Anne Strainchamps sat down with the great Turkish writer Elif Shafak. Her latest novel, “The Architect’s Apprentice,” is an epic tale set in the height of the Ottoman Empire. It has bloodshed. It was palace intrigue. It has romance. And, yes, it has architecture.
Shafak’s tale centers around a 16th century mosque architect named Mimar Sinan. Though a character in her novel, Sinan was also a real person – considered to be the greatest architect in the Islamic World.
Stephen Braude chairs the Philosophy Department at the University of Maryland, but he's long been interested in parapsychology, especially psycho-kinesis.
Will Friedwald, author of “Stardust Melodies,” tells Steve Paulson about Billy Strayhorn’s Song “Lush Life.”
We need a green revolution, and our current crop initiatives are not adding up to such things.
Suprabha Beckjord runs as a spiritual practice. She's a follower of Sri Chinmoy, who believed athletics could enhance spiritual enlightenment. So he set up various weightlifting, swimming, and distance running events. His most famous - and most grueling - is the annual Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race. The race, which exceeds the distance from Boston to Los Angeles, takes place around a half- mile loop in Queens, New York. Suprabha Beckjord ran those 3100 miles for 13 years in a row. Her fastest race was 49 days and 14 hours, an average or more than 63 miles a day. Rehman Tungekar talks with her.
Sara Lorimer tells Jim Fleming about the Chinese woman who ran an empire of six fleets and eighty thousand pirates, and the Irish pirate who gave birth during a battle.
Journalist Steve Volk believes the paranormal can be studied scientifically and explains why it's also a great subject for journalists. Also, a montage of movie clips about the paranormal.
Tom Wolfe is back on the bestseller list with his new novel “Back to Blood.” In this NEW and EXTENDED interview, Wolfe ranges from why he picked Miami as the location for his novel; his critique of modern fiction; the early days of New Journalism; and his satirical take on the contemporary art world.
