A Novel Idea

January 11, 2012 - Music and Mysteries

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:55:52 -0800

Musician and author of the Evan Horne jazz mysteries - including Bird Lives, Looking for Chet Baker, and his latest novel, Fade to Blue, is in conversation with Larry Slater, Sonoma County’s Jazz MD and long-time host of KRCB’s Jazz Connections.

Novelist Stacy Carlson talks with Suzanne Lang about Stacy’s book Among the Wonderful, her novel inspired by PT Barnum and the cultural shifts playing out in 19th Century New York City.

Wanting to Be Jackie Kennedy. Elizabeth Kern and Rosemary Manchester talk about family life in a Polish area of 1960’s Chicago. Ellie Manikowski becomes a young woman in this nostalgic coming of age story.

Author Barbara Quick provides her review of Solace by Belinda McKeon.

December 14, 2011 - Haslam on Hayakawa

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:31:43 -0800

On A Novel Idea this month: Gerald Haslam in conversation with Rosemary Manchester on "In Thought and Action, the Enigmatic Life of H.I. Hayakawa"; Suzanne Lang with Jonah Raskin on his latest book, "Marijuanaland: Dispatches from an American War", and Barbara Quick review Sandor Marai's "Portrait of a Marriage".

November 9, 2011 - Emma Donohue's Room; Pat Nolan and Irene Nolan

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Wed, 9 Nov 2011 14:40:25 -0800

On A Novel Idea this month: Rosemary Manchester and J. J. Wilson discuss Emma Donohue's Room; Suzanne Lang in conversation with Pat Nolan and Irene Nolan about Nuallain House and On The Road to Las Cruces; and Barbara Quick reviews Tea Obreht's The Tiger's Wife.

October 12, 2011 - Joan Frank, Bart Schneider

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:50:54 -0700

Author Joan Frank on her work and the writer's life in conversation with Rosemary Manchester; Suzanne Lang catches up with author Bart Schneider who has just launched Kelly’s Cove Press; Katie Kasben presents Sonoma County literary calendar.

September 14, 2011 - Preview - Sonoma County Book Festival

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 11:58:24 -0700

A preview of the 12th Annual Sonoma County Book Festival featuring Judy Moody author Megan McDonald, author and publisher Patrick Fanning, and columnist, author, and KRCB essayist Susan Swartz in conversation with Rosemary Manchester and Suzanne Lang.

August 10, 2011 - Meg Waite Clayton; Peter Manchester

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 12:56:20 -0700

Rosemary Manchester and Suzanne Lang with Meg Waite Clayton and her latest book The Four Ms. Bradwells, along with Canadian artist and author Peter Manchester.

July 13, 2011 - Lisa See

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 11:56:21 -0700

Lisa See, an author beloved by many listeners, joins Rosemary Manchester in conversation about her latest book, Dreams of Joy. The story takes Joy, whom readers will remember from See's earlier book, Shanghai Girls, to China in 1957. She becomes a part of Mao's Great Leap Forward, and readers will be right there with her as she goes off to Green Dragon Village in the interior of China.

Nafisa Haji, whose acclaimed first novel was The Writing on Her Forehead, follows up with The Sweetness of Tears, a book that crosses cultures and continents, set amidst the War on Terror. Suzanne Lang speaks with Nafisa Haji.

June 8, 2011 - Indian Voices

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Wed, 8 Jun 2011 10:45:55 -0700

Marin County author Alison Owings’s new book, Indian Voices, Listening to Native Americans, has just been published by Rutgers University Press. Owings is the author of Frauen: German Women Recall the Third Reich, and Hey, Waitress! The USA from the Other Side of the Tray.

She has traveled far and wide to bring us the stories of Native American people in their own words. The stories are compelling, and Owings’s elegant writing keeps the pages turning. Rosemary Manchester, host for A Novel Idea, will be in conversation with Alison Owings, talking about Indian Voices.

May 11, 2011 - Memoir

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Wed, 11 May 2011 18:02:54 -0700

Memoir: with Gene Viale, Linda Joy Meyers, Linda Loveland Reid and Chuck Kensler

April 13, 2011 - Sarah Vowell, Elise Ballard, Gerry Haslam and Richard Steven Street

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 13:49:55 -0700

Sarah Vowell, Elise Ballard, Gerry Haslam, and Richard Steven Street explore history and transformation.

March 9, 2011 - Heidi Ferrini, Erin Sheffield and Katie Kasben

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 12:41:26 -0800

Heidi Ferrini and Erin Sheffield on Edith Wharton and The Age of Innocence, along with Copperfield's new Events Director, Katie Kasben.

February 9, 2011 - Deborah Rodriguez and Brooke Holve

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 15:35:21 -0800

Deborah Rodriguez with A Cup of Friendship and Kabul Beauty School, and Brooke Holve on books as art.

January 12, 2011 - Audrey Niffenegger

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 12:57:00 -0800

The Time Traveler's Wife, with author Audrey Niffenegger and Tui Wilshinsky.

December 15, 2010 - Barbara Quick

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 18:40:04 -0800

Barbara Quick with Vivaldi's Virgins and A Golden Web.

November 10, 2010 - Jeffrey Miller

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 14:05:10 -0800

Pat Nolan hosts a special edition of A Novel Idea showcasing punk-poet Jeffrey Miller. 28 years after his death, a tribute was held at Pegasus Theater on July 29th. Authors Andrei Petrescu, Pat Nolan, Gail King, Mike Tuggle, Jerry Rosen, David Bromwich and others read excerpts from Miller's works.

October 13, 2010 - Unmaking War, Remaking Men

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 17:02:44 -0700

In her latest book, Unmaking War, Remaking Men, local writer Kathleen Barry introduces the compelling proposition: "How Empathy Can Reshape Our Politics, Our Soldiers and Ourselves." Barry challenges the presumption that war is inevitable, and explores what would it take to unmake war. Kathleen Barry is Professor Emerita of Penn State University.

August 11, 2010 - Raymond Carver

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 17:56:39 -0700

A Novel Idea host Rosemary Manchester and Carol Sklenicka converse about Raymond Carver. Carol Sklenicka is the author of his biography - Raymond Carver: A Writer’s Life.

July 14, 2010 - Jack London

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 14:43:53 -0700

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Jack London State Park, A Novel Idea brings you an encore presentation with host Rosemary Manchester and Jonah Raskin in conversation about Jack London.

May 12, 2010 - The Personal Histories of Anchee Min

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Fri, 21 May 2010 13:53:57 -0700

Anchee Min is widely celebrated for her historical novels, to which she brings her personal experiences in China during the turbulent days of the Cultural Revolution. At age 17 Min was sent to a labor camp near East China Sea, where she endured mental and physical hardships and suffered a severe spinal cord injury. In 1984 she came to America, and within six months, taught herself English by watching television. She began to write and publish, eager to correct historical accounts which she knew were incorrect.

April 14, 2010 - Mark Twain in California

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 19:44:28 -0700

While Twain is best known for his novels of life on the Mississippi River, these are only a small part of his lifetime of work. A Novel Idea presents some of Twain's earlier work, in California.

March 10, 2010 - Lisa See

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:54:19 -0800

Rosemary Manchester interviews Lisa See, and gives listeners an opportunity to hear her discuss her work. Lisa See, a particular favorite of California audiences and author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Peony in Love, has recently published a new novel, Shanghai Girls.

February 10, 2010 - Redwood Writers

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:54:19 -0800

Redwood Writers, the local branch of the California Writers Club, includes many of the emerging writers in the area. The organization, open to all writers, meets monthly and sponsors workshops, conferences, writing classes and seminars. In addition, writers are encouraged to seek ways to publish and market their work. Host Rosemary Manchester talks with members of the Redwood Writers about their writing and discusses their published work.

January 13, 2010 - Thomas Hardy

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:54:15 -0800

Rosemary Manchester and Michele Anna Jordan discuss Thomas Hardy, focusing on The Return of the Native and other works.

December 9, 2009 - A Holiday Celebration of Books!

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:08:01 -0800

Rosemary Manchester and Suzanne Lang host a live conversation about literary gifts for holiday giving. In-studio guests review this year's publishing highlights, and we'll take your recommendations of favorite books to give, and the best book you read all year. It's a Literary Salon on the air, and you can wear your pajamas!

November 11, 2009 - Chester Aaron, Stefanie Freele, Beth Carpel

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:48:52 -0800

A Novel Idea celebrates a bounty of stories and writers with three authors this month. Occidental's ever-astonishing Chester Aaron, has been awarded a 2009 Moonbeam Award in Young Adult Historical Fiction for his recently re-published novel, Gideon, a story of the Warsaw ghetto uprising, and the uprising at the concentration camp of Treblinka.

Stefanie Freele's work has been called "micro fiction" for its clarity and brevity. Sensitive and unruly, sincere and absurd, Stefanie Freele's Finding Strays is a collection of fifty short stories about children, family, relationships, and oysters. Freele is the fiction editor of the Los Angeles Review and an editor of SmokeLong Quarterly.

Writer and photographer, Beth Carpel's "biker book" Assembling Georgia is the story of a Minneapolis chicken-factory worker who begins receiving motorcycle parts through the mail. Who is sending her the parts, why, and how it changes both their lives is at the heart of this twisting tale full of humor and emotional depth.

October 14, 2009 - Barbara Baer

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 22:18:24 -0700

Barbara Baer, editor and publisher of Floreant Press, introduced her new book, Grisha the Scrivener, at the Sonoma County Book Festival in September. the story is set in the former USSR, where Barbara lived for some time, and concludes in contemporary, independent Russia. Barbara is a prominent member of the local literary community, and has won national journalism awards for essays and fiction. Grisha the Scrivener is her first novella.

September 9, 2009 - Sonoma County Book Festival

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:30:35 -0700

A Novel Idea celebrates the Sonoma County Book Festival

August 12, 2009 - Jonah Raskin - Field Days

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:24:50 -0700

Jonah Raskin - Field Days

July 8, 2009 - Chuck Kensler / Choteau Creek

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:21:58 -0700

Joseph Iron Eye Dudley is the author of Choteau Creek, A Sioux Rememberance, which the Washington Post Book World calls "a quiet, loving memoir." Rosemary Manchester, host for A Novel Idea, has invited Chuck Kensler, who has some good stories of his own, to be her guest in a discussion of Choteau Creek.

June 10, 2009 - Christina Sunley

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:52:21 -0700

Christina Sunley and The Tricking of Freya.

May 13, 2009 - Mark Sloan M.D.

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Fri, 15 May 2009 16:48:07 -0700

Mark Sloan M.D. - Birth Day

April 8, 2009 - Margit Liesche

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Thu, 9 Apr 2009 18:38:51 -0700

Hollywood Buzz with Margit Liesche

March 11, 2009 - Eva Rutland

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:12:53 -0700

Eva Rutland - When We Were Colored

February 11, 2009 - Sheri Reynolds

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 13:33:15 -0800

Sheri Reynolds and her latest book The Sweet In-Between

January 14, 2009 - Francis Dinkelspiel

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 13:28:13 -0800

Francis Dinkelspiel and her latest book Towers of Gold

Dec. 10, 2008 - Lizann Bassham

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:48:36 -0800

Lizann Bassham and her latest book One of Another

Nov. 19, 2008 - Bart Schneider

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:36:33 -0800

Bart Schneider and his latest book The Man in the Blizzard.

Oct. 8, 2008 - Mira Katz

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:24:53 -0800

Rosemary Manchester and Mira Katz on To Kill a Mockingbird

Sep. 24, 2008 - Radio Sketches

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:54:27 -0700

Radio Sketches: It's a Sin to Kill a Mockingbird with David Kipen, Robin Metalitz, Sally Briggs, Dave Casey, Bart Schneider, Veronica Bowers and Robin Watters.

Aug. 13, 2008 - James Tipton

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:04:17 -0700

Rosemary in conversation with James Tipton - author of a Novel of the French Revolution, Annette Vallon. Annette was the over of English poet William Wordsworth.

July 9, 2008

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:02:48 -0700

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June 11, 2008 - O'Brien, Francis

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:49:32 -0700

Scott O'Brien, author of Kay Francis, I Can't Wait to Be Forgotten talks with Rosemary about pre-code, the movies, and actress Kay Francis.

May 14, 2008 - Ehret, Beowulfians

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:45:20 -0700

Rosemary Manchester, Terry Ehret and her "Beowulfians" rediscover the beauty and power of the ancient epic, Beowulf.

April 9, 2008 - Hayward, Records

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:49:26 -0700

Rosemary Manchester with Clane Hayward on her book The Hypocrisy of Disco and John Records of the Committee on the Shelterless.

March 12, 2008 - Smith, Heglund, Wilson

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:36:16 -0700

Alexander McCall Smith, Jean Heglund, and JJ Wilson with Rosemary Manchester and Suzanne Lang.

Feb. 13, 2008 - Poniatowska, Martinez, Kikus

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:00:08 -0700

Celebrated Mexican author, Elena Poniatowska discusses her life and work with Elizabeth Martinez, translator of Lilus Kikus, and host Rosemary Manchester.

Jan. 9, 2008 - Lessing

robin_pressman@krcb.org — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:50:16 -0700

Rosemary Manchester and Jonah Raskin on Doris Lessing.