Bay Area Book Festival Podcast

Latest Episodes:

When Everything Falls Apart, How Does the Heart Survive? Orville Schell and Yiyun Li on China, Tolstoy, and the Power of Art, with Adam Hochschild Jul 16, 2021

Show notes

A journalist and renowned expert on China, Schell has penned his first novel, drawing on his knowledge of Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution and on his conviction that art and love can outlive brutality. Joining him is MacArthur "genius" and award-winning writer Yiyun Li, who came of age during the bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown, emigrated to the U.S. at 23 as a young scientist, and eventually took the literary world by storm with her fiction, memoir and essays. This talk is moderated by Adam Hochschild.

There's a Revolution Outside, My Love Jul 08, 2021

Show notes

The power of words to spark change and detonate oppression has never been more needed than it is today. Join U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith, award-winning poet Reginald Dwayne Betts, and National Book Critics Circle Award finalist Camille Dungy as they discuss their writings in response to our tumultuous time in history. Guiding the conversation is Ismail Muhummad, story editor for the New York Times Magazine and a member of the Festival's program committee.

Create, Connect, and Inspire: Julia Cameron on The Listening Path Jun 24, 2021

Show notes

Having enriched the creative journeys of millions with her Artist's Way program and books, Julia Cameron will show us how to harness that spirit of renewal with her latest guide to attunement and fulfillment, The Listening Path. Joining Julia is Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Judy Collins, a national treasure whose artistry is timeless. You won't want to miss these two legendary creatives in conversation, talking about all things art, life, inspiration, and how to truly listen.

The Ties that Bind: Ann Patchett on Family, Fortune, and the Search for Self Feb 18, 2021

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Ann Patchett's novels hit that sweet spot where literary prestige meets blockbuster success. With The Dutch House, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Patchett is at her peak. This "engrossing, warmhearted book" (NPR) tells the story of a brother and sister whose deep bond and secret-filled past is haunted by the legacy of an ornate mansion, the "Dutch house," that was the site of childhood, and later, of their exile. Patchett is known for speaking her mind with refreshing and down-to-earth brilliance.

Racing Towards Wonder with bestselling novelist Jane Smiley Dec 10, 2020

Show notes

Pulitzer Prize winner Jane Smiley was determined to release her latest novel in 2020. Why? She knew we all could use an escape. And Perestroika in Paris is just that, as praised by Publishers Weekly: "the perfect book for those for whom the real world, wracked with pandemic and politics, has become something to avoid." Imagine a Parisian fairytale for adults starring a runaway racehorse who finds friendship and freedom in getting splendidly off-track in the City of Light. In conversation with Brooke Warner.

Power of Protest: Lessons from Hong Kong Nov 24, 2020

Show notes

After a tumultuous year of protest, Hong Kong's streets are quiet again following the adoption of the national security law. Join four experts for this indispensable analysis of the protest movement and its significance for freedom globally: Hong Kong-based lawyer and writer Antony Dapiran; Jeffrey Wasserstrom, one of America's leading China specialists; and the Financial Times' Nicolle Liu, who reported from the streets throughout the protests. Conversation moderated by Orville Schell and Arthur Ross.

Meaning in the Music: A Conversational Duet with Fantastic Negrito and Timbuktu Nov 10, 2020

Show notes

Two-time Grammy winner and Oakland native Fantastic Negrito (blues and Black roots music) meets multiracial, eight-time Swedish Grammy-winning rapper and debut author Timbuktu — and each discovers a brother. In a highly personal conversation, these two extraordinary artists, each with a huge fan base, share their experiences of racism, fatherhood, ancestors, and what it means to be an "elder." They talk especially about gratitude, joy, and of course the power of music.

Women Lit #UNBOUND: Poised to Soar: Nature-Writing Sensation Helen Macdonald with Vesper Flights Nov 05, 2020

Show notes

Helen Macdonald is setting our imaginations soaring again with Vesper Flights, a collection of her best-loved essays, illuminating everything from mushroom-hunting to the poignant particulars of birds' nests. As Helen wrote, "animals don't exist in order to teach us things," but her live conversation with American Book Award-winning poet Camille T. Dungy will show us how much we can learn by letting nature keep its secrets.

How the Constitution Can Save Us Nov 03, 2020

Show notes

It's not an exaggeration to say that the future of the American republic hangs in the balance. There are few levers as powerful in tipping that balance as interpretations of the U.S. Constitution by the Supreme Court. One of the nation's preeminent constitutional law scholars, Erwin Cherminsky, asserts that there has never been a more important time to adopt a progressive vision of the U.S. Constitution, a living blueprint that can ensure justice, equality, and opportunity for all.

Food Is Fundamental Oct 29, 2020

Show notes

Where can we turn for a scalable vision of a sustainable, equitable, and delicious future? Look no further than Chez Panisse founder Alice Waters, legendary maven of the "slow food movement," and food labor activist Saru Jayaraman. Now they're coming together, in a time of climate change, pandemics, and global hunger, to examine how we got here, and cook up a bold recipe for implementing transformative changes to our food system. You'll savor this forward-thinking conversation, moderated by Davia Nelson.

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