KPFA - Radio Wolinsky

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A podcast posted weekly (usually Sunday) featuring extended interviews and discussions from the Bookwaves Artwaves Hour programs on KPFA-FM and the Bookwaves half-hour syndicated program,. Literature, theater, film: in-depth interviews from a progressive and artistic viewpoint, with long-time KPFA/Pacifica host Richard Wolinsky.

  1. Edmund White (1940-2025) Icon of Gay Literature, 2000

    3d ago

    Edmund White (1940-2025) Icon of Gay Literature, 2000

    Edmund White (1940-2025), “The Married Man,” 2000 Edmund White (1940-2025) discusses his novel “The Married Man” in a newly digitized interview conducted in the KPFA studios on June 10, 2000 with host Richard Wolinsky. Digitized, remastered and edited on June 20, 2026 and heard for the first time in over a quarter century. Edmund White wrote novels, memoirs, plays, essays, biographies, and various hybrids. He was the co-author of The Joy of Gay Sex, and worked extensively in the gay community during the AIDS crisis and later.By the time of his death, he’d published sixteen novels, one play, six works of non-fiction, three biographies, and six volumes of memoirs. The post Edmund White (1940-2025) Icon of Gay Literature, 2000 appeared first on KPFA.

    1h 16m

  2. Jun 21

    David Sedaris, New Collection of Essays “The Land and Its People,” 2026

    David Sedaris, author of the new essay collection, “The Land and Its People,” in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky. Originally known for his commentaries on “This American Life” on NPR, David Sedaris has now written 14 books, all of which have become best-sellers, including the early “Me Talk Pretty One Day,” and later “Calypso,” “Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls,” and collections of his diaries. He has a home in North Carolina, and lives in England. In this wide-ranging interview he discusses a wide variety of topics, including his relationship with his family, how he puts together an essay, his views on small talk and finding connections, and how growing old has affected his writing. Recorded June 9, 2026 at Book Passage bookstore in Corte Madera. California. Photo by Richard Wolinsky. The post David Sedaris, New Collection of Essays “The Land and Its People,” 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

    1h 21m

  3. Jun 15

    Encore Podcast: George R. R. Martin, 1991: Before Game of Thrones

    George R.R. Martin, recorded in 1991, interviewed by Richard Wolinsky & Richard A. Lupoff. On May 25, 1991, five years before the publication of Game of Thrones, and perhaps before its conception, Richard Wolinsky and Richard A. Lupoff had a chance to chat with George R. R. Martin. At the time, he’d just completed work writing for the television series, “Beauty and the Beast,” and most of his interest concerned television and its standards and practices. As you listen to the interview, you can discern elements that will play a role in the genesis of Game of Thrones. Digitized, remastered and re-edited by Richard Wolinsky in 2014. First posted on April 13, 2019. The post Encore Podcast: George R. R. Martin, 1991: Before Game of Thrones appeared first on KPFA.

    1h 6m

  4. Jun 8

    “A Complete Stanley Kubrick Retrospective” at BAMPFA

    Jeff Griffith-Perham is the curator of a retrospective “A Complete Stanley Kubrick” at Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), running from June 12 through August 30, 2026. He is interviewed by host Richard Wolinsky. Stanley Kubrick was one of the most acclaimed film directors of the Twentieth Century. Though he only made 13 feature films, several of them made international headlines and one, “2001: A Space Odyssey” changed movie history. Among his other works are “Dr. Strangelove, or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb,” the gorgeous “Barry Lyndon,” his controversial “A Clockwork Orange,” and the stunning horror film, “The Shining.” Jeff Griffith-Perham is an Associate Film Curator at BAMPFA, and has curated other retrospectives focusing mostly on documentaries. He is considered an expert on the films of documentarian Frederick Wiseman. In this interview, each of Kubrick’s films are discussed, along with ideas about Kubrick’s antiwar viewpoint, his working process and his place in film history. The post “A Complete Stanley Kubrick Retrospective” at BAMPFA appeared first on KPFA.

    2h 7m

  5. Jun 1

    Helen Benedict, “The Soldier’s House,” a novel about Iraqi refugees in America, 2026

    Helen Benedict, Columbia Profesysor of Journalism and author of the novel, “The Soldier’s House,” about the lives of Iraqi refugees in America in 2010, in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky. “The Soldier’s House” tells the story of a refugee from Baghdad, Naemi, who comes to America in 2010, sponsored by an American soldier whose translator was killed after the invasion. She, her young son Tariq and her mother in law have come to the United States, to the Albany area, after a time in Damascus, hoping to find a new life. A pediatrics physician over there, she can only gain the lowest levels of employment in America. Helen Benedict has focused her literary career on the plight of refugees in America and Europe as she teaches young journalists the ways to keep digging for the truth and for justice. In this interview, she discusses how Iraqi and Afghanistani refugees have fared in this country and talks in detail about the legacy press and the challenges young journalists face as they come into the profession. The post Helen Benedict, “The Soldier’s House,” a novel about Iraqi refugees in America, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

    1h 53m

  6. May 25

    Science Fiction & Horror Master Dan Simmons (1948-2026), 1991

    Dan Simmons (1948-2026), Huge and World Fantasy Award winning novelist and short story writer, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky and Richard A. Lupoff, recorded September 22, 1991 while on tour for the novel “Summer of Night.” Dan Simmons, who died February 21, 2026 at the age of 77, was the author of the now classic science fiction novels “Hyperion” and “Fall of Hyperion” along with horror novels “The Terror” and “Carrion Comfort,” never achieved the popularity of peers like Stephen King and Dean Koontz, but was a genre master in his own right. Winner and nominee for several genre literary awards, his page turning books bristled with originality. Despite several attempts, “Hyperion” never became a film or series, and its sequel books in the Endymion series are still in development. “The Terror” became season one of a series also titled “The Terror.” There would be a second interview in 1997 following the release of “Endymion Rising.” In his later career, Dan Simmons turned to mysteries as well as continuing his work in horror, fantasy and science fiction. His final novel, “Omega Canyon” was scheduled to be published in 2025 and then again in 2026 but has yet to see the light of day. His previous novel, “The Fifth Heart” was published in 2015. The post Science Fiction & Horror Master Dan Simmons (1948-2026), 1991 appeared first on KPFA.

    1h 16m

  7. May 18

    John Lanchester, Novelist & Essayist, “Look What You Made Me Do,” 2026

    John Lanchester, whose latest novel is “Look What You Made Me Do,” in conversation with Richard Wolinsky, recorded May 6, 2026 via computer. John Lanchester is the author of five previous novels, one collection of stories,Reality and Other Stories, published in 2020, and four works of non-fiction. He’s recently written essays for the London Review of Books and the Guardian on such issues as generation divides and the push toward A.I. His latest novel, Look What You Made Me Do hones in on the generation divide and can be seen as a satire and as a psychological thriller of sorts involving a woman who discovers, shortly after her husband’s death, that their most intimate conversations are being heard in a new hit Netflix series that everyone is talking about. John Lanchester’s previous novel, The Wall, concerns a future in which Britain has built a wall around itself in order to keep immigrants from arriving. It’s a dystopia of a world overrun by the oceans and climate disaster. You can find the interview about that book here.    The post John Lanchester, Novelist & Essayist, “Look What You Made Me Do,” 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

    1h 43m

  8. May 11

    Michael Cunningham, Pulitzer Prize Winning Novelist discussing “The Hours” & “Specimen Days,” 2005

    Michael Cunningham in the KPFA studios, 2010. Photo: Richard Wolinsky. Michael Cunningham in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky, recorded while on the book tour for “Specimen Days,” recorded in the KPFA studios, June 24, 2005. Michael Cunningham is a celebrated author of eight novels, along with several short stories, and two produced screenplays to date. His novel The Hours, which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1999, was adapted into an award winning film in 2003. As with several interviews recorded during the presidency of George W. Bush, talk turned to the rise of fascism in America and the dangers of corporatism and rampant Capitalism. His novel Nightfall came out in 2010, followed by The Snow Queen in 2014 and Day in 2023. He was also a part of the writers room for the first season of the TV series Masters of Sex and the Netflix season of Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City.The film discussed in the interview, “Good Grief” starring Julia Roberts, was never made. This interview comes from the Bookwaves archives and has never before been posted or aired in its entirety and is the first of three Bookwaves conversations. The post Michael Cunningham, Pulitzer Prize Winning Novelist discussing “The Hours” & “Specimen Days,” 2005 appeared first on KPFA.

    1h 24m
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Ratings & Reviews

4.2
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

A podcast posted weekly (usually Sunday) featuring extended interviews and discussions from the Bookwaves Artwaves Hour programs on KPFA-FM and the Bookwaves half-hour syndicated program,. Literature, theater, film: in-depth interviews from a progressive and artistic viewpoint, with long-time KPFA/Pacifica host Richard Wolinsky.

Information

  • Creator
    KPFA
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2026
  • Episodes
    25
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026KPFA 312700
  • Show Website
    KPFA - Radio Wolinsky

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