Richard Powers, whose latest novel is “The Overstory,” in conversation with Richard Wolinsky.

The author of “The Time of Our Singing” and “The Echo Maker” delves into the world of eco-terrorism and the secret life of trees in this epic story about eight individuals who, together and apart, come to see the forests of earth as our salvation, and the salvation of the planet. Based on prodigious research, Powers tells of the way trees communicate with one another, and spins stories based on real life confrontations between protestors and those who would destroy the lifeblood of the planet to pay off leveraged debt.

Richard Powers explores the effects of modern science and technology in his twelve novels. Along with the National Book award for “The Echo Maker,”  he has won many other awards over the course of his career, including a MacArthur Fellowship. Richard Powers has taught at the University of Illinois and Stanford Universities.

"The Overstory" recently won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

An extended 46-minute version of this interview is available as a Radio Wolinsky podcast. [1]

[1] https://kpfa.org/area941/episode/richard-powers-the-understory/