Author Interviews

Feeling Cooped Up? Let Your Mind Fly Free With 'What It's Like To Be A Bird'

12:00pm April 13, 2020

by Craig LeMoult

People sheltering-in-place due to the coronavirus pandemic may want to know more about the lives of the birds they see outside their window. Illustrator David Allen Sibley's new book might help.

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Books

David Allen Sibley Takes You Bird-Watching Amid Coronavirus Shutdowns

7:20am April 12, 2020

by Craig LeMoult

The author of "The Sibley Guide to Birds" has a new book aimed at people who want to know more about the lives of the birds they see out their windows.

Books
Arts

A Haunting Home Movie Inspired Lois Lowry To Write 'On The Horizon'

7:20am April 12, 2020

by Samantha Balaban

The film, made in 1939 or 1940, shows Lowry as a child playing on the beach, with a ship in the distance. She later learned it was the USS Arizona, which sank during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Books

Interview With 'The System' Author

4:52pm April 11, 2020

NPR's Tom Gjelten speaks with Robert Reich, professor of public policy at UC Berkeley and former U.S. Secretary of Labor, about his new book The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It.

Alan Zweibel chronicles four decades of comedic collaborations in his new memoir Laugh Lines.

Books
Arts

It's 'Alchemy': Alan Zweibel Explains How He Helps 'Funny People Be Funnier'

11:41am April 11, 2020

by Elizabeth Blair

Zweibel began writing for Borscht Belt comics in 1972, earning $7 per joke. His memoir Laugh Lines chronicles four decades of comedic collaborations with some of the biggest names in the business.

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Books

Karin Tanabe's 'A Hundred Suns' Explores Indochina Of The 1930s

7:21am April 11, 2020

This isn't Tanabe's first historical novel; the former Politico reporter wrote "The Diplomat's Daughter" and "The Gilded Years." NPR's Scott Simon spoke with Tanabe about her latest work.

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Books
Arts

Set 1,500 Years From Now, 'The Last Emperox' Is Still Pretty Timely

7:21am April 11, 2020

by Scott Simon

In the last installment of Scalzi's Interdependency trilogy, a ruler must fight to save a galactic empire threatened by greed, complacency and the collapse of vital resources. Sound familiar?

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5 Art Assignments To Keep You Busy At Home

Books
Arts

5 Easy Art Projects To Enjoy During Social Distancing

9:25am April 10, 2020

by LA Johnson

Sarah Urist Green, creator of PBS' The Art Assignment, walks through five fun art projects that don't require fancy supplies or talent to create and enjoy.

The Other Bennet Sister: A Novel, by Janice Hadlow

Books
Arts

Elizabeth's More Serious Sister Mary Takes The Spotlight In 'The Other Bennet Sister'

5:42pm April 09, 2020

by Mary Louise Kelly

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice follows Elizabeth Bennet's effort to marry. Now, Janice Hadlow has made the least of the sisters in that story, Mary, the star of her own novel of self-discovery.

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Novelist Stephen King says writing is like leaving the ordinary world for a world of his own making: "It's a wonderful, exhilarating experience."

Books
Arts

Stephen King Is Sorry You Feel Like You're Stuck In A Stephen King Novel

1:46pm April 08, 2020

by Terry Gross

The horror writer says he understands why fans have said the COVID-19 pandemic feels like living inside one of his novels. King says he doesn't feel panic or terror, but rather, a "gnawing anxiety."

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