August 9 marks the one-year anniversary of our friend David Rakoff’s death. We commemorate his life with a special two-part episode. Part 1 features his Person and Place; Part 2 his Thing, and a terrific bonus story—what he called, “the meanest thing I ever said about anyone… intentionally.” From Randy: Person Place Thing began as … Continue reading »
Category Archives: Nonfiction
Episode 34: David Rakoff, Part 1
August 9 marks the one-year anniversary of our friend David Rakoff’s death. We commemorate his life with a special two-part episode. Part 1 features his Person and Place; Part 2 his Thing, and a terrific bonus story—”what he called, “the meanest thing I ever said about anyone… intentionally.” From Randy: Person Place Thing began as … Continue reading »
Episode 30: Calvin Trillin
A contributor to the New Yorker for fifty years, he is particularly admired for his writing about food and crime, a combination we leave to more subtle minds to untangle. He is the winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor for his collection, Quite Enough of Calvin Trillin: Forty Years of Funny Stuff. On … Continue reading »
Episode 27: Eric Foner
Historian Eric Foner is particularly admired for his writing on reconstruction. His most recent book, The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery, won pretty much every prize going including the Pulitzer and a—can this be right?—Cy Young Award. Probably a typo. He is our only guest to have written for robots, revising the scripts … Continue reading »
Episode 25: Shais Rison (Ma Nishtana)
Ma Nishtana is the pen name of Shais Rison, a 30-year-old, fifth-generation, African-American, Orthodox Jew. A writer and film-maker, he is prominent among Jews of Color. Asked if he identifies more as an African-American or a Jew, he once said: “When I walk down the street, nobody says, ‘Hey, look at that Jewish guy.’” PERSON: … Continue reading »
Episode 23: David Nasaw
A history professor at the CUNY graduate center, David Nasaw knows his two-fisted titans of 20th C. America. He’s written much praised biographies of William Randolph Hearst, Andrew Carnegie and, most recently, Joseph P. Kennedy. By the way: not a bootlegger. Kennedy. Well, Nasaw isn’t either. As far as we know. But he is a … Continue reading »
Episode 21: Jack Hitt
Jack Hitt began in journalism as editor of the Paper Clip, his Charleston, SC, grade-school literary magazine. He has since risen or, depending on your perspective, fallen to writing for Harpers and the NY Times and presenting great pieces on “This American Life.” His newest book is Bunch of Amateurs. This podcast was recorded in … Continue reading »
Episode 19: Bruce Feiler
Bruce Feiler’s Walking the Bible was the first of his four consecutive New York Times best sellers. He has been the subject of a Jay Leno joke and a Jeopardy! Question—our nation’s highest honors— and his face appears on a postage stamp in the Grenadines, if there actually is such a place. We spoke in … Continue reading »
Episode 14: James Shapiro
James Shapiro is a Shakespeare scholar at Columbia University. His newest book is Contested Will. PERSON: Ulysses S. Grant PLACE: A book warehouse on Long Island THING: A stone wall in Vermont Continue reading »
Episode 3: Michael Pollan
He is celebrated for his writing about the American diet, crystalized into his mantra: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” I assumed he’d revere Thoreau, but he declared, “Much of my work and my life has been an argument with Thoreau.” You think you know a guy (who you’ve never met). A re-edited version … Continue reading »
Episode 1: Dan Savage
His sex-advice column, Savage Love, debuted in 1991. In 2010, he and his husband, Terry Miller, launched the It Gets Better Project to assist LGBT kids. Worthy endeavors, but he’d really rather talk about the Tudors, and he does in this re-edited version of our very first episode. Person: Caroline Mathilde Place: a house in … Continue reading »