Author Interviews

Books
Arts

Pregnancy Is Personal, Not Political, In 'The Mothers'

7:52am October 14, 2016

by NPR Staff

A teenager faces an unplanned pregnancy in this debut novel by Brit Bennett. The 26-year-old author says people don't necessarily ask themselves: What would I do if I were in this situation?

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Books
Arts

Vegan Chefs Show How To Make Even A Carrot The Centerpiece Of A Meal

1:34pm October 13, 2016

V Street, the new cookbook by married chefs Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby, features recipes inspired by global street food. Jacoby says the right techniques can coax "amazing flavor" out of vegetables.

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In a recent series of photographic drawings, David Hockney, shown above in his studio, plays with the relationship between painting and photography.

Books
Arts

Artist David Hockney Says The Drive To Create Pictures 'Is Deep Within Us'

9:08am October 13, 2016

by Susan Stamberg

The nearly 80-year-old artist has written a book called A History of Pictures. It's chock-full of art he's loved looking at, including one painter he credits with inventing Hollywood lighting.

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After losing her family, Sarah Winchester became convinced that ghosts were haunting her; so she built an enormous, maze-like mansion — now known as the Winchester Mystery House — to ward them off. (At least that's how the story goes.)

Books
Arts

Skeletons In The Closet: What Ghost Stories Reveal About America's Past

5:47pm October 12, 2016

by NPR Staff

Why are so many ghosts unmarried women? And why doesn't Richmond, Va., have ghost stories about slavery? Writer Colin Dickey explores all that and more in a new book called Ghostland.

How The 'Cannabis Catch-22' Keeps Marijuana Classified As A Harmful Drug

4:18pm October 12, 2016

Author John Hudak says federal law makes it hard to prove the medicinal value of marijuana. "As a Schedule 1 drug, it is very difficult to do research on the plant," he explains.

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Books
Arts

Jonathan Safran Foer On Marriage, Religion And Universal Balances

1:51pm October 11, 2016

Safran Foer's new novel, Here I Am, is told from the points of view of different members of a Jewish family. He says it's about things falling apart — but also about "people trying to mend things."

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Books
Arts

David Szalay's 'All That Man Is' Charts Life Of Man In 9 Stories

4:40pm October 10, 2016

Short listed for the Mann Booker Prize, the new book, All That Man Is lives somewhere between short story collection and novel. NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks to author David Szalay.

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Native Americans and other activists march to a sacred burial ground site that was disturbed by construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Hundreds of people have joined the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's protest of the oil pipeline.

On Columbus Day, A Look At The Myth That 'All The Real Indians Died Off'

10:01am October 10, 2016

by Leah Donnella

Two Native American authors tackle the perpetual challenge of combating ignorance, stereotypes and the notion that there's such a thing as a "real" Indian.

Books

Billy The Kid: New Novel Separates The Man From The Myth

7:59am October 10, 2016

Renee Montagne talks to author Ron Hansen about his novel based on the life of legendary outlaw Billy the Kid. It's called The Kid: A Novel. The outlaw died on July 14, 1181, but his legend lives on.

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'Imperfections Can Make Us More Creative,' Author Tim Harford Argues

5:04pm October 09, 2016

Tim Harford's new book Messy takes a look at how disorder and uncertainty spark creativity, by looking at famous examples of art, invention, office buildings and workspaces.