Apr 04 Watch 5:56 Giving advice to young writers, Colum McCann wants to see the fire in their eyes By PBS News Hour It's the sort of thing that Colum McCann says he would have liked to have had when he was younger. In his new book "Letters To A Young Writer," McCann says he writes advice about plot and characterization, as well… Continue watching
Feb 18 Watch 3:09 When Danai Gurira couldn’t find complex stories about African women, she wrote her own By PBS News Hour Danai Gurira is a playwright and performer who wants to make sure women of color don’t search in vain for stories they can relate to. Her latest play, "Eclipsed," is premiering on Broadway, and she also has a starring role… Continue watching
Dec 23 Watch 7:31 6 of the best books to curl up with from 2015 By PBS News Hour What were the must-read books of 2015? Jeffrey Brown gets favorite picks from Daniel Pink, business writer and author of "Drive," and novelist Jennifer Close, author of "The Smart One."… Continue watching
Nov 03 Watch Why novelist John Irving’s latest protagonist is a fiction writer By PBS News Hour In novelist John Irving’s new book, “Avenue of Mysteries,” a poor child in Mexico picks up books from out of the trash and grows up to be a prominent American writer. Irving joins Jeffrey Brown to discuss what distinguishes his… Continue watching
Oct 20 Watch 6:33 In ‘M Train,’ Patti Smith journeys to where art comes from By PBS News Hour Poet and performer Patti Smith crashed onto the rock scene 40 years ago, and made a splash in the literary world five years ago with an award-winning memoir, "Just Kids." Her newest book, "M Train," takes a trip through time… Continue watching
Sep 02 Watch 3:51 What the Internet’s free culture has cost us in art By PBS News Hour In the burgeoning days of the Internet, everything was free, says author Joshua Cohen. Or at least it felt free. And then he started writing for himself, learning the pride of making something and receiving the spark of recognition. In… Continue watching
Jul 25 Probing the creative brain By Jenny Marder "As a psychiatrist and neuroscientist who studies creativity, I’ve had the pleasure of working with many gifted and high-profile subjects over the years, but Kurt Vonnegut—dear, funny, eccentric, lovable, tormented Kurt Vonnegut—will always be one of my favorites."… Continue reading
May 28 Watch Remembering Maya Angelou’s iconic voice By PBS News Hour Drawing on a childhood of abuse and segregation, writer and author Maya Angelou moved the nation. Works such as her 1978 poem, “And Still I Rise,” explored the effects of racism and sexism on personal identity, with a voice that… Continue watching
Oct 02 Watch Among Some 2012 MacArthur Fellows, a Focus on Looking at War and the Military Among Some 2012 MacArthur Fellows, a Focus on Looking at War and the Military… Continue watching
Jan 25 Watch Telenovelas: Are Spanish-Language Soap Operas Good for Your Health? Telenovelas: Are Spanish-Language Soap Operas Good for Your Health?… Continue watching