All Author Q&As
A biographer celebrates Benjamin Franklin’s curiosity and joy in scienceThe ‘ingenious’ Founding Father Benjamin Franklin receives his due as scientist-inventor in Richard Munson’s sparkling biography.
Why J. Edgar Hoover’s biographer worries about Kash Patel running the FBIAn author who studied J. Edgar Hoover’s complicated legacy at the FBI says she sees warning signs in the overt political statements by Trump nominee Kash Patel.
Neal Stephenson mixes polo, politics, and power in the novel ‘Polostan’A Russian American girl straddles the worlds of her Ukraine-born Bolshevik father and her Montana-raised cowgirl mother in the 1920s and ’30s in Neal Stephenson’s “Polostan.”
Curtis Chin grew up in a Chinese restaurant. He’s on a 300-city tour to save others.In cities across the United States, Chinatowns are struggling. American storyteller Curtis Chin, author of “Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant,” is on a mission to save these vibrant cultural enclaves.
How ‘History Alice’ is getting Gen Z to learn about the pastAlice Loxton doesn’t believe history should be boring or academic. As “History Alice,” she connects with millions of people on social media, and her second book, “Eighteen,” already reached No. 1 in the U.K.
Good is ‘the strongest gravity,’ says ‘Wicked’ author MaguireFairy tales often present characters as either good or bad. “Wicked” author Gregory Maguire asks readers to let go of binary thinking as they consider morality.
She empowers people with disabilities to feel pride in their storiesGrowing up, Tiffany Yu felt shame about her disability and hid it. Now, the author of “The Anti-Ableist Manifesto” uses her experience to change the narrative.
Romancing the tome: How romance writers surprised the publishing worldIn “Love in the Time of Self-Publishing,” researcher Christine Larson explores the strength of Romancelandia, the community of mostly women who write romance novels.
How to have better conversations with people across the aisleBob Stains has dedicated his life to helping transform conflicts, urging us to soften our “hearts of stone” and go beyond “simple stories” about others. In a Q&A, he offers tips on how to do it.
This chef is fighting a culinary battle for Ukrainian identityIn “The Authentic Ukrainian Kitchen: Recipes from a Native Chef,” Yevhen Klopotenko celebrates the foods that separate Ukraine from Russia.
‘Turning off the porch lights’ to reveal nature’s hidden marvelsHow often do you venture into the dark? Author Leigh Ann Henion shares her journey in ‘Night Magic: Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens, and Other Marvels of the Dark."
Bohemian rhapsody: Two writers celebrate Greenwich Village of the ’60sGreenwich Village in the ’60s attracted musicians like Joan Baez. Novelist Sarah Seltzer (“The Singer Sisters”) and music journalist David Browne (“Talkin’ Greenwich Village”) chat about the Village’s enduring appeal.
‘Poetry is true to the human story’: An interview with Ajibola Tolase“In life we migrate. You leave one relationship for another,” says prize-winning poet Ajibola Tolase. His debut collection, “2000 Blacks,” tackles migration and Blackness.
For ‘The Bookshop’ author, bookstores were ‘sites of resistance’In the 1960s and ‘70s, small bookshops provided spaces where ideas and activism could flourish. Today, while indie bookstores can be considered “endangered species,” their vitality as community gathering places is thriving.
‘A landless Indian’ discovers a sense of home and identityIn the memoir “Becoming Little Shell: A Landless Indian’s Journey Home,” Chris La Tray weaves together personal and tribal history.
How France became a global basketball powerhouseIn a Q&A, author Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff explains how the basketball rivalry between France and the U.S. shaped play in both countries.
Ann Powers was writing Joni Mitchell’s life story. She found her own.With her new biography about Joni Mitchell, NPR music critic Ann Powers says she wanted to challenge the idea that there’s only one definitive story of a life.
Walls haven’t stopped immigration. Is society ready to explore open borders?Immigration policy failures led John Washington, who reports on the U.S. border, to write “The Case for Open Borders.”
How a spirit of gentleness can lead to public service – and better politicsPublic service means genuinely wanting good for others, says Michael Wear, author of “The Spirit of Our Politics.”
Do diverse police departments use less force? She trained with cops to find out.After a year training at police academies, sociologist Samantha J. Simon finds that it’s going to take more than diversity initiatives to change police culture.
