Ira Glass is the host of the public radio program This American Life. He tells Steve Paulson what makes a story work on the radio and plays several examples.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
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Isabel Swift heads Harlequin Enterprises’ editorial department which publishes 700 new romance novels a year. She says romances are feminist fiction.
Ian Frazier talks with Jim Fleming about fishing. He says New York’s rivers and harbor are full of great fish, and recalls some of his angling adventures both there and abroad.
James Maguire is the author of "American Bee." He tells Steve Paulson what sort of kid goes in for competitive spelling and what it takes to be a champion.
Going blind in one eye would unnerve anyone. And for a photographer, it’s especially upsetting. But Teju Cole found that his Big Blind Spot Syndrome taught him a new way to look at the world — and actually changed his photography.
Jacques Berlinerblau says we still don't know how to talk intelligently about religion in public life. That's why he wrote "How To Be Secular." He tells us why "secular" doesn't mean "atheist."
In a small town in northern Wales you'll find a playground where it's normal for kids to play with rusty tools or build fires. It's called the Land, and it's an example of an adventure playground — where kids are free to take risks. The Land's manager, Claire Griffiths, gives us an insider's view of an adventure playground.
Chad Harbach is a cofounder and coeditor of the literary magazine N+1. A few years ago, he penned a widely circulated essay looking at the rise of creative writing MFA programs in the US. He believes they're creating a distinctly new literary culture, with its own set of motivations and goals.
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