Jay Parini is a poet, novelist and teacher. He's also the author of "Promised Land: Thirteen Books That Changed America." He tells Jim Fleming that his is not a list of "great books" but rather books that significantly changed the literary climate of American culture.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
Robert Gordon tells Steve Paulson that he discovered the great Black Blues players while still a white boy in high school and that the racial complexities of Memphis have always been at the heart of its music.
Poet and writer Kenneth Goldsmith talks about his "Uncreative Writing" course in which students are penalized for showing any originality and creativity. Goldsmith is the author of "Uncreative Writing: Managing Language in the Digital Age."
Jessica Lamb-Shapiro attended a conference of self-help authors featuring Mark Victor Hansen of "Chicken Soup for the..." fame.
Stand-up comic Marc Maron compiled a one-man show based on his 1998 trip to Israel. The companion book is called "The Jerusalem Syndrome: My Life as a Reluctant Messiah." Maron tells Steve Paulson about the trip and performs excerpts from the show.
Are we ever good enough, or are we doomed to self-optimization for our entire lives?
Writer Michael Perry talks with Anne Strainchamps about his life combining writing with the new "back to the land" movement...
Mark Helprin reads from his new book, “The Pacific and Other Stories,” and talks with Jim Fleming about what really matters in life: courage, integrity, compassion.
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