Author Interviews

Books

Egyptian Political Satirist Bassem Youssef On Media And The Arab Spring

7:52am March 19, 2017

Bassem Youssef is often compared to Jon Stewart as a political satirist. He talks to NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro about his new book, Revolution for Dummies: Laughing Through The Arab Spring.

Books

Chronicling Ernest Hemingway's Relationship With The Soviets

8:12am March 18, 2017

CIA archivist Nicholas Reynolds discusses his new book, Writer, Sailor, Soldier, Spy: Ernest Hemingway's Secret Adventures. It describes Hemingway's relationship with Soviet intelligence.

Writer Neil Gaiman attends a screening of Coraline during the Entertainment Weekly CapeTown Film Festival at the Egyptian Theatre on May 5, 2013.

Books
Arts

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Memes, Fads And A Chat With Neil Gaiman

10:40am March 17, 2017

by Linda Holmes

This week, we bring you two segments with comedian Guy Branum from our fall tour, and our friend Petra Mayer chats with author Neil Gaiman about Norse mythology.

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Books
Arts

'Out Of Wonder' Aims To Inspire A New Generation Of Poets

4:49am March 17, 2017

by Rachel Martin

Kwame Alexander's new book is a collection of original poems written in the style of 20 famous poets. The aim is to introduce kids to great poetry — and encourage them to write poems of their own.

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Books
Arts

'Idiot' Chronicles First Love, Freshman Year And The Early Days Of Email

1:32pm March 16, 2017

New Yorker staff writer Elif Batuman's new novel, The Idiot, follows a young woman's first year at Harvard University, and how she finds love through email.

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In The Age Of Fake News And Alternative Facts, Al Gore Remains Optimistic

4:28pm March 14, 2017

NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with former Vice President Al Gore about the new edition of his book, The Assault On Reason.

Author Adam Alter says that smartphones and other technologies are designed to be addictive.

Books
Arts

'Irresistible' By Design: It's No Accident You Can't Stop Looking At The Screen

2:46pm March 13, 2017

Technology is designed to be addictive, offering gratification that's similar to that of drug abuse or gambling. Author Adam Alter says a new frontier could soon provide another escape from reality.

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Marin's family started calling him Cheech when he was a baby. His real name is Richard.

Books
Arts

Cheech Marin On How His Famed Comic Collaboration Was Like Chicano Art

11:49am March 13, 2017

by David Greene

Marin, who has been collecting Chicano art for years, writes about the art of Cheech and Chong's comedy in Cheech Is Not My Real Name ... But Don't Call Me Chong!

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Books

A Litany Of Tragedy In 'The Rules Do Not Apply'

8:14am March 12, 2017

New Yorker writer Ariel Levy lost her son, her wife, her house — tragedies and grief that are outlined in her new memoir, The Rules Do Not Apply.

Books

'White Tears' Is A Mystery, A History, A Coming-Of-Age Story

8:14am March 12, 2017

A Brooklyn hipster, old blues music, cultural appropriation, a ghost story: these are ingredients in Hari Kunzru's new novel, White Tears. He talks with NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro.