WYPL Book Talk

Marc Perrusquia - A Spy in Canaan

Blake McVey talks to Memphis Commercial Appeal Reporter Marc Perrusquia about his new book, A Spy in Canaan, about how the FBI used famed Civil Rights photographer Ernest Withers as an informant.

John T. Edge - The Potlikker Papers

Blake McVey talks to John T. Edge, director of The Southern Foodways Alliance, about the paperback release of his book, The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South, which pays particular attention to the Civil Rights era and how immigration is adding to the social and culinary makeup of the American South.

Mark Greaney - Agent in Place

Mark Greaney is a New York Best Times bestselling author of international thrillers. He co-authored several Jack Ryan novels with Tom Clancy, and continued the series for several titles after Mr. Clancy's passing. Mark is also the author of the Gray Man series starring for CIA goon Court Gentry. In this episode, we talk about seventh book in that series, Agent in Place.

K.J. Howe - The Freedom Broker

K. J. Howe is the executive director of the annual conference Thrillerfest. She recently joined the ranks of thriller writers with her debut novel, The Freedom Broker, which is now in paperback from Quercus. It's the first book in a series starring Thea Paris, a hostage negotiator who must keep her composure when a kidnapping hits close to home.

Wesley and Alex Orbison - The Authorized Roy Orbison

Roy Orbison was a singular talent with one of the most haunting voices in popular music history. Growing up in Depression-era Texas, along with a series of tragedies that struck him and his family along the way, informed his often heartbreaking songs. Two of his surviving sons, Alex and Wesley, stopped by the WYPL TV studios to talk about The Authorized Roy Orbison, which they wrote with their brother Roy Orbison, Jr. It's a beautiful book with equal parts text and photos commemorating the life of their father and one of America's finest singers.

Susana Lancaster - The Growing Rock

Susanna Lancaster is the author of The Growing Rock published by Harvard Square Editions. It's a coming of age story for 14-year-old Caroline Neal, The Growing Rock is set in Depression-era west Tennessee. Caroline, an author of fairy tales, uses all her imagination to stay positive after her brother, then her father leave the family to seek work in Memphis. With both men gone, Caroline fights to keep the rest of the family from falling apart.

Barry Wolverton - The Sea of the Dead

Barry Wolverton is an author of middle grade novels. His first was Neversink, then he followed it up with The Chronicles of the Black Tulip series. The first installment of the trilogy was The Vanishing Island, followed by The Dragon's Gate, and today we'll talk about the final entry, The Sea of the Dead, which is published by Walden Pod Press. 

Podcast - Yvette Manessis Corporon - Something Beautiful Happened

Yvette Manessis Corporon is an Emmy-Award-winning writer, producer and author. She is currently a Senior Producer with the syndicated entertainment news show, EXTRA. She is the author of the international, best-selling novel When the Cypress Whispers, and today we'll be talking about her recent non-fiction book, Something Beautiful Happened: A Story of Survival and Courage in the Face of Evil, which is published by Howard Books.

Podcast - Joe Hagan - Sticky Fingers

 

 

Journalist Joe Hagan is the author of the biography, Sticky Fingers: The Life and Times of Jann Wenner and Rolling Stone Magazine, which is published by Knopf. We talk about Wenner's childhood with his parents, the early days of Rolling Stone, his marriage to his wife Jane, as well as the star creatives that Jann Wenner edited at Rolling Stone, and ultimately, about his decision to leave his wife and the closet, in order to live openly as a gay man.

 

Podcast - Philip Jett - The Death of an Heir

 

Blake McVey talks to Philip Jett about his true crime book, The Death of an Heir: Adolph Coors III and the Murder That Rocked an American Brewing Dynasty which is published by St. Martin's Press. In February 1960, Adolph Coors III, known as Ad, was kidnapped on his way to the Coors Brewery in Golden Colorado, and the subsequent manhunt riveted the Mountain West region of America.

 

Podcast - Radney Foster - For You to See the Stars

Radney Foster in a popular and critically-acclaimed country music singer and songwriter. He was a member of the duo Foster and Lloyd, and has released many well-received solo albums like Del Rio Texas 1959 and The World We Live In. He has also joined the ranks of American fiction writers with his first collection of short stories, For You to See the Stars which is published by Working Title Farm, which is the new publishing imprint from author Shari Smith, and there is a companion album with a song for each of the stories, also called For You to See the Stars, and it is available from Devil's River Records.

Podcast - Judy Schachner - Sarabella's Thinking Cap

Judy Schachner is a best-selling artist and author of children's books. She is best known for her popular Skippy Jon Jones series starring a Siamese kitten who thinks he is a Chihuahua. She's also written many stand- alone books like: Yo, Vikings!, Dewey Bob, and Grannyman. Today we'll be talking about her latest stand-alone book, Sarabella's Thinking Cap which is published by Dial Books.

 

Judy shares her character bible for Sarabella's Thinking Cap.

 

 

Podcast - Denise Kiernan - The Last Castle

Denise Kiernan is an author, journalist and producer. She has worked in television, serving as head writer for ABC's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire". Her writing has appeared in publications like the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. She's written several non-fiction works,  Her previous title, The Girls of Atomic City, was a New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and NPR Bestseller and has been published in seven languages. Today we'll be talking about her newest book, The Last Castle: The Epic Story of Love, Loss, and American Royalty in the Nation's Largest Home. 

 

Podcast - John Grisham and Hampton Sides - The Rooster Bar

John Grisham is of course one of the most beloved writers of fiction in the world today, having sold close to 300 million books worldwide including The Firm, A Time To Kill, Camino Island, and A Painted House, as well as the Theodore Boone  series for younger readers. He spent much of his childhood in Southhaven, Mississippi just across the border from Memphis. He recently returned to town to sign copies of his latest novel for Burke's Books, a store which was one of his earliest supporters. His new novel is The Rooster Bar, a thriller about a trio of third-year law school students who take unusual steps to deal with their mountain of student debt which they built up at a shady for-profit program in Washington, DC. A little bit later, we'll be joined by Memphis-native and best-selling non-fiction author Hampton Sides who joined Mr. Grisham later in the day for a conversation at Christian Brothers University for an audience of 500 fans.

Hampton Sides who is a Memphis native and author of best-selling non-fiction books like Hellhound on His Trail and Blood and Thunder. There were some technically difficulties, so Mr. Sides microphone wasn't operating properly, but we salvaged what was overheard by Mr. Grisham's microphone.

 

 

Podcast - Elizabeth Heiskell - What Can I Bring?

 

Linda Lloyd talks to Elizabeth Heiskell about her cookbook, What Can I Bring? Southern Food for Any Occasion Life Serves Up. Mississippian Elizabeth is farmer and a contributor for Southern Living magazine and NBC's Today show. This highly-spirited and charming conversation will be a winner for people who might be looking for something to take to potlucks this coming holiday season.

Podcast - Michelle Kuo - Reading with Patrick

Michelle Kuo graduated from Harvard Law and teaches in the History, Law, and Society program at the American University of Paris on issues related to race, punishment, immigration, and the law. We recently spoke about her debut book, a memoir, Reading with Patrick: A Teacher, a Student, and a Life-Changing Friendship.

Podcast - Tova Mirvis - The Book of Separation

 

Tova Mirvis has published three novels, The Ladies Auxiliary, The Outside World, and Visible City, but today we'll be talking about her memoir which deals with her ending her marriage at the same time she questions her commitment to Modern Orthodox Judaism. It's called The Book of Separation, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

 

Podcast - Daren Wang - The Hidden Light of Northern Fires

Daren Wang is the founding Executive Director of AJC Decatur Book Festival. As a public radio producer, he produced and or hosted several series  including The Spoken Word, Porches: The South and Her Writers, and Atlanta Forum. His writing has appeared in Paste Magazine, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, The Saporta Report, and others. Today we talk about his debut novel, The Hidden Light of Northern Fires, which is available from Thomas Dunne Books.

Podcast - Reed Farrel Coleman - Robert B. Parker's The Hangman's Sonnet

Reed Farrel Coleman is the author of the much-lauded Mo Prager detective series. He recently started a new new series starring grief-stricken retired cop and current hotel detective Gus Murphy. The first of which Where it Hurts just won the 2017 Shamus award for best detective novel. Earlier this year, we spoke about the second in the series, What You Break. But today we'll be talking about the fourth Jesse Stone book he has written for the Robert B. Parker estate. It's called Robert B. Parker's The Hangman's Sonnet, and it's published by GP Putnam's Sons.

Podcast - Will Schwalbe - Books for Living

 

 

This week, Blake McVey talks to best-selling writer Will Schwalbe. Will has careers as editor in the publishing world , as the founder of cookstr.com, and has turned his hand to writing books. His first, Send: Why People Email So Badly and How to Do it Better—was co-written  with David Shipley. The second, The End of Your Life Book Club, and today he and Blake will discuss his third, Books For Living, which is now in paperback, published by Vintage.