KPFA - Radio Wolinsky

Margaret Atwood, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky, recorded in the KPFA studios June 10, 2003 while on tour for the novel “Oryx and Crake.” One of the most distinguished authors writing today, Margaret Atwood is best known for her novel “The Handmaid’s Tale,” and well as several other novels, short stories, poems, essays and political commentary. In this interview from 2003, she discusses her science fiction novel “Oryx and Crake,” first of what later became a trilogy including ‘Year of the Flood” and “Maddadam,” as well as her views on the then-recent Bush invasion of Iraq and other topics. This is the fifth of eight interviews with Margaret Atwood conducted between the years 1989 and 2013. The full interview is newly remastered and edited. Margaret Atwood I, 1989: Cat’s Eye, The Handmaid’s Tale Margaret Atwood II, 1993: The Robber Bride Margaret Atwood III, 1997: Alias Grace Margaret Atwood IV, 2000: The Blind Assassin Margaret Atwood VI, 2006: Moral Disorder, Writing with Intent The post Margaret Atwood V: “Oryx and Crake,” 2003 appeared first on KPFA.

Ben Fountain, whose latest novel is “Devil Makes Three,” in conversation with Richard Wolinsky, recorded at Book Passage Bookstore in Corte Madera, October 19, 2023. Ben Fountain is the author of one previous novel, “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,” which won the  National Book Critics Circle Award and was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2012. His non-fiction book about the 2016 election, “Beautiful Country, Burn Again” was published in 2018. His earlier short stories were collected in “Brief Encounters with Che Guevara,” which won the PEN/Hemingway Award in 2007/ “Devil Makes Three” is a long dense novel set in Haiti in 1992, beginning with the coup that toppled the democratically elected government of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, and features four main characters: a young CIA agent on her first assignment, an American everyman who runs a dive shop, and a brother and sister from a wealthy family. The young American becomes a favorite of the leader of the coup, who is a scuba fanatic, and the story goes from there.   The post Ben Fountain, “Devil Makes Three,” 2023 appeared first on KPFA.

Bookwaves Russell Banks (1940-2023), who died on January 7, 2023, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky, recorded in the KPFA studios on November 11, 2004 while on tour for his novel, The Darling. Russell Banks, who died on January 7th, 2023 at the age of 82 was a master of long and short form fiction. In a career that began in 1975 and continued to his death, there were 14 novels, six collections of short stories, two volumes of poetry, and three works of non-fiction. Among his novels were Affliction and The Sweet Hereafter, both of which became critically acclaimed films, plus Continental Drift and Cloudsplitter. His most recent novel, The Magic Kingdom, was published in 2022. This is the second of two interviews and has not been heard in almost two decades. 2000 Interview with Russell Banks. The post Russell Banks (1940-2023), “The Darling,” 2004 appeared first on KPFA.

Heather Cox Richardson discusses her latest book, “Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America,” with host Richard Wolinsky, recorded October 4, 2023. A Professor of History at Boston College, Heather Cox Richardson began four years ago a daily newsletter on Facebook, “Letters from an American.” Today, that newsletter has become a must-read for anyone interested in how current history relates to the historical record. She is the author of “How the South Won the Civil War” and several other books, with her specialty being the history of the Republican Party in the 19th Century. “Democracy Awakening” is a look at how America’s politics changed into the current crisis in democracy, what that crisis looks like, and using history as a guide, helps us understand where to go in the future. In this interview, Prof. Richardson discusses much of this, with side-journeys into the 19th Century and some current issues. The post Heather Cox Richardson, “Democracy Awakening,” 2023 appeared first on KPFA.

Mick Herron discusses his latest novel, “The Secret Hours,” and the Slough House series of of spy novels and stories with host Richard Wolinsky. Mick Herron has written eight books in the Slough House series of novels about a tiny corner of MI5 for rejects and misfits, people who have screwed up but not been fired. They are known collectively as “Slow Horses,” which is the title of the television series starring Gary Oldman as their boss, Jackson Lamb. “The Secret Hours” is located in the same world as the series, but serves as a stand-alone novel about an inquiry into MI5’s past, set up by a conservative government out to rein in the Secret Service. In the interview, Mick Herron discusses the origins of the book and of the Slough House series, as well as his career as a writer, and his writing process. Recorded via Zencastr September 22, 2023.   The post Mick Herron, “The Secret Hours,” 2023 appeared first on KPFA.

John Scalzi, noted science fiction/fantasy author, in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky, during the promotion period for his latest novel, “Starter Villain.” . John Scalzi has written over thirty books, five of which are non-fiction, plus short stories, essays, chapbooks and audio books. His specialty is the comic science fiction/fantasy novel, often dealing with common tropes in films and television, figuring out how they would work in real life (Kaiju monsters, Star Trek red shirts, etc). His best known works include the Old Man’s War series, and several of his stories have been nominated and won various awards. His latest novel, “Starter Villain,” looks at James Bond type supervillains and how they might operate in the real world. The book also serves as a satire on the egotism and hubris of the very rich. John Scalzi has also written for television, and several of his stories have been adopted for the “Love, Death and Robots” series on Netflix. He has raised money for Americans United for the Separation of Church and State and has been a strong supporter of feminist causes. His blog, Whatever won a Hugo Award for Best Fan Writing. This interview was recorded via zencastr August 21, 2023, embargoed until September 19, 2023. The post John Scalzi, “Starter Villain,” 2023 appeared first on KPFA.

Dawn Porter, documentary filmmaker, in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky, recorded on Zencastr, September 11, 2023. Dawn Porter’s work has appeared on ESPN, HBO, Netflix, PBS and other streamers. Her film Trapped, focusing on abortion clinics in the South, won a special prize at Sundance in 2016 along with a Peabody Award. Her 2013 documentary, Gideon’s Army, her first film, focusing on public defender attorneys in the South, is now part of the US Deparment of State’s American Film Showcase. She is also the director of John Lewis: Good Trouble, which focuses on the late Congressman and activist. Her most recent projects are The Lady Bird Diaries, which was shown at SXSW Film Festival and the four part documentary series, Deadlocked: How America Shaped the Supreme Court, which airs on Showtime starting September 23rd. Other recent projects include the short film Bree Wayy, about the life of Brionna Taylor, also on Showtime Paramount Plus. Gideon’s Army is available for free on the Tubi app. Dawn Porter will be appearing live at Berkeley Art Museum Pacific Film Archive on September 21st, 22nd and 23rd to discuss her work. On September 21st with The Lady Bird Diaries and September 23rd with Gideon’s Army. See bampfa.org for the times and details of the events. Special thanks to A.J. Fox and Berkeley Art Museum Pacific Film Archives. The post Dawn Porter, “The Ladybird Diaries,” “Deadlocked,” 2023 appeared first on KPFA.

Bookwaves Gemma Whelan, whose latest novel is titled “Painting Through The Dark,” in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky, recorded via zencastr on April 5, 2023. ‘Painting Through the Dark” concerns a young ex-nun in Ireland, Ashling, who comes to America in 1981, specifically San Francisco, in order to get away from her family and from the control of the Catholic Church in Ireland. A dedicated painter, after spending time attempting to get a job at a local gallery, she takes a position with a family in a rural home outside Mendocino. This is Gemma Whelan’s second novel. Her first, “Fiona: Stolen Child,” was published in 2011. Gemma is an award-winning director, screenwriter, and educator. She was the founding Artistic Director of Wilde Irish Productions in the San Francisco Bay Area, and of Corrib Theatre in Portland, Oregon. Her short film The Wake was the winner of the Silver Knight Award at the Golden Knight Film Festival, Malta; her feature screenplay Eye of the Storm won the Robert and Ellen Little Screenwriting Award; and her screenplay Wedding Bells won the American Gem Short Screenplay award and was optioned by Fox Broadcasting. The post Gemma Whelan, “Painting Through The Dark,” 2023 appeared first on KPFA.

Jacqueline Woodson, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky, while on tour for her novel Another Brooklyn, recorded September 20, 2016. The interview was posted as a podcast on October 30, 2016. Jacqueline Woodson is known for her young adult novels, and won the National Book Award for Young Peoples Literature in 2014 for Brown Girl Dreaming. She was in the KPFA studios to discuss Another Brooklyn, her first adult novel in over two decades. Since that time, Jacqueline Woodson has come out with two middle school novels, Harbor Me and Before the Ever After, the adult novel Red at the Bone, and two illustrated children’s books. Another Brooklyn tells the story of four African American girls growing up in Brooklyn during the 1970s, focusing on August, a transplant from the South with a single father, growing up during a turbulent era and struggling to find herself. The post Jacqueline Woodson, “Another Brooklyn,” 2016 appeared first on KPFA.

Martin Amis (1949-2023), in conversation with Richard Wolinsky and Richard A. Lupoff in the KPFA studios, January 27, 1998 while on tour for his novel, “Night Train,” published in 1997. This is the second of five interviews with Martin Amis for KPFA’s Probabilities/Bookwaves program, which were recorded over a period of 23 years. Along with Night Train, he discusses his novel which was published in 1995, The Information. The three books he discusses at the end of the interview were a short story collection, Heavy Water and Other Stories, which came out later in 1998, a much celebrated memoir and Booker prize winner, Experience,  in published in 2000, and another long novel, Yellow Dog, a satire focusing on British ideas of masculinity and patrimony, published in 2003. Known for such novels as London Fields, Money, Time’s Arrow, The Information and The Zone of Interest, the Booker Prize winning memoir, Experience, and his essay collection The War Against Cliché, Martin Amis was he son of novelist and essayist Kingsley Amis, He was also close friends with Christopher Hitchens, Saul Bellow and Philip Larkin, all of whom he wrote about in his final memoir disguised as a novel, Inside Story, in 2020. This interview was digitized, remastered and edited in August 2023 by Richard Wolinsky, has not been heard since its original broadcast. and has never been heard in its complete form. The post Martin Amis II, “Night Train,” “The Information,” 1998 appeared first on KPFA.