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Journalist Emily Feng on how Uyghur militants took up arms in Syria's civil war Nov 12, 2026

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In Our Hearts Burned for Home: Uyghur Militants in Syria's Civil War, NPR’s Emily Feng traces the paths of Uyghur fighters’ from escaping the Chinese communist party to fighting the civil war in Syria against the Assad regime. At the heart of the book, and her reporting, Feng tries to answer how the Uyghur fighters became who they are and why they embraced this violent ideology. Here & Now's Scott Tong discussed the new book with Feng, who is an NPR White House reporter and former China correspondent.
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English actress Judi Dench pulls back the curtain about life on stage Nov 11, 2026

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Dame Judi Dench made her debut as Ophelia in Hamlet with the Old Vic Company in 1957, and she’s since won an Oscar, BAFTA Awards, Olivier Awards and Golden Globes. She played Queen Victoria in Shakespeare in Love and M in the James Bond franchise. Now, along with co-author Brendan O'Hea, she’s added a memoir to her repertoire: Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It? Dench and O'Hea joined Weekend Edition’s Scott Simon to talk about her career, prankster reputation on set, and what makes theater so enduring.
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'Who? Weekly' hosts Lindsey Weber and Bobby Finger unpack modern fame in new book Nov 10, 2026

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Who? Weekly podcast hosts Lindsey Weber and Bobby Finger assert in their new book I Want to Be Famous that classic celebrityhood – made up of A, B and C-listers – is over. In the wake of ever-changing definitions of fame, influencing and celebrity, they propose a who-versus-them binary, split into the people most of us have to ask “Who is that?” when they come up in conversation versus the ones where most people would say “Oh, I know them.” Weekend Edition’s Ayesha Rascoe talks with Weber and Finger about modern-day fame, celebrity scandals and the money that drives it all.
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Author Deesha Philyaw says she's still 'obsessed' with the church in her fiction Nov 09, 2026

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Deesha Philyaw, who grew up going to church, says you can leave religion behind but “the pastor and your mama are still in your bedroom.” That premise informs her new novel The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman, which centers on Scharisse, a megachurch pastor’s wife who receives an invitation to compete in an exclusive pageant. But when a scandal breaks out, Schar’s carefully crafted image is challenged. In today’s episode, Philyaw joins All Things Considered’s Juana Summers for a conversation about womanhood, identity and freedom in the Black church.
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A follow-up 15 years in the making: Chad Harbach on 'The Brightness' Nov 06, 2026

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It’s been 15 years since Chad Harbach published The Art of Fielding, a book about a star college baseball player at a fictional Wisconsin liberal arts college. His new book The Brightness isn’t quite a sequel, but a follow-up that returns to that same world. The novel focuses on a group of young women who execute a controversial prank on campus. NPR’s Andrew Limbong spoke with Harbach about writing a campus novel that predates Covid, Trump’s presidency and TikTok, the author’s experience being “scooped by reality” and why he chose to focus this project on female friendship.
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'Redemption' is a story of sisterhood between nuns and women on Texas' death row Nov 05, 2026

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Lawrence Wright’s new book Redemption is a story about two groups of women who live surprisingly similar lives. One is on death row in Gatesville, Texas. The other group is a nearby Catholic order, the Sisters of Mary Morning Star. Redemption: Faith, Justice, and Sisterhood on Death Row is an account of their alliance. In today’s episode, Wright speaks with Morning Edition’s Steve Inskeep about the idea of second chances, the likeness betw
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In 'Sophie, Standing There,' author Meg Mason explores finding connection in books Nov 04, 2026

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In Sophie, Standing There by Meg Mason, Sophie Pattison’s life is falling apart. On paper, there shouldn’t be an issue: She works her dream job mic’ing up authors at a local book festival – and she has a robust support system. So why, when it all comes crashing down, does she feel so alone? Sophie turns to books for solace and develops a crush on her favorite author. In today’s episode, All Things Considered’s Mary Louise Kelly talks with Mason about starting over, a desire for human connection, and books as a means of coping with loneliness.
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B.J. Novak on 'The Little Book with No Pictures' and making kids laugh Nov 03, 2026

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Writer and The Office star B.J. Novak says that when his friends started having kids, he would connect with their children by reading books aloud. He began to pay attention to what would make kids laugh and eventually “printed and glue-sticked and paper-clipped” his own book that ended up being The Book with No Pictures. Now, Novak is out with a sequel for younger children called The Little Book with No Pictures. In today’s episode, he chats with Morning Edition’s Michel Martin about how the book turns words like “bonk” and “hug and squeeze" into symbols and art objects.
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Laleh Khadivi explores mother-daughter relationships in 'Female Life on Planet Earth' Nov 02, 2026

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It’s been almost one year since Heti, the main character of Laleh Khadivi’s Female Life on Planet Earth, lost her mother. But when details from her mother’s secret past resurface, Heti must grapple with what it means to know someone, womanhood and how to grieve parts of her mother she never knew existed. In an interview with NPR's Debbie Elliott, Khadivi talks about motherhood, how physics books became a surprising inspiration and why this is her most personal novel yet.
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New memoirs by Evan Gershkovich and Mahmoud Khalil chronicle political imprisonment Oct 30, 2026

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Today’s episode features memoirs by two men whose incarceration became international headlines. Evan Gershkovich is an American journalist who spent 16 monthsin a Russian prison. Two years after his release, his new memoir This Cursed Beautiful Land details the time he spent listening, observing and writing while detained. Gershkovich spoke with Morning Edition’s Leila Fadel about adjusting to life after his release. Then, Mahmoud Khalil describes his detention by ICE as a combined Palestine, First Amendment and immigration case. He spoke with Fadel about his new memoir No Land to Stand On.
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