Category

Biography

Biography, History, Journalism, Non Fiction

Dec 07: The Pirate’s Wife with Daphne Palmer Geanacopoulos

The Remarkable True Story of Sarah Kidd

Daphne Palmer Geanacopoulos’ fascination with pirates focuses on the women behind those pirates. In The Pirate’s Wife, Daphne shares insight into the life of Sarah Kidd, and what it meant to be married to the infamous Captain William Kidd.

We take a peek into piracy and privateering in colonial America and discuss how the once respectable Kidd became a pirate; and why pirates were originally welcomed.  Daphne also reveals who Sarah was, her role, what drove her, and the big question we all want to know: Where is the treasure?

About Daphne Palmer Geanacopoulos

Dr. Daphne Palmer Geanacopoulos is a historian, journalist, and author who’s spent the past 15 years, researching pirates, their lives, and their wives.  The Pirate’s Wife – The Remarkable True Story of Sarah Kidd is Daphne’s second book (narrative nonfiction). Her writing on history, business, science, health, fitness, education, museums, parenting, philanthropy, and lifestyles has appeared in many major outlets, including The New York Times, the Washington Post, and Southern Living.

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Biography, History, Non Fiction

FEB 03: Icebound with Andrea Pitzer

Shipwrecked At The Edge Of The World

“‘Icebound’ takes us back to the Arctic, in all its terror and splendor” — says The New York Times. And today Andrea Pitzer has two true stories to tell. The first about Dutch polar explorer, William Barents, who set sail in the 1500s to find a northern route to China.  The second, her own life-changing journey to sail in Barents’ wake.

We discuss the ancient explorer’s trials and successes during his three Arctic expeditions.  How Andrea sailed a tall ship and spent time high up the mast. How her expedition to the Russian Arctic changed her. And what surprised her the most.

About Andrea Pitzer

Critically acclaimed author Andrea Pitzer is a journalist whose writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Review of Books, The Daily Beast, Vox, and Slate. Her two previous books are One Long Night and The Secret History of Vladimir Nabokov. Her latest is Icebound: Shipwrecked At The Edge Of The World.

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Biography, Journalism, Non Fiction

NOV 04: Sarah Smarsh with She Come by it Natural

Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs

“Country music…is how we talked to each other in a place where feelings aren’t discussed” writes Sarah Smarsh.

We discuss what Dolly Parton means to working class women living in poverty. Why Sarah describes Ms. Parton as the ultimate “woman of paradox.”  And why, despite her huge success as a sex symbol, creative genius, and philanthropic juggernaut, Dolly Parton does not consider herself a feminist. 

About Sarah Smarsh

Sarah Smarsh is a journalist who’s covered socioeconomic class, politics, and public policy for The New York Times, The Guardian, The New Yorker, Harper’s. She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs is Smarsh’s second book. Her first, Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth, was a New York Times Bestseller, and a finalist for the National Book Award.

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Biography, Conservation, Non Fiction, Social Issues

DEC 18: Dian Fossey: Secrets in the Mist & The Collected Letters of Alan Watts

Filmmaker Zara Hayes takes an in-depth look at Dian Fossey, from her lonely childhood to what drove her to endanger her own life for the sake of the gorillas of Rwanda.  Dian Fossey: Secrets in the Mist reveals the inside story of the tragically murdered activist.

Zara is a British filmmaker who works between the UK and the USA.  The production of Dian Fossey: Secrets in the Mist was aided by National Geographic and is voiced by Sigourney Weaver.

Today, we’ll also take a journey into the mind of British author and philosopher Alan Watts, who greatly influenced 60’s counter-culture with his interpretations of Buddhism and Zen philosophy.  His daughter, Joan Watts, captures the colorful and controversial life of her father in The Collected Letters of Alan Watts.

For this collection, Watts’s letters were curated by two of his daughters, Joan and Anne Watts, who have added behind-the-scenes biographical commentary.

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Biography, Fiction, Writers on Writing

Sep 04: Her Again: Becoming Meryl Steep & This is the Part Where You Laugh

Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep is the first thoroughly researched biography of the actress, providing an intimate look into the years that shaped her into the icon she is today.

Michael Schulman paints an indelible portrait of the artist as a young actress, leaving no stone unturned.  Michael has contributed to The New Yorker since 2006, currently serving as the arts editor.

From returning guest Peter Brown Hoffmeister comes an unforgettable account of growing up, making mistakes, and growing out of the shadow of drug abuse.  

This is the Part Where You Laugh chronicles his expulsion from three high schools, being homeless for parts of his sophomore and senior year,  and even living in a Greyhound Bus Station for a short while.  Peter is an author, rock climber, public speaker, outdoor expert, and athlete gear-tester for Ridgemont Outfitters.

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Biography, Fiction

Jun 27: 1] Her Again: Becoming Meryl Steep 2] This is the Part Where You Laugh

Michael Schulman, arts editor at the New Yorker, tells the story of Meryl Streep’s early rise in Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep. It is the first thoroughly researched biography of the actress – the portrait of a woman, an era and a profession, giving us an intimate look into the years that shaped her into the icon she is today.

Growing up, returning guest Peter Brown Hoffmeister was expelled from three high schools and was homeless for parts of his sophomore and senior year, even living in a Greyhound Bus Station for a short while. His new novel, This is the Part Where You Laugh, sings a similar song. A teenage boy navigates first love, addiction, gang violence and a reptilian infestation in a trailer park in Oregon.

While you enjoy this encore presentation of Conversations Live with Vicki St. Clair, don’t forget that for exclusive updates throughout the rest of the week, you can like us on Facebook, and follow Vicki St. Clair on Twitter! Conversations Live airs every Monday at noon on KKNW 1150AM or 94.9FM HD.

Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep by Michael Schulman paints an indelible portrait of the artist as a young actress. From her beginnings as a young woman grappling with her immense talent in the early 70’s to her passionate, tragically short-lived love affair with fellow actor John Cazale, to her ideas of feminism, Schulman leaves no stone unturned. Michael has contributed to The New Yorker since 2006, currently serving as the arts editor.. He is the theatre editor of Goings On About Town and has written more than seventy-five Talk of the Town pieces.

From returning guest Peter Brown Hoffmeister comes an unforgettable account of growing up, making mistakes, and growing out of the shadow of drug abuse in his new novel This is the Part Where You Laugh. Chronicling the summer of a young, troubled man, the reader sees him attempt to stay out of trouble, and thus juvenile hall, while working on his basketball game with his friend, Creature, Canoeing around the lake to catch a glimpse of the beautiful girl who just moved in, and searching homeless camps for his mother, with a jar full of cash to help her get back on her feet. Peter is an author, rock climber, public speaker, outdoor expert, and athlete gear-tester for Ridgemont Outfitters.

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Biography, Fiction

Jun 06: 1] The Girl From The Savoy 2] Jungle of Stone: The Lost Civilization of the Maya

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Conversations Live regular and NY Times and USA Today bestseller Hazel Gaynor is back to discuss her latest historical fiction novel, The Girl From the Savoy. Hazel takes us back to the roaring 20’s with the tale of a humble chambermaid who gets the opportunity to face the ultimate decision… choosing between everything she knows, and everything she dreams of.

Jungle of Stone: The Extraordinary Journey That Uncovered the Lost Civilization of the Maya is journalist William Carlsen’s definitive account of how two intrepid explorers changed the prevailing view of human history in the Western Hemisphere. It chronicles the daring journey of John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood’s to uncover, document, and contextualize for the world what would come to be known as the remains of the Maya civilization.

Enjoy Conversations Live with Vicki St. Clair every Monday at noon Pacific on KKNW 1150AM or 94.9FM HD. For exclusive updates throughout the rest of the week, like us on Facebook, and follow Vicki St. Clair on Twitter!

The Girl From the Savoy by returning guest Hazel Gaynor introduces Dolly Lane, a chambermaid at London’s grandest hotel, The Savoy, who dreams to live alongside the Bright Young Things who thrive on champagne, jazz, and rebellion. When she responds to an ad to become a ‘muse’ for a struggling songwriter, she finds herself thrust into London’s exhilarating theatre scene. At the precipice of the life she has and the one she longs for, she must make a difficult choice: between two men; between two classes; between everything she knows and everything she dreams of. The Girl From the Savoy is Hazel’s third novel in the growing genre of historical fiction, with her first two becoming USA Today and NY Times bestsellers.

When John Lloyd Stephens, the U.S. Charge d’affaires appointed by President Martin Van Buren, set out for Guatemala City in 1839, his official mission was to broker a trade agreement with the leaders of the recently formed United Provinces of Central America. But he and Frederick Catherwood, an English artist and architect, had a separate and more personal goal for the excursion – to explore the Central American jungle in search of hidden, unknown worlds. William Carlsen fleshes out a rollicking account of their expeditions, and their quest to make sense of their findings for the rest of the world in Jungle of Stone: The Extraordinary Journey That Uncovered the Lost Civilization of the Maya. William has been a journalist for thirty years, a finalist for the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting and a winner of numerous journalism awards.

 

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Biography, Memoir

May 23: 1] Her Again: Becoming Meryl Steep 2] This is the Part Where You Laugh ~ PODCAST

Michael Schulman, arts editor at the New Yorker, tells the story of Meryl Streep’s early rise in Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep. It is the first thoroughly researched biography of the actress – the portrait of a woman, an era and a profession, giving us an intimate look into the years that shaped her into the icon she is today.

Growing up, returning guest Peter Brown Hoffmeister was expelled from three high schools and was homeless for parts of his sophomore and senior year, even living in a Greyhound Bus Station for a short while. His new novel, This is the Part Where You Laugh, sings a similar song. A teenage boy navigates first love, addiction, gang violence and a reptilian infestation in a trailer park in Oregon.

Enjoy Conversations Live with Vicki St. Clair every Monday at noon Pacific on KKNW 1150AM or 94.9FM HD. For exclusive updates throughout the rest of the week, like us on Facebook, and follow Vicki St. Clair on Twitter!

Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep by Michael Schulman paints an indelible portrait of the artist as a young actress. From her beginnings as a young woman grappling with her immense talent in the early 70’s to her passionate, tragically short-lived love affair with fellow actor John Cazale, to her ideas of feminism, Schulman leaves no stone unturned. Michael has contributed to The New Yorker since 2006, currently serving as the arts editor.. He is the theatre editor of Goings On About Town and has written more than seventy-five Talk of the Town pieces.

From returning guest Peter Brown Hoffmeister comes an unforgettable account of growing up, making mistakes, and growing out of the shadow of drug abuse in his new novel This is the Part Where You Laugh. Chronicling the summer of a young, troubled man, the reader sees him attempt to stay out of trouble, and thus juvenile hall, while working on his basketball game with his friend, Creature, Canoeing around the lake to catch a glimpse of the beautiful girl who just moved in, and searching homeless camps for his mother, with a jar full of cash to help her get back on her feet. Peter is an author, rock climber, public speaker, outdoor expert, and athlete gear-tester for Ridgemont Outfitters.

Listen to PODCAST –

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