Sophie Gilbert from The Atlantic talks about Western beauty standards and how the portrayal of women characters in books, movies and television affects the lives of women in the real world.
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The power of small poems
Poet Billy Collins talks about his new work full of small poems, built to pack an emotional punch in just a few, short lines.
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Novelist Andrew Sean Greer is a hopeful romantic
The hapless, loveable character of Arthur Less from the novel “Less” won Andrew Sean Greer a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2018. And now, he’s back.
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The weird and brilliant stories of George Saunders
Writer George Saunders discusses his newest collection of short stories – many with dystopian themes – and his process for writing them.
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Your fun could be so much funner
Science journalist Catherine Price discusses her definition of true fun and why she feels it can lead us to happier, more fulfilling lives.
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One teen’s quest to become Internet famous
A fictional teen’s need to be recognized by her peers leads down a path of unintended catfishing on social media in Crystal Maldonado’s new YA novel.
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Were we wrong about Tracy Flick in ‘Election?’
Tracy Flick was the ambitious upstart of her high school in the book “Election,” later played by Reese Witherspoon in the movie. So, whatever happened to her? Author Tom Perrotta talks about his follow-up novel that follows Tracy’s life as an adult.
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A conversation with novelist Jennifer Egan
Novelist Jennifer Egan discusses her novel, “The Candy House,” in which memories are uploaded, shared and exchanged with others.
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Uncovering family secrets can set you free
Linda Holmes from NPR joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss Holmes’ novel, “Flying Solo,” in which a wooden duck goes missing and a woman looking to find herself ends up in the center of a mysterious caper.
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Were we wrong about Tracy Flick in “Election?”
Tracy Flick was the ambitious upstart of her high school in the book “Election,” later played by Reese Witherspoon in the movie. So, whatever happened to her? Author Tom Perrotta talks about his follow-up novel that follows Tracy’s life as an adult.
Read more
A conversation with novelist Jennifer Egan
Novelist Jennifer Egan discusses her novel, “The Candy House,” in which memories are uploaded, shared and exchanged with others.
Read more
How Shakespeare killed off his characters
Kathryn Harkup talks about the many ways Shakespeare killed off his characters, their feasibility in real life and how audiences of the day would’ve reacted to the dramatic demises.
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