Kentucky Author Forum

Pulitzer-winning writer Philip Rucker speaks with NPR journalist Mara Liasson about Mr. Rucker’s number one New York Times bestseller, “A Very Stable Genius: Donald J Trump’s Testing of America.” The book is an unvarnished exploration of Trump’s presidency and administration. Philip Rucker is the Washington Bureau chief at the Washington Post and has covered Congress, the Obama White House and the 2012 and 2016 presidential campaigns. He serves as an on-air political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. Mara Liasson is a national political correspondent for NPR. Her reports can be heard regularly on NPR's award-winning newsmagazine programs Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Liasson provides extensive coverage of politics and policy from Washington, DC — focusing on the White House and Congress — and on political trends beyond the Beltway.

Today, Pulitzer-winning author Jane Smiley speaks with NPR journalist Eleanor Beardsley about Ms. Smiley’s latest book, "Perestroika in Paris." Jane Smiley is the author of many novels, short stories, nonfiction books and young adult novels. In addition to the Pulitzer prize for fiction, Smiley has been awarded the Fitzgerald Award for Achievement in American Literature. She teaches creative writing at the University of California, Riverside. Eleanor Beardsley began reporting from France for NPR in 2004 as a freelance journalist, following all aspects of French politics, economics, and culture. She has become an integral part of the NPR Europe reporting team, covering the first Arab Spring revolution in Tunisia, where she witnessed the overthrow of that government. Beardsley covers all of France for NPR, including three French presidential elections, numerous Tour de France races, and the Soccer world cup.

Award-winning writer, conservationist and activist Terry Tempest Williams speaks with novelist and journalist Nathaniel Rich. Both Williams and Rich are avid supporters of the environment and proponents of ecological issues. Nathaniel Rich is the author of several books and a journalist at The New York Times Magazine. Mr. Rich’s 2019 book "Losing Earth: A Recent History" received awards from the Society of Environmental Journalists and the American Institute of Physicists and was a finalist for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. He is a regular contributor to The Atlantic, Harper's, and The New York Review of Books. Rich’s next book, titled "Second Nature," will be published in March 2021. Terry Tempest Williams writes about social and environmental justice, including ecology and the protection of public lands. She has received a John Muir Award for American Conservation and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Ms. Williams 2019 book "Erosion: Essays of Undo

Award-winning author Heather Clark speaks with literary critic and novelist Daphne Merkin about Clark’s latest book, "Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath." Heather Clark is the author of several books and a professor of contemporary poetry. She has been awarded several scholarly fellowships, including a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship. Daphne Merkin has written as a book critic for The New Republic, The New Yorker, and The New York Times Magazine. She is also an author of essay collections and a novel titled "Enchantment." She is a contributing editor to Tablet Magazine.

Best -selling author and journalist Thomas Ricks speaks with author, political scientist and Professor Danielle Allen about Mr. Ricks latest book, "First Principles." Thomas Ricks has written for the Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal about American military operations around the world. He is the author of several books, including the number-one New York Times bestseller "Fiasco," which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Danielle Allen is a classicist, political scientist, and professor at Harvard University where she is also the Director of the Edmund J. Safra Center for Ethics. She has written for The Washington Post and published several books and scholarly articles. Professor Allen chaired the bipartisan Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Journalist and best-selling author Wright Thompson and Emmy-award winning television host Andrew Zimmern discuss Mr. Thompson’s book, "Pappyland," and other timely topics. Wright Thompson is a senior writer at ESPN, and author of two books. His writing covers a wide range of topics from sports to history, to his latest book about Bourbon and the history of the Van Winkle family. Andrew Zimmern is a four-time James Beard Award-winning TV personality, chef, writer and teacher, and is regarded as one of the most knowledgeable personalities in the food world. Zimmern is the creator, executive producer and host of Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods franchise, Andrew Zimmern’s Driven by Food and the Emmy award-winning The Zimmern List.

Journalist and professor Amanda Little and NPR’s Alison Aubrey discuss Ms. Little’s book, The Fate of Food, and other timely topics. Amanda Little is the author of two books, and her articles have been published in the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Wired, and The Washington Post. Little is a professor of investigative journalism and science writing at Vanderbilt University. She has received a number of awards for excellence in environmental journalism. Alison Aubrey is a correspondent for NPR News, where her stories can be heard on Morning Edition and All Things Considered. She's also a contributor to the PBS NewsHour and is a co-host of NPR's Life Kit podcast. Along with her NPR science desk colleagues, Aubrey won a 2019 Gracie Award. She is the recipient of a 2018 James Beard broadcast award, and a 2016 James Beard Award for a PBS/NPR collaboration.

Former CIA officer and author Amaryllis Fox discusses her book Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA with NPR’s special correspondent Melissa Block. Amaryllis Fox is a writer, television host, public speaker, and former CIA officer. Fox’s memoir, Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA, examines her ten years hunting the world’s terrorists in sixteen countries while marrying and giving birth to a daughter. Fox has covered current events and offered analysis for CNN, National Geographic, Al Jazeera, and the BBC. She is the co-host of History Channel’s series American Ripper and the host of the Netflix documentary series The Business of Drugs. Melissa Block was the host of All Things Considered on NPR for many years. She now brings her signature combination of warmth and incisive reporting as special correspondent and guest host to NPR’s news programs. She has earned some of the top honors in broadcast journalism. Her reporting has taken her everywhere from the Mississippi Gulf Coast to the heart of R

Best-selling author Mary Beth Keane and literary critic Maureen Corrigan discuss Ms. Keane’s book, Ask Again, Yes, and other timely topics. Ms. Keane was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship for fiction, and has published two other books. Most recently, Ask Again, Yes, was an instant New York Times bestseller, and has been translated in twenty-one languages. Maureen Corrigan is the book critic for NPR’s Fresh Air and writes the ‘Book World’ column for the Washington Post. She is a professor of literary criticism at Georgetown University and an author herself.

Timothy Egan is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and best selling author. He writes a bi-weekly Op-Ed column for the New York Times. Elaine Pagels is a historian of religion and professor at Princeton University. She is a best-selling author and received the National Medal in the Arts from President Obama. In this episode of Great Podversations, Egan and Pagels discuss Mr. Egan’s book Pilgrimage to Eternity, history, belief and other timely topics.

Dr. Jerome Groopman and Timothy Snyder discuss Snyder’s recent book "Our Malady: Lessons in Liberty from a Hospital Diary," healthcare in the U.S., and other timely topics. Groopman holds an endowed Chair of Medicine and Chief of Experimental Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Snyder is the Levin Professor of History at Yale University and a permanent fellow at The Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna.

Clarissa Ward is CNN’s Chief International Correspondent. She discusses her new book On All Fronts with Peter Bergen, a journalist, documentary producer and security analyst. On All Fronts is an account of Ward’s riveting career in journalism in this age of extremism.

Best-selling authors Isabel Allende and Madeline Miller in conversation. They discuss literature, gender issues, humanitarianism, and other timely topics.

Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Michael R. Jackson and NPR’s Ari Shapiro, host of All Things Considered, discuss American theater, music, racial issues, and other timely topics.

Best-selling authors Erik Larson and Amor Towles discuss history, research, and the craft of writing.

Writers Franklin Foer and Malcolm Nance discuss politics, the upcoming 2020 election and more.

Authors Ann Patchett and Dani Shapiro discuss books, writing, and these challenging times.

MSNBC political analyst Chuck Rosenberg and The Atlantic columnist David Frum discuss politics and government during these challenging times, and much more.

The Kentucky Author Forum podcast has a new sound, and a new name: Great Podversations. This interview podcast will feature carefully matched pairs of nationally recognized writers in the kind of thoughtful and candid conversations you have come to expect from Kentucky Author Forum. Our guest authors and experts will discuss literature, politics, history, economics, science, and culture, and every episode will be introduced by NPR's Robert Siegel. Watch for our first new episode. which features MSNBC political analyst Chuck Rosenberg in conversation with The Atlantic columnist David Frum. These two experts will discuss politics and government during these challenging times, and much more.

Today's guest is Admiral James Stavridis, a retired four-star officer in the U.S. Navy. His book, Sailing True North, explores ten famous admirals and the profound influence on history through their leadership and character. Stavridis is interviewed by NPR special correspondent Melissa Block. This conversation was recorded on December 16, 2019 at the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts.