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Author Interviews

Mavis Staples on Prince, MLK and a life onstage

Grammy award-winning soul singer Mavis Staples Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images hide caption

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Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images

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Mavis Staples on Prince, MLK and a life onstage

This week, the legendary singer and civil rights figure Mavis Staples is turning 85 and there's no sign of her slowing down: She released a new song, "Worthy," and a children's book, Bridges Instead of Walls: The Story of Mavis Staples.

Mavis Staples on Prince, MLK and a life onstage

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Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer shares her leadership philosophy in her new book.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer shares her leadership philosophy in her new book, True Gretch: What I've Learned About Life, Leadership, and Everything in Between. Simon and Schuster hide caption

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Simon and Schuster

Politics

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has “complete confidence” in Biden’s candidacy

NPR's Juana Summers talks with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer about her new book True Gretch: What I've Learned About Life, Leadership and Everything in Between.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has 'complete confidence' in Biden’s candidacy

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Jill Ciment met her husband Arnold Mesches when she was his teenage art student.

Jill Ciment met her husband Arnold Mesches when she was his teenage art student. Random House/Random House hide caption

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Random House/Random House

She was 17. He was 47. #MeToo changed how she thinks of their relationship

Ciment met her husband in the 1970s. At the time of their first kiss, he was a married father of two; she was his art student. In her memoir Consent she reconsiders the origin story of their marriage.

She was 17. He was 47. #MeToo changed how she thinks of their relationship

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A member of the 'T-Shirt Swim Club' chronicles life as 'the funny fat kid'

"The first place I learned to be funny was on the schoolyard trying to defuse this weird tension around my body, says Ian Karmel. He won an Emmy Award in 2019 for his work on James Corden's "Carpool Karaoke" special with Paul McCartney. Kenny McMillan/Penguin Random House hide caption

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Kenny McMillan/Penguin Random House

A member of the 'T-Shirt Swim Club' chronicles life as 'the funny fat kid'

Comedy writer Ian Karmel has been making fun of his own body since he was a kid. He wrote T-Shirt Swim Club: Stories from Being Fat in a World of Thin People along with his sister.

Ian Karmel

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A taste of Black Appalachia

Crystal Wilkinson's praisesong biscuits Felix Cruz hide caption

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Felix Cruz

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A taste of Black Appalachia

Too often, our attempts at nailing the family recipes end up in disaster and disappointment. This week, host Brittany Luse is joined by former Kentucky Poet Laureate Crystal Wilkinson, author of Praisesong for the Kitchenghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks. The two talk about Appalachian food culture, turning oral recipes into written ones, and the emotional relationship between food, family and memory.

A taste of Black Appalachia

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Contestants on Love is Blind live apart from one another and do not see each other before agreeing to be married.

Contestants on Love is Blind live apart from one another and do not see each other before agreeing to be married. Netflix hide caption

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Netflix

Television

'Love is Blind' is mired in lawsuits. What does that mean for reality TV?

New Yorker writer Emily Nussbaum discusses the lawsuits brought forth by the Love is Blind cast members, and reflects on how reality TV has impacted our culture. Her new book is Cue the Sun!

Emily Nussbaum

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Emergency Quarters

Emergency Quarters Illustrations © 2024 by Gracey Zhang hide caption

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Illustrations © 2024 by Gracey Zhang

Picture This

'Emergency Quarters' are for pay phones (remember those?) in a new book by ‘90s kids

Ernesto's mom gives him a quarter every morning. "For emergencies," she says. "If you need me, look for a pay phone." Hey, it was the '90s! But how will Ernesto spend his Emergency Quarters?

'Emergency Quarters' are for pay phones (remember those?) in a new book by ‘90s kids

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Illustration of a man relaxing on a hamster wheel, symbolizing taking a break from the daily grind to refresh yourself and appreciate life.

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Malte Mueller/fStop/Getty Images

Life Kit

Stuck in a rut? How to appreciate your life again, according to science

After a while, even the most exciting relationships, jobs and environments lose their spark. But cognitive neuroscientist Tali Sharot says it's possible to fall back in love with life's small joys.

Why we become bored with our lives (and how to find joy again)

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The human brain is hardwired to recognize faces. But what if you can't?

Freelance science writer Sadie Dingfelder is the author of the new book Do I Know You?, which explores human sight, memory and imagination. Little, Brown Spark, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company hide caption

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Little, Brown Spark, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company

Short Wave

The human brain is hardwired to recognize faces. But what if you can't?

Humans are hardwired to see faces — even in inanimate objects. We have a lima bean-shaped part of our brains dedicated to facial recognition. But this process isn't always straightforward. Science journalist Sadie Dingfelder is one of 10 million Americans who are face blind, or struggle to recognize the faces of people they know. In her new book, Do I Know You? she dives into this, as well as the science of memory and imagination.

The human brain is hardwired to recognize faces. But what if you can't?

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The truth and lies behind one of the most banned books in America
Jackie Lay

Code Switch

The truth and lies behind one of the most banned books in America

Author Mike Curato wrote Flamer as a way to help young queer kids, like he once was, better understand and accept themselves. It was met with immediate praise and accolades — until it wasn't. When the book got caught up in a wave of Texas-based book bans, suddenly the narrative changed. And like so many books that address queer identity, Flamer quickly became a flashpoint in a long, messy culture war that tried to distort the nature of the book.

The truth and lies behind one of the most banned books in America

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Earth is more than a planet with life on it. It's a "living planet"

Ferris Jabr's book Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life examines the ways life and Earth have shaped each other. Lucas Heinrich/Random House hide caption

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Lucas Heinrich/Random House

Short Wave

Earth is more than a planet with life on it. It's a "living planet"

About ten years ago, science writer Ferris Jabr started contemplating Earth as a living planet rather than a planet with life on it. It began when he learned that the Amazon rainforest doesn't simply receive the rain that defines it; rather, it helps generate that rain. The Amazon does that by launching bits of biological confetti into the atmosphere that, in turn, seed clouds. After learning this, he began looking for other ways life changes its environment. That led to his new book Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life. He talks to host Regina G. Barber about examples of life transforming the planet — from changing the color of the sky to altering the weather.

Earth is more than a planet with life on it. It's a "living planet"

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The history of trans misogyny is the history of segregation

Author Jules Gill-Peterson poses next to her book, A Short History of Trans Misogyny Headshot by Kadji Amin and book cover design by Angela Lorenzo for Verso hide caption

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Headshot by Kadji Amin and book cover design by Angela Lorenzo for Verso

Code Switch

The history of trans misogyny is the history of segregation

As anti-trans legislation has ramped up, historian Jules Gill-Peterson turns the lens to the past in her book, A Short History of Trans Misogyny. This week, we talk about how panics around trans femininity are shaped by wider forces of colonialism, segregation and class interests.

The history of trans misogyny is the history of segregation

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WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 03: Dr. Anthony Fauci, former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testifies before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic at the Rayburn House Office Building on June 03, 2024 in Washington, DC. The Subcommittee is holding a hearing on the findings from a fifteen month Republican-led probe of former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci and the COVID-19 pandemic's origins. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Dr. Anthony Fauci testifies before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee Select Subcommittee on June 3. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption

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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Health Care

Why Anthony Fauci approaches every trip to the White House as if it's his last

Over the course of his decades-long career in public health, Fauci vowed he would never shy away from speaking the truth with the U.S. president— even when it was inconvenient. Fauci's memoir is On Call.

Why Anthony Fauci approaches every trip to the White House as if it's his last

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Carvell Wallace searches for 'Another Word for Love'

Carvell Wallace, author of 'Another Word for Love' Carvell Wallace hide caption

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Carvell Wallace

It's Been a Minute

Carvell Wallace searches for 'Another Word for Love'

In his new memoir, Another Word for Love, Carvell Wallace lays out his journey to find self-acceptance after a childhood colored by instability. Host Brittany Luse sits down with Carvell to talk about how he built new language around love and his new perspectives on recovery and healing.

Carvell Wallace searches for 'Another Word for Love'

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Sports

'Satchel' recalls the iconic pitcher who helped integrate Major League Baseball

Hall of Famer Satchel Paige started his career pitching in the Negro leagues and later became a major league star. Author Larry Tye tells his story in Satchel. Originally broadcast in 2010.

'Satchel' recalls the iconic pitcher who helped integrate Major League Baseball

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Drag queen Kyne Santos explores how math is 'beautiful' in new book 'Math in Drag'

Kyne wearing her hyperbolic plane dress. Author photo by Fabian Di Corcia. Fabian Di Corcia/Fabian Di Corcia hide caption

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Fabian Di Corcia/Fabian Di Corcia

Short Wave

Drag queen Kyne Santos explores how math is 'beautiful' in new book 'Math in Drag'

Kyne Santos was a student at the University of Waterloo when she began her math and her drag careers. She compares her double life to Hannah Montana, doing math equations at school by day and drag at night. You may already know Kyne from TikTok, where she makes educational videos about math, science, history and drag. And now, in her new book Math in Drag, Kyne explores the connections between math and drag: How both can be creative, beautiful and most of all, fun.

Drag queen Kyne Santos explores how math is 'beautiful' in new book 'Math in Drag'

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For 'Such Kindness' novelist Andre Dubus III, chronic pain is a fact of life

Dubus talks about the injuries he faced as a carpenter and his relationship with his dad. His a new collection of personal essays is Ghost Dogs: On Killers and Kin. Originally broadcast in 2023.

For 'Such Kindness' novelist Andre Dubus III, chronic pain is a fact of life

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Taylor Swift, the Mona Lisa and Beyoncé.

Taylor Swift, the Mona Lisa and Beyoncé. Andrew Dias Nobreafp via Getty Images; Thomas Coexafp via Getty Images; Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy./. hide caption

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Andrew Dias Nobreafp via Getty Images; Thomas Coexafp via Getty Images; Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy./.

Culture

What's the recipe for fame? For one, you need more than talent

Why is the Mona Lisa the most famous painting in the world? Why are The Beatles, well, The Beatles? Behavioral economist Cass Sunstein explores the alchemy of fame.

Approximately one in every three births in the U.S. occurs as the result of a C-section.

Approximately one in every three births in the U.S. occurs as the result of a C-section. Getty Images hide caption

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Getty Images

Health

After a traumatic C-section, journalist takes on the medicalization of birth

When Rachel Somerstein had an emergency C-section with her first child, the anesthesia didn't work. She recounts her own experience and the history of C-sections in her book, Invisible Labor.

After a traumatic C-section, journalist takes on the medicalization of birth

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When Baby Sloth tumbles out of a tree, Mama Sloth comes for him — s l o w l y

Illustrations © 2024 by Brian Cronin/Rocky Pond Books hide caption

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Illustrations © 2024 by Brian Cronin/Rocky Pond Books

Picture This

When Baby Sloth tumbles out of a tree, Mama Sloth comes for him — s l o w l y

Did you know on average a sloth will fall out of a tree once a week for its entire life? It's true — and the inspiration for Brian Cronin and Doreen Cronin's new children's book, Mama in the Moon.

PICTURE THIS: MAMA IN THE MOON

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Stephen King says finishing one of his stories decades after he started it felt like

Stephen King says finishing one of his stories decades after he started it felt like "calling into a canyon of time." Francois Mori/AP hide caption

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Francois Mori/AP

Interview highlights

Stephen King's new story took him 45 years to write

Stephen King is out with a new collection of short stories. As you might expect from the reigning King of Horror, some are terrifying. Some are creepy. Others are laugh-out-loud funny.

Stephen King's new story took him 45 years to write

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