Author Interviews

Books

In Memoir 'Crux,' Journalist Crosses Borders To Understand Troubled Father

5:33pm July 29, 2018

Jean Guerrero tells NPR's Michel Martin about her new book, Crux: A Cross Border Memoir, in which she crisscrosses the U.S.-Mexico border to discover her family history.

Books

Religious Fundamentalism Explored In 'The Incendiaries'

8:02am July 29, 2018

Boy transfers from Bible college. Boy meets girl. Girl joins a cult. Boy tries to save girl. NPR's Renee Montagne talks to R.O. Kwon about her first novel, The Incendiaries.

Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras

Books
Arts

A Thwarted Child Kidnapping Inspired 'Fruit Of The Drunken Tree'

8:21am July 28, 2018

by Scott Simon

Growing up amid widespread violence in Colombia, Ingrid Rojas Contreras and her sister were targeted for kidnapping. They were saved by the courage and compassion of a teenager working in their home.

Books
Arts

Grim Realities Meet Magic And Absurdity In 'The Wrong Heaven'

4:41pm July 27, 2018

by Ailsa Chang

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with author Amy Bonnaffons about her first collection of short stories, The Wrong Heaven.

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Books
Arts

Stephen King: 'My Imagination Was Very Active — Even At A Young Age'

1:55pm July 27, 2018

by Terry Gross

Bad things happen in Castle Rock, a new Hulu series based on King's fictional town. King spoke to Fresh Air in 1992, 2000 and 2013 about his career writing horror and his fear of losing his mind.

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Arts

Elif Shafak: What Happens When Different Viewpoints Are Silenced?

9:32am July 27, 2018

by NPR/TED Staff

Turkish novelist Elif Shafak has seen firsthand what can happen when a country restricts free speech. She says democracy depends on the right to openly exchange diverse, even oppositional, ideas.

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James Kirchick: Who Benefits From Unrestricted Free Speech?

9:32am July 27, 2018

by NPR/TED Staff

When James Kirchick was in college, someone he found deeply offensive spoke on campus. Rather than protest, James attended the talk. He says free speech benefits everyone, especially the powerless.

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Books
Arts

Parker Posey Writes Her Own Myth In 'You're On An Airplane'

7:56pm July 25, 2018

by Ari Shapiro

This "self-mythologizing memoir," which Posey pronounces "me-moir," is written as if it's a monologue to an airplane seatmate, full of collages, cocktail recipes and stories from her life and career.

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A masked Somali pirate stands near a Taiwanese fishing vessel that washed up in 2012 after the pirates were paid a ransom and released the crew. The image appears on the cover of Michael Scott Moore's new book The Desert and the Sea.

What It's Like To Be Held Hostage By Somali Pirates For 2 1/2 Years

4:39pm July 24, 2018

by Ari Shapiro

Journalist Michael Scott Moore went to East Africa to write about piracy. Then he got kidnapped and imprisoned for 977 days. The Desert and the Sea chronicles his incredible ordeal.

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Camas Davis is the founder of the Portland Meat Collective. "Because I now am involved in the processes that get that meat to my table, I just understand the value of it," she says.

Food Writer Becomes A Butcher To Better Understand The Value Of Meat

2:38pm July 24, 2018

by Terry Gross

Camas Davis wanted to learn about conscientious farming, slaughtering and eating, so she moved to France and became an apprentice at a small, family-run slaughterhouse. Her memoir is Killing it.

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