Novelist Jane Smiley tells Jim Fleming Dickens had extraordinary energy and vitality, and by writing sympathetically about the poor and working class, he changed English literature forever.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
Louise Brown tells Anne Strainchamps that the traditional culture of prostitution is related to the performing arts in Pakistan but that it is being replaced by a sex industry.
Ken Eklund is the creator of the alternate reality game "World Without Oil." He describes the game and we hear the comments of several game bloggers.
Ever wonder what caused the outbreak of World War One? Oxford historian Margaret MacMillan recounts its origins on its 100th anniversary.
Jeffrey J. Kripal talks to Steve Paulson about his book, "Mutants and Mystics: Science Fiction, Superhero Comics, and the Paranormal."
Peter Carey's novel "True History of The Kelly Gang" has been described as "a spectacular feat of literary ventriloquism." Carey tells Steve Paulson that's because he wrote the book in another voice.
Pir Zubair Shah is a Pakistani journalist who risked his life reporting for the New York Times from his homeland -- Waziristan, in the heart of Taliban-controlled Pashtun area. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his work, but had to leave his country.
Mary Roach is the author of “Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers.” She reads from the book and talks about observing an anatomy class.
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