts

After years of documenting Jewish food traditions, Joan Nathan focuses on her family's

4:05pm April 23, 2024

Joan Nathan has spent her life exploring in the kitchen, but for the Passover Seder, she sticks with a menu that follows her own family's traditions.

Queue Listen Now

Judi Dench on a career and friendship forged by Shakespeare

4:04pm April 23, 2024

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Judi Dench and director Brendan O'Hea about their new book Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays The Rent and a career and friendship forged by the Bard.

A voter leaves a voting booth in Concord, N.H., the during primary election on Jan. 23, 2024.

How the Founding Fathers' concept of 'Minority Rule' is alive and well today

2:05pm April 22, 2024

by Terry Gross

Journalist Ari Berman says the founding fathers created a system that concentrated power in the hands of an elite minority — and that their decisions continue to impact American democracy today.

Queue Listen Now

Books

Amy Tan didn't think 'The Backyard Bird Chronicles' was publishable. Clearly it was

5:14am April 22, 2024

NPR's Leila Fadel talks to author Amy Tan, who charts her foray into birding and the natural wonders of the world. Her new book is, The Backyard Bird Chronicles.

Books

Alicia D. Williams on 'Mid-Air'

5:10pm April 21, 2024

NPR's Andrew Limbong speaks with author Alicia D. Williams about her latest book, Mid-Air. Written in verse, it's the story of a 13-year-old boy coming to terms with the loss of his best friend.

Books

Writer Caoilinn Hughes on 'The Alternatives'

5:36pm April 20, 2024

NPR's Andrew Limbong talks to Irish writer Caoilinn Hughes, whose new novel explores the bonds of sisterhood and the ways those bonds can be tested.

Queue Listen Now

<em>My Lost Freedom</em>, written by George Takei and illustrated by Michelle Lee

George Takei 'Lost Freedom' some 80 years ago – now he's written that story for kids

8:00am April 20, 2024

by Samantha Balaban

When actor George Takei was 4 years old, he was labeled an "enemy" by the U.S. government and sent to a string of incarceration camps. His new children's book about that time is My Lost Freedom.

Queue Listen Now

Books

Allen Bratton's 'Henry Henry' gives the Shakespearan character a modern twist

8:00am April 20, 2024

by Scott Simon

In "Henry Henry," Shakespeare's Prince Hal gets a modern, queer recast. NPR's Scott Simon talks with Allen Bratton about his debut novel.

Cookbook author Joan Nathan looks at her own culinary history in 'My Life in Recipes'

6:52pm April 19, 2024

Joan Nathan has spent her life exploring Jewish culture through recipes. Now in her 80s, her new book is her most personal work yet — excavating her own culinary history.

Queue Listen Now