Book Nook

By Vick MickunasArts Books

Book Nook episodes

June 25, 2019 Best of the Book Nook: Fifty More Hikes in Ohio, by Ralph Ramey
A few weeks ago I was reading our local weekly newspaper The Yellow Springs News when I noted the obituary of Ralph Ramey. He was 90 years old when he died. A number of years ago Ralph made a couple of appearances on the program and when I saw that he was no longer with us I headed right over to my stacks of recordings of the show and pulled out this interview that I did with Ralph back in 2002 when he published his book "Fifty More Hikes in Ohio." Ralph was an amazing guy. He had hiked over
51 min
June 22, 2019 Book Nook: Like Lions, by Brian Panowich
When you walk in to a library or a bookstore you are always within reach of new discoveries; all those books just waiting to be read. When you tune in to this program I am hoping to offer you opportunities to experience the personalities of the people who are creating these works. We delve into their creative processes. We talk about their inspirations. We explore the books and writers that have been important to them. Sometimes we meander into unexpected places. I am never certain about our
29 min
June 17, 2019 Book Nook: Play Hungry - the Making of a Baseball Player, by Pete Rose
Pete Rose was one of the greatest baseball players to ever play the sport. Now that Pete is entering his twilight years he wants to leave us with some final thoughts about how he became such a great player and the things that have been important to him. If you read "Play Hungry - the Making of a Baseball Player" you'll learn what matters to Pete Rose. First of all there was his dad, the man who instilled a system of beliefs into an eager youngster who worshiped and emulated a guy who was a great
48 min
June 14, 2019 Best of the Nook: Another Country: Navigating the Emotional Terrain of Our Elders, by Mary Pipher
None of us are getting any younger. But many of us are living longer lives. As the birth rate holds steady or even declines slightly older Americans will continue to make up a growing proportion of our population. How we are aging and the things we can do to try to make our aging a less difficult process are becoming increasingly crucial. Twenty years ago I talked to Mary Pipher about her book "Another Country: Navigating the Emotional Terrain of Our Elders." The topics we discussed were timely
29 min
June 10, 2019 Best of the Book Nook: Crashing the Party, by Ralph Nader
The presidential contest in 2000 came down to a photo finish between Al Gore and George W. Bush. It was too close to call. The candidate who was awarded the electoral votes for the state of Florida would be declared the winner. The results in Florida were unclear and in dispute. The eventual declaration that Bush had won was finally decided weeks after the election when the matter was finally referred to the Supreme Court. Judge Antonin Scalia cast the key vote that tipped the election to the
51 min
June 07, 2019 Book Nook: Wine Talk: A Vintage Collection of Facts and Legends for Wine Lovers by Andrew M. Jones
One of the most peculiar interviews I have ever experienced during my years hosting the program took place about 20 years ago. In those days the program aired live from our studios every weekday afternoon and the majority of my guests came out to the station to be interviewed. I had been contacted by a fellow named Andrew Jones. He called himself "The Flying Wine Man." I had no idea what he meant by that appellation but I was about to find out. Andrew arrived that afternoon with a sidekick, a
29 min
June 03, 2019 Best of the Book Nook: The Childrens' War, by J. N. Stroyar
One of my favorite interviews from the year 2001 was the one that I did with J.N. Stroyar. The author came out to our studios to discuss her massive novel "The Children's War." This work of alternative history operates under this basic premise: the Germans did not lose World War Two and in the world that followed the Nazis remain the dominant force in Europe. Imagine that. Stroyar did and the result is a chilling story that was one of my favorite works of fiction that year. Some years later the
50 min
May 31, 2019 Best of the Book Nook: Island-the Complete Stories, by Alastair MacLeod
Alastair MacLeod wrote short stories that were like jewels. He published just one novel and fewer than 20 short stories during his lifetime. He was one of the most highly regarded writers in his native Canada. It was quite an amazing thing that the author came out to our studios to participate in this interview. We talked about fishing and mining and the relationships between fathers and sons. MacLeod died in 2014. The Book Nook on WYSO is presented by the Greene County Public Library with
29 min
May 27, 2019 Best of the Book Nook: Measuring America, by Andro Linklater
Andro Linklater came out to Yellow Springs to talk about his study of the history of land surveying in our region. This fascinating book shows readers how our landscape was formed by the survey methods that were employed and how those measurement techniques varied in different regions. Down south they did things rather differently. Linklater was quite familiar with the surveying parties who completed the mapping of our region. He knew about how a surveyor named Ludlow did a great job mapping out
51 min
May 17, 2019 Best of the Book Nook: Questions, Short Poems, Water & Air by Ira Beryl Brukner
18 years ago I attended an event here in Yellow Springs called "Community Voices." One of the performers that evening was a gentleman who had recently moved to the village. Ira Brukner recited his poem "Questions" and I was captivated. After that I spent many months trying to persuade him to appear on the program. Finally, he agreed to make an appearance. And what an appearance it was! Ira began the proceedings by reciting "Questions" for our radio audience. It took him ten minutes to do it and
29 min

About Book Nook

From the publisher's feed

Listen to the Book Nook with Vick Mickunas for intimate conversations about books with the writers who create them.Vick Mickunas introduced the Book Nook author interview program for WYSO in 1994.…