KPFA - Radio Wolinsky

Maria Semple, author of the novel “Today Will be Different,” interviewed by Richard Wolinsky.

Author of the best-selling novel “Where’d You Go, Bernadette,” Maria Semple’s latest novel is a comic look at a day in the life of a wife and mother, dealing with the kinds of issues we all deal with, and trying to be better.

Maria Semple has a long history in the entertainment field. Her father, Lorenzo Semple Jr. created the 1960’s Batman TV series and wrote the screenplay for several films, including Three Days of the Condor and The Parallax View. Maria Semple took after her father, and was in the writers’ room for several TV shows, including Ellen, Suddenly Susan (for which she was show runner), Beverly Hills 90210 and Arrested Development. “Today Will Be Different” is her third novel.

The interview not only discusses this book and her career, but delves deeply into how a television show is created from the perspective of the writers’ room, what it means to be an “executive producer,” and how each individual show and a season come together.

Maria Semple website

The post Maria Semple appeared first on KPFA.

Fun Home: Alison Bechdel and Jeanine Tesori, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky.

Alison Bechdel is the author of the graphic novel “Fun Home,” and Jeanine Tesori is the composer of the musical adaptation of “Fun Home”. Originally opening at New York’s Public Theatre, “Fun Home” moved to Broadway and won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Musical. Jeanine Tesori shared the Tony for Best Original Score with lyricist and librettist Lisa Kron.

“Fun Home” is based on a graphic memoir detailing how Alison Bechdel came out of the closet to her parents, and discovered her father was gay, and the tragedy that came afterward.

Alison Bechdel is also the author of the comic strip “Dykes to Watch Out For” and the graphic novel “Are You My Mother.” Jeanine Tesori has written the music for four other musicals: “Violet,” “Thoroughly Modern Millie”, “Shrek: The Musical” and, with Tony Kushner, “Caroline or Change.” She has also written scores for four animated films, including “Shrek The Third,” and is currently working on a new opera with Tony Kushner about the later life of Eugene O’Neill.

The touring company of “Fun Home” plays at San Francisco’s Curran Theatre through February 19, 2017. For more information: Curran Theater

Fun Home Wikipedia page  Alison Bechdel  Jeanine Tesori

Recorded in the offices of the Curran Theatre. Special thanks to Jaron Jones. A shorter version of this interview aired on KPFA’s Arts-Waves program

The post Fun Home: Alison Bechdel and Jeanine Tesori appeared first on KPFA.

Robert Olen Butler, author of the novel “Perfume River,” in conversation with Richard Wolinsky.

Robert Olen Butler is the author of several novels and short story collections. His collection,  “A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain” won the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. The author of sixteen novels and six collections of short stories, his best-known works focus on the legacy of Vietnam, either looking at the war itself or on its aftermath in Vietnam and in America. “Perfume River” tells the story of a Vietnam vet, struggling with his entry to old age, and with his older parents, one of whom has his own secrets from World War II, and with his brother, who ran to Canada rather than be conscripted. Robert Olen Butler also writes a series of thrillers set during World War I.

Robert Olen Butler website

A shorter version of this interview was heard on Bookwaves.

The post Robert Olen Butler appeared first on KPFA.

Ashley Judd, interviewed by Richard Wolinsky on April 25,2011

On Saturday, January 21st, Ashley Judd captivated the crowd at the Women’s March in Washington with her presentation as a “Nasty Woman”. While most people simply know her as an actor in films and television, her real center lies as an activist for health and social justice. Richard Wolinsky had a chance to interview Ashley Judd when she was on tour in 2011 for her memoir, “All That Is Bitter and Sweet,” which deals with her early life and her later work as an activist for population, health and feminist issues.

For those who only know Ashley Judd from her entertainment work, the interview is an eye-opener as she discusses her political work, and specifically issues involving sexual slavery, AIDS and other health and social issues in Africa and Asia.

Ashley Judd website

The post Ashley Judd, 2011 appeared first on KPFA.

Margot Livesey discusses her latest novel, “Mercury,” with host Richard Wolinsky.

Margot Livesey is known for writing literary psychological thrillers. Born and raised in Britain, she’s lived in the United States for several years, and “Mercury,” a tale of obsession and misunderstanding, is her first set in America.

In this interview, she talks about writing the book, about her career as a writer, and about her work as a teacher of writing.

The post Margot Livesey appeared first on KPFA.