Episodes

  • Bookwaves/Artwaves – May 28, 2026: John Lanchester, British Novelist and Essayist

    Bookwaves/Artwaves – May 28, 2026: John Lanchester, British Novelist and Essayist
    May 28 2026
    Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Links to assorted local theater & book venues John Lanchester: Novelist, “Look What You Made Me Do,” 2026 John Lanchester, whose latest novel is “Look What You Made Me Do,” in conversation with Richard Wolinsky, recorded May 6, 2026 via computer. John Lanchester is the author of five previous novels, one collection of stories,Reality and Other Stories, published in 2020, and four works of non-fiction. He’s recently written essays for the London Review of Books and the Guardian on such issues as generation divides and the push toward A.I. His latest novel, Look What You Made Me Do hones in on the generation divide and can be seen as a satire and as a psychological thriller of sorts involving a woman who discovers, shortly after her husband’s death, that their most intimate conversations are being heard in a new hit Netflix series that everyone is talking about. John Lanchester’s previous novel, The Wall, concerns a future in which Britain has built a wall around itself in order to keep immigrants from arriving. It’s a dystopia of a world overrun by the oceans and climate disaster. You can find the interview about that book here. Review of “Pictures from Home” at Marin Theatre through May 31, 2026. Review of “Dracula, A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really” at San Francisco Playhouse through June 27, 2026, The post Bookwaves/Artwaves – May 28, 2026: John Lanchester, British Novelist and Essayist appeared first on KPFA.
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  • Bookwaves/Artwaves – June 4, 2026: Helen Benedict, Journalism Professor & Novelist

    Bookwaves/Artwaves – June 4, 2026: Helen Benedict, Journalism Professor & Novelist
    Jun 4 2026
    Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Links to assorted local theater & book venues Helen Benedict, “The Soldier’s House,” Iraqi Refugees in the United States Helen Benedict, Columbia Profesysor of Journalism and author of the novel, “The Soldier’s House,” about the lives of Iraqi refugees in America in 2010, in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky. “The Soldier’s House” tells the story of a refugee from Baghdad, Naemi, who comes to America in 2010, sponsored by an American soldier whose translator was killed after the invasion. She, her young son Tariq and her mother in law have come to the United States, to the Albany area, after a time in Damascus, hoping to find a new life. A pediatrics physician over there, she can only gain the lowest levels of employment in America. Helen Benedict has focused her literary career on the plight of refugees in America and Europe as she teaches young journalists the ways to keep digging for the truth and for justice. In this interview, she discusses how Iraqi and Afghanistani refugees have fared in this country and talks in detail about the legacy press and the challenges young journalists face as they come into the profession. Review of “The Lunchbox” at Berkeley Rep Roda Theatre through July 5, 2026. The post Bookwaves/Artwaves – June 4, 2026: Helen Benedict, Journalism Professor & Novelist appeared first on KPFA.
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    1 hr
  • Bookwaves/Artwaves – April 30, 2026: George Saunders, “Vigil” 2026

    Bookwaves/Artwaves – April 30, 2026: George Saunders, “Vigil” 2026
    Apr 30 2026
    Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Links to assorted local theater & book venues George Saunders: Award-winning Novelist and Short Story Author George Saunders, whose latest novel is Vigil, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky. George Saunders is the highly acclaimed author of several short story collections, including “Tenth of December,” and “CivilWarLand in Bad Decline,” and others, along with political commentary that has appeared in The New Yorker and other magazines. He won the 2017 Booker Prize for his earlier novel, “Lincoln in the Bardo.” This latest novel, Vigil, takes place in the in-between time before death, when an elderly oil oligarch lies dying, and an angel of mercy, a ghost, named Jill, is on hand to comfort him. The question at hand concerns forgiveness, accountability, grace and several other issues that become involved when someone whose actions were deleterious to humankind and the planet is forced to examine their actions on earth. Justification, remorse, sin? What does it mean, and how do we, the living, deal with these issues when there are so many bad actors doing damage these days on the world and national stages. Recorded by computer on April 15, 2026. Review of “Come from Away” at TheatreWorks Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts through May 10, 2026. The post Bookwaves/Artwaves – April 30, 2026: George Saunders, “Vigil” 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
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    1 hr
  • Bookwaves/Artwaves – April 23, 2026: Margaret Atwood – Walter Mosley

    Bookwaves/Artwaves – April 23, 2026: Margaret Atwood – Walter Mosley
    Apr 23 2026
    Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Links to assorted local theater & book venues Margaret Atwood: “Maddaddam,” 2013 Margaret Atwood 2013. Photo: Jean Malek Margaret Atwood, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky, recorded in the KPFA studios OCtober 3, 2013 while on tour for the novel “Maddaddam.” These days, the great Canadian author Margaret Atwood is best known for her books The Handmaid’s Tale and its 2019 sequel, The Testaments, both of which have become acclaimed television series and miniseries, respectively. But along with several other novels, story and essay collections, there’s a somewhat satirical dystopian speculative fiction series, known collectively as the Maddadam trilogy, consisting of Oryx and Crake, the Year of the Flood and Maddaddam. I interviewed Margaret Atwood for each book in the series, and this interview, the most recent interview to date, concerned that third novel, Maddaddam. This is the last of eight interviews with Margaret Atwood conducted between the years 1989 and 2013, and has not aired in over a decade. Walter Mosley: The Easy Rawlins and King Oliver Suspense Novels, 2025 Walter Mosley in conversation with Richard Wolinsky, recorded March 5, 2025 discussing his two recent novels, “Been Wrong So Long It Looks Like Right,” a Joe King Oliver novel, and “Farewell, Amethystine,” an Easy Rawlins novel, now out in trade paperback. 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. Walter Mosley’s follow-up Easy Rawlins novel, Grey Dawn, was published in September 2025. The next King Oliver novel, Hanging and Burning, will be published in October 2026. A stand-alone novel, Ghalen: A Romance in Black, will be published in May, 2026. The post Bookwaves/Artwaves – April 23, 2026: Margaret Atwood – Walter Mosley appeared first on KPFA.
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    1 hr
  • Bookwaves/Artwaves – April 16, 2026: Patrick Dooley, Artistic Director Shotgun Players

    Bookwaves/Artwaves – April 16, 2026: Patrick Dooley, Artistic Director Shotgun Players
    Apr 16 2026
    Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Links to assorted local theater & book venues Patrick Dooley: Artistic Director, Shotgun Players Patrick Dooley, Artistic Director of Shotgun Players theatre company, in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky. Patrick Dooley founded Shotgun Players in 1992, which originally produced plays in the basement of LaVal’s Pizza Parlor in Berkeley, California. Surviving with multiple venues over the years, Shotgun bought the Ashby Stage in 2004, where the company has resided ever since. Originally from rural Virginia, Patrick came to Berkeley to visit his brother, wound up being invited to act in a play at LaVal’s, and within a short time decided to create a theatre company, which has now lasted over thirty years. Surviving the pandemic, and with a very loyal audience, Shotgun has continued to sell out many of its shows, creating a uniquely Berkeley community theatre. In the interview, he discusses his own history with theatre the origins of Shotgun Players (including what the name means) , his views on such issues as the age of the audience and the subscription model, as well as the rest of the 2026 theatrical season. Review of “The Monsters” at Berkeley Rep Peets Theatre through May 3, 2026. The post Bookwaves/Artwaves – April 16, 2026: Patrick Dooley, Artistic Director Shotgun Players appeared first on KPFA.
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    1 hr
  • Bookwaves/Artwaves – April 9, 2026: Mary Roach – Gemma Whelan

    Bookwaves/Artwaves – April 9, 2026: Mary Roach – Gemma Whelan
    Apr 9 2026
    Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Links to assorted local theater & book venues Mary Roach: “Gulp: Adventures in the Alimentary Canal,” 2013 Mary Roach in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky, recorded May 2, 2013 while she was on tour for Gulp: Adventures in the Alimentary Canal. The author of several non-fiction works that examine specific areas of life that are rarely covered elsewhere, Mary Roach brings a sharp eye and excellent research skills to explain how things work, how they don’t work, and the various things that happen in between. In this book, Mary Roach investigates the science of eating, saliva, stomach mechanics, and elimination, tackling “taboo” questions about how the body processes food. Gemma Whelan: “Painting Through The Dark,” 2023 Gemma Whelan, whose latest novel is titled “Painting Through The Dark,” in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky, recorded on April 5, 2023. A staged reading of “Painting Through The Dark” will be presented at the Magic Theatre in Fort Mason Center in San Francisco on April 12, 2026. ‘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. Review of “Flex” at San Francisco Playhouse through May 2, 2023. The post Bookwaves/Artwaves – April 9, 2026: Mary Roach – Gemma Whelan appeared first on KPFA.
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    1 hr
  • Bookwaves/Artwaves – April 2, 2026 – Tracy Kidder – Joseph Kanon

    Bookwaves/Artwaves – April 2, 2026 – Tracy Kidder – Joseph Kanon
    Apr 2 2026
    Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Links to assorted local theater & book venues Tracy Kidder (1945-2026): Pulitzer Winning Non-Fiction Author Tracy Kidder (1945-2026), Pulitzer Prize winning author of literary non-fiction, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky, recorded in the KPFA studios during the book tour for “Strength in What Remains: A Journey of Remembrance and Forgiveness, ” which focuses on the extraordinary true story of Deo, a young man who arrives in America from Burundi in search of a new life. Tracy Kidder, who died of lung cancer on March 24, 2026 at the age of eighty, was best known for his literary journalism, for turning non-fiction narratives into literary masterpieces. The author of eleven books, he won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction and the National Book Award for Nonfiction in 1982 for The Soul of A New Machine, which looked at the tech environment during the birth of the modern computer. His 1990 book, Among Schoolchildren, a close look at American education, focusing on twenty students in a Massachusetts elementary school, won several literary awards. In the years after the interview, Tracy Kidder went on to write three more non-fiction books. His final book to date, Rough Sleepers: Dr. Jim O’Connell’s Urgent Mission to Bring Healing to Homeless People was published in 2023. Paul Farmer, the subject of Tracy Kidder’s 2003 book “Mountains Beyond Mountains”, died in February, 2022. Joseph Kanon: Spy Thriller Novelist Joseph Kanon, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky, recorded June 17, 2017 during the book tour for the spy thriller “Defectors.” Over the course of the last thirty years, Joseph Kanon has established himself as one of the best spy novelists around, in the vein of John Le Carre, Alan Furst, Graham Greene and Eric Ambler. His latest novel, “Defectors,” is about what happens after a Soviet mole defects to Russia. What is their life like? What happens then? Set in the early 1960s, “Defectors,” through copious research, sets up what life must have been like for people like Kim Philby and other Russian spies forced to leave the West to survive. Joseph Kanon’s most recent novel, “Shanghai” was published in 2024. Review of “The Goat or Who Is Sylvia”” at Shotgun Players Ashby Stage through April 28, 2026. Book Interview/Events and Theatre Links updated June 5, 2026 Note: Shows may unexpectedly close early or be postponed due to actors’ positive COVID tests. Check the venue for closures, ticket refunds, and mask requirements before arrival. Dates are in-theater performances unless otherwise noted. Some venues operate Tuesday – Sunday; others for shorter periods each week. All times Pacific Time. Closing dates are sometimes extended. Book Stores Bay Area Book Festival See website for video & audio from this year’s Festival. Book Passage. Monthly Calendar. Mix of on-line and in-store events. Books Inc. Mix of on-line and in-store events. The Booksmith. Monthly Event Calendar. BookShop West Portal. Monthly Event Calendar. Center for Literary Arts, San Jose. See website for Book Club guests in upcoming months. Green Apple Books. Events calendar. Kepler’s Books On-line Refresh the Page program listings. Live Theater Companies Actors Ensemble of Berkeley. Alice in Wonderland, July 3-19, weekends, John Hinkel Park, free; reservations encouraged. . Actor’s Reading Collective (ARC). Outside the Box ’26 coming in July. See website for details. African American Art & Culture Complex. See website for calendar. American Conservatory Theatre Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest, adapted and directed by Emma Rice, Sept 22 – Oct 18, Toni Rembe (Geary). See website for Conservatory & community shows and special events. Awesome Theatre Company. See website for information. BATS Improv Improvised theatre. See website for schedule. BATS Bayfront Theatre, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco. Berkeley Playhouse. Cats, May 22 – June 21. Berkeley Rep. The Lunchbox, World Premiere Musical, May 17 – extended to July 5, Berkeley Shakespeare Company See website for upcoming productions. Brava Theatre Center: See calendar for events listings. BroadwaySF: Phantom of the Opera, thru June 21, Orpheum. Disney’s Beauty & the Beast, July 14 – August 9, Orpheum .See website for complete listings for the Orpheum, Golden Gate and Curran Theaters. note: BroadwaySF is now ATG Tickets. Broadway San Jose Back to the Future, June 2 – 7. The Sound of Music, July 21-26, Center REP: Alanis Morisette’s Jagged Little Pill, The Musical, May 31 – June 28. Central Stage. See website for upcoming productions, 5221 Central Avenue, Richmond Central Works The Prince, Parts I & 2 by Gary Graves, July 18 – Sept. 26. Rotating. See website for schedule. Cinnabar Theatre. The Secret Garden, June 12 – 28. Club Fugazi. Dear San Francisco, ongoing. Closed Monday and Tuesday. Contra ...
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  • Bookwaves/Artwaves – March 26, 2026: Pulp Magazine Author E. Hoffman Price (1898-1988)

    Bookwaves/Artwaves – March 26, 2026: Pulp Magazine Author E. Hoffman Price (1898-1988)
    Mar 26 2026
    Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Links to assorted local theater & book venues From the Probabilities Archive: E. Hoffman Price, Fantasy & Science Fiction Pulp Writer E. Hoffman Price (1898-1988), fantasy and science fiction author who published in various pulp magazines from the 1920s into the 1950s, in conversation with Probabiliaties hosts Richard Wolinsky, Richard A. Lupoff and Lawrence Davidson, recorded in early 1979 at Price’s home in Redwood City, California. E. Hoffman Price, who was born 1898 and died shortly before his 90th birthday in 1988, wrote fantasy and science fiction stories for the pulp magazines of the first half of the twentieth century, along with some non-fiction. Mostly forgotten today, though several of his stories are available in small press editions, his claim to fame is a single collaboration with the great horror writer H.P. Lovecraft, titled “Through the Gates of the Silver Key,” a sequel to Lovecraft’s story, “The Silver Key.” A contributor to Weird Tales, he was also friends with two other writers from the magazine, Seabury Quinn and Clark Ashton Smith, as well as with the longtime editor of Weird Tales, Farnsworth Wright. He also knew Otis Adelbert Kline, famous in his day for writing imitations of Edgar Rice Burroughs. In the interview, Price talks about his writing career, his friendships with H.P. Lovecraft, horror writer Seabury Quinn, adventure writer Otis Adelbert Kline, and horror master Clark Ashton Smith. The Probabilities radio show first went on the air on KPFA in 1977. Within a year, my co-host Lawrence Davidson was on the trail for old pulp writers and editors, egged on by science fiction and fantasy author Richard A. Lupoff, who officially joined the show a couple of years later. This interview, following on the heels of interviews with pulp science fiction author Stanton A. Coblentz and editor Charles Hornig, was conducted at Price’s house in Redwood City, California, most likely in the spring of 1979. Accompanying Dick, Lawrence and myself were Dick’s wife Pat Lupoff and science fiction fanzine editor Jim Purviance. Over two hours were recorded on multiple tapes, and parts of the transcription can be found in the book Space Ships Ray Guns Martian Octopods: Interviews with Science Fiction Legends. The interview was digitized and then remastered using AI technology first, and then edited for clarity and coherence. Some outtakes exist which I can forward by email via richard@kpfa.org. The unpublished memoir Price discusses in the interview, Book of the Dead: Friends of Yesteryear, Fictioneers and Others was eventually published posthumously, in 2001. The interview opens with a question by Richard A. Lupoff. Several collections of stories by E. Hoffman Price were published in 2017 by Wildside Press, and are available both digitally and in print. The interview was digitized, remastered and edited in March 2026. This interview was first heard in a very truncated version in 1979 and has not been aired until now. The complete 68-minute interview can be heard here. Rob Nillson: Award-Winning Independent Film-maker Rob Nillson is a Bay Area based maverick filmmaker. The winner of the Camera d’Or at Cannes in 1979 for Northern Lights and the Grand Prize at Sundance for Heat and Sunlight in 1988, he continues to make independently distributed films. A documentary about the life and work of Rob Nillson, titled The Way Things Seem to Be, introduced by Rob Nillson and the documentary’s director, Zahn Petrov, gets its world premiere at the Christopher Smith San Rafael Film Center this coming sunday, March 29th at 12 noon, and for more information you can go to cafilm.org. This interview was part of a larger interview about the life and work of filmmaker David Schickele. Review of “Assassins” at Oakland Theatre Project through April 5, 2026.e Book Interview/Events and Theatre Links Note: Shows may unexpectedly close early or be postponed due to actors’ positive COVID tests. Check the venue for closures, ticket refunds, and mask requirements before arrival. Dates are in-theater performances unless otherwise noted. Some venues operate Tuesday – Sunday; others for shorter periods each week. All times Pacific Time. Closing dates are sometimes extended. Book Stores Bay Area Book Festival See website for highlights from the 110th Annual Bay Area Book Festival, May 31 – June 1, 2025. Book Passage. Monthly Calendar. Mix of on-line and in-store events. Books Inc. Mix of on-line and in-store events. The Booksmith. Monthly Event Calendar. BookShop West Portal. Monthly Event Calendar. Center for Literary Arts, San Jose. See website for Book Club guests in upcoming months. Green Apple Books. Events calendar. Kepler’s Books On-line Refresh the Page program listings. Live Theater Companies Actors Ensemble of Berkeley. See website for readings and events. Actor’s Reading Collective (ARC). ...
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    1 hr