Free Library Podcast

In conversation with Laura McGrath, Assistant Professor of English at Temple University

''Quirky and often darkly hilarious'' (Mother Jones), Gary Shteyngart is the author of the culturally reflective novels The Russian Debutante's Handbook, winner of the Stephen Crane Award for First Fiction; Absurdistan, named a ''best book of the year'' by slews of periodicals; the New York Times bestseller Super Sad True Love Story; and Lake Success, a critically acclaimed satire of the emptiness of materialism. His other work includes the National Book Critics Award finalist Little Failure, a memoir of his experiences in the dramatically dissimilar worlds of uber-consumerist America and the perpetually deprived Soviet Union of his youth. Shteyngart has contributed articles and essays to Esquire, GQ, and The New Yorker, and his work has been translated into more than 20 languages. In his latest novel, a group of friends navigates the rocky shoals of love, betrayal, and K-pop while in pandemic lockdown. (recorded 9/13/2022)

In conversation with Mark Bowden

A Pulitzer Prize–-winning journalist and author of four books, Buzz Bissinger is perhaps best known for the New York Times bestseller Friday Night Lights, the 1990 nonfiction chronicle of a Texas high school football team that has since been adapted into a successful film and a long-running television series. His other popular books include 3 Nights in August, A Prayer for the City, and Father's Day, a memoir about his cross-country journey with his extraordinary son. A contributing editor for Vanity Fair and a sports columnist for The Daily Beast, Bissinger is a longtime contributor to The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and The Philadelphia Inquirer, among other periodicals. The Mosquito Bowl tells the story of two United States Marine regiments that play a bloody game of football on the eve of the WWII invasion of Okinawa, a battle from which many of the players would not return.

Renowned for his ''signature blend of deep reportage and character-driven storytelling (The New York Times Book Review),'' Mark Bowden is the author of 15 bestselling books of investigative journalism, including Blackhawk Down, adapted by Ridley Scott into a popular film; Killing Pablo, winner of the Overseas Press Club's Cornelius Ryan Award for book of the year; The Three Battles of Wanat, a collection of his best long-form essays; and Hue 1968, the story of the Vietnam War's bloodiest battle as told by participants from both sides.  (recorded 9/14/2022)

In conversation with Tracey Matisak, award-winning journalist and interviewer

Co-star of the ABC mega-hit show Black-ish, Jenifer Lewis' nearly 35-year career has featured roles in some of Hollywood's most beloved films and television shows. These include such diverse projects as What's Love Got to Do With It, Pixar's Cars series, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, among dozens of others. Titled after her unofficial nickname, her memoir The Mother of Black Hollywood charts her journey from a childhood of poverty in the Midwest to the acting roles that have made her an icon. Lewis earned two Critics' Choice Television Award nominations for her work on Black-ish and her previous work has garnered an NAACP Image Award. Walking in My Joy is an essay collection that celebrates the importance of perseverance in the face of adversity and our need for self-love. (recorded 9/12/2022)

In conversation with Tracey Matisak, award winning journalist and broadcaster

The United States Representative for California's 28th Congressional District and the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Adam Schiff was the lead manager for the first impeachment proceedings against former President Donald Trump. He is a former member of the House Appropriations Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee, and served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles from 1987 to 1993 and a California State Senator from 1996 to 2000. In Midnight in Washington, Schiff reveals an inside look at American democracy's darkest moment, his own path to becoming one of the former president's most prominent antagonists, and the principles we need to renew and reinvigorate in the struggle against autocracy. (recorded 8/29/2022)

W. Kamau Bell is the host and executive producer of the Emmy Award–winning CNN docuseries United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell, and also directed and executive produced the recent four-part Showtime documentary We Need To Talk About Cosby. He has appeared as a guest and comedian on many television shows, has two comedy specials, hosts the radio show Kamau Right Now, co-hosts two podcasts, and hosted the FXX series Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell. The author of the memoir The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell, he has contributed writing to The New York Times, Vanity Fair, The Hollywood Reporter, and The LA Review of Books, among other places.

Kate Schatz is the author of The New York Times bestselling Rad Women book series. Her other books include the work of fiction Rid of Me, articles and essays in an array of publications, and ''Folsom, Survivor,'' which was anthologized in The Best American Short Stories 2011. A political organizer and frequent public speaker, she is the co-founder of Solidarity Sundays, a nationwide network of more than 200 feminist activist groups. Schatz is the former chair of the School of Literary Arts at the Oakland School for the Arts, and she taught women's studies, literature, and creative writing at University of California, Santa Cruz; San Jose State; Rhode Island College; and Brown University.

Filled with activities, ideas, games, illustrations, resources, comics, and prompts for conversations, Do the Work! challenges readers and the people in their lives to better understand systemic racism in order to dismantle it. (recorded 8/3/2022)

In their illustrated children's book, Brian Westbrook Sr. and Lesley Van Arsdall tell the story of a determined little critter named Brian who overcomes his small size to become a star in the Mouse Football League.

Brian Westbrook, Sr. played nine seasons in the NFL, including eight seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was a two-time Pro-Bowl running back and was named first team All-Pro after the 2007 season, in which he led the league with over 2,000 yards from scrimmage. He now makes regular broadcast appearances in addition to his charity work with the Brian Westbrook Foundation and speaking engagements.

Lesley Van Arsdall is a seasoned TV news veteran who has covered Philadelphia sports, local and headline news as both an anchor and a reporter. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, she lives outside Philadelphia with her husband and two sons. This is her first children's book. (recorded 8/4/2022)

In conversation with Tamala Edwards, anchor, 6ABC Action News morning edition

One of the world's foremost chroniclers of the intersection of the human and natural worlds, Michael Pollan is a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of eight books. These works include How to Change Your Mind, an examination of the science of psychedelics; Cooked, which was adapted into a Netflix series; Food Rules: An Eater's Manual; and A Natural History of Four Meals, which won the James Beard Award and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. A contributing writer to The New York Times Magazine for 35 years, Pollan has earned two James Beard Awards, the Reuters-I.U.C.N. 2000 Global Award for Environmental Journalism, and the Genesis Award from the Humane Society of the United States, among numerous other honors. He is the co-founder of the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics and is the Knight Professor of Science and Journalism at UC Berkeley. A challenge to rethink traditional notions of drugs, This Is Your Mind on Plants explores the allure, taboos, and effects of three very different psychoactive plants. (recorded 7/18/2022)

In conversation with Tracey Matisak, award winning broadcaster and journalist

Mark Leibovich's books include the No. 1 bestseller This Town, a ''vastly entertaining and deeply troubling'' (The New York Times Book Review) exploration of the political culture in Washington, D.C.; and Big Game, a beyond-the-playing-field analysis of professional football at its precarious economic and social peak. Former chief national correspondent for The New York Times Magazine and a former correspondent for The Washington Post, Leibovich recently joined The Atlantic as a staff writer and is a contributing political analyst for NBC and MSNBC. He won the 2011 National Magazine Award for his profile of journalist Mike Allen. A sequel to This Town, Thank You for Your Servitude is a no-holds-barred account of Donald Trump's collaboration with the Republican Party to transform the once-proud party into a cult of personality mired in corruption and anti-democratic values. (recorded 7/26/2022)

In conversation with Renée Chenault Fattah

In The XX Edge, Patience Marime-Ball and Ruth Shaber envision a new paradigm of gender-focused investing where more women are placed in decision-making roles and able to optimize their skills across all capital markets-leading to higher returns for individual investors and greater economic growth.

Patience Marime-Ball is the founder and CEO of Women of the World Endowment, an investment nonprofit focused on centralizing women changemakers as economic, environmental, and social changemakers while delivering market-rate, risk adjusted returns and impact at scale. She has more than two and half decades of investment experience across capital markets – including debt and equity financing, large scale infrastructure, distressed assets, as well as venture stage opportunities. Patience has led many ''firsts'' in the investing space; she developed the Banking on Women platform at the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and was responsible for co-designing IFC's multi-billion dollar Global Trade Liquidity Program, as well as the first-ever gender bond issued on the Uridashi market.

Ruth Shaber is the founder and president of the Tara Health Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes and invests in programs aimed at health, well-being, and opportunities for women and girls. She is also the co-founder and board chair of Rhia Ventures, a group of foundations and investors devoted to reproductive health in the United States, and was a gynecologist and obstetrician at Kaiser Permanente for 22 years. Selected as a Forbes 2020 Impact 50: Investors Seeking Profit-and Pushing for Change for her work in impact investing, Shaber, is also the founder of the Women's Health Research Institute.

A former longtime co-anchor of the WCAU NBC 10 News, Renée Chenault Fattah also worked at several other stations across the country and as a lawyer at the New York firm of Hughes Hubbard & Reed. She serves on the board of directors of Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity and on the board of trustees of Johns Hopkins University, and in 2020 was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame. (recorded 7/20/2022)

Acclaimed for crafting ''sharply drawn characters, exuberant prose,'' and ''plenty of period detail'' (Los Angeles Times Book Review), Diane McKinney-Whetstone is the author of six novels, including Tumbling, Tempest Rising, Trading Dreams at Midnight, and Lazaretto, a historical novel set in a legendary 19th-century Philadelphia quarantine hospital. A two-time recipient of the American Library Association Black Caucus Literary Award for fiction and winner of a Zora Neale Hurston Society Award, she taught creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania for 12 years and has contributed writing to The Atlantic, Essence, and Philadelphia Magazine. In Our Gen, McKinney-Whetstone follows the residents of a Philadelphia-area active-living retirement community who revert to the passions and excesses of their youth. (recorded 7/19/2022)