Sven Birkerts tried to write a novel, but realized he had more success writing about fiction than writing fiction. He tells Steve Paulson how he became a literary critic.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
First it was the Islamic State of Iraq, ISIS. Then the Levant Islamic State of Iraq, ISIL. And now IS – a self-described Islamic State. But what about the youth of the Arab World? What do they want?
The nexus of science and religion has become a point of passion for interviewer Steve Paulson. In this segment, Steve looks back at TTBOOK's first interview with biologist E.O. Wilson.
Writer Stephen Kuusisto is blind and he says that among the many advantages —he gets eavesdrop on the rest of us, because most of the time, we don’t even notice he’s listening.
Stephen Greenblatt tells Steve Paulson he thinks Shakespeare’s father was a drunk, leaving Will with complex feelings about alcohol.
Scott Weidensaul talks with Jim Fleming about several animals that have turned up after their species was thought to be extinct.
Humorist Roy Blount Junior talks about some of his favorite rambles in New Orleans, with observations on oysters, New Orleans characters and the city’s history.
Simon Montefiore is the author of “Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar.” He says Stalin was more complex than we thought, but still a monster.
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