​Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky.

Links to assorted local theater & book venues 

Walter Mosley in conversation with Richard Woinsky and Richard A. Lupoff, recorded October 25, 1992 in the KPFA studios while on tour for the novel, “White Butterfly.”

Today, Walter Mosley is one of America’s leading authors. He is best known for his series of mystery novels featuring the characters of Easy Rawlins and Mouse, now numbering fifteen, seventeen novels in other series, sixteen other novels, a collection of short stories, six works of non-fiction, plus screenplays and teleplays.

But on October 25th, 1992, he was at the beginning of his career when Probabilities co-hosts Richard A. Lupoff and Richard Wolinsky spoke with Walter Mosley in the KPFA studios about his latest Easy Rawlings novel, White Butterfly, his third book and the third in the series following Devil in a Blue Dress and A Red Death.

Black Betty would follow White Butterfly in 1994. The most recent Easy Rawlins novel is Blood Grove, published in 2021. Devil in a Blue Dress became a film released in 1995 using the screenplay discussed in the interview, directed by Carl Franklin and starring Denzel Washington. Mouse was played by Don Cheadle in a career breakout role. Thus far, that’s the only Easy Rawlins film. In 2022, Samuel L. Jackson starred in a TV miniseries titled The Last Days of Ptolemy Gray, based on Walter Mosley’s book, and primarily written by Walter Mosley. At present, an adaptation of his novel The Man in My Basement is in pre-production. The next Easy Rawlins novel, Farewell Amethystine will be published in June 2024.

This interview was digitized, remastered and edited on February 10, 2024 by Richard Wolinsky. It has not aired in thirty years. This is the first of five interviews, to date, with Walter Mosley. Complete Interview.  front photo Larry D. Moore,CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.

Jack O’Brien, theatre director and author of Jack in the Box, or How to Goddamn Direct, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky.

Jack O’Brien has won three Tony Awards and has been nominated seven times. The former artistic director of The Old Globe in San Diego, from 1981 to 2007, he’s one of the premier directors working in America today. Among his Broadway shows are The Full Monty, Hairspray, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Catch Me If You Can and The Coast of Utopia. He directed the much lauded 2018 revival of Carousel on Broadway. Most recently, in 2021, he directed Hairspray in London.

The interview focuses on what a director does, along with his own history becoming a director, and anecdotes about his work. Complete Interview

Review of “My Home on the Moon” at San Francisco Playhouse through February 24, 2024.

Book Interview/Events and Theatre Links

Note: Shows may unexpectedly close early or be postponed due to actors’ positive COVID tests. Check the venue for closures, ticket refunds, and vaccination and mask requirements before arrival. Dates are in-theater performances unless otherwise noted. Some venues operate Tuesday – Sunday; others Wednesday or Thursday through Sunday. All times Pacific Time. Closing dates are sometimes extended.

Book Stores

Live Theater Companies

Misc. Listings:

Filmed Live Musicals: Searchable database of all filmed live musicals, podcast, blog.

If you’d like to add your bookstore or theater venue to this list, please write [email protected]

The post Bookwaves/Artwaves – February 15, 2024: Walter Mosley – Jack O’Brien appeared first on KPFA.