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Author Interviews NPR interviews with top authors and the NPR Book Tour, a weekly feature and podcast where leading authors read and discuss their writing. Subscribe to the RSS feed.

Author Interviews

For Jesmyn Ward, Writing Means Telling The 'Truth About The Place That I Live In'

Fresh Air

Ward's National Book Award-winning novel, Sing, Unburied, Sing, is set in a small town modeled after her own rural hometown. It centers on a biracial young boy confronting the South's racial legacy.

For Jesmyn Ward, Writing Means Telling The 'Truth About The Place That I Live In'

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New Biography Features Recipes Of Famed Chef And Cookbook Author Paula Wolfert

Unforgettable: The Bold Flavors of Paula Wolfert's Renegade Life by Emily Kaiser Thelin, a biography of famed chef and cookbook author Paula Wolfert, includes some of Wolfert's famously detailed recipes. Courtesy of Grand Central Life & Style hide caption

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The Week's Best Stories From NPR Books

New Biography Features Recipes Of Famed Chef And Cookbook Author Paula Wolfert

When Paula Wolfert was diagnosed with dementia, author Emily Kaiser Thelin set out to capture the chef's legacy, as well as her elaborate Mediterranean specialties, now featured in Unforgettable.

New Biography Features Recipes Of Famed Chef And Cookbook Author Paula Wolfert

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George Orwell's Life In 'The Last Man In Europe'

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Dennis Glover about his new book, The Last Man in Europe. Glover's novel is a fictionalized account of George Orwell's life as he wrote 1984.

George Orwell's Life In 'The Last Man In Europe'

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Music Interviews

Loudon Wainwright III Opens Up About The 'Exes & Excess' That Inform His Music

Fresh Air

Wainwright details his life as a husband, father, son, philanderer and musician in the memoir Liner Notes. Originally broadcast Sept. 6, 2017.

Loudon Wainwright III Opens Up About The 'Exes & Excess' That Inform His Music

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Television

Jimmy Fallon On The School Of 'SNL' And His Tendency To Smile Too Much

Fresh Air

As a kid, Fallon smiled even when he was in trouble: "There was a report card from kindergarten and the comment from the teacher was, 'Jimmy smiles too much.' " Originally broadcast Oct. 12, 2017.

Jimmy Fallon On The School Of 'SNL' And His Tendency To Smile Too Much

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The End We Start from

'The End We Start From' Chronicles Motherhood In The Midst Of Crisis

Megan Hunter's new book follows a woman and her newborn who flee an epic flood. "What would it be like if there was an environmental crisis ... in London," she asks, "and where would people go?"

'The End We Start From' Chronicles Motherhood In The Midst Of Crisis

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In 'Spineless,' How Jellyfish Have Survived Throughout Time

Jellyfish may seem like simple sea creatures, but their translucent bodies and stinging abilities have allowed them to survive for millions of years. NPR's Ari Shapiro talks about jellyfish with Juli Berwald, author the new book, Spineless.

In 'Spineless,' How Jellyfish Have Survived Throughout Time

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Politics

Journalist Investigating Trump And Russia Says 'Full Picture Is One Of Collusion'

Fresh Air

"The constellation of Russian connections circling around Planet Trump is quite extraordinary," says Guardian reporter Luke Harding. His new book is Collusion.

Journalist Investigating Trump And Russia Says 'Full Picture Is One Of Collusion'

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Charles Manson, Leader Of Murderous Cult, Dies At 83

Rachel Martin talks to Jeff Guinn, author of Manson: The Life and Times of Charles Manson, about the cult leader's death. Manson has been in prison for orchestrating a series of murders in 1969.

Charles Manson, Leader Of Murderous Cult, Dies At 83

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'With Ash On Their Faces': The Story And Struggle Of The Yazidi

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro asks Cathy Otten about With Ash on Their Faces: Yezidi Women and the Islamic State, her book about the history and personal stories of the religious minority.

'With Ash On Their Faces': The Story And Struggle Of The Yazidi

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'The Bad Food Bible' Says Your Eating Might Not Be So Sinful After All

In his new book, Dr. Aaron Carroll explains that there might be less evidence against some notoriously bad foods than we think. MHJ/Getty Images hide caption

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The Salt

'The Bad Food Bible' Says Your Eating Might Not Be So Sinful After All

In his new book, Dr. Aaron Carroll explains that there might be less evidence against some notoriously bad foods than we think. In fact, maybe we should be eating some of them more often.

'The Bad Food Bible' Says Your Eating Might Not Be So Sinful After All

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Joe Biden Remembers His Son In His New Memoir

Former Vice President Biden in 2016. Ariel Zambelich/NPR hide caption

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Ariel Zambelich/NPR

Joe Biden Remembers His Son In His New Memoir

NPR's Michel Martin spoke with Biden this week about his new memoir, his family and the Anita Hill case.

Joe Biden Remembers His Son In His New Memoir

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Mrs. Osmond

A Lady From 1881 Gets A New Portrait In 'Mrs. Osmond'

Man Booker Prize winner John Banville has written a sequel to Henry James' The Portrait Of A Lady. 'It was my initial foolhardiness and overweening pride that made me do it,' he says.

A Lady From 1881 Gets A New Portrait In 'Mrs. Osmond'

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