The Man Who Turned Taxidermy Into An Art Form from NPR Podcast Talk of the Nation

In Kingdom Under Glass, author Jay Kirk tells the life story of Carl Akeley, the pioneering taxidermist and adventurer who once killed a leopard with his bare hands. Taxidermist David Schwendeman runs his family's 90-year-old studio and describes the techniques and hazards of modern taxidermy.

Download the podcast here.

Carrie Fisher on Her One-Woman Show, 'Wishful Drinking' from The Takeaway: Early Edition by feedback@thetakeaway.org (Public Radio International and WNYC Radio)

Carrie Fisher, perhaps best known for her role as Princess Leia in Star Wars, is also something of a real-world Hollywood princess. As the daughter of actress Debbie Reynolds and the late Eddie Fisher, Fisher's entire career and family life have been well documented by the media. In her one-woman show, "Wishful Drinking," Fisher re-tells the stories of her life. A cut-down version of the show premiered Sunday night on HBO. We talk with Carrie Fisher about growing up in a Hollywood family, and whether she's ever outlived the Princess Leia legend. Below, our full and uncut interview with Carrie Fisher, complete with family references to growing up with celebrity, behind the camera recollections from Star Wars, and stories from being on tour with her book, "Wishful Drinking."

Download the podcast here. See also: Postcards from the Edge,

"Unauthorized Biography" - an On The Media episode of WNYC Radio

In the hierarchy of journalistic respect, the "unauthorized biographer," we might agree, falls somewhere above the gossip columnist. How far above is a matter of debate. And author Kitty Kelley, who has sold millions such biographies, fired off an eloquent salvo in that debate recently in an essay she published in "The American Scholar." Kelley defends the unauthorized.

Download the podcast here. See the On The Media webpage for this episode, here. Kitty Kelly was also on NPR's All Things Considered recently:

Kitty Kelley chronicles the lives of public figures — politicians and celebrities alike. She does so without her subjects' permission and sometimes without their blessing. In fact, when news got out that Kelley was going to write Frank Sinatra's unauthorized biography, he sued her before she wrote the first word. "I've been doing these books for 30 years and I have never ever lost a lawsuit. I have never been successfully sued," Kelley tells NPR's Audie Cornish. "I want to tell you, though, that Frank Sinatra got my attention." Sinatra is on a long list of public figures who have not been pleased with Kelley's writing. While her books may spend weeks on the best-seller list, they are never without controversy. Kelley's been called a "poison pen" writer and her books dismissed as "Kitty litter." Kelley writes exclusively about living people. Her subjects include everyone from Jacki Kennedy Onassis to Nancy Reagan and the British royal family.

Download the All Things Considered podcast here. Read the full All Things Considered feature here. See these other unauthorized biographies by Kitty Kelley: The Royals, His Way: The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra, The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty, Jackie Oh!, Nancy Reagan: The Unauthorized Biography, Elizabeth Taylor: The Last Star. And a fit of irony, there's this unauthorized biography, on the Queen of Unauthorized Biographies: Poison Pen: The Unauthorized Biography of Kitty Kelley

And finally, Kitty Kelly recently published a piece in the well respected literary periodical, The American Scholar. In the piece, Kelly defends unauthorized biographies. Find "Unauthorized, But Not Untrue," here.

The Daily Show - December 9, 2010 - Edmund Morris

Edmund Morris Episode #15157 Edmund Morris believes a politician as multifaceted and complex as Theodore Roosevelt couldn't run for presidency now. (07:01) Tags: Edmund Morris, interviews, books, Theodore Roosevelt, history, death, elitism, business, environment, national parks, hunting

Watch the full episode here. See also: Theodore Rex (Modern Library Paperbacks), The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (Modern Library Paperbacks), Edmund Morris's Theodore Roosevelt Trilogy Bundle: The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, Theodore Rex, and Colonel Roosevelt, Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan

The Colbert Report - December 7, 2010 - David Eisenhower, Julie Nixon Eisenhower

December 07, 2010 - Julie Nixon Eisenhower and David Eisenhower Views: 52,258 Aired: 12/07/10 Episode 06155 Obama extends the Bush tax cuts, and David and Julie Eisenhower recall growing up in the White House.

Check the full episode out here. See also: Going Home To Glory: A Memoir of Life with Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1961-1969, Eisenhower at War 1943-1945, Crusade in Europe

A World War II Story of Survival & Redemption from KERA's Think Podcast

[2010-12-06 12:00:00] What does it take to survive the worst the world can dish out and still manage to go on to lead a happy life? We'll hear the remarkable story of Louis Zamperini this hour with author Laura Hillenbrand. Her new book is "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption" (Random House, 2010).

Download the podcast here. See also: Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, Seabiscuit: An American Legend, Seabiscuit: The True Story of Three Men and a Racehorse, Seabiscuit - An American Legend, Seabiscuit

Life with Dwight D. Eisenhower from KERA's Think Podcast

[2010-11-30 13:00:00] What was retirement like for the great hero of World War II whose presidency marked the start of unprecedented prosperity for Americans? We'll spend this hour with David Eisenhower whose new book is "Going Home To Glory: A Memoir of Life with Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1961-1969" (Simons & Schuster, 2010). Eisenhower will address the World Affairs Council of Dallas Fort Worth this evening.

Download the podcast here. See also: Going Home To Glory: A Memoir of Life with Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1961-1969, Eisenhower Soldier and President, Crusade in Europe, Eisenhower: A Soldier's Life

'Lion Of Liberty': Patrick Henry's Fiery Life from NPR Arts & Life by MICHAEL SCHAUB

It's unfair to reduce Henry's career to excerpts from two speeches, but it's also fitting that he's remembered chiefly for his words. Henry was a hardworking lawyer, a somewhat adequate military commander, and a popular, if inconsistent, politician. He wasn't the best farmer or the best businessman, but he was almost certainly the greatest orator in 18th century America. And he was, in a way, the Father of the Founding Fathers — as Harlow Giles Unger notes in his excellent new Lion of Liberty, Henry was the first of the American revolutionaries "to call for independence, for revolution against Britain, for a bill of rights, and for as much freedom as possible from government — American as well as British."

View the full NPR feature, including a free chapter of the book, here. See also: Lafayette, John Hancock: Merchant King & American Patriot, The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness

"Patti Smith's 'Just Kids' Wins Nonfiction Award" from NPR's Morning Edition by LYNN NEARY

Rock musician Patti Smith is now a literary star. Her memoir about life in New York City in the 1960s, Just Kids, won the National Book Award for nonfiction. The literary awards were handed out Wednesday night in New York City. Lord of Misrule author Jaimy Gordon won for fiction. NEARY: The most emotional moment of last night came when Patti Smith won the non fiction award for her memoir "Just Kids," about her lifelong friendship and early love affair with the late artist Robert Mapplethorpe. Smith said she promised Mapplethorpe she would write the book the day before he died of AIDS. Ms. PATTI SMITH (Author, "Just Kids"): I was the only one that could write it really, since we grew together, we evolved as artists together. And he could also trust that I would present him to the world as I knew him, which was as an artist, a loving friend; mischievous, generous, kind, funny and beautiful. So I did my best. NEARY: In accepting her award, Smith recalled the time when she was a young girl, new to the city, working at Scribner's Bookstore and dreaming of writing her own book one day.

Download the podcast here. See also: Patti Smith Complete 1975-2006: Lyrics, Reflections & Notes for the Future, Auguries of Innocence: Poems, Early Work: 1970-1979, Patti Smith: Dream of Life

The Fresh Air Interview: Jay-Z 'Decoded' from NPR Podcast Fresh Air

Long before he sold 50 million records worldwide — and before he appeared alongside Warren Buffett on the cover of Fortune magazine, accumulated 10 Grammy Awards and became the CEO of his own record label — Jay-Z was living with his mom in the Marcy Houses housing project in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, just trying to survive day by day. "It was a very intense and stressful situation," he tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross. "There was playing in the Johnny-pump (an opened fire hydrant) and the ice-cream man coming around and all of these games that we'd play, and suddenly it would turn just violent and there would be shootings at 12 in the afternoon on any given day. It was a weird mix of emotions. One day, your best friend could be killed. The day before, you could be celebrating him getting a brand-new bike."

Download the podcast here. See the full NPR Fresh Air feature here. See also: The Hits Collection, Vol. 1, Empire State of Mind: How Jay-Z Went from Street Corner to Corner Office

The Colbert Report - October 27, 2010 - Apolo Ohno

October 27, 2010 - Apolo Ohno Views: 90,780 Aired: 10/27/10 Episode 06136 Stephen looks at the Democrats' chances in the midterms and gives Apolo Ohno a regret.

See: http://www.colbertnation.com/full-episodes/wed-october-27-2010-apolo-ohno. See also: Apolo Anton Ohno: My Story

Charlie Rose's Thursday, October 21, 2010 Conversation with Robert Gottlieb - author of “Sarah: The Life of Sarah Bernhardt” -

CHARLIE ROSE: Robert Gottlieb is back. His publishing career spans
50 years. During that time has been editor in chief of Simon and Schuster,
Alfred A. Knopf, and "The New Yorker" magazine. He is, as you know, a
writer. His new book "Sarah -- the Life of Sarah Bernhardt" is the first
in Yale’s Jewish Lives series.

Bernhardt, also known as "The Divine Sarah," was once the most famous
actress in the world. I’m pleased to have Robert Gottlieb back at this
table. Welcome.

ROBERT GOTTLIEB: Charlie, thanks.

CHARLIE ROSE: What is this series about?

ROBERT GOTTLIEB: It is about Jewish lives, which is why it’s called
"Jewish Lives."

CHARLIE ROSE: But Yale initiated it?

ROBERT GOTTLIEB: Yes. A very benign person gave him a considerable
amount of money to launch this series and pay for it generously so that
they could hire sign on the writers it they wanted.

CHARLIE ROSE: And they signed on you to do this?

ROBERT GOTTLIEB: They did.

See: http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/11255. See also: Food Justice (Food, Health, and the Environment), Reading Dance: A Gathering of Memoirs, Reportage, Criticism, Profiles, Interviews, and Some Uncategorizable Extras, George Balanchine: The Ballet Maker, Charlie Rose with Peter Whybrow; Robert Gottlieb; Terence Ward (March 18, 2005)

Charlie Rose's Thursday, October 21, 2010 Conversation with with Robert Gottlieb

CHARLIE ROSE: Robert Gottlieb is back. His publishing career spans
50 years. During that time has been editor in chief of Simon and Schuster,
Alfred A. Knopf, and "The New Yorker" magazine. He is, as you know, a
writer. His new book "Sarah -- the Life of Sarah Bernhardt" is the first
in Yale’s Jewish Lives series.

Bernhardt, also known as "The Divine Sarah," was once the most famous
actress in the world. I’m pleased to have Robert Gottlieb back at this
table. Welcome.

Watch the full and complete interview here.

'Letters to My Torturer' from KQED's Forum Podcast

Iranian journalist Houshang Asadi spent six years in the notorious Moshtarek prison in Tehran after a government crackdown on opposition parties in the early 1980s. In his book, "Letters to my Torturer: Love, Revolution, and Imprisonment in Iran," Asadi confronts the man who inflicted various forms of torture and "intimate cruelty" on him.

Listen to the podcast here. Download the show here.

What Was Clarence Thomas's Wife Thinking? from The Atlantic Wire by John Hudson

Picking at a 19-year-old scab, Ginni Thomas, the wife of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, wants an apology from Anita Hill, the woman who testified against her husband during his 1991 Supreme Court confirmation hearings. On Oct. 9, Ms. Thomas called Hill's office at Brandeis University, saying: Good morning, Anita Hill, it's Ginni Thomas. I just wanted to reach across the airwaves and the years and ask you to consider something. I would love you to consider an apology sometime and some full explanation of why you did what you did with my husband. So give it some thought and certainly pray about this and come to understand why you did what you did. Okay have a good day. Ms. Thomas's voice mail revives a controversy that conservatives and liberals dispute to this day. Before the infamous confirmation hearing, Hill was an aide to Mr. Thomas and accused him of making profane sexual comments, such as discussing his penis size and the placement of a pubic hair on his soft drink. Mr. Thomas denied the allegations, calling attacks by Democrats a "high-tech lynching." When Hill received the voice mail, she notified Brandeis University police.

Read the Atlantic piece, here.

The 2010 Winner of the Hiett Prize in the Humanities from KERA's Think Podcast

[2010-10-18 13:00:00] Do smart kids grow up to be smart adults or just smart alecks? We'll spend this hour with journalist and writer Mark Oppenheimer, who'll accept the Dallas Institute for Humanities and Culture's Hiett Prize in the Humanities tomorrow. His latest book is "Wisenheimer: A Childhood Subject to Debate" (Free Press, 2010).

Listen to the podcast here. Or, you can stream the show here. See also: http://www.dallasinstitute.org/programs_hiett_prize.html, Knocking on Heaven's Door: American Religion in the Age of Counterculture

The Colbert Report - October 14, 2010 - Bill Bryson

October 14, 2010 - Bill Bryson Views: 293,904 Aired: 10/14/10 Episode 06133 Stephen gives away free bus tickets to D.C., and Bill Bryson talks about sex in the Middle Ages.

See: http://www.colbertnation.com/full-episodes/thu-october-14-2010-bill-bryson. See also: A Short History of Nearly Everything: Special Illustrated Edition, A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail, In a Sunburned Country

The Joys of Pessimism from KERA's Think Podcast

[2010-10-12 13:00:00] Is disappointment the great leveler? Our guest this hour, writer, occasional actor and frequent This American Life contributor David Rakoff might think so, regardless of his success. We'll talk with him this hour about his latest book "Half Empty" (Doubleday, 2010).

Download the podcast here, or you can listen to the stream here.

Some Books Considered - Program 056 from TPR: Some Books Considered

Gary Lachman was a founding member of the rock group Blondie. Since leaving the group, Lachman has become a respected author about philosophy. Dan Skinner talks with Lachman about his book, Jung the Mystic: The Esoteric Dimensions of Carl Jung’s Life and Teachings. Jung downplayed his interest and theories about after-death survival, clairvoyance, and synchronicity so that his work in mainstream psychiatry would be taken seriously. However his esoteric beliefs have gained him popularity in today’s alternative spiritual culture.

Listen to the Some Books Considered (SBC) program here (download, save as).

Charlie Rose's Wednesday, September 15, 2010 Conversation with Annie Cohen-Solal

CHARLIE ROSE: Annie Cohen-Solal is here. She is a writer, and a
teacher and a culture historian. In 1985 she made a name for herself when
she published "Sartre, a Life," a well-regarded biography of the famous
French philosopher. She then arrived in New York in 1989 as a cultural
counselor to the French embassy.

Then she met art gallery legend Leo Castelli. He became her mentor
and her friend different. She’s now written a biography about him called
"Leo and his Circle, the Life of Leo Castelli." I’m very pleased to have
Annie Cohen-Solal back at this table. Welcome.

Watch the interview here. See also: Jean-Paul Sartre: A Life (Lives of the Left), Painting American: The Rise of American Artists, Paris 1867-New York 1948, Charlie Rose with Raymond Kelly; Edward Said; Annie Cohen-Solal (November 20, 2001)