Penelope Fitzgerald is considered one of the great British novelists of the last half-century. Remarkably, she didn't begin writing until she was nearly 60 - and that's partly what attracted biographer Hermione Lee.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
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Novelist Jane Smiley tells Jim Fleming Dickens had extraordinary energy and vitality, and by writing sympathetically about the poor and working class, he changed English literature forever.
Italian journalist Riccardo Orizio tracked down seven former dictators living in exile around the world. He talks about what it was like to meet and talk with them.
Michael Dirda tells Anne Strainchamps that modern readers of Beowulf owe a great deal to J.R.R. Tolkien.
Laurie King has written a series of novels featuring Mary Russell, a young woman who becomes Sherlock Holmes' partner and later his wife.
Dr. Maden Kataria founded Laughter Clubs International – groups of people who meet to laugh aloud together.
Jeffrey J. Kripal talks to Steve Paulson about his book, "Mutants and Mystics: Science Fiction, Superhero Comics, and the Paranormal."
Parker Palmer is a writer and educator who's spent a lot of time thinking about the question, "What makes life worth living?"
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