Author Interviews

Living In A Wildfire Zone? Get Prepared Now

Erin OToole — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 14:42:21 +0000

Sunday marked one year since the start of the High Park Fire, which ultimately destroyed 259 homes northwest of Fort Collins. Hot weather now has many Coloradans thinking about this year’s wildfire season.

Scheherazade: From Storytelling 'Slave' To 'First Feminist'

NPR Staff — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 12:31:10 +0000

The stories of One Thousand and One Nights are among the world's most famous works of literature. They start with a king who discovers that his wife is having an affair. In a fit of rage, he has her executed.

'Joker' Asks: Have You Heard The One About The Joke-Telling Poet?

NPR Staff — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 11:49:00 +0000

Heard any really good jokes lately? Andrew Hudgins is one of America's most noted poets, but he says he has a hard time recalling any actual lines of poetry. He can, however, recite knock-knock jokes he heard in the third grade. Ever since then, he has favored the kind of humor that can make people squirm or even make them angry. Jokes about religion, race, sex, weight, the O.J. Simpson case, Natalie Wood's death, and punch lines from Adolf Hitler's generals — everything is fair game.

Judy Blume Hits The Big Screen With 'Tiger Eyes' Adaptation

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 20:31:00 +0000

Mention Judy Blume to almost any woman under a certain age and you're likely to get this reaction: Her face lights up, and she's transported back to her childhood self — curled up with a book she knows will speak directly to her anxieties about relationships, self-image and measuring up.

Now, Blume — the author of coming-of-age novels such as Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret; Then Again, Maybe I Won't; and Blubber — will reach a new generation of girls in a new medium. Up until now, her widely beloved books haven't been made into feature films.

McCann's 'TransAtlantic' Crosses Fiction And Fact, Ireland And U.S.

Lynn Neary — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 20:52:00 +0000

About five years ago, Colum McCann stumbled upon a small piece of history he had never known: In 1845, Frederick Douglass, then an escaped slave who was already famous for his anti-slavery writings and speeches, visited Ireland to raise money and support for his cause. McCann says he knew almost immediately that he wanted to turn this historical fact into fiction: "This intersection between history and fiction, between what is real and what is not real, fascinates me," he says.