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Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Links to assorted local theater & book venues   Isaac Butler and Dan Kois: The World Only Spins Forward: Angels in America Isaac Butler and Dan Kois, authors of “The World Only Spins Forward: The Ascent of Angels in America,” in conversation with Richard Wolinsky, recorded May 7, 2018. The book is an oral history of the play by Tony Kushner, looking at not only its history, but how Angels in America fits into the fabric of the American saga and theatrical history. A local Bay Area production “Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches”: by Tony Kusher, directed by John Fisher, runs at Theatre Rhino in San Francisco, November 5 -29, 2026. The play Angels in America has become a stage classic since it was first produced in the early 1990s. Dealing with the confluence of the AIDS epidemic, the Reagan era, the disintegration of the Soviet Union, and the rise of gay liberation, the seven-hour epic theater piece also became a 2003 film directed by Mike Nichols and starring Meryl Streep, Mary Louise Parker, Justin Kirk, Jeffrey Wright, Emma Thompson and Al Pacino as Roy Cohn, available now on CD and via HBO. In the spring of 2018, new productions of the entire seven hour play arrived on both Broadway and then at Berkeley Rep. “The World Only Spins Forward: The Ascent of Angels in America”  had been published that February and both authors came to the Bay Area to see the Berkeley Rep production, directed by Tony Taccone, and to talk on KPFA about the book.   Review of “Betrayal” by Harold Pinter, directed by Carey Perloff at Marin Theatre through November 15, 2026.   Review of “Liberation” by Bess Wohl, directed by Whitney White at Berkeley Rep Peets Theatre  through November 29, 2026.       The post Bookwaves/Artwaves – November 5, 2026: Isaac Butler & Dan Kois: The Triumph of “Angels in America” appeared first on KPFA.

Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Links to assorted local theater & book venues   Frank Belknap Long (1901-1994): Pulp Magazine Horror Master Frank Belknap Long and H.P. Lovecraft Frank Belknap Long (1901-1994), pulp magazine author and protege of H.P. Lovecraft, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky, recorded March 1, 1980 in Long’s apartment in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. Frank Belknap Long got his start as a young adult writing horror short stories for Weird Tales. Noted horror writer H.P. Lovecraft took him under his wing and became a close friend. Long later went on to write for several other pulp magazines, including those in the field of science fiction, mystery and thriller. He later became a pulp magazine editor. Richard Wolinsky: On March 1, 1980, a bitterly cold  day in New York, I found myself in the then ungentrified Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, dealing with a vicious cold myself, ringing the bell to Long’s  flat in a dilapidated apartment house. Probabilities had been on the air on KPFA for three years at the time, and my co-hosts Richard A. Lupoff and Lawrence Davidson were already deep into their search for the pulp writers and editors of the first half of the twentieth century. I was armed with notes from both co-hosts, and had read Long’s recent book The Early Long, which contained autobiographical introductions to his very first horror stories, published in the legendary pulp magazine, Weird Tales. I could see a long hallway filled with junk, and in the distance, the living room, entered through the door the width of the hallway. There was one door to the side, a bathroom, which I used before we started. The tub was filled with dog poop from his German Shepherd. Mr. Long, much shorter than I am, and looking every day of his almost 79 years, looked clean and dapper, in a suit with vest that could have come from when he was my age. He shouted a couple of times to his unseen wife Lyda down the hall, before we sat down on a steamer trunk to start the interview. Dick and Lawrence always focused on the people in the pulps as well as what it was like to be a writer at the time, so there’s very little here about the content of Long’s stories, other than their titles. Most of the names, other than H.P. Lovecraft, are forgotten now, writers like Clark Ashton Smith, E. Hoffman Price, Seabury Quinn and August Derleth. Mention is made of John W. Campbell, who was the editor of Astounding Stories, later Analog, from October 1937 until his death at the age of 61 in July 1971, and who, almost singlehandedly, transformed science fiction. The tape was barely usable because of the thinness of his voice and his slurring, and the heavy echo from the walls and the old hardwood floor, and was digitized and edited from July into October, 2026.

 While the AI augmentation makes the entire interview available in 2026, it still garbles some of Long’s answers, and at the end of the interview, we hear Lyda Long sounding as if she’s in the hallway with us. She wasn’t. She was a strange disembodied voice coming from the depths of the apartment, Positively Lovecraftian. As the interview ended, Lyda ordered me to come down the hallway. She had something to show me. I don’t remember the living room itself, other than a strange elderly woman was sitting on the floor, surrounded by torn paper. She wore a bright orange Lucy Ricardo wig, and her skin was gray, almost inhuman. She showed me some papers then handed me a note for Dick Lupoff’s wife, Pat. They’d met at a convention in the not-so-distant past. After I took my leave, I headed uptown to Times Square to meet my dad and then see Angela Lansbury in Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, a fitting end to a cold and creepy day. Later, when I returned to California, I gave Lyda’s note to Pat, who put on a glove, picked it up and deposited it immediately in a trash can.

You’ve been listening to an interview with the late horror writer, Frank Belknap Long, who died in 1994 at the age of 92. It was recorded at his apartment in Chelsea, New York City on March 1, 1980. If you go to Amazon, you’ll find a number of Frank Belknap Long’s short stories available to read via Kindle for free. The Early Long is not currently available, but Frank Belknap Long’s biography of his mentor, H.P. Lovecraft, Dreamer on the Night Side, was published in 2019 by Wildside Press. Excerpts from this interview used in the book Space Ships! Ray Guns! Martian Octopods! Interviews with Science Fiction Legends, edited by Richard Wolinsky and published by Tachyon Press in 2025.   Susan Oxtoby: The Films of Masaki Kobayashi at BAMPFA Scene from Hara Kiri (courtesy BAMPFA) Susan Oxtoby, Director of Film and Senior Film Curator at BAMPFA, Berkeley Art Museum Pacific Film Archive, and curator of the  “The Cinema of Masaki Kobayashi: Midcareer Masterworks” retrospective running October 31 to November 21 at Pacific Film Archive,  in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky. Masaki Kobayashi directed twenty films from the early 1950s into the 1990s, but it was over a brief eleven year span that he  became a legend of Japanese cinema, beginning with “I Will Buy You” in 1956, and continuing with the three-part “The Human Condition,” “Hara Kiri,” “Kwaidan,” “The Inheritance” and “Samurai Rebellion.” In these films he moved from a realist cinema to one that used Japanese stylizations to present films that are humanist in philosophy, strongly anti-war and poke holes in authority and authority figures. This interview was recorded on July 19, 2019 at BAMPFA, when Pacific Film Archive ran a major retrospective of Kobayashi’s entire career and was posted July 22, 2019 and has been revised for this podcast . This interview also started what is now a seven year ongoing relationship with Pacific Film Archive, thanks to the efforts of KPFA’s Reyna Cowan. Special thanks to everyone at BAMPFA especially A.J. Fox and Susan Oxtoby.     The post Bookwaves/Artwaves – October 29, 2026: Pulp Magazines and Japanese Films appeared first on KPFA.

Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Links to assorted local theater & book venues   Theatre Director Carey Perloff Carey Perloff, author of “Pinter and Stoppard: A Director’s View,”  discusses her direction of plays by both master playwrights with host Richard Wolinsky, recorded October 14, 2026. The former Artistic Director of A.C.T. from 1992 until 2018 and a playwright in her own right, Carey Perloff discusses her current direction of plays by Harold Pinter and Tom Stoppard. “Betrayal” by Harold Pinter (1930-2008), which Carey is now directing, plays at Marin Theatre October 22 – November 15, 2026. “Leopoldstadt,” the final play by Tom Stoppard (1937-2025) will be directed by Carey at Berkeley Rep’s Roda Theatre, and plays in 2027 from June 4th through July 11th. Her earlier production of “Leopoldstadt” played at The Writers Theatre near Chicago from June through August, 2026. Carey’s relationship with both playwrights goes back several years. While with New York’s Classic Stage Company, she directed both ‘The Birthday Party” and the American premiere of Pinter’s “Mountain Language,” and worked closely with the playwright both times. Her personal friendship with Tom Stoppard led to the direction of several plays at A.C.T., most notably his masterpiece, “Arcadia,” as well as working with Stoppard on a revised version of “Leopoldstadt” shortly before his death. In this interview, she discusses her approach to both playwrights, and the role of language in their work, as well as her personal history with both. Her book, “Pinter and Stoppard: A Director’s View” was published by Bloomsbury in 2022.   Ann Beattie, award winning novelist and short story writer, author of “Chilly Scenes of Winter” and other novels, and several collections of short stories, discusses the relationship of literature to film and theatre, and other issues in this previously unaired archive interview, recorded March 4, 2011, while she was on tour for her collection, The New Yorker Stories.          Review of “Every Saturday Night”, an SFBATCO production at ACT Strand Theatre through November 1, 2026.   The post Bookwaves/Artwaves – October 22, 2026: Carey Perloff: Directing Pinter and Stoppard appeared first on KPFA.

Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Links to assorted local theater & book venues   Documentary Filmmaker Maureen Gosling Maureen Gosling, director of the films ‘The Nine Lives of Barbara Dane” and co-director, with Chris Simon, of  “This Ain’t No Mouse Music: about the late KPFA host Chris Strachwitz, is interviewed by host Richard Wolinsky, recorded October 12, 2026. Maureen Gosling spent twenty years working with award-winning documentarian Les Blank for his many films, including the noted film about the making of “Fitzcarraldo” titled “Burden of Dreams.” Her film about singer activist Barbara Dane, “The Nine Lives of Barbara Dane” was released in 2023, and is now making its commercial theatre debut in various cities around the States. It will be at the Roxie in San Francisco on Sunday October 18th at 3:15 pm, with the audience moving afterward to the Chapel, down the street, for a music festival. Barbara Dane (1927-2024) was a jazz, blues and folk singer, and strong political activist for several decades. In this interview, Maureen Gosling discusses her work with Les Blank and the making of “Burden of Dreams,” the story behind “This Ain’t No Mouse Music” and “Nine Lives…” and talks about the relationship of music, film and politics. Review of “The Fall Show”, at Shotgun Players Ashby Stage through November 1, 2026.   The post Bookwaves/Artwaves – October 15, 2026: Maureen Gosling, “The Nine Lives of Barbara Dane” appeared first on KPFA.

George Saunders, whose latest novel is Vigil, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky. George Saunders is the highly acclaimed author of several short story collections, including “Tenth of December,”  and “CivilWarLand in Bad Decline,” and others, along with political commentary that has appeared in The New Yorker and other magazines. He won the 2017 Booker Prize for his earlier novel, “Lincoln in the Bardo.” This latest novel, Vigil, takes place in the in-between time before death, when an elderly oil oligarch lies dying, and an angel of mercy, a ghost, named Jill, is on hand to comfort him. The question at hand concerns forgiveness, accountability, grace and several other issues that become involved when someone whose actions were deleterious to humankind and the planet is forced to examine their actions on earth. Justification, remorse, sin? What does it mean, and how do we, the living, deal with these issues when there are so many bad actors doing damage these days on the world and national stages. Recorded by computer on April 15, 2026. The post Encore: George Saunders, “Vigil,” 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Links to assorted local theater & book venues   The Quirky Science World of Mary Roach The author of several non-fiction works that examine specific areas of life that are rarely covered elsewhere, Mary Roach brings a sharp eye and excellent research skills to explain how things work, how they don’t work, and the various things that happen in between. The author of eight books, she has appeared on Bookwaves and Bookwaves/Artwaves four times, with a fifth to air in October, 2026. These are two earlier interviews. Part One: Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void. What’s life like for astronauts? What is it like to be in Zero-G, or to find yourself doing a space walk? What kind of food do they eat, and what are astronauts and technicians really like? In this interview recorded in the KPFA studios on August 24, 2010, she discusses all these topics, as well as a look back to her earlier book, Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife. This interview has not aired in over fifteen years. Part Two: Fuzz: When Nature Breaks The Law. “Fuzz” deals with such issues as animals killing humans, pests in the fields, attempts to control invasive species, animal burglaries (watch out, Yogi Bear!) and even birds destroying flowers in the Vatican. In this interview, she discusses many of these issues, plus adds some information that never found its way into her book. Recorded by computer September 16, 2021. An interview recorded September 15, 2026 about Mary Roach’s latest book, Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy will air in October, 2026 Review of “The Cook”, at Berkeley Rep Peets Theatre through October 11, 2026.  Review of “African Stew” presented by Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, at The Magic Theatre through September 27, 2026. The post Bookwaves/Artwaves – September 17, 2026: Mary Roach, America’s Funniest Science Author, Part One appeared first on KPFA.

Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Links to assorted local theater & book venues   Kate Christensen: Novelist, Essayist, “Good Company,” 2026 Kate Christensen, whose latest novel is titled “Good Company,” in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky. Kate Christensen is the author of ten novels, including “The Great Man,” which won the PEN/Faulker Award for fiction, Trouble, and Welcom Home, Stranger. She’s also written two memoirs along with essays published in a wide variety of publications and anthologies. She has also written a mystery under a pseudonym.. A graduate of the Iowa Writers Workshop, her books focus on contemporary issues such as homophobia, climate change, and specifically in “Good Company,” on misogyny. In thjis interview, she focuses on her writing process, on political issues that find their way into the novel, and on specifics inside the novel. Kate Crhistensen was interviewed on “Bookwaves” in 2009 and this interview picks up where that one left off. This interview was recorded in August, 2026.   Review of “The White Chip”, at Marin Theatre through September 20, 2026.  The post Bookwaves/Artwaves – Sept. 10, 2026: Kate Christensen, Novelist, Essayist, Memoirist, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Links to assorted local theater & book venues   Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018): Science Fiction/Fantasy Giant, 2000 Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018), who broke the artificial wall between science fiction and literature, died on January 22nd, 2018 at the age of 88. An essayist and poet along with being a fiction writer, she transcended all genres with the quality of her prose and the allegorical nature of her work. Best known for her novels The Left Hand of Darkness, which dealt with gender; The Dispossessed, which dealt with a utopian civilization; her series of novels in the fantasy realm of Earthsea; and her short stories, especially “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” Ursula K. Le Guin broke ground in several directions over the course of her writing life. But she started in science fiction fantasy. On September 29th, 2000, Richard Wolinsky and his then co-host Richard A. Lupoff spoke with Ursula K. Le Guin about her career as a writer and about her latest novel, a political and social science fiction allegory, “The Telling.” An extended version of this interview can be found as a Radio Wolinsky podcast.   Gene Wolfe (1931-2019): Science Fiction Grandmaster, 1982 Gene Wolfe, from a 1982 video. Gene Wolfe (1931-2019), author of several science fiction novels and short stories, including “The Book of the New Sun,” interviewed by Richard Wolinsky, Lawrence Davidson and Richard A. Lupoff at Bay Con, Thanksgiving weekend, 1982. The noted fantasy and science fiction writer Gene Wolfe died on April 14, 2019, one month shy of his 88th birthday. By the time of his death, he’d achieved a lifetime achievement award from the World Fantasy Convention, he’d been acclaimed a science fiction Grand Master from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, had won several awards from various organizations in the field, and was considered a writer’s writer. Digitizing, remastering & re-editing by Richard Wolinsky in 2019. Sound quality is variable. Complete Radio Wolinsky podcast The post Bookwaves/Artwaves – September 3, 2026: Two Science Fiction Masters: Ursula K. Le Guin and Gene Wolfe appeared first on KPFA.

Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Links to assorted local theater & book venues   Carl Hiaasen: Creating Satire in the Age of Trump, “Fever Beach,” now out in trade paper Carl Hiaasen is a novelist best known for writing humorous and satiric crime thrillers set in Florida. His latest novel, now out in trade paperback, Fever Beach, satirizes the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, corrupt nepo Florida Congress-critters, and rich right-wing geriatric  billionaires. Until 2021, he was a regular columnist for The Miami Herald, appearing every Sunday to discuss political and social issues. He is interviewed by host Richard Wolinsky. In this in-depth interview, he discusses the writing of “Fever Beach” and how difficult it has been to create satire during the Trump years, his views on what’s happening in Washington and Florida, the adaptation of his novel “Bad Monkey” for Apple Plus, and his process of writing. Recorded August 13, 2025.           The post Bookwaves/Artwaves – August 27, 2026: Carl Hiaasen, Master of the Satiric Detective Novel appeared first on KPFA.

Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Links to assorted local theater & book venues   Ursula Hegi (1946-2026): Two Interviews, 2001 and 2004 Ursula Hegi (1946-2026), who died at the age of eighty on July 27, 2026, best known for her novel “Stones from a River,” about life in a small town in Germany in the days leading up to World War II, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky. Two interviews, the first recorded November 6, 2001 while on tour for her short story collection, “Hotel of the Saints,” and the second, recorded January 8, 2004, for her novel, “Sacred Time,” less than a year after the invasion of Iraq. Ursula Hegi was a German born novelist and short story writer whose work focused on life in Germany before, during and after World War II along with German and German-American identity, and the nature of moral complicity. She was best known for her novel, Stones from a River, published in 1994, which formed part of a series of novels and stories which came to be known as the Burgdorf cycle, taking place in the fictional small town of Burgdorf, Germany during the middle of the twentieth century. At the time of her death from complications from a stroke, there were nine novels, two short story collections, a children’s book, and one non-fiction work from 1998, Tearing the Silence: On Being German in America. Her last novel, The Patron Saint of Pregnant Girls, was published in 2020. The 2001 interview, one of the last Bookwaves interviews recorded on analog tape, was digitized, remastered and edited August 14-16, 2026.   Review of “R.O.I. (Return on Investment)”, a San Francisco Playhousere  production at the Creativity Theatre through September 5, 2026       The post Bookwaves/Artwaves – August 20, 2026: Ursula Hegi (1946-2026), Acclaimed Novelist and Short Story Author, 1991 appeared first on KPFA.

Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Links to assorted local theater & book venues   The Probabilities Archive: Robert B. Parker (1932-2010), The Spenser Novels, 1992 Robert B. Parker (1932-2010), in conversation with Richard Wolinsky and Richard A. Lupoff, recorded June 13, 1992 while on tour for the Spenser novel, “Double Deuce.” Mystery and suspense author Robert B. Parker died at the age of 77 on January 18, 2010. His career encompassed 38 novels in his popular Spenser detective series during his life, with another three published posthumously, plus nine novels in the Jesse Stone series, four in the Cole and Hitch series, six in the Sonny Randall series, nine other novels, and four books of non-fiction. There were two Probabilities interviews with Robert B. Parker. The first time, co-hosted with Lawrence Davidson, was recorded in Parker’s hotel room in the spring of 1981. At the time he’d just switched publishers and with Looking for Rachel Wallace and then Early Autumn, he was finally having success as an author. His success would explode exponentially over the next eleven years, and by the time of this interview. Robert Parker had written an additional ten Spenser novels, the TV series Spencer for Hire starring Robert Urich had run for three seasons, and a spin-off, A Man Called Hawk had had a 13 episode run. In addition, he’d completed an unfinished Philip Marlowe novel by Raymond Chandler, and followed that up with a sequel. This interview was digitized, remastered and re-edited in January 2024 by Richard Wolinsky and has only been posted as a podcast.   The Probabilities Archive: Nancy Pickard, The Jenny Cain Mysteries, 1990 Nancy Pickard, author of the Jenny Cain mysteries, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky and Richard A. Lupoff, recorded April 4, 1990 in the KPFA studios while on tour for the novel “Bum Steer.” Originally a journalist, Nancy Pickard turned to mysteries in 1984 with Generous Death, which would eventually lead to ten Jenny Cain novels. As of 2026, there are also three novels in the Marie Lightfoot series, three non-series novels, plus three in the Eugenia Potter series, four collections and one co-authored non-fiction work. Her most recent novel to date, The Scent of Rain and Lightning, was published in 2010 and was adapted into a film in 2017. As of 2025, she continues to speak at various mystery conferences and conventions. In the late 1980s, crime and mystery fiction by women skyrocketed. Even so, awards were still being given to mostly male writers, and in 1987, the organization Sisters in Crime was formed. 

In Berkeley, at KPFA, Richard Lupoff and I, the hosts of the Probabilities radio program, having drifted from science fiction into mysteries and later into general fiction and narrative non-fiction, noticed the trend pretty early on, and began interviewing these pioneer writers, one by one, local writers like Marcia Muller and Sue Dunlap, and writers from out of town, such as Sue Grafton, or from overseas, such as P.D. James.

These interviews, the Sisters in Crime interviews, were all conducted in the 1980s and 1990s, and because of the switch from analog tape to digital, were not heard since the new century began, and are now being digitized, one by one. This is the second in the Sisters In Crime series of interviews. This interview was digitized, remastered and edited on August 8, 2026. It was first aired in 1990 and then rebroadcast in 1991. (Note: the audio incorrectly calls her series the “Jenny Crain” mystery novels. As noted, her heroine was Jenny Cain.) Review of “Orpheus Descending” at Oakland Theatre Project through August 23, 2026     The post Bookwaves/Artwaves – August 13, 2026: Probabilities Mystery Archive: Robert B. Parker – Nancy Pickard appeared first on KPFA.

Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Links to assorted local theater & book venues   The Probabilities Archive: Robert Bloch (1917-1994), Pulp Magazine Writer and Novelist Robert Bloch (1917-1994), who died on September 23, 1994 at the age of 77, began his career writing fantasy and horror for the pulp magazines, and graduated after World War II to writing psychological thriller novels, often focusing on serial killers. He is best known today for having written the novel “Psycho,” which was adapted into the classic 1959 film by Alfred Hitchcock. From the 1950s through 1970s, he also wrote for episode television (most notably “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”) and made for television films. In all, there were countless short stories, over thirty published novels, and several non-fiction articles. On March 4, 1982, the late Probabilities co-host Richard A. Lupoff (1935-2020) ninterviewed Robert Bloch before an audience. There were no major science fiction conventions at the time, so it’s not clear exactly where this interview took place). In the first part of the interview, Bloch discusses his friendship with H.P. Lovecraft, his work with the legendary Fictioneers writing group, and the creation of his Lefty Feep series of short stories. The second part of the interview takes him to his novel-writing days, with a look at the creation of his most famous character, Norman Bates of “Psycho.” Digitized and edited August 1-2, 2026 and introduced by host Richard Wolinsky. Portions of this interview found their way into “Space Ships! Ray Guns! Martian Octopods: Interviews with Science Fiction Legends,” edited by Richard Wolinskky and published by Tachyon Books in 2025.   The post Bookwaves/Artwaves – August 6, 2026: Robert Bloch (1917-1994), Author of “Psycho” appeared first on KPFA.

Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Links to assorted local theater & book venues   Robert Macfarlane: “Is A River Alive?” Robert Macfarlane, whose book “Is a River Alive,” was just released in trade paperback,  in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky. The best-selling nature writer, and author of “Underland” and “The Old Ways” discusses the relationship of the human race to nature in the context of the rights of natural phenomena, specifically rivers. What rights does the earth have in terms of man’s hegemony? Where do we fit in nature? In this interview, recorded recorded June 11, 2025, he talks about his journey to three rivers: a cloud forest in South America, a dying river in India, and a river that runs through eastern Canada, along with a look at the spring near his home in England, and puts them all in context of environmentalism and politics. He is the author of several books, including “”Mountains of the Mind” and “Ghostways,” Robert Macfarlane teaches at Cambridge University. His most recent book, co-authored with Jackie Morris, is “The Book of Birds: A Field Guide to Wonder and Loss,” commentary and drawings about our avian friends.   Review of “Hairspray” at San Francisco Playhouse through September 12, 2026   The post Bookwaves/Artwaves – July 30, 2026: Nature Writer Robert Macfarlane, “Is A River Alive?” appeared first on KPFA.

Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Links to assorted local theater & book venues   Sara Paretsky: author of the V.I. Warshawski Mysteries Sara Paretsky in 2019. Sara Paretsky, author of the V.I. Warshawski mysteries, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky and Richard A. Lupoff as part of the “Probabilities” radio series, recorded in the KPFA s studio on March 16, 1991 following the publication of “Burn Marks” and before the publication of “Guardian Angel.” In the late 1980s, crime and mystery fiction by women skyrocketed. Even so, awards were still being given to mostly male writers, and in 1987, the organization Sisters in Crime was formed. In Berkeley, at KPFA, Richard Lupoff and Richard Wolinsky, the hosts of the Probabilities radio program, having drifted from science fiction into mysteries and later into general fiction and narrative non-fiction, noticed the trend pretty early on, and began interviewing these pioneer writers, one by one, local writers like Marcia Muller and Sue Dunlap, and writers from out of town, such as Sue Grafton, or from overseas, such as P.D. James. These interviews, the Sisters in Crime interviews, were all conducted in the 1980s and 1990s, and because of the switch from analog tape to digital, have not been heard since the new century began. Until now. It is appropriate to begin this series of interviews with the first president of Sisters in Crime, Sara Paretsky, recorded March 16, 1991 while she was in the Bay Area for a mystery conference. At the time, six V.I. Warshawski novels had been published, and a film starring Kathleen Turner would be released a few months later. It would turn out to be the only time V.I. Warshawski stories were adapted for film or television.

As of July, 2026, Sara Paretsky has published 22 novels in the V.I. Warshawski mystery series, and two non-series novels, along with three short story collections and two works of nonfiction. The most recent V.I. novel, Pay Dirt, was published in 2024.   Ian Watson (1943-2025) Iconic Science Fiction and Fantasy Author Ian Watson. Photo: Glenn Hall. Wikipedia Commons Ian Watson (1943-2026), unconventional British science fiction and fantasy writer, who died on April 13, 2026 at the age of 82, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky and Richard A. Lupoff for the Probabilities radio program, recorded in Oakland at Westercon 40 on July 2, 1987. Ian Watson (1943-2026) who died on April 13, 2026 at the age of 82, was an unconventional author whose works brimmed with ideas and philosophical turnings. Author of over thirty one novels, not including several written in the world created by the Warhammer 40,000 game, there were also eleven collections of short stories, plus a catalogue of poems. An avowed socialist, he also stood in elections as a Labour Party candidate in the days before Tony Blair. His novel, The Power, discussed in the interview, was published later in 1987, and can now be found, along with many of his novels, as Kindle book through Amazon. In early 1990, Ian Watson received a call from the assistant to legendary film-maker Stanley Kubrick to work on a science fiction film based on a story about a robot boy written by Brian Aldiss. For the next several months, he and Kubrick hammered out a screenplay treatment until Kubrick, in December of that year, said it was what he wanted, barring some changes, but shortly thereafter began work on what would be his final film, Eyes Wide Shut. Kubrick died on March f7, 1999 at the age of seventy. Shortly afterward, Steven Spielberg, using Watson’s treatment, wrote a screenplay which became his film, A.I. Artificial Intelligence. You can find Ian Watson’s essay about his work with Kubrick by going to this link. This interview was digitized, remastered and edited on May 2, 2026. Sound quality (speed) is variable.   Review of “The Employee Dharma Handbook” at TheatreWorks Palo Alto through August 2, 2026.   The post Bookwaves/Artwaves – July 16, 2026: From the Archive: Sara Paretsky – Ian Watson appeared first on KPFA.

Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Links to assorted local theater & book venues   Lisa See, author of “Daughters of the Sun and Moon”  Lisa See, whose latest novel is “Daughters of the Sun and Moon,” in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky, recorded in Culver City, California on June 28, 2026. Lisa See’s best-selling books include Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Peony in Love, China Dolls, The Island of Sea Women more recently, Lady Tan’s Circle of Women. Each novel, thus far, focuses on the role and lives of women of East Asian descent in various countries, including Korea, Japan, China and the United States. Some of the novels focus on a mystery, others take place within the context of historical events. Daughters of the Sun and Moon takes place in 1870, from China to Los Angeles, California, and focuses on the lives of three women, Moon, the wife of a doctor, Dove, the bound-foot daughter of a lesser bureaucrat, and Petal, the daughter of farmers. Moon has come to the United States with her husband, whom she’s known since childhood. Dove was married off to an older man she’s never met, and Petal was sold into sexual slavery and would find herself in a small brothel in the Chinese neighborhood, in what is now downtown L.A.       The post Bookwaves/Artwaves – July 9, 2026: Lisa See, Best Selling Novelist, “Daughters of the Sun and Moon,” 2026 appeared first on KPFA.