A Novel Idea

Suzanne Lang talks with Gayle Forman, a literary star in the Young Adult genre, who has recently released a novel, as she says, starring adults and geared toward that audience. Leave Me is the story of a wife and mother who leaves home to find herself.

Also featured is Suzanne’s conversation with Silas Dent Zobal, author of the acclaimed novel The People of the Broken Neck, a story about family, about violence and post traumatic stress, and a reflection on the legacy of each person’s life.

Suzanne Lang talks with Gayle Forman, a literary star in the Young Adult genre, who has recently released a novel, as she says, starring adults and geared toward that audience. Leave Me is the story of a wife and mother who leaves home to find herself.

Also featured is Suzanne’s conversation with Silas Dent Zobal, author of the acclaimed novel The People of the Broken Neck, a story about family, about violence and post traumatic stress, and a reflection on the legacy of each person’s life.

This month, we explore 100 Years in the Life of an American Girl with Suzanne Sherman. Suzanne has taught the craft of memoir to hundreds of people, and over time found she had a wealth of material revealing the social and cultural currents that have carried us to now.We also feature Laura McHale Holland, the editor of Sisters Born, Sisters Found: A Diversity of Voices on Sisterhood, an anthology of memoirs, essays, poems, and short stories.Host: Suzanne Lang

In this archive episode, Joan Frank joins with Rosemary Manchester for a conversation on Joan’s novel, Make It Stay . Next, a strong and colorful dad becomes homeless and estranged in Mary Ames Mitchell’s The Purple Cow House and Other Tales of Eccentricities. Mary talks about her experience with Suzanne Lang.Finally, Barbara Quick reviews the second installment of a trilogy that began with Wolf Hall, centering on the life of Thomas Cromwell, Bring Up the Bodies, by Hillary Mantel.(Originally broadcast in June of 2012.)

Have Twitter, texting, and emoticons diminished the relevance of grammar? Not so, says Arlene Miller, a.k.a. the Grammar Diva.

Arlene Miller, author of the best selling The Best Little Grammar Book Ever, and Correct Me If I’m Wrong joins Suzanne Lang in conversation this month.

“A good book’s job is to expose real lives” says Laura Pritchett, who joins Suzanne Lang in conversation at Pegasus Books in Berkeley on Pritchett’s latest book Red Lightning. Author and conservationist, Pritchett is the award winning author of Hell’s Bottom, Colorado, Stars Go Blue, and Sky Bridge. Also featured is Nina Ansary, named one of the 21 most influential people in the 21st Century Her book, The Jewells of Allah, the Untold Story of Women in Iran cracks open our assumptions and reveals an Islamic Feminism that continues to grow in the midst of patriarchy.

Bruce Holbert’s life is as interesting as his characters. His grandfather was murdered by his own father-in-law, and Holbert himself was involved in the accidental shooting of a friend. He lives in a dramatic part of the west and it all comes out in is finely honed prose. Suzanne Lang speaks with Holbert on his latest novel, the lovely and riveting The Hour of Lead.

Jazz musician and jazz music publisher, Chuck Sher has just released the audio book Poetry and Jazz: A Magical Marriage featuring the poetry of Rilke, Rumi, and Rexroth among others, read by world class interpreters to great jazz compositions by the likes of Clare Fischer, Maria Schneider, and Stan Getz. Some of you may know Chuck as a radio personality; he has been one of the regular hosts of KRCB’s Jazz Connections for many years. Poetry and Jazz: A Magical Marriage is “an intertwining of two deep art forms to create something brand new –an audio book unlike anything done previously.” http://www.shermusic.com/We’ll also speak with Raphael Block who has collaborated with musicians such as Bhavani Judith Tucker and Phil Lawrence, and whose poetry has been set to music and performed by the Occidental Community Choir. We’ll talk with him about his life and art. http://raphaelblock.com/

There are medical practitioners whose compassion, ethic, and curiosity lead them to serve patients and other doctors alike with verve and dedication. Michael Carlston and Rick Flinders are two physicians whose lives and experiences resulted in books that open up our understanding and appreciation of the healing arts in our own lives.

Nationally recognized authority in the integration of conventional and complementary medicine, Michael Carlston joins Suzanne Lang in conversation on his book Better than Medicines – the Ten Essential Health Habits. Carlston’s commitment is to the well-being of patients, and working with them, employs conventional and alternative therapies. His book aims to empower readers to achieve health and balance.

Larry Slater, long-time host of KRCB’s Jazz Connections and Sonoma County’s Jazz MD, talks with Dr. Rick Flinders on his book The Santa Rosa Reader, a Personal Anthology from the Family Medicine Residency. Flinders has trained, taught and practiced in Santa Rosa’s Family Medicine Residency Program for the past 35 years. "One of the great gifts of medical practice is what we learn, not just about medicine, but about life.”

Jean Wong joins Rosemary Manchester in conversation on her book Sleeping with the Gods. Jean writes fiction, memoir, drama and poetry, Her work has been produced by Sixth Street Playhouse and Off the Page Theater Group.

Elizabeth Evans joins Suzanne Lang in conversation on her latest release set amidst the Iowa Writers Workshop, As Good as Dead.