A Novel Idea

On this final week of this last month of the decade, we bring you two favorite conversations of this past year.  Both people’s courage, tenacity, and grace inspire. Brian Fies talks about his graphic novel, A Fire Story; also joining Suzanne M Lang in conversation is Ruth L Rotary on her memoir, The Little Girl Next Door.

A Novel Idea airs on the first and fifth Sundays of every month at 10:00 am on KRCB-FM Radio 91 / streaming @ norcalpublicmedia.org /Download the FREE KRCB mobile app @ iTunes & Google Play!

(Photo: R.L. Rotary is the author of The Little Girl Next Door – Courtesy of the author)

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#MeAsWell , a novel by Peter Mehlman takes on gender politics, race, and the ubiquitous control of Social Media on our lives. Mehlman was a sports writer when he began working for legendary sports journalist Howard Cosell. He was also a writer and producer of Seinfeld and joins Suzanne Lang in conversation. Also featured is Alexandra Chasin, who was just awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and her recent book is Assassin of Youth: A Kaleidoscopic History of Harry J. Anslinger’s War on Drugs.

A Novel Idea airs on the first and fifth Sundays of every month at 10:00 am on KRCB-FM Radio 91 / streaming @ norcalpublicmedia.org /Download the FREE KRCB mobile app @ iTunes & Google Play!

(Photos courtesy of the author)

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Roberto Tejada’s Still Nowhere in an Empty Vastness is expansive in its range: from accounts of conquistador castaway Cabeza de Vaca, to the media spectacle of Elian Gonzalez that initiates us into the exploitation of suffering in the name of politics, which afflicts us to this day, this book of essays and manifestos is a beautiful dive into a poetics of the Americas.  We live in the United States of America, but America, -the Americas, are wider and richer and vital to our personal and cultural identities. Tejada joins Suzanne M. Lang in conversation. Suzanne also talks with Russian River poet, Pat Nolan.

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ReInvention! Amy Edwards does it, again and again. From Austin, Texas, Edwards is a musician, hosts a podcast, and now is a novelist with the publication of The Trouble with Becoming a Witch, from She Writes Press. Amy joins Suzanne M. Lang in conversation and we’ll feature some of Amy’s music. The common theme of all her work is truth and transformation. It’s A Novel Idea in our new timeslot, Sunday at 10 a.m., immediately following the TED Radio Hour.

A Novel Idea airs on the first and fifth Sundays of every month at its NEW time of 10:00 am on KRCB-FM Radio 91 / streaming @ norcalpublicmedia.org /Download the FREE KRCB mobile app @ iTunes & Google Play!

(Photos courtesy of the author)

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Dark Day, Dark Night is Jonah Raskin’s sequel to Dark Land, Dark Mirror, where we were first introduced to Private Investigator, or an Op as she likes to call herself, Tioga Vignetta. Like the first novel, Dark Day, Dark Night is set in a place called Sonoma. You’ll recognize some things, but the author knows how spin it up, which makes it fun for locals and nonlocals alike. Jonah joins Suzanne Lang in conversation. It’s a Novel Idea.

(Photo: Jonah Raskin – Daniel Raskin/Courtesy of the author)

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The Fourth Industrial Revolution. Heard of it? Maybe not, but I guarantee, you’re living in it.

Technology and artificial intelligence, genomics and blockchains infiltrate our banking and economic systems, transportation, our education, healthcare, communication, and every aspect of our lives. Who is managing all this and who is safeguarding us from harm and exploitation?

David Fergusson, who along with Carlos Moriera authored The TransHuman Code: How to Program your Future. The book is a guide for us to understand how we must imbed Humanity in our technology rather than the other way around. David speaks with Suzanne Lang from his home in New York.

Paula Gianturco, whose colorful book of stories and photographs is about the humanity we must bring to each other. Her book is Grandmother Power: A Global phenomenon and she joins Suzanne in conversation.

A Novel Idea airs on the first Sunday of every month on KRCB-FM Radio 91 / streaming @ norcalpublicmedia.org /Download the FREE KRCB mobile app @ iTunes & Google Play!

(All photos courtesy of authors)

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Hummingbird in Underworld, Teaching in a Men’s Prison is poet Deborah Tobola’s memoir of working in the California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo California. Working with inmate artists, a number of original theatrical productions were performed that changed people’s lives. Tobola weaves her own family history into the story for a compelling and enjoyable read. Deborah Tobola in conversation with Suzanne M. Lang on KRCB’s A Novel Idea.

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Bones of the Earth is the tenth installment in the Inspector Shan mystery series by award winning author Eliot Pattison, whose interest in Tibet and the injustices brought upon the Tibetan culture and people over the past 60 years is the foundation of this series, and for mystery lovers, each one of these books is also in the best tradition of the genre. Pattison joins Suzanne Lang in conversation.

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Bo Kearns and Frank Strausser join Suzanne M. Lang in conversation. Each has published a first novel after years of writing in other forms: Kearns as a journalist and Strausser as a playwright. 

Ashes in a Coconut, by Bo Kearns, is set in the Indonesia of the 1980’s; a woman follows her husband there to save her marriage and discovers her own calling.

Frank Strausser’s novel is Plastic – an LA crime story involving a cosmetic surgeon who gets involved in the nastier side of the wealth machine behind the stars. It’s a Novel Idea.

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The Guest Book follows three generations of a powerful American family as their wealth declines, examining “not just a privileged American family, but a privileged America.” Sarah Blake, the author of The Guest Book and also the NY Times bestseller, The Postmistress. She joins Suzanne M. Lang in conversation with A Novel. Idea. Sunday, June 2nd at 4pm PT.

Also featured is Laurie Ann Doyle with her arresting volume of short stories, World Gone Missing.

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