KPFA - Radio Wolinsky

KPFA
  • 4.2 (6)
  • POLITICS
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

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. 3D AGO

    Tracy Kidder (1945-2026), Pulitzer Prize Winning Non-Fiction Author

    Tracy Kidder (1945-2026), Pulitzer Prize winning author of literary non-fiction, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky, recorded in the KPFA studios during the book tour for “Strength in What Remains: A Journey of Remembrance and Forgiveness, ” which focuses on the extraordinary true story of Deo, a young man who arrives in America from Burundi in search of a new life. Tracy Kidder, who died of lung cancer on March 24, 2026 at the age of eighty, was best known for his literary journalism, for turning non-fiction narratives into literary masterpieces. The author of eleven books, he won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction and the National Book Award for Nonfiction in 1982 for The Soul of A New Machine, which looked at the tech environment during the birth of the modern computer. His 1990 book, Among Schoolchildren, a close look at American education, focusing on twenty students in a Massachusetts elementary school, won several literary awards. In the years after the interview, Tracy Kidder went on to write three more non-fiction books. His final book to date, Rough Sleepers: Dr. Jim O’Connell’s Urgent Mission to Bring Healing to Homeless People was published in 2023. Paul Farmer, the subject of Tracy Kidder’s 2003 book “Mountains Beyond Mountains”, died in February, 2022. The post Tracy Kidder (1945-2026), Pulitzer Prize Winning Non-Fiction Author appeared first on KPFA.

    1h 25m

  2. MAR 23

    Probabilities Archive: E. Hoffman Price (1898-1988), Science Fiction & Fantasy Pulp Magazine Author

    E. Hoffman Price (1898-1988), fantasy and science fiction author who published in various pulp magazines from the 1920s into the 1950s, in conversation with Probabiliaties hosts Richard Wolinsky, Richard A. Lupoff and Lawrence Davidson, recorded in early 1979 at Price’s home in Redwood City, California. E. Hoffman Price, who was born 1898 and died shortly before his 90th birthday in 1988, wrote fantasy and science fiction stories for the pulp magazines of the first half of the twentieth century, along with some non-fiction. Mostly forgotten today, though several of his stories are available in small press editions, his claim to fame is a single collaboration with the great horror writer H.P. Lovecraft, titled “Through the Gates of the Silver Key,” a sequel to Lovecraft’s story, “The Silver Key.” A contributor to Weird Tales, he was also friends with two other writers from the magazine, Seabury Quinn and Clark Ashton Smith, as well as with the longtime editor of Weird Tales, Farnsworth Wright. He also knew Otis Adelbert Kline, famous in his day for writing imitations of Edgar Rice Burroughs. In the interview, Price talks about his writing career, his friendships with H.P. Lovecraft, horror writer Seabury Quinn, adventure writer Otis Adelbert Kline, and horror master Clark Ashton Smith, as well as colorful tales of whore houses and the publishing industry that existed a century ago. The Probabilities radio show first went on the air on KPFA in 1977. Within a year, my co-host Lawrence Davidson was on the trail for old pulp writers and editors, egged on by science fiction and fantasy author Richard A. Lupoff, who officially joined the show a couple of years later. This interview, following on the heels of interviews with pulp science fiction author Stanton A. Coblentz and editor Charles Hornig, was conducted at Price’s house in Redwood City, California, most likely in the spring of 1979. Accompanying Dick, Lawrence and myself were Dick’s wife Pat Lupoff and science fiction fanzine editor Jim Purviance. Over two hours were recorded on multiple tapes, and parts of the transcription can be found in the book Space Ships Ray Guns Martian Octopods: Interviews with Science Fiction Legends. The interview was digitized and then remastered using AI technology first, and then edited for clarity and coherence. Some outtakes exist which I can forward by email via richard@kpfa.org. The unpublished memoir Price discusses in the interview, Book of the Dead: Friends of Yesteryear, Fictioneers and Others was eventually published posthumously, in 2001. The interview opens with a question by Richard A. Lupoff. Several collections of stories by E. Hoffman Price were published in 2017 by Wildside Press, and are available both digitally and in print. The interview was digitized, remastered and edited in March 2026. This interview was first heard in a very truncated version in 1979 and has not been heard until now.   The post Probabilities Archive: E. Hoffman Price (1898-1988), Science Fiction & Fantasy Pulp Magazine Author appeared first on KPFA.

    2h 19m

  3. MAR 15

    Terry McMillan, Novelist, Chronicler of the Lives of Contemporary African American Women, 2001

    Terry McMillan, best-selling novelist in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky, recorded February 13, 2001 while on tour for her novel, A Day Late and a Dollar Short. Terry McMillan’s novels focus on the lives, aspirations and journeys of discovery of African American women and their families. She hit the ground running with her first novel, Mama, in 1987, which she helped turn into a best-seller. She followed that with a series of novels that helped create a large fan base for her work. Among her best known novels are Waiting to Exhale and How Stella Got Her Groove Back, along with Disappearing Acts, all of which were adapted for film. A Day Late and a Dollar Short is a long novel that focuses on several family members going through a variety of crises and revelations. It was adapted into a television film in 2014 starring Whoopi Goldberg and Ving Rhames, which is now available streaming on Kanopy, the free library app, as well as on other streaming services. This interview leans hard into that novel, with side trips into discussions about black families and black culture in America. As of 2026, she has published ten novels and two works of nonfiction, and according to IMDb is working as a producer for a series of television films under the title Terry McMillan presents. Her most recent novel, It’s Not All Downhill from Here, was published in 2020. This interview was digitized, remastered and edited in March 2026 and has not been heard in over twenty years.   The post Terry McMillan, Novelist, Chronicler of the Lives of Contemporary African American Women, 2001 appeared first on KPFA.

    1h 22m

  4. MAR 8

    Migdalia Cruz, Playwright, Adaptation/Translation “Macbeth” at the Magic Theatre

    Migdalia Cruz, an award-winning playwright and the translator/adaptor of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” at the Magic Theatre, in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky, discussing her play, her career, and her ideas about the nature of theatre. Migdalia Cruz is best known for her plays “Featherless Angels” and “Miriam’s Flowers” studied playwrighting with the legendary Irene Fornes before embarking on her own career. With fifty plays under her belt, she has been produced in numerous venues around the United States. She has also translated plays from Spanish. Growing up in the South Bronx, to Puerto Rican parents, she originally planned to study math but found that theatre was her real calling. Her focus is on social justice, and presenting voices of those who rarely have voices in the American arts. “Macbeth,” the Scottish play, has been reset in New York in the 1970s, and in Brooklyn for this production. The three witches become a major element of the play, and here both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are played by women. The interview was recorded by computer on March 3, 2026. The post Migdalia Cruz, Playwright, Adaptation/Translation “Macbeth” at the Magic Theatre appeared first on KPFA.

    1h 43m

  5. MAR 1

    The Probabilities Archive: Science Fiction Grandmaster Poul Anderson (1926-2001), 1978

    Poul Anderson (1926-2001), noted science fiction and fantasy author, winner of seven Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards, in conversation with the late Lawrence Davidson, recorded for the Probabilities radio program on KPFA on June 10, 1978. The late Poul Anderson, who died on July 31, 2001 at the age of 74, is considered one of the greatest science fiction and fantasy authors of the twentieth century. He even has an asteroid named in his honor. Known for his hard science writing, in particular his Polysotechnic League series as well as his Landry series and his Time Patrol series, he was also a master of fantasy. There were also historical novels and mysteries. His career began in 1947 at the age of 21 with stories in Astounding Science Fiction, and he became a professional writer a year later. One of his novels became a film, the Hugo nominated novel, The High Crusade, in 1994 about an alien spaceship landing in medieval England. It is currently not streaming in the United States though if you search, you can find a DVD copy. As with many of the writers of the pulp and paperback era, Poul Anderson is ripe for rediscovery. After Probabilities got its start in 1977, it was natural that the Orinda-based writer would become a guest on the show, though his libertarian politics put him at odds with much of the KPFA audience. This conversation with co-host Lawrence Davidson, recorded June 10, 1978, was likely Davidson’s very first solo interview and came before the show’s focus turned to the history of modern science fiction. For some unfathomable reason, Lawrence seemed to keep turning the focus to Anderson’s politics, to which the writer finally explained, a little exasperated, that he was basically a story-teller. The interview was digitized, remastered and edited on February 22, 2026, using the Adobe Podcast app to remove noise and echo. .   The post The Probabilities Archive: Science Fiction Grandmaster Poul Anderson (1926-2001), 1978 appeared first on KPFA.

    47 min

  6. FEB 22

    From the Archive: Antonia Fraser, “The Six Wives of Henry VIII,” 1992

    Lady Antonia Fraser, noted writer of English history and biography, discusses her book, “The Six Wives of Henry VIII” with Probabilities hosts Richard Wolinsky and Richard A. Lupoff, recorded November 17,1992 while she was on tour in San Francisco. With the arrest of the former Prince Andrew, we can look back at other scandals in the history of England, such as the story of Henry the Eighth and his six wives, seen through the eyes of the great historian Antonia Fraser. Antonia Fraser, now age 93, is best known for her various biographies and non-fiction works, often focusing on women in history and on various members of the British crown. She is also the author of several mysteries featuring her amateur detective, Jemima Share, published between 1977 and 1995, followed by two omnibus collections. At present, there are 17 works of history, plus three memoirs, one of which, Must You Go: My Life with Harold Pinter, about her life married to the late playwright who died in 2008, was published in 2010. Antonia’Fraser’s most recent book, Caroline Lamb: A Free Spirit, was published in 2023. Along with her discussion of English history, she also talks about her work as a mystery writer and her then most recent Jemima Shore novel, The Cavalier Case. The interview ends with a look at her next book, The Gunpowder Plot: Terror and Faith in 1605, which would be published in 1996.. She would return on tour for that book, and the second of two Probabilities/Cover to Cover interviews.   This interview was digitized, remastered and edited by Richard Wolinsky on February 20, 2026. An edited for time version aired in 1992, and the complete version has never seen the light of day until now. The post From the Archive: Antonia Fraser, “The Six Wives of Henry VIII,” 1992 appeared first on KPFA.

    1h 14m

  7. FEB 15

    John Fisher, Artistic Director of Theatre Rhino, writer/director/actor, “Left Field”

    John Fisher, Artistic Director of Theatre Rhino, and writer/dictor/actor in “Left Field,” which runs at Theatre Rhino from February 19th to March 15th , in conversation with Richard Wolinsky. Recorded February 4, 2026. Theatre Rhino is the longest running LGBTQ+ theatre company in America, and John Fisher has been its Artistic Director since 2002. His latest show, “Left Field” is about a gay man from San Francisco who, through a bizarre series of events, winds up as President of the United States. Written as a response to the Trump regime and its fascist agenda, “Left Field” is a comedy with serious overtones about a man who finds himself in the presidency with a completely opposite series of priorities. In this interview, John Fisher discusses the process of working on “Left Field,” and goes into detail about what an actor perceives on stage, and the changing Bay Area theatre audience. The post John Fisher, Artistic Director of Theatre Rhino, writer/director/actor, “Left Field” appeared first on KPFA.

    1h 7m

  8. FEB 8

    John Sayles, Film-maker and Novelist, “Crucible,” 2026

    John Sayles and Maggie Renzi. Photo: Richard Wolinsky John Sayles, author of the novel “Crucible” and director of eighteen independent films, including “Lone Star,” Eight Men Out” and “The Secret of Roan Inish” in conversation with Richard Wolinsky. They are joined by Maggie Renzi, John Sayles’ producer on fourteen of his eighteen films. John Sayles is best known for his work as a director, screenwriter and actor, though this is his sixth novel. Among the films he directed are Lone Star, Sunshine State, Eight Men Out, Matewan, The Brother from Another Planet, Baby It’s You and Passion Fish. His acting credits include small roles in several films, and he wrote the screenplay for the films he directed. Maggie Renzi, his wife, produced fourteen of his eighteen films, and acted in several of them. She is currently producing John’s upcoming western film, to be shot in Spain in Summer, 2026. In the first part of the interview, John Sayles discusses the real-life events behind his novel, “Crucible,” set between the 1920s and 1940s in Detroit  and Brazil and focusing on Henry Ford, and the workers at his plants, and his attempt to create a rubber plantation and city in the jungles of Brazil. In the second part, he and Maggie Renzi talk about the making of his films, from his early days as a screenwriter to some of his later work, including the three films mentioned above and “Matewan,” along with difficulties in streaming rights. The post John Sayles, Film-maker and Novelist, “Crucible,” 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

    2h 5m
See All (25)

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

You Might Also Like