David Gessner discovered the American West as a young man, and the huge mountains and wide open spaces changed his life. He recently took a road trip through the West, following in the footsteps of two literary heroes, Edward Abbey and Wallace Stegner. Gessner says their books help us see the West in all its complexity.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
Thomas Chatterton Williams is a young writer who grew up listening to hip hop, but lost touch with the culture upon entering college.
T. Coraghessan Boyle talks with Steve Paulson about writing in response to hot button issues.
In 2003, Craig Mullaney led an infantry rifle platoon along the hostile border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. He recounts the experience in his memoir, "The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education."
Journalist Ross Gelbspan tells Steve Paulson that the reality of global warming is widely accepted by the international scientific community and cites examples of the effects already being felt.
Shakespeare biographer Stephen Greenblatt isn't persuaded by rumors that question William Shakespeare's work. He insists Shakespeare's genius is that he was not a nobleman
Sam Keen is the author of "Sightings: Extraordinary Encounters with Ordinary Birds." He reads several passages from his book, and talks with Steve Paulson.
Astrobiologist Sara Seager, who just won a MacArthur "genius" award, says there's certainly life on other planets. Seager describes her search for bio-signatures - evidence of life in other solar systems.
Pages
