Chatter on Books

“Reads like an August Wilson play.”

Chatter alums Tope Folarin and Chuck Culpepper join David and Torie on Zoom.  David starts with “the” NFL team name change.  Tope reflects on how BLM impacts his work.  Chuck reminisces about Arthur Ashe.  Torie rants about the Bolton book.  And Margot Lee Shetterly delights with the back stories on bringing to the world’s attention the remarkable women who helped America dominate space.

“My first grade teacher gave me extra paper.”

Jamie McIntyre explains the Russia bounty story (we feel somewhat better).  David debriefs name changes for certain pro teams and what it means when NFL Commissioner Goodell says “Black Lives matter.”  NYT best selling author Jennifer Weiner talks pandemics, motherhood, internet culture and her latest terrific book, Big Summer.  Frenemies meet social media and the truth.

“Oh my God!”

Racing through summer, Chatter Zooms again.   Marc Sterne gets his military history buff-ness on for loyal listeners.   News exec Mark Whitaker joins and breaks down his Washington Post piece on books on race racing up  best sellers lists.  Hollywood vets Jeff Abraham and Burt Kearns talk about the strange and shocking and bizarre deaths of performers on stage in their book The Show Won’t Go On!  The gang does Fourth of July recs for Deserted Island.

“The trouble with humans.”   Wash Post reporter Chuck Culpepper joins in fresh off covering (quiet) golf. David curates books on Michael Jordan and says he would focus on the father-son relationship. Frank Wilderson enlightens with Afropessimism, part memoir, part philosophy and all important. 

You want to believe in magic.”

Zoom’s the new normal. Angie Kim returns; Miracle Creek getting lots of love from Edgars and Anthony awards. Angie and David talk The Last Dance (of course!).  Alma Katsu leans on her intel background to crush historical fiction like The Deep (add ghosts to the Titanic).  The gang ponders how they’d tell the pandemic story.

“Is this time different?”

Reflecting the times, David, Torie and Marc Sterne talk about the protests following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.  They catch up with Chris Wilson, author, artist, entrepreneur and activist. 

“Grace Hopper loved her Manhattans.”

The love affair with David in The Last Dance continues.   Jamie McIntyre zooms in to debrief on the DOD.

Calling on over 40 years of distinguished service in the U.S. Navy, Admiral Stavridis talks leadership and character through the lives of 10 illustrious admirals, from Ancient Greece to modern day, in his book Sailing True North.  Deserted Island is all about disasters.

“I’m wearing pants.”   Zooming in, David Aldridge takes starring role in The Last Dance.  Historical fiction writer Louis Bayard talks quarantines (not too different for writers) and the virtual Pen/Faulkner Awards. The gang is awed by comedy legend Alan Zweibel, genius for Gilda Radner, Garry Shandling, Billy Crystal and more. His book Laugh Lines kills, and he has the best Deserted Island ever.

"Geese, geese, geese.”   Fresh off CBS Sunday Morning fame, Wash Post book critic Ron Charles talks Pulitzers (Colson Whitehead rocks again) and knuckleheads banning books. Award winning and delightful Lily King joins from Portland, Maine. She and David compare writing angst and inspirational teachers.  Ron calls her book Writers and Lovers “one of the best books I’ve read in a long time.”   Deserted Island is books for 2020 disrupted grads.

“O’Desperado”

Liz Clarke joins David and Torie for another socially distant show. Liz debriefs virtual NASCAR, David the NFL draft and The Last Dance. They dispense book club therapy for middle aged guys. Award winner Joe Drape of the New York Times talks real and virtual Kentucky Derbies and his terrific book American Pharoah.  Secretariat wins Deserted Island.