Free Library Podcast

The ''master of the nonfiction narrative'' (The Baltimore Sun), Tracy Kidder is acclaimed for his unique ''literary journalism'' that emphasizes compelling narrative and personal voice in such bestselling books as The Soul of a New Machine, Among Schoolchildren, and Mountains Beyond Mountains-a biographical look at anthropologist and physician Paul Farmer's fight against tuberculosis in the developing world. His many honors include the Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction, the National Book Award for Nonfiction, and the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award. In A Truck Full of Money, Kidder explores the inspiring story of Kayak.com founder Paul English and the ways new money is changing philanthropy and reshaping the world. 

In conversation with Tracey Matisak (recorded 10/7/2016)

Irish-Canadian writer Emma Donoghue is the author of the international bestseller Room, ''a stirring portrait of a mother's devotion'' (Toronto Star) and a finalist for the Man Booker Prize. Her film screenplay for the novel's screen adaptation of the same name was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Adapted Screenplay. Her other fiction includes Life Mask, Hood, and Slammerkin-winner of the 2002 Ferro–Grumley Award for Lesbian Fiction. Donoghue is also the author of an astonishing litany of literary histories, anthologies, short story collections, and stage and radio dramas. In The Wonder, she tells the tale of a journalist's investigation into an Irish village's supposed miracle girl.

(recorded 10/13/2016)

Ann Patchett's many novels and nonfiction works have won some of writing's highest awards, including the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize for Bel Canto, the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize for Taft, and the New York Times Notable Book of the Year for The Patron Saint of Liars. Her nonfiction works include the bestselling Truth & Beauty and This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage. One of Time magazine's Most Influential People in 2012, Patchett opened Parnassus Books when her hometown of Nashville was left without a bookstore. Commonwealth tells the story of a chance romantic encounter that reverberates over five decades.

The author of more than two dozen books for young adults, Jacqueline Woodson has won three Newbery Honors, a Coretta Scott King Award and three Coretta Scott King Honors, and the 2014 National Book Award for Brown Girl Dreaming. Using a gentle hand and lyrical prose to tackle difficult subjects such as teen pregnancy, drug addiction, gender identity, and juvenile crime, she has penned After Tupac and D Foster, Feathers, and Show Way. Woodson's new adult novel-her first in 20 years-is a tale of the promise and peril of adulthood set on the mean streets of 1970s Brooklyn. 

 

(recorded 10/6/2016)

One of America's most popular food writers, Mark Bittman penned the ''Minimalist'' column for the New York Times for 13 years and is the author of the ubiquitous How to Cook Everything series. The winner of two James Beard awards and the Julia Child general cookbook award, some of his other titles include Eat Vegan before 6:00 and Food Matters. He also hosts a weekly cooking video on the New York Times website and stars in the Public Television series Bittman Takes on America's Chefs. From New Orleans beignets to Afghan snowshoe naan, Bittman's latest book demystifies baking techniques from around the world through illustrations, advice, and thousands of recipes.

In conversation with Rick Nichols (recorded 10/5/2016)

Rules of Civility, a debut novel that ''enchants on first reading and only improves on the second'' (The Philadelphia Inquirer), marked Manhattan investment banker Amor Towles's auspicious literary breakout. An elegant Fitzgerald-ian love letter to 1930s Manhattan high society, it was a New York Times bestseller, was one of Wall Street Journal's 10 best works of fiction in 2011, and has been translated into 15 languages. In his highly anticipated follow-up, Towles tells the immersive story of an erudite and unrepentant Russian aristocrat living under house arrest in the aftermath of the Bolshevik revolution.

''Strange, hilarious, and utterly captivating'' (Harper's Bazaar), Nell Zink's out-of-nowhere debut novel The Wallcreeper- a tale of bird lovers, Europe, and eco-terrorism-was named one of the New York Times' 100 notable books of 2014. A former worker in the construction, pharma, and software industries; the editor of a ‘90s indie zine about punk musicians and their pets; and currently a translator living and working in Germany, Zink's 2015 novel Mislaid was longlisted for the National Book Award. In Nicotine, this postmodern polymath encapsulates the generational culture clash of Baby Boomers and Millennials.

(recorded 10/4/2016)

''One of America's foremost political satirists'' (New York Times), illustrator, caricaturist, and cartoonist Edward Sorel has illustrated 41 covers for The New Yorker and has published pictorial essays and features in The Nation, Vanity Fair, Esquire, and The Atlantic, among a score of other publications. The recipient of the George Polk Award for Satiric Drawing and the Best in Illustration Award from the National Cartoonists Society, Sorel has been ubiquitously exhibited in galleries and museums. In Mary Astor's Purple Diary, a masterpiece 40 years in the making, he draws a rounded character study of his muse, the scandalous Oscar-winning actress. 

One of America's artistic luminaries, Jules Feiffer won a Pulitzer Prize for the comic strip he published for 42 years in the Village Voice, an Academy Award for Best Animated Short, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Writers Guild of America, and he is an inductee to the Comic Book Hall of Fame. The author of dozens of collections of cartoons, histories of comics, graphic novels, plays, and screenplays-including those for Mike Nichols' Carnal Knowledge and Robert Altman's Popeye-he has taught at some of the country's most prestigious universities. Cousin Joseph is Feiffer's prequel to the New York Times bestselling Depression-era noir graphic novel Kill My Mother.

Please allow extra time to get to Parkway Central, due to extensive road work in the area.

 

(recorded 10/20/2016)

In conversation with Jason Freeman

Bryan Cranston won four Emmys, a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, and a Critics' Choice Award for his role as milquetoast-chemistry-teacher-turned-Scarface-of-meth Walter White in Breaking Bad. His other acting includes the role of hapless dad Hal in Malcolm in the Middle, roles in films ranging in diversity from Saving Private Ryan to the Power Rangers, and a popular Broadway run as President Lyndon Johnson. This year he received his first Oscar nomination, for his work as the title character in the film Trumbo. A Life in Parts describes the ways in which his experiences shaped his understanding of the transcendent power of hard work over even talent, of failure's ability to fuel success. Say his name. (recorded 10/12/2016)

President and Co-Founder of the Campaign Group, Neil Oxman, will show political spots beginning with the Eisenhower/Stevenson race in 1952 up through the present and share examples of his own work. He will also discuss the history of political messages on TV and explain how they're made. 

(recorded 9/21/2016)

An ''unlikely feminist enforcer'' (The New Yorker), Jennifer Weiner is the beloved no. 1 New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen novels that plumb life's messiness with witty, relatable characters who face real issues-relationships, careers, family dynamics, and motherhood. These include Good in Bed; In Her Shoes, which was made into a major motion picture starring Cameron Diaz, Shirley MacLaine, and the city of Philadelphia; The Next Best Thing; All Fall Down; and Who Do You Love. In Hungry Heart, Weiner mines her many identities-mom, daughter, sister, inept yogini, reality-TV junkie, and Twitter firebrand, among others-in an intimate and honest collection of essays about yearning and fulfillment. 

(recorded 10/14/2016)

''Leaders in a food revolution that sees mainstream chefs putting vegetables at the center of the plate'' (Associated Press), Philly natives and husband-and-wife team Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby are co-owners of Vedge, a local mecca for foodies since 2011. Landau opened his first restaurant in 1994 and is notable for serving the first-ever vegan dinner at the James Beard House. Jacoby serves as Vedge's pastry chef and runs its cocktail and wine program. They are also owners of V Street, a street-food bar based on their shared love of travel and food cultures. Their eponymous book is a tasty compendium of more than 100 vegetable recipes inspired by the great street foods of the world.

Please allow extra time to get to Parkway Central, due to extensive road work in the area.

In conversation with Maureen Fitzgerald, food editor, Philadelphia Inquirer

 

(recorded 10/7/2016)