Listener Letters: Literary Dinner Party Guests

Hear listeners and bookworms explain why they'd want to break bread with a variety of literary characters like Gandalf, Shug Avery, Jay Gatsby, Hermione Granger, and more

DPD Listeners Share Their ‘Required Listening’ Song Picks

Last week, newly-minted “A Prairie Home Companion” host Chris Thile built us a party playlist filled with tunes he considered "required listening." Which got us thinking: which songs do our fans think of as "required listening"?

Chris Thile Brings Great Music to the Forefront of His Party Mix

On October 15th, Chris Thile steps on-stage as the new, permanent host of public radio's venerable variety show, "A Prairie Home Companion," with the blessing of mentor Garrison Keillor. Chris cut his teeth playing mandolin for bluegrass bands Nickel Creek and The Punch Brothers, with which he won four Grammys. But he's a musical omnivore and -- according to the MacArthur foundation-- a musical genius. Get an eclectic playlist of tunes that Chris considers required listening at your next dinner party.

Lizzie Post and Daniel Post Senning. Courtesy of The Emily Post Institute.

The Posts Teach You How to Take a Compliment

Often we ask totally unqualified celebrities to answer etiquette questions, but this time around, we've called in etiquette reinforcements. Lizzie Post and Daniel Post Senning are the great-great-grandkids of Emily Post and our all-around protectors of politeness. They are co-authors of "Emily Post's Etiquette: The 18th Edition." You can also catch them hosting the podcast "Awesome Etiquette." We mined their expertise to help our listeners with the back-seat Uber driver quandaries, proposal problems, and more.

Kyle Kinane’s Guide to Getting Loose

Kyle Kinane has earned a following with gravel-voiced, self-deprecating stories, often about what he ate or drank-- or wished he didn't. He's appeared on Netflix in Judd Apatow's series "Love," and you can also hear him on Comedy Central, where he's their voice-over announcer. His new special premieres on that channel on Oct. 15. It's called "Loose In Chicago." This week, he teaches us how we can find serenity in grocery store aisles, conspiracy theorists, and more.

Kelly Reichardt’s Labor of Love

Director Kelly Reichardt's minimalist indie films like "Meek's Cutoff" have won loads of critical acclaim and a devout following. Most are shot in the Northwest, and focus on characters on the fringes of society. Her new movie "Certain Women" is no exception. She talks with Brendan about how a performance can change the tone of a scene from the page to the screen, why she's drawn to the picturesque Northwest, and more.

Jade Chang Shares a Riches-to-Rags Story

L.A. author Jade Chang's novel "The Wangs Vs. the World" appears on just about every list of the fall's most anticipated books. Jade reads an excerpt, which was edited for time (and for some very salty language). Get a taste of the full (uncensored) flavor in this excerpt from a chapter of the book when you click the link above.