Teju Cole is a true polymath. His novel, 'Open City,' won the PEN/Hemingway award. And he writes about photography in a column for The New York Times Magazine, which makes sense since he also exhibits his own photography around the world. His new book, 'Blind Spot,' combines all these pursuits into one publication. talks with Brendan about what he learned about himself in the process.
Alan Alda is beloved for starring as "Hawkeye" Pierce on one of the best TV shows of all time, "M*A*S*H." He was a regular on another great show, "The West Wing," and he hosted the PBS series "Scientific American Frontiers" for over a decade. He's also releasing a new book to help us all communicate better. Listen as he tries to solve our listeners' etiquette woes on thankless relatives and more.
Celebrated chef and cooking teacher Samin Nosrat's first-ever fine dining meal was at the famed restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkeley. Almost immediately thereafter, Samin dropped everything to work there. That led her to develop a whole new way of cooking, which she teaches in her new book, "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat." She digs a little into the acid element, before helping our listeners let go in the kitchen and more.
Writer Samantha Irby is known for her hilarious personal essays and deadpan storytelling style. You can read some of her work on her blog, of the B**ches Gotta Eat. FX is turning her memoir "Meaty" into a TV show. Listen as she tells a tale from her latest collection, "We Are Never Meeting in Real Life."
Ottessa Moshfegh is a frequent contributor to the literary magazine The Paris Review. And her novel "Eileen" was shortlisted for the twenty-sixteen Man Booker prize. Her latest work is a collection of stories about characters on the fringes of society -- it's called "Homesick for Another World." Here she is with a list of characters who are homesick for another time.
This week, the Michael Keaton flick "The Founder" hits theaters. It's about Ray Kroc, the man who turned hamburger joint begun by the McDonald brothers into an empire. Author Lisa Napoli explores that story and more in her new book "Ray and Joan." She shares some golden arches history from the quest for the perfect fry to the disastrous Hula Burger.
In 2014, writer Nora McInerny had a year like few others: she miscarried a child, then lost her father and her husband to cancer. Those tragedies are the jumping off point for her new podcast "Terrible, Thanks for Asking," a show about talking honestly -- and with humor, too -- about the painful things in life. Nora shares a story from her recent memoir in the audio above.
In 2000, Anthony Bourdain's best-selling memoir, "Kitchen Confidential," gave readers what was then a shocking glimpse at the difficult, dangerous and sometimes hedonistic lives of restaurant kitchen workers. He's also won a Peabody and three Emmys in a row for his current CNN travel show, "Parts Unknown." Bourdain's new cookbook -- co-written with Laurie Woolever -- is called "Appetites." He explains how working with his daughter in the kitchen help shaped the recipes and tells us how the culinary world has changed since "Kitchen Confidential."
Gloria Steinem was a founding editor of the hugely popular feminist periodical Ms. Magazine and for the past 30 years she has traveled the world speaking, educating, and organizing around feminism and other causes. She's also got a new memoir called "My Life On The Road." The feminist icon joins us to handle our listeners' etiquette questions and suggests "asking the turtle" in any dicey situation.
Etiquette royalty Lizzie Post and Daniel Post Senning answer listener questions on dodging baby news queries from nosy chums and what to do if you spot friend's family member's explicit online ad (yikes).