Joan Didion, who died last week at the age of 87, helped shape a highly personal brand of nonfiction that came to be known as the New Journalism. Her early essay collections "Slouching Towards Bethlehem" (1968) and "The White Album" (1979) influenced generations of writers. Her later memoirs, "The Year of Magical Thinking" and "Blue Nights," chronicled the deaths of her husband and daughter. In 2011 Didion talked with Steve Paulson about illness and growing old in the wake of the death of her daughter, Quintana.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
Philosopher Judith Butler took a rigorous look at gender in her 1990 book, “Gender Trouble.” In this EXTENDED conversation, Steve asks her - with transexual and gender queer people more visible than ever - what can we say about the state of gender in North America?
Jad and Robert. You probably know them by now. They're the hosts of the hit pubradio program, RadioLab. In this NEW and UNCUT interview, Steve talks with them about radio, science, and a whole lot more...
NY Times film critic Manohla Dargis selects her favorite film of the year: Richard Linklater's "Boyhood," filmed over the course of 12 years.
Jerry Apps is a rural historian and chronicler of country life. His book "Old Farm" is a kind of deep history of his land in Wisconsin.
Paul Auster is both a film-maker and a novelist. His new book is “The Book of Illusions: A Novel.” It’s about a professor who discovers the work of a silent film comedian.
Celtic historian John Matthews tells Steve Paulson that Merlin probably was a real person and that wizards are related to our ancient shamans.
Richard Price has a hit with his novel "Lush Life." It's a crime story, but Price says his book has nothing to do with detective fiction or any other genre.
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