KPFA - Radio Wolinsky

Robert Jay Lifton, who died on September 4, 2025 at the age of 99., was a psychiatrist and author who studied the psychological causes and effects of wars and political violence. In the 1960s, he was part of a group that applied psychology and psychoanalysis to the study of history. By the 1980s and 1990s, he'd began exploring the survivors of atrocities and war in such books as The Nazi Doctors: Medical Killing and the Psychology of Genocide, and moved on to the study of cults and what he called “totalism,” a term for the characteristics of ideological movements and organizations that desire total control over human behavior and thought. At the time of his death, he'd written or co-authored 23 books. On November, 2, 1999, Richard A. Lupoff and Richard Wolinsky had the opportunity to speak with Robert Jay Lifton about his book, Destroying the World To Save It: Aum Shinrikyo, Apocalyptic Violence, and the New Global Terrorism, which focuses on the Japanese Cult that released sarin nerve bas into the Tokyo Subway System. While the interview serves as a time capsule for pre-9/11 America and the world, it also gives insight into the present day and how we'e gotten from there to here. Regarding Donald Trump, in Losing Reality: On Cults, Cultism, and the Mindset of Political and Religious Zealotry, published in 2019, Dr, Lifton wrote this: “Donald Trump is a special kind of cultist. He is in no way totalistic—his beliefs can be remarkably fluid—nor is he the leader of a sealed-off cultic community. Rather, his cultism is inseparable from his solipsistic reality.A considerable portion of his base can be understood as cultist, as followers of a guru who is teacher, guide, and master. From my studies of cults and cultlike behavior, I recognize this aspect of Trump's relationship to his followers, Trump does not directly express an apocalyptic narrative, but his presence has an apocalyptic aura. He tells us that, as not only a “genius” but a “very stable genius,” he alone can “fix” the terrible problems of our society. To be sure these are bizarre expressions of his extreme grandiosity, but also of a man who would be a savior to a disintegrating world.” This interview was digitized, remastered and edited in September 2025 by Richard Wolinsky and is heard in its entirety for the first time. The post Robert Jay Lifton (1926-2025) on Cults and Apocalyptic Violence appeared first on KPFA.

Carl Hiaasen is a novelist best known for writing humorous and satiric crime thrillers set in Florida. His latest novel, Fever Beach, satirizes the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, corrupt nepo Florida Congress-critters, and rich right-wing geriatric  billionaires. Until 2021, he was a regular columnist for The Miami Herald, appearing every Sunday to discuss political and social issues. He is interviewed by host Richard Wolinsky. In this in-depth interview, he discusses the writing of “Fever Beafch and how difficult it has been to create satire during the Trump years, his views on what's happening in Washington and Florida, the adaptation of his novel “Bad Monkey” for Apple Plus, and his process of writing. Recorded August 13, 2025. The post Carl Hiaasen, Master of the Comic Thriller appeared first on KPFA.

Frederik Pohl (1918-2013) recorded at the Octocon Science Fiction Convention, October 15-16, 1978. Interviewers: Richard Wolinsky, Richard A. Lupoff and Lawrence Davidson, for KPFA's Probabilities radio program. Digitized, remastered and re-edited February, 2021 by Richard Wolinsky. Frederik Pohl, who died in 2013 at the age of 93 in September, 2013, did almost everything in the world of science fiction, as a writer, an agent, and a magazine and book editor. He grew up in Brooklyn, began writing at an early age, and in his twenties was a member of a leftist group of science fiction writers known as The Futurians, publishing for pennies a word in the sf pulps of the era. In 1937, in order to make money, he became an agent, and two years later a pulp magazine editor himself, often buying his own stories along with collaborations with various other writers, all under pseudonyms. In the late 1960s, he became editor of Galaxy Magazine, and its sister publication, Worlds of If, and in the 1970s became the science fiction editor at Bantam Books which he left shortly before this interview. In the mid 1970s, Fred Pohl  emerged as one of science fictions pre-eminent novelists with Man Plus in 1976 and Gateway in 1977. In 1978, on the heels of novelist Damon Knight's memoir, The Futurians, he came out with his own memoir, The Way the Future Was. And that was where his career stood when the three of us interviewed him. We were all still new at interviewing, particularly in placement of the microphone. Fred Pohl's success continued for many years after this interview. Jem, published in 1979, won the National Book Award the only year there was an award for science fiction. The sequel to Gateway, Beyond the Blue Event Horizon was a finalist for both the Hugo and Nebula Awards in 1980. In all, there eventually were seven novels in the Gateway  (Heechee) series, and after 1979, all told, he wrote 17 more novels, the last being The Lives He Led, published in 2011, along with several collections, even more collaborations, and some non-fiction as well. At the time of his death at 93 in 2013, he was working on a second memoir, which has to date not been published. NOTES. Judy Lynn Del Rey was the sf editor at Ballantine Books starting in the early 1970s and soon had her own imprint, Del Rey Books (in collaboration with her husband, writer Lester Del Rey). Judith Merrill was a writer and anthologist, noted for her Year's Best SF Stories collections, which she edited from 1956 to 1968. John Michel was a key member of the Futurians who never fulfilled his promise. John W. Campbell was the editor of Astounding Stories, later Analog, from 1937 into the 1970s, and is credited with discovering such writers as Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein. His influence on science fiction was all-encompassing, even as his politics were, as Isaac Asimov quipped, somewhere to the right of Hitler. Horace Gold was the first editor of Galaxy, before Fred Pohl. It was the magazine that brought literary style into science fiction. Other names mentioned are Anthony Boucher and F. Francis McComas, the first editors of the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, F&SF. This podcast was first posted February 14, 2021. Three Futurians in 1938: Donald Wollheim, later publisher of DAW books, Fred Pohl, and John Michel. Creative Commons photo donated by the Wollheim family. The post The Probabilities Archive: Frederik Pohl (1918-2013) Acclaimed Science Fiction & Fantasy Novelist and Editor appeared first on KPFA.

Ursula K. Le Guin in 2014. Ursula K. Le Guin, who broke the artificial wall between science fiction and literature, died on January 22nd, 2018 at the age of 88. An essayist and poet along with being a fiction writer, she transcended all genres with the quality of her prose and the allegorical nature of her work. Best known for her novels The Left Hand of Darkness, which dealt with gender; The Dispossessed, which dealt with a utopian civilization; her series of novels in the fantasy realm of Earthsea; and her short stories, especially “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” Ursula K. Le Guin broke ground in several directions over the course of her writing life. But she started in science fiction fantasy. On September 29th, 2000, Richard Wolinsky and his then co-host Richard A. Lupoff spoke with Ursula K. Le Guin about her career as a writer and about her latest novel, a political and social science fiction allegory, “The Telling.” This podcast is taken from that interview, with segments from a short 1983 interview conducted by Richard A. Lupoff. The official interview ends at around the 36 minute mark, and the final fifteen minutes consist of a free-form discussion about Ursula LeGuin's history in the science fiction field and her thoughts on several writers, including Philip K. Dick and James Tiptree Jr. This interview was first posted on January 19, 2018.   The post The Probabilities Archive: Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018) Visionary Science Fiction Author appeared first on KPFA.

Ray Bradbury, the legendary author who passed away in 2012, sat down for an interview with Richard Wolinsky and Richard A. Lupoff in 1992 at his home in Los Angeles. Though called a science fiction or fantasy writer, Ray Bradbury spanned all genres, from poetry to mystery to mainstream fiction. Among his works include The Martian Chronicles, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Farenheit 451 and The Illustrated Man. This interview was digitized and re-edited by Richard Wolinsky in 2020 and first posted on July 26, 2020, The post The Probabilities Archive: Ray Bradbury (1920-2012), Grandmaster of Science Fiction and Fantasy, 1992 appeared first on KPFA.

Isaac Asimov, 1969. Creative Commons Isaac Asimov (1920-1992), in conversation with Richard Wolinsky, recorded in New York City on August 10, 1983. Isaac Asimov, who died at the age of 72 in 1992, was considered, along with Ray Bradbury and Robert Heinlein, one of the three great masters of American science fiction in the 20th century. Isaac Asimov began sending in stories and getting published in science fiction magazines at the age of nineteen, and at the age of 21, with the publication of the short story “Nightfall” in John W. Campbell's Astounding Stories magazine. moved into the first ranks of science fiction writers. That status was confirmed a year later with the publication of the short story, “Foundation,” later renamed “The Encyclopedists,” which would be the first of several short stories and novellas republished as the three volumes of the Foundation trilogy. In the 1940s, he turned to a series of stories focused on robots, which became the collection I Robot and then in the 1950s turned to novels, including Pebble in the Sky, The Caves of Steel and The End of Eternity. Along the way, through his entire career, he wrote dozens of non-fiction books on a wide variety of topics, along with young adult novels, and mystery novels and short stories. In the end, the number of books he wrote or edited exceeded 500, not counting separate short stories and articles. This interview was conducted in a New York City bookstore Asimov was visiting to sign copies of a new collection, The Union Club Mysteries, a year after his return to the world of the Foundation trilogy, Foundation's Edge, was published. Because his two –volume autobiography had come out a couple of years earlier and dealt with the plots and themes of his fiction, the interview focused instead on his life as a writer and his work with editors and publishers. A miniseries adaptation of the Foundation Trilogy is now in its third season on Apple+. This podcast was originally posted August 22, 2021. The post The Probabilities Archive: Isaac Asimov (1920-1992), Science Fiction Grandmaster, 1983 appeared first on KPFA.

Robert Macfarlane, whose latest book is “Is a River Alive,” in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky. The best-selling nature writer, and author of “Underland” and “The Old Ways” discusses the relationship of the human race to nature in the context of the rights of natural phenomena, specifically rivers. What rights does the earth have in terms of man's hegemony? Where do we fit in nature? In this interview, recorded recorded June 11, 2025, he talks about his journey to three rivers: a cloud forest in South America, a dying river in India, and a river that runs through eastern Canada, along with a look at the spring near his home in England, and puts them all in context of environmentalism and politics. He is the author of several books, including “”Mountains of the Mind” and “Ghostways,” Robert Macfarlane teaches at Cambridge University.   The post Robert Macfarlane: “Is A River Alive?” appeared first on KPFA.

Martin Cruz Smith (1942-2025, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky, recorded in the KPFA studio December 9, 2004 while on tour for his novel “Wolves Eat Dogs.” The great noir and detective author Martin Cruz Smith died of Parkinsons Disease on July 11, 2025 at the age of 82.  A journalist originally, and then a writer of paperback fiction under a variety of pseudonyms, he began writing under his own name and became known following the publication of a horror novel, Nightwing, in 1977. Though it wasn't until 1981 with the release of Gorky Park, a detective novel set in Soviet Russia and featuring investigator Arkady Renko, that he hit best-seller stardom. Over the next few years, he alternated non-series novels with entries in the Renko series, all to much acclaim. “Wolves Eat Dogs” is partially set in Ukraine, in and around Chernobyl. In the interview, Bill Smith discusses his own trip to Kyiv and Ukraine, and the politics of the early 2000s, which offers insight into what's happening in 2025. There are four Martin Cruz Smith interviews. The first two, both co-hosted with Richard A. Lupoff for Probabilities, were recorded in 1990 while on tour for Polar Star, the sequel to Gorky Park, and then again in 1996 for the award-winning stand-alone novel, Rose. These interviews have yet to be digitized. This is the third interview. The fourth, for his novel “Tatiana,” was recorded on December 9, 2013. At the time of his death, Martin Cruz Smith had written 15 early novels under a variety of pseudonyms, eleven novels in the Renko series, and seven stand alone novels. The final Renko novel, “Hotel Ukraine,” was published shortly before his death. This interview has never been posted, or aired, in its entirety. The post Martin Cruz Smith (1942-2025) Acclaimed Noir and Literary Novelist appeared first on KPFA.

John Evans was one of Howard Browne's many pseudonyms Even during his lifetime, Howard Browne (1908-1999) was not well known outside of his given fields. His novels, including his best detective fiction, were written under pseudonyms, and his work as editor and Hollywood writer, through credited, remained mostly unknown, except by those in the business. During his long lifetime Browne published hundreds of stories in science fiction and detective magazines, along with several novels. He wrote dozens of television shows including Mission Impossible, Run for Your Life, Maverick and Cheyenne, and three of his film scripts were produced: Portrait of a Mobster with Vic Morrow; The St. Valentine's Day Massacre with Jason Robards and George Segal; and Capone, starring Ben Gazzara. He also wrote radio scripts in the late 1940s. His day job, before he went to Hollywood, was as an associate editor under Ray Palmer and then editor for Ziff-Davis pulp magazines, which included Amazing Stories, Fantastic Adventures and other lesser known fiction magazines. Richard A. Lupoff interviewed Howard Browne at Browne's home in Southern California some time in the mid 1980s (the cassettes aren't labeled). This was Browne's only radio interview, and only the second extant interview on record (the other appeared in Locus Magazine). After he retired, Howard Browne taught a couple of college classes and worked on a big Chicago novel that never saw publication. Most of his work is out of print today, though his four noir novels, in the style of Raymond Chandler and featuring a detective named Paul Pine, are available in a small press edition published this past spring by Haffner Press, with an introduction by Richard A. Lupoff. If you go to Imdb, you'll find a long list of his television shows, many of which can be found streaming. Curiously, his novel Thin Air formed the basis for his first television credit, on the show Climax in 1955, and his last, for an episode of Simon and Simon in 1982. Thin Air was also the basis for an episode on yet a third program, The Rockford Files. Two minor points: Browne says he never wrote for Hawaiian Eye, yet IMDb claims he wrote an episode, and he says he retired in 1973 but his credits extend to 1975. Howard Browne IMDb page Howard Browne Wikipedia page   The post The Probabilities Archive: Howard Browne (1908-1999) Pulp Editor and Writer appeared first on KPFA.

Vauhini Vara, Pulitzer Prize finalist for her novel, “The Immortal King Rao,” and former tech journalist for the Wall Street Journal and elsewhere, discusses her book, “Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age” with host Richard Wolinsky. “Searches” is an exploration of how the internet and digital technologies influence and reshape our personal identities and self-perception, and the quest for meaning in contemporary society. The interview focuses on various aspects of her book, most notably the relation of the tech giants and corporations to politics, and specifically, the ins and outs of the corporate product known as “A.I.” The post Vauhini Vara: AI and the Search for Self in the Digital World appeared first on KPFA.

David Leavitt David Leavitt, acclaimed gay novelist, essayist, biographer and short story writer, discusses his book  The Man Who Knew Too Much: Alan Turing and the Invention of the Computer, recorded in the KPFA studios November 28, 2005. David Leavitt has written ten novels, including The Lost Language of Cranes, Why England Sleeps and The Page Turner, four collections of short stories, and two non-fiction works. He's also served as editor for several anthologies. His next novel, Bright Monday, will be published in 2026. His novels frequently, though not always, deal with issues in the gay community. In the interview from 2005, along with the story of Alan Turing, David Leavitt discusses his other work to that date. Alan Turing was one of the twentieth century's greatest mathematicians. Along with leading the team that created the enigma machine, which broke German codes, his later work on the nascent world of computers has never been fully recognized. The post PRIDE MONTH: David Leavitt: Alan Turing and the Invention of the Computer appeared first on KPFA.

In honor of Pride Month, we hear a 2004 interview with the late Terrence McNally, four time Tony Award winner, who frequently focused on the gay experience in his work. This podcast, unedited from its original posting, was first heard on April1, 2020. Terrence McNally, who died of complications from COVID on March 24, 2020  at the age of 81, was a giant of the American theatre. He received tony awards for his plays Love Valour Compassion and Master Class, and for best book for a musical for Kiss of the Spider Woman and Ragtime. His plays, musicals and operas have been performed around the world. Among his other plays were Lisbon Traviata, Lips Together Teeth Apart, The Ritz, and Frankie and Johnnie in the Claire de Lune. His plays, rich with humor and deft characterization, also were political in nature, and he never shied away and he was always willing to take a stand especially in the area of gay rights and the necessity for community. Richard Wolinsky spoke with Terrence McNally on March 18, 2004 in the offices of New Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, which was then running the musical, A Man of No Importance, for which he had written the book. The music and lyrics were by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, who he had previously collaborated with on Ragtime. He was in San Francisco as New Conservatory's playwright in residence that spring, working on a play that would eventually become Some Men, a look at gay mens lives over the course of several decades. Terrence McNally's play Some Men played off Broadway in 2007 and would return to its theatre of origin, New Conservatory in San Francisco, in 2009. Over the fifteen years after the interview, he would write several plays that reached Broadway, including It's Only a Play and Mothers and Sons, along with three musicals, the last being Anastasia, based on the animated film, which ran on Broadway for two years, closing in spring, 2019 after 808 performances.     The post Pride Month: Terrence McNally (1938-2020), Titan of the American Theatre appeared first on KPFA.

John Fisher, Artistic Director of Theatre Rhino, and writer/performer/co-director of “The Doodler,” now at The Marsh in San Francisco through July 6, 2025, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky. Theatre Rhino is the longest running LGBTQ+ theatre company in America, and John Fisher has been its Artistic Director since 2002. His show, “The Doodler” concerns a serial killer off gay men in the mid-1970s in San Francisco and is based on an actual case in which a  young man would approach gay men in a bar with a drawing, a doodle, he'd made of them, and then invite them to a secluded location. Between six and thirteen men were killed. It's a true-crime story that also involves police indifference and homophobia. In this interview, John Fisher discusses how he came to work on the piece, the history behind it, and Rhino's upcoming show, “The Laramie Project.” The post Pride Month: John Fisher, Theatre Rhinoceros and “The Doodler” appeared first on KPFA.

Edmund White. Photo: David Shankbone Edmund White (1940-2025) in conversation with Richard Wolinsky, recorded in the KPFA Studios, September 20, 2012 while on tour for the novel “Jack Holmes and His Friend.” Edmund White, who died on June 3, 2025 at the age of 85, was often called the Grandfather of gay literature. Equally at home writing novels, biographies, plays, memoirs, essays and various hybrids, he was a pioneer in the LBGT world, one of the first gay novelists to achieve literary fame, the co[author in 1977 of The Joy of Gay Sex, along with a ground breaking trilogy of novels based on his own life, several memoirs, three well received biographies, and various collections of essays. Winner of the Lambda Literary Award and nominated several times, nominated for the Pulitzer and winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for his biography of Jean Genet, winner of the National Book Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award and the PEN/Saul Bellow Award, Edmund White has also been called the Patron Saint of Gay Literature. There were four Bookwaves interviews with Edmund White. In this third interview, recorded on February 20, 2012, he discusses his novel Jack Holmes and His Friend, along with a collection of essays, Sacred Monsters, and various other topics. The post Edmund White (1949-2025). The Patron Saint of Gay Literature appeared first on KPFA.

Joseph Heller, author of Catch-22 and its sequel, Closing Time, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky and Richard A. Lupoff, recorded in San Francisco on October 17, 1994. Since its original publication in 1961, Catch-22 by Joseph Heller has become a classic of anti-war literature, gaining fame during the Vietnam era for its dark and satirical look at American military life. Filmed to middling results by Mike Nichols in 1970, a new miniseries on Hulu has brought the novel back into the spotlight, where its focus on circular reasoning and insanity seems a propos to life during the current American regime. Catch-22 was Joseph Heller's first novel. In the 1970s he wrote the novels Something Happened and Good as Gold, and in the 1980s God Knows and Picture This, and the non-fiction No Laughing Matter about his struggle with Guillan-Barre Syndrome In 1994, Joseph Heller came out with a sequel to Catch-22, titled Closing Time, which deals with what happened to Yossarian and other characters after the end of World War II. This interview was recorded during that book tour and deals with both books, as well as other aspects of his career, along with comparisons to the works of Kurt Vonnegut. Despite respectful reviews and a good reputation, Closing Time is mostly forgotten today, though it is easily available on-line in both paper and e-book. Joseph Heller published a memoir, Now and Then, in 1998, and another novel, Portrait of the Artist as an Old Man, an autobiographical work about an author who is unable to shake the success of his very first novel, was published posthumously in 2000. This podcast was originally digitized and posted on May 21, 2019. The post From the Archive: Joseph Heller (1923-1999) appeared first on KPFA.

J.K. Fowler, Executive Director of the Bay Area Book Festival in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky, discussing this year's festival, Saturday May 31st and Sunday June 1st throughout the City of Berkeley. The focus of this year's Festival is Changing the Narrative, with looks at activism, resistance, responding to backlash, writing for social change and more. Guests include Mia Birdsong, Prentiss Hemphill. Viet Thanh Nguyen, Greg Sarris and over a hundred other writers, publishers and editors. The venues include the Berkeley Library, Freight & Salvage, The Marsh, the Brower Center, the Hotel Shattuck, and three outdoor stages, including one at Berkeley's BART Plaza. J.K. Fowler founded Nomadic Press, sat on Oakland's Cultural Affairs Commission, and works on several community projects. The post J.K. Fowler: The 11th Annual Bay Area Book Festival appeared first on KPFA.

Jacques d'Amboise & Richard Wolinsky, KPFA, April 6, 2011. Jacques d'Amboise (1934-2021), whose memoir is titled “I Was a Dancer,” in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky, April 6, 2011. First posted May 9, 2021. Jacques d'Amboise, who died on May 2, 2021 at the age of 88 following complications from a stroke, was a principal dancer for the New York City Ballet from 1953 to his retirement in 1984. As such, he was considered the living embodiment of the choreography of the great George Balanchine. In 1976, he founded the National Dance Institute to teach dance to children. In time, he became one of the most famous dancers in America, appearing as one of the Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and as the male dancer in the second act ballet in Carousel in those respective 1950s films. The post Jacques d'Amboise (1934-2021), “I Was a Dancer,” 2011 appeared first on KPFA.

Paul Mazursky (1930-2014) was a major film director during the 1970s and 1980s. Among his films were Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, Harry & Tonto, An Unmarried Woman, Enemies: A Love Story, and Down and Out in Beverly Hills. He was also a character actor, appearing in several films, including his own. On June 8, 1999, he was interviewed by Richard Wolinsky and Richard A. Lupoff in the KPFA studios while on tour for his memoir, “Show Me The Magic.” His directorial career faded out in the 21st Century, but he still managed to work as an actor, appearing on both The Sopranos and Curb Your Enthusiasm. This podcast was first posted on July 18, 2021. The post Paul Mazursky (1930-2014), noted film director, 1999 appeared first on KPFA.

Ann Patchett, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky, recorded in the KPFA studio on a book tour for “Bel Canto,” September 20, 2001. Ann Patchett is the author of nine novels and five works of non-fiction. Her most recent novel, Tom Lake, was published in 2023.  She's best known, though, for her fourth novel, Bel Canto, which became a National Book Award finalist, and was adapted into a film in 2018. There is currently talk about a mini-series in the works.  This interview has not aired in over twenty years. The post Ann Patchett, “Bel Canto,” 2001 appeared first on KPFA.

Kate MacKay Kate MacKay, Associate Film Curator at Pacific Film Archive, in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky, discussing the films of John Cassavetes and specifically his work with Gena Rowlands. Kate MacKay is the curator of a retrospective of the films in which John Cassavetes directs his wife, Gena Rowlands, at Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archives from May 2 through May 14, 2025. In this interview, she discusses Cassavetes as a pioneer of the American independent film, then goes into detail on the films shown in the restrospective, including A Woman Under The Influence, Faces, Gloria, Opening Night, and Minnie and Moskowitz. She also talks about putting together a retrospective, and the upcoming Pacific Film Archive schedule for summer, 2025. The post Kate MacKay: Cassavetes Directs Rowlands appeared first on KPFA.

William Finn, Richard Wolinsky and James Lapine Composer/lyricist William Finn, who died on April 7th, 2025 at the age of 73 and director/librettist James Lapine, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky, recorded March 20, 2019 at the Golden Gate Theater in San Francisco. William Finn is best known for writing the music and lyrics for two Broadway shows, Falsettos, which was the first gay-themed Broadway musical, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which has become a staple of community theatre companies around the world. He also wrote A New Brain, which dealt with his near death experience following brain surgery.  Falsettos was originally three one-act musicals which opened off-Broadway, In Trousers, March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland and the latter two became Falsettos, which opened on Broadway in 1992, co-authored and directed by James Lapine, who'd also co-authored Falsettoland. James Lapine is best known for his work with Stephen Sondheim on Sunday in the Park with George and Into the Woods. Falsettos was revived on Broadway in 2016 and came to San Francisco in spring of 2019. Richard Wolinsnky had a chance to sit down with both William Finn and James Lapine on March 20, 2019 in the lobby of the Golden Gate Theatre to discuss Falsettos, as well as take a brief look at each man's career. The post William Finn (1952-2025) and James Lapine, Masters of the Musical appeared first on KPFA.

Walter Mosley in conversation with Richard Wolinsky, recorded March 5, 2025 discussing his two most recent novels, “Been Wrong So Long It Looks Like Right,”  a Joe King Oliver novel, and “Farewell, Amethystine,” an Easy Rawlins novel. Today, Walter Mosley is one of America's leading authors. He is best known for his series of mystery novels featuring the characters of Easy Rawlins and Mouse. To date, there are now twenty non-series novels by Walter Mosley, the most recent titled Touched, published in 2023, Along with three Fearless Jones novels, six Leonid McGill mysteries, three Socrates Fortlow books, three books in the Crosstown to Oblivion series, three books in the King Oliver series, plus two graphic novels, two plays, and six works of non-fiction. Always Outnumbered became a television film in 1998 starring Laurence Fishburne, and a TV miniseries titled The Last Days of Ptolemy Gray, based on Walter Mosley's book, starring Samuel L. Jackson, on Apple+. At present, an adaptation of his novel The Man in My Basement is in post-production. This is the complete 40-minute interview. The post Walter Mosley: The Easy Rawlins and King Oliver novels, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

Richard Chamberlain, who died on March 29, 2025 two days before his 91st birthday, in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky, recorded June 10, 2003 while on tour for his memoir, Shattered Love. Richard Chamberlain achieved fame as the heart-throb star of the 1960s medical drama Doctor Kildare, and went on to a successful career as an actor in the TV miniseries The Thorn Birds and the original Shogun, as well as the Richard Lester Three Musketeers films and Peter Weir's The Last Wave, as well as other TV series and films. He also was on the Broadway stage in a revival of My Fair Lady, and toured with several shows. In 2003, he chose to come out of the closet in his memoir, Shattered Love, in which he discussed his years of self-loathing and his later spiritual awakening. The interview concludes with a discussion of the political scene in 2003, which bears a clear relationship with what is happening in Washington D.C. today. This interview has never been heard in its entirety.   The post Richard Chamberlain (1934-2025), “Shattered Love,” a memoir, 2003 appeared first on KPFA.

Michael Socrates Moran, Executive and Co-Artistic Director of Oakland Theater Project, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky. Michael Moran is one of the founders of Oakland Theater Project, formerly Ubuntu Theatre Project. He is also the director of “I Am My Own Wife” by Doug Wright, playing at Oakland Theater Project through April 6, 2025. In this interview he discusses the origins of the company, how it fared during the pandemic, and the upcoming season. The post Michael Socrates Moran, Oakland Theater Project appeared first on KPFA.

Anthony Lewis (1927-2013) discussing “Freedom for the Thought that We Hate: A Biography of the First Amendment,” with host Richard Wolinsky, recorded February 4, 2008 in the KPFA studios. In his long career, Anthony Lewis spent time as the Washington Bureau chief of the New York Times, was the author of “Gideon's Trumpet,” about a Supreme Court case that led to free legal counsel for indigent defendants, and spent several years as an op-ed writer for the Times. He won two Pulitzer Prizes for reportage, and wrote five books alone and two books with a co-author. In the first half of the interview, he delves into how the First Amendment came into existence, and what it really means. In the second half, he discusses the Bush Administration during the early days of the 2008 campaign. It's clear in the interview that Bush and Cheney were the precursors for today's current constitutional crisis. The post Anthony Lewis (1927-2013), A History of the First Amendment, 2008 appeared first on KPFA.

Martin Amis (1949-2023), in conversation with Richard Wolinsky, recorded in the KPFA studio on a book tour for “Lionel Asbo, State of England,” September 20, 2012. Novelist and essayist Martin Amis died of cancer on May 19, 2023 at the age of 73, leaving behind such novels as The Rachel Papers, London Fields, The Information, and his last memoir-cum-novel, Inside Story. On September 20, 2012, Richard Wolinsky conducted the fourth of five interviews with Martin Amis, discussing this satire about the nature of celebrity and celebrity culture. The post Martin Amis (1949-2023) IV, “Lionel Asbo, State of England,” 2012 appeared first on KPFA.

Chimananda Ngozi Adichie, Nigerian author of “Americanah” and four other novels, in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky, recorded in the KPFA studios, June 5, 2013. She has written five novels, two collections of short stories, one memoir, and many articles and short stories for many newspapers, magazines, and periodicals. She is widely regarded as a central figure in postcolonial feminist literature. Her latest novel, “Dream Count” has just been published. This interview aired in July 2013 but has never been heard in its entirety.   The post Chimananda Ngozi Adichie, “Americanah,” 2013 appeared first on KPFA.

Todd Haynes, independent filmmaker, in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky. Recorded February 27, 2025. The director of ten feature length films, Todd Haynes is an independent film-maker with his roots in New Queer Cinema. After coming to the attention of the film community with his short film, Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, in which the “actors” were Barbie Dolls, he achieved fame with his first feature, Poison, which told three stories in different ways, all of which commented on the AIDS epidemic. He followed that with the much-lauded Safe, and then moved on to mainstream success with the lush melodrama, Far from Heaven. His later films include Velvet Goldmine, focusing on the glam rock era, I'm Not There, in which several actors portrayed Bob Dylan, Carol, Dark Waters, Wonderstruck, and his latest film, May December (Netflix). His documentary, Velvet Underground, is available on Apple Plus. Along the way there was a miniseries, Mildred Pierce, starring Kate Winslet, on HBO (streaming on MAX). All his films are available streaming. The films of Todd Haynes will be shown in a retrospective, “Todd Haynes: Far From Safe,” beginning March 8th and continuing through April 12th at BAMPFA, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. Todd Haynes will be introducing some of his films (sold out). Special thanks to AJ Fox and the staff at Pacific Film Archive. The post Todd Haynes, Award-Winning Independent Filmmaker. appeared first on KPFA.

Margaret Atwood, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky, recorded in the KPFA studios in October 2009 while on tour for the novel “The Year of the Flood.” 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 which originally aired October 15, 2009 but never heard in its entirety, she discusses her science fiction novel “The Year of the Flood,” second of what later became a trilogy including ‘Oryx and Crake” and “Maddadam,” along with her short novel, The “Penelopiad.” Along the way, she talks about her website for the book, her view on the names of tech companies, the nature of science fiction as prediction, and other topics. This is the seventh of eight interviews with Margaret Atwood conducted between the years 1989 and 2013. 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 V, 2003: Oryx and Crake Margaret Atwood VI, 2006: Moral Disorder, Writing with Intent The post Margaret Atwood, “The Year of the Flood,” 2009 appeared first on KPFA.

Tom Robbins (1932-2025, author of the classic novels “Another Roadside Attraction” and “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues”, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky and Richard A. Lupoff in the KPFA studios on May 15, 2000 while on tour for the novel “Fierce Invalids, Home from Hot Climates.” Tom Robbins, who died on February 9, 2025 at the age of 92,  was the considered the leading chronicler of the sixties vibe. Over the course of his long life, he only wrote eight novels, one collection of short stories and a memoir over the course of his long life, but he is recognized as one of the most important voices of mid to late twentieth century America. Among his novels are Another Roadside Attraction, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, which became a film by Gus Van Sant, Still Life with Woodpecker and Jitterbug Perfume. Tom Robbins would only write one more novel after Fierce Invalids, Titled Villa Incognito, it was published in 2003. A collection of his short writings, Wild Ducks Flying Backwards, was published in 2003, and a memoir, Tibetan Peach Pie: A true Account of an Imaginative Life, was published in 2014. Even Cowgirls Get the Blues is the only one of his books to be adapted for film. This interview has never been heard in its entirety, until now. The post Tom Robbins (1932-2025), Master of Seriocomic Novels appeared first on KPFA.

Mickey Spillane (1918-2006), author of the classic crime novels, “I, The Jury” and “Kiss Me Deadly,” in conversation in 2003 with Richard A. Lupoff, introduced by Richard Wolinsky and Richard A. Lupoff. In this recently discovered recording, best-selling crime/noir novelist Mickey Spillane discusses his career as a professional writer and gives advice to writers. In the introduction, Richard A. Lupoff, the late co-host of KPFA's Probabilities, details how the interview came to be. This was the last interview conducted by Richard A. Lupoff for KPFA. The post Mickey Spillane, Tough Guy Novelist, 2003 appeared first on KPFA.

Lance Gardner,  Artistic Director of Marin Theatre since October, 2023, in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky. A long-tme Bay Area actor, Lance Gardner came to Marin Theatre after a stint as a live event producer at KQED, and as Chair of the Board of Aurora Theatre. In this interview, he discusses the theatre's fiscal health, how he hopes to increase the audience, along with details of the various upcoming shows. Lance Gardner has earned dozens of theatre credits over the last 20 years, including six mainstage shows and a school tour at Marin Theatre Company. He has also performed in multiple shows at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, California Shakespeare Theater, Magic Theatre, TheatreWorks, and more. The post Lance Gardner, Executive Artistic Director of Marin Theatre appeared first on KPFA.

China Mieville, author of the Hugo Award winning novel, “The City and the City,” and the classic “Perdido Street Station,” in conversation with Richard Wolinsky in this archive interview recorded September 1, 2002. China Mieville is a British author of weird fantasy and science fiction, and a leftist political activist in Britain. Born in 1972, he began his literary career with an urban fantasy novel, King Rat, and followed it up with a novel considered now one of best fantasy works of the 20th Century, Perdido Street Station in 2000. This interview with China Mieville at the 60th World Science Fiction Convention in San Jose on September 1, 2002, shortly after the publication of his follow-up to Perdido Street Station, The Scar. Since then, China Mieville wrote a third novel set in that same Bas Lag universe as Perdido Street Station, Iron Council, published in 2004, and then moved on to other worlds with six stand alone novels, the most recent being a collaboration with Keanu Reaves titled The Book of Elsewhere, set in the BRZRKR comic book universe, published in 2024. A new novel is expected some time in 2025. his novel, The City and the City, which tied for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2010, was adapted for television by the BBC in 2018 and is now available streaming on Amazon Prime. This interview has previously never been heard in its entirety. Remastered and edited in January 2025 by Richard Wolinsky. The post China Mieville, “Perdido Street Station,” 2002 appeared first on KPFA.

Susanna Clarke in 2006 Susanna Clarke, author of the classic fantasy novel, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, interviewed September 12, 2005 in the KPFA studios. ​​​​​Back in the fall of 2004, a new fantasy novel, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by a newcomer, Susannah Clarke, hit the stands and became an instant classic, finding its way best-seller lists in England and the United States, and winning the Hugo Award for 2004's best novel at the World Science Fiction convention in 2005. This interview with Susannah Clarke was recorded while on tour for the paperback edition of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. The interview was originally edited down to fit a half-hour KPFA slot, and no edit of the complete interview was ever made, until now. Both Christopher Hampton and Julian Fellowes took stabs at writing a film adaptation of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, but both were unable to translate the very long novel into a screenplay, and then New Line cancelled the project. It was eventually developed into a seven -part miniseries for the BBC, and aired in both the United States and Britain in 2015. It is now streaming on Amazon Prime. After the publication of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, and the awards, Susannah Clarke continued to work on the sequel, set in the same universe a few years later, but became bogged down, almost sentence by sentence, as chronic fatigue syndrome took its toll. By 2015, after visiting the set of the BBC production, she decided to go another route, and went back to another manuscript that likely pre-dated her best-seller. That novel, Piranesi, was published to mostly favorable reviews in 2020. She is now working on a third novel. The post Susanna Clarke, “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell”, 2005 appeared first on KPFA.

Vernor Vinge (1944-2024), in conversation with Richard Wolinsky and Richard A. Lupoff, recorded in the KPFA studios, May 7, 1992 while on tour for his novel, “Fire Upon the Deep,” which would be a co-winner of the Huge Award for Best Novel at the 1993 World Science Fiction Convention. ​​​​​Vernor Vinge, who died on March 20th, 2024 at the age of 79 was one of the masters of late twentieth century and early 21st century science fiction. He won five Hugo Awards, three for Best Novel and two for best novella, and is credited as the first science fiction writer to offer a fictional cyberspace, a few years before William Gibson and Neal Stephenson. Over all, Vernor Vinge wrote eight novels and had five published collections of his writings. His final novel, The Children of the Sky, was published in 2011. A prequel to Fire Upon the Deep titled A Deepness in the Sky, was published in 1999, and a sequel, The Children of the Sky, his last novel, was published in 2011. To date, none of his stories have been adapted for either television or film. Vernor Vince retired from teaching in 2000 to become a full-time writer. In this interview, he discusses university-level mathematics, and goes into detail about what are now the early days of life on the internet, and ways in which communications are shared using minimal bytes, and discusses his early writing about cyberspace, and about singularities. There are also comments about what the future holds, a future we now are experiencing. This interview has not aired in over thirty years, and was digitized, remastered and edited in January 2025 by Richard Wolinsky. The post Vernor Vinge (1944-2024), Science Fiction Master, 1992 appeared first on KPFA.

Michael Crichton (1942-2008), recorded December 5, 1990, while on tour for his novel “Jurassic Park,” interviewed by Richard Wolinsky and Richard A. Lupoff in the KPFA studios. In this interview, he talks about his career and about the science behind “Jurassic Park.” Michael Crichton died in 2008 at the age of 66. (Radio Wolinsky page photo: Jon Chase/Harvard University). First posted May 3, 2020. The post Michael Crichton (1942-2008), “Jurassic Park,” 1990 appeared first on KPFA.

Mary Higgins Clark (1927-2020), who died on January 31st, 2020 at the age of 92, was the best-selling author of 51 books, most of them suspense novels featuring women in jeopardy, with four theatrical films and over thirty other books adapted for television. Richard Wolinsky and Richard A. Lupoff interviewed  Mary Higgins Clark for the Probablitiles radio program on May 24, 1989 while she was on tour for her 13th novel “While My Pretty One Sleeps.” The interview was conducted in her San Francisco hotel room. Digitized, re-mastered, and re-edited by Richard Wolinsky in April, 2020. First posted April 17, 2020. The post Mary Higgins Clark (1927-2020), Queen of Suspense Novels appeared first on KPFA.

Ian McEwan, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky, discussing his novel “Atonement” and other works, from the archive, and recorded in New York City on April 3, 2002.  Since 1978, Ian McEwan has had seventeen novels published and there have been ten film adaptations of his works, along with an additional three original screenplays. He has been nominated for the Booker Prize six times, winning for Amsterdam in 1998.  This interview, recorded in New York while he was on a publicity tour for “Atonement,”  has not aired in over two decades. The post Ian McEwan: “Atonement,” 2002 appeared first on KPFA.

Walter Mosley and Richard Wolinsky, 2009. Walter Mosley in conversation with Richard Wolinsky and Richard A. Lupoff, recorded June 23, 1996 in the KPFA studios while on tour for the novel, “A Little Yellow Dog.” He also discusses his first mainstream novel, “RL's Dream” and the film version of “Devil in a Blue Dress.” Today, Walter Mosley is one of America's leading authors. He is best known for his series of mystery novels featuring the characters of Easy Rawlins and Mouse. To date, there are now twenty non-series novels by Walter Mosley, the most recent titled Touched, published in 2023, Along with three Fearless Jones novels, six Leonid McGill mysteries, three Socrates Fortlow books, three books in the Crosstown to Oblivion series, three books in the King Oliver series, plus two graphic novels, two plays, and six works of non-fiction. Always Outnumbered became a television film in 1998 starring Laurence Fishburne. Devil In A Blue Dress, is to date, the only Easy Rawlins mystery adapted for film.  In 2022, Samuel L. Jackson starred in a TV miniseries titled The Last Days of Ptolemy Gray, based on Walter Mosley's book, and primarily written by Walter Mosley. At present, an adaptation of his novel The Man in My Basement is in post-production. The next Easy Rawlins novel, Farewell Amethystine was published in June 2024. This interview was digitized, remastered and edited in December, 2024 by Richard Wolinsky. It has not been heard in 25 years. This is the second of five interviews, to date, with Walter Mosley. The post Walter Mosley, “A Little Yellow Dog” and “RL's Dream”, 1996 appeared first on KPFA.

Tony Hillerman (1925-2008), in conversation with Richard Wolinsky and Richard A. Lupoff, recorded January 30, 1997 while on tour for his Leaphorn/Chee novel, “The Fallen Man,” the twelfth book in the series. Hillerman, who died in 2008 at the age of 83, wass a  master of the detective genre and an important writer in detailing life on the Navajo reservation. His several novels featuring Navajo police officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee have been acclaimed for their accuracy and for their ability to combine Navajo history and thought into strong plot-driven novels. There are four interviews with Tony Hillerman in the Probabilities and Bookwaves archive.  This third interview, was recorded on January 30th, 1997 in the KPFA studios while he was on tour for his novel, The Fallen Man, the twelfth in the Leaphorn Chee series. Iin the interview, he also discusses his 1995  stand-alone novel, Finding Moon, This interview was digitized, remastered and edited in November, 2024, and not heard for over a quarter century. The post Tony Hillerman (1925-2008), Master of the Southwest Mystery, 1997 appeared first on KPFA.

Nelson DeMille, who died on September 17, 2024 at the age of 81, was one of the leading best-selling authors from the 1980s into the 21st Century. Among his novels are The General's Daughter, the Gold Coast, Plum Island and Word of Honor. Three of his novels were turned into films. On June 13, 1997, Richard A. Lupoff and Richard Wolinsky interviewed Nelson DeMille while he was on tour for Plum Island. In the discussion, we focused on that book, as well as several others.  This is the first of two interviews with Nelson DeMille. Nelson DeMille would return to the character of Paul Brenner from The General's Daughter in Up Country in 2002, he would return to John Corey from Plum Island in The Lions Game in 2000, and in seven other novels. In all, there would be 27 novels, plus two written in collaboration with his son, Alex DeMille, two early novels written under a pseudonym plus several works of short fiction. Three of his books, most notably The General's Daughter, became films. This interview was digitized, remastered and edited by Richard Wolinsky in November 2024. Echo and other faults exist on the original recording. The post Nelson DeMille (1943-2024), Best Selling Author of the '80s and '90s appeared first on KPFA.

Charles Yu, whose novel Interior Chinatown just won the 2020 National Book Award for fiction, is interviewed by host Richard Wolinsky. Interior Chinatown takes place in a meta-world in which Hollywood's Chinese stereotypes are portrayed by Asian immigrants and second-generation Asian Americans in films and TV shows. The book uses tropes from screenplays as well as prose fiction to illuminate these tropes, switching between narrative, entertainment history, and polemic in a highly original way. Charles Yu is the author of two previous short-story collections and one novel, has worked as an attorney, and also has worked in the writers' room of several television shows, most notably during the first season of HBO's Westworld. Interior Chinatown is now a television miniseries streaming on Hulu and Disney+. The post Charles Yu, “Interior Chinatown,” 2021 appeared first on KPFA.

Steven Bach (1938-2009) author of the biography “Leni: The Life and Work of Leni Riefenstahl”, interviewed in 2007 by Richard Wolinsky. This podcast was first posted May 5, 2017. Leni Riefenstahl was the film maker behind the Nazi propaganda films Triumph of the Will and Olympia. Reifenstahl, who died in 2003 at the age of a hundred and one, to the end of her life denied her work was political, that she was an artist. Stephen Bach, who died at the age of 70 in 2009, had been a studio executive and began writing  books with “Final Cut”, his memoir about the making of the film Heaven's Gate. He followed that with a biography of the playwright Moss Hart, and then a biography of actress Marlene Dietrich, which as he says, led him to Leni Riefenstahl. The interview was recorded in the KPFA studios on May 7, 2007. Guardian Obituary. In an interview perhaps more timely today than the year it was recorded, Bach compares Reifenstahl's work to right-wing propaganda in America, and the use of the Hitler playbook. The post Steven Bach (1938-2009): Leni Reifenstahl and the Hitler Playbook appeared first on KPFA.

Richard Powers discusses his latest novel, “Playground” with host Richard Wolinsky, recorded in the KPFA studios October 31, 2024. Richard Powers won the Pulitzer Prize i 2019 for “The Overstory,” and the National Book Award in 2006 for “The Echo Maker.” He is also the author of “The Time Of Our Singing,” “Orfeo,” and “Bewilderment.” He has been a Booker Prize and National Book Critics Circle Award finalist multiple times. “Playground” brings together the history of Silicon Valley and the growth of A.I. with a look at deep ocean diving and the notion of floating cities in a story that circles back on itself. The post Richard Powers, “Playground,” 2024 appeared first on KPFA.

Anne Hillerman discusses her latest novel, “Lost Birds,” and her career as a writer with host Richard Wolinsky. Anne Hillerman has written nine books in a series of mysteries featuring the native detectives Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee, created by her father, the legendary novelist, the late Tony Hillerman (1925-2008). Previously a writer of travel books focusing on Santa Fe and environs, she began working on these novels following the death of her father and chose to increase the role of a minor character, Bernadette Manuelito, from Tony Hillerman's books to one of primary protagonist. That change was later emulated in the “Dark Winds” television series. The post Anne Hillerman: Continuing the Adventures of Leaphorn and Chee appeared first on KPFA.

Francine du Plessix Gray, who died on January 13, 2019 at the age of 88, was a writer of both fiction and non-fiction, and frequent contributor to the New Yorker Magazine. Born in Poland, the daughter of a French diplomat and Russian émigré from the revolution, she was raised in Paris and came, with her mother, to the United States after the Germans took France. Her most notable book, “Them,” is the story of her parents' lives, and Richard Wolinsky had a chance to speak with Francine du Plessix Gray about that book and about her career, recorded at KPFA on May 22, 2005. Francine du Plessix Gray wrote one more book after the interview, a biography, of Madame Germain de Stall, a novelist and travel writer who lived during the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Era. Them won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Memoir in 2005. This interview was first posted on February 9, 2019. The post Francine du Plessix Gray (1930-2019), “Them: A Memoir of Parents” appeared first on KPFA.

Caleb Carr in 2002. ​​​​​Caleb Carr (1955-2024), author of The Alienist and other works, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky, recorded in the KPFA studios October 15, 1997. Digitized, remastered and edited in September 2024, this interview has not been heard in over a quarter century. Caleb Carr, who died on May 23, 2024 at the age of 68, was a military historian, a novelist, and a writer who examined the nature of violence in his fiction and non-fiction. He was perhaps best known for his best-selling novel The Alienist, which recently became a two-season streaming series. Over all, he wrote 11 books, several articles and reviews, worked on both seasons of the television series and two exorcist films. He was the son of Lucien Carr, a key member of the group that included Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. Lucien Carr went to prison for manslaughter for killing the sexual predator who had abused him as a youth. Kerouac helped him dispose of the knife. This interview was recorded in the KPFA studios on October 15, 1997 while Caleb Carr was on tour for The Angel of Darkness, the sequel to The Alienist. The interview includes mention of a movie-length pilot for a science fiction series, directed by Joe Dante. That pilot, originally titled The Warlord, Battle for the Galaxy, was released on DVD as The Osiris Chronicles. It is not available for streaming. While he never came back directly to the character of Lasso Kreisler, the protagonist of The Alienist, Caleb Carr's final novel, a contemporary mystery, Surrender, New York, featured as its protagonist an expert on the life and work of Kreisler. His next book following The Angel of Darkness was Killing Time, a dystopian science fiction novel. The post Caleb Carr (1955-2024): “The Alienist” and “The Angel of Darkness,” 1997 appeared first on KPFA.

John Lanchester, whose most recent novel to date is “The Wall,” is interviewed by Richard Wolinsky, recorded at KPFA on March 18, 2019. The interview was first posted on May 7, 2019. The Wall takes place in a very possible future in which the world's beaches have disappeared as the planet has warmed and oceans have grown. Taking place in an unnamed country, which is clearly England, a wall has been built not only to protect the land from the rising seas, but to keep out refugees fleeing no longer habitable countries. The protagonist is a young man who must guard the wall, and if it's breached, he is forced out of the country. John Lanchester is a novelist and essayist who has written for The London Review of Books, the Guardian and other publications. His latest book is Reality and Other Stories, published in 2020. The post John Lanchester, “The Wall,” 2019 appeared first on KPFA.

Sue Grafton died on December 28, 2017 at the age of seventy-seven. Best known as the author of a series of mysteries featuring the detective Kinsey Millhone, Sue Grafton was at the forefront of the Sisters in Crime movement — women authors who wrote crime fiction – starting with her first mystery, A is for Alibi in 1982, and continuing the alphabet through Y is for Yesterday. The final book in the series, Z is for Zero, was never written. On April 17, 1989, on a book tour for F is for Fugitive, and again on April 13, 1992, for I Is for Innocent, Richard Wolinsky and Richard A. Lupoff  spoke with Sue Grafton about the history of her career and her writing process. This program is taken from those two interviews. Originally posted on January 9, 2018. Complete 1989 interview Complete 1992 interview   The post Sue Grafton (1940-2017), G is for the Grafton Mysteries appeared first on KPFA.

Noel Casler, blogger and You Tube influencer, developed a large following based on his violation of an NDA, revealing information about Donald Trump gleaned from his six years working on the Celebrity Apprentice program. In this interview recorded by computer on December 4, 2020 and posted on December 6, 2020, he talks about his work and his perceptions of Donald Trump and MAGA. Noel Casler spent two decades working behind the scenes at live events as a celebrity handler, with such stars as Madonna, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen and many others. But it was in 2015, having experienced Donald Trump on multiple occasions, that he decided to forgo his career and speak on the record about what he knew, first with the Clinton campaign (which chose not to follow up because of hubris and overconfidence) and later on Twitter, where he has amassed close to 300,000 followers. In this hour-long interview, he discusses his background, the difference between the fictional businessman created for the two Apprentice TV shows, and the real Donald Trump, and goes into some depth about Ivanka Trump, who was his primary charge during the last three years of Apprentice live finales. He also discusses the role producer Mark Burnett played in the Trump make-over, as well as the role of Jeff Zucker in that endeavor, in charge at NBC at the time (and later at CNN). Noel Casler Twitter Feed The post Noel Casler: Trump and “The Apprentice,” 2020 appeared first on KPFA.

Francine Prose, author of “1974, A Personal History” in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky. The author of twenty novels and ten books of non fiction, Francine Prose is best known for such novels as “Lovers at the Chameleon Club, 1932,” “The Vixen,” “Household Saints” and “Mister Monkey,” and non-fiction such as “Anne Frank: The Book, the Life, The Afterlife,” Francine Prose has also written two short story collections , and a picture book. Two of her novels have become films, and one, “The Glorious Ones,” became a Broadway musical. In this book, she recalls her time hanging out with Anthony Russo, who along with Daniel Ellsberg, was responsible for The Pentagon Papers, in San Francisco in 1974 and then a few months later, in New York, capturing the vibe of what it was like to live in that time and place, and differences between then and now. The post Francine Prose: “1974, A Personal History,” 2024 appeared first on KPFA.