(This podcast is part of our National Book Awards coverage for 2007, in which five bloggers are attempting various journalistic experiments using unusual technological methods. For more posts and other tomfoolery, keep checking under this category.)
People on This Podcast: Sara Zarr
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(This podcast is part of our National Book Awards coverage for 2007, in which five bloggers are attempting various journalistic experiments using unusual technological methods. For more posts and other tomfoolery, keep checking under this category.)
People on This Podcast: Tayari Jones
Click to listen: (MP3)
Listen: Play in new window | Download
It’s halftime at the National Book Awards, and here’s the score:
Funniest speaker: Fran Lebowitz
Speaker who most reminds me of Toby from “The Office”: Michael Cunningham
Pretty Interesting: Terry Gross
Okay, I’m sure she’s a nice person but I still can’t agree she’s a genius: Joan Didion
The awards will follow! Ed wants blog back. Later.
“Gee, you know, I enjoy hearing Ira Glass talk about anything. But hearing him talk about me? That’s absolutely thrilling!”
Terry Gross is not planning on improvising. So good on her for knowing her limitations. She has not yet said FREEEEEEEEEEEEEESHHHH AIRRRRR!
“I never dreamed that I would be honored at the National Book Awards, and without even having to write a book.”
“Book interviews can be pretty perplexing. I once met a political correspondent who stormed out when I asked him a question that wasn’t in the book.” By contrast, an actor who wrote a book wouldn’t answer questions because the answers were already in his book.
“Why do I love talking to writers? Well, because non-fiction writers tell us things we don’t ever know.”
Really?
She’s boasting now about J.T. Leroy’s interview being used as court evidence.
“Fiction allows a novelist to get at the truth.”
Really? I did not know that.