Writers at Work

Henry Alford

My guest on this episode of Writers at Work is Henry Alford, whose latest book is I DREAM OF JONI: A PORTRAIT OF JONI MITCHELL IN 53 SNAPSHOTS. You may know Henry's work in the New Yorker, for whom he's written for a good long while, or his contributions to Vanity Fair, The New York Times, and Spy Magazine.
You can find a collection of his early essays, in MUNICIPAL BONDAGE, published in 1994. Often writing about the absurd, including absurdities he's cooked up, he's been called an investigative humorist, which just about says it. I say just about because I DREAM OF JONI emerges as a serious work of biography about Mitchell, who (Dylan fans, cover your ears) is the greatest artist to emerge from the 1960s folk scene.
Henry's 53 snapshots are sections, some a full chapter, others a few lines that, taken together, present Mitchell in a manner that I've not come across previously. I DREAM OF JONI is Henry's sixth book. He's written about dance, manners, the hard-won wisdom of the elderly, and how, at age 34, he tried to become a professional actor.
Delving into his back catalog is a trip worth taking. I've been an Alford fan for a while. I always perked up when I heard him on Fresh Air or Studio360. And it goes without saying that I'm a Joni Mitchell fan. So seeing her through his eyes was an absolute treat and a revelation.

Ken Ludwig

My guest on this episode of Writers at Work is playwright Ken Ludwig. His Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise is running now at New York's 59E59 Theaters. Playbill says Ken Ludwig may be the most-performed playwright of his generation. He's had six productions on Broadway and eight in London's West End. His 34 plays and musicals are staged throughout the US and around the world every night of the week.
It's quality as well as quantity with Ken. He's won Tony awards for his Lend Me a Tenor and Crazy for You, countless other awards unique to theater communities, and one for his bestselling book, How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare.
I want to talk with Ken about his approach to writing, but I'm still in the glow of Dear Jack, Dear Louise, which confirms his genius for distinctive storytelling. Jack and Louise are Ken's parents, and the play is their story, how they met by exchanging letters during World War II. Those letters reveal not only the characters, personalities and ambitions, but also a time in our country's history. What began as a long-distance meet-cute story becomes something else as the play unfolds. I'm eager to hear how Ken conceived it and wrote it.

Gail Crowther

My guest on this episode of Writers at Work is Gail Crowther, whose latest book, DOROTHY PARKER IN HOLLYWOOD, examines the life of Parker in an unexpected context. Not in New York, where she began a career in journalism, was a founding member of the Algonquin Roundtable, and established her reputation as a poet and all-around acerbic wit, but in Southern California, where she lived for three decades.
Three seemingly miserable decades. A writer, researcher and academic, Dr. Crowther's previous books include THREE MARTINI AFTERNOONS AT THE RITZ, a dual biography exploring the social rebellion of Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton, THE HAUNTED READER AND SYLVIA PLATH and SYLVIA PLATH IN DEVON: A YEAR'S TURNING co-written with Elizabeth Sigmund.
On the surface, Dorothy Parker seems an entirely different type of subject from Plath and Sexton, authors of highly personal and revealing poetry that's anything but glib. But in DOROTHY PARKER IN HOLLYWOOD, we see a talented, troubled artist whose gift for satire may have developed as a shield to ward off further unhappiness.
There is much to recommend in DOROTHY PARKER IN HOLLYWOOD, not the least of which is witnessing Parker in what to readers is an unfamiliar, often glamorous, yet unsatisfying setting. I enjoyed Crowther’s Parker portrayal, and I'm happy to discuss the book and other matters with her.

Brad Meltzer

My guest on this episode of Writers at Work is Brad Meltzer, whose latest book is THE JFK CONSPIRACY: THE SECRET PLOT TO KILL KENNEDY—AND WHY IT FAILED, written with Josh Mensch. It follows their three similar fact-based thrillers about plots to kill George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and FDR, Stalin and Churchill.
 
Since the publication of his first novel, THE TENTH JUSTICE, in 1997, Brad's work has been a ubiquitous presence in libraries, bookstores and on bestseller lists. In addition to his notable novels and nonfiction work, he is an award-winning, much-admired comic book writer, TV writer and host, and public speaker.
 
A tireless researcher who earned his J.D. degree at Columbia Law School, Brad enjoyed the insights and assistance of former presidents Clinton and W. Bush and has worked with members of the US Intelligence community. And let's not overlook his utterly charming and informative Ordinary People Change the World Series for Young Readers with illustrator Chris Eliopoulos.
 
A decade after the initial I AM ABRAHAM LINCOLN, I AM AMELIA EARHART, I AM ROSA PARKS and I AM ALBERT EINSTEIN were published, 2024 saw the arrival of I AM RUTH BADER GINSBURG and I AM STEPHEN HAWKING. This year will bring I AM SALLY RIDE and WE ARE THE BEATLES.
 
Because he is such a part of the cultural landscape, it can appear that Brad Meltzer arrived fully formed with success and inevitability. But as every writer can attest, it is never the case. And it was not with Brad. As his bio indicates, he has long put in the work necessary to have a forum to say what he wants to say.

Rachael New

The on this episode of Writers at Work is Rachel New, creator, showrunner, and primary writer of Miss Scarlet, the Victorian era crime drama now in its 5th season. It's streaming here and there and will launch on PBS Masterpiece on January 12.
In its four previous seasons, the series was known as Miss Scarlet and the Duke. Miss Scarlet fans know that the Duke is gone. Scotland Yard detective inspector William Wellington has left London for a position with the New York City Police Department, placing him far from the private investigator, Eliza Scarlet. What will become of their contentious relationship that has blossomed into a romance? And how will Miss Scarlet, who is a more than competent PI, adjust to a new detective inspector who, unlike his blunt force predecessor, is cool and deliberate and declares absolute disinterest in working with private investigators?
Those are questions for Rachel New, who launched the series back in 2020. Prior to that, she wrote for many TV series in the UK, beginning with Monday Monday, a comedy set in the headquarters of a supermarket chain, and Trollied, also set in a supermarket. She has a long list of credentials now topped by Miss Scarlett, which works beautifully as a crime series and a glimpse into a vividly depicted Victorian society.

Elijah Wald

My guest on this episode of Writers at Work is Elijah Wald, veteran music journalist, cultural critic and well-traveled blues and folk guitarist. That last attribute is meaningful. If Elijah brings a "been there, done that" feel when writing about the likes of Robert Johnson, Josh White, Dave Van Ronk, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan, it's because he's been there and done that.
 
Accordingly, mythology can't fool him, and he knows the story lies in the facts. Elijah's bio is fascinating, and I encourage you to seek out what you can find out about him. Though his latest book is JELLY ROLL BLUES: CENSORED SONGS AND HIDDEN HISTORIES, a typically rich Wald foray into a world of music. We're going to spend our time together discussing his 2015 book DYLAN GOES ELECTRIC!: NEWPORT, SEEGER, DYLAN, AND THE NIGHT THAT SPLIT THE SIXTIES.
 
It's the basis for the new film, A COMPLETE UNKNOWN, James Mangold's bio drama about Bob Dylan, his arrival in Greenwich Village, his growth as an artist, and his controversial set at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. Even if—or especially if—you've seen the film (and I think everyone I know has), you will learn from Elijah that there is much more to the story than can be conveyed in a 141-minute film.
 
To say Elijah explains it all might be overstating it, but not by much.

Tribute to Rod Serling

This episode of Writers at Work pays tribute a man who is high on the short list of the best writers in the history of the TV medium. He is Rod Serling and this week marks the centennial of his birth on December 25, 1924.

M.T. Anderson

Today on Writers at Work, I'll be speaking with M.T. Anderson, an author of enormous imagination. His latest novel, NICKED, is his first for adult readers. It's set in 1087, and a gang of misfits is sailing to what's known today as Turkey to recover the 700-year-old bones of St. Nicholas. Yes, that St. Nicholas.
But NICKED is not a Christmas story. It is an amazement aptly described as a swashbuckling saga, a meditation on miraculous, and medieval noir. And it features a wonderful character, Brother Nicephorus, a gentle dreamer who, in his innocence, may be the wisest participant in this adventure.
Matthew Tobin Anderson has had three of his novels shortlisted for the National Book Award in the Young Person's Literature category. His THE ASTONISHING LIFE OF OCTAVIAN NOTHING, TRAITOR TO THE NATION, VOL. I: THE POX PARTY, won that award. This year, his ELF DOG & OWL HEAD received a Newbery Honor.
 
TIME magazine called his 2002 novel FEED one of the 100 Best YA Books of All Time. FEED portrays a dystopian society in which the citizenry is controlled by implants that permit, among other things, an endless barrage of messages from corporations. Through his novels and his picture books, he's also introduced young readers to classical musicians Frederick Handel, Eric Sati and Dmitri Shostakovich.