Library Talks
Dana Spiotta on Good People, Heroes, & Writing

Dana Spiotta is the National Book Award-nominated author of “Stone Arabia.” In this conversation with NYPL’s Jessica Strand, Spiotta talks about art, friendships, and her new novel, “Innocents and Others.”

Direct download: 104_Spiotta.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

Darryl Pinckney & Zadie Smith on Achievement & Beyoncé

This week, we welcome two award-winning authors: American writer Darryl Pinckney and popular English novelist Zadie Smith. In this wide-ranging conversation, Pinckney and Smith talk about race, class, and Pinckney’s new novel, “Black Deutschland.”

Direct download: 103_Pinckney__Smith.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

Jhumpa Lahiri on Language & Disorder

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri comes to the Library to celebrate the release of her new novel, “In Other Words.” In this conversation with NYPL’s Paul Holdengraber, Lahiri talks about nostalgia, expression, and her love of the Italian language.

Direct download: 102_Lahiri.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

Debbie Harry with Chris Stein on Beatniks, the Stillettoes, & Style

Debbie Harry and Chris Stein of Blondie came to NYPL’s Library for the Performing Arts in 2013 for a talk with Rolling Stone senior critic Will Hermes. In this rousing conversation, Harry and Stein discuss punk, photography, and the New York City music scene in the 1970s.

Direct download: 101_Blondie.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

The Future of Black History

Ta-Nehisi Coates, Toni Morrison, Jay-Z, and Zadie Smith are just a few among the black authors and creators we'll hear from this week. In our 100th episode, we present the men and women making black history today, from music moguls to authors, chefs to television stars. Please join us for a look at of some of the most incredible guests The New York Public Library and The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture have had the privilege to host.

In order of appearance:
Marcus Samuelsson
Ntozake Shange
Charles Blow
Tavis Smiley
George Clinton (with Paul Holdengraber)
Shaquille O'Neal
Timbaland (with William Jelani Cobb)
Ta-Nehisi Coates (with Khalil Gibran Muhammad)
RuPaul
Toni Morrison & Angela Davis
Zadie Smith & Chimamanda Adichie
Jay-Z (with Cornel West)
Jesmyn Ward (with William Jelani Cobb & Khalil Gibran Muhammad)
Toni Morrison
Zadie Smith

Music by: Blue Dot Sessions, Chris Zabriskie, and Hot Acid Alien Lust Bomb.

Direct download: 100_BHM_Super.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

Russell Simmons & Rick Rubin on Music & Meditation

We’re going back in the archives to bring you a conversation with the founders of record label Def Jam Recordings: music producers Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin. In this talk with NYPL’s Paul Holdengraber, Simmons and Rubin discuss hip hop, collaboration, and the importance of speaking your own truth.

Direct download: 99_Def_Jam.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

Yusef Komunyakaa on Politics, Imagery, & Memorizing Poetry

Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet Yusef Komunyakaa came to the Library last October to celebrate the release of his latest book, “The Emperor of Water Clocks.” In this engrossing conversation with NYPL’s Jessica Strand, Komunyakaa talks about music, Langston Hughes, and his literary coming of age.

Direct download: 98_Komunyakaa.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

Toni Morrison and Angela Davis on Connecting for Progress

We’re kicking off Black History Month with Pulitzer and Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison, who came to NYPL in 2010 for a conversation with activist and author Angela Davis. In this wide-ranging talk, Morrison and Davis discuss Frederick Douglass, education, and liberation.

Direct download: 97_Morrison__Davis.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:06am EDT

Francine Prose on YouTube, Sentences, & War

Award-winning author Francine Prose came to the Library to talk about her latest novel, “Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932.” In this conversation with NYPL’s Jessica Strand, Prose discusses love, storytelling, and how to read like a writer.

Direct download: 96_Prose_-_12516_12.45_PM.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:30am EDT

Junot Díaz on Intimacy & the Game of Fiction

Bestselling author Junot Díaz came to the Library in 2013 to mark the release of his book “This Is How You Lose Her.” In this conversation with NYPL’s Paul Holdengraber, Díaz talks about family, love, and the American immigrant experience.

Direct download: 95_Diaz.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:30am EDT