Writers & Writing

Dictionaries are deceptively simple, and incredibly ambitious. NPR's Don Gonyea talks to Stefan Fatsis about his book, "Unabridged: The Thrill of (and Threat to) The Modern Dictionary."

Dictionaries are deceptively simple, and incredibly ambitious. NPR's Don Gonyea talks to Stefan Fatsis about his book, "Unabridged: The Thrill of (and Threat to) The Modern Dictionary."

Renowned comic journalist Joe Sacco on how a 2013 conflict between Hindus and Muslims in India became a window into the stories people tell about violence, identity, and belonging

Residents of Lanier, Indiana are disturbed, amused or bored by an emailed sex survey. NPR's Scott Simon talks with Robyn Ryle about her collection of short stories, "Sex of the Midwest."

Residents of Lanier, Indiana are disturbed, amused or bored by an emailed sex survey. NPR's Scott Simon talks with Robyn Ryle about her collection of short stories, "Sex of the Midwest."

Alysia Abbott was raised by a single father at the dawn of the gay liberation era. Sofia Coppola recently adapted Abbott's memoir, Fairyland, to film. Originally broadcast in 2013.

Every Monday night for the past five years, chef Samin Nosrat makes dinner with friends. She explains how she's been able to maintain this ritual, plus her "criminally good" recipe for garlic bread.

Rebecca dominates du Maurier's legacy, but she wrote plenty of other macabre novels and short stories. A collection called After Midnight gathers 13 of these tales, with an intro by Stephen King.

NoiseCat is the son of an Indigenous Canadian father and white mother. After a cultural genocide, he says, living your life becomes an existential question. His new memoir is We Survived the Night.

Dorie Greenspan knows how to make an elaborate tiered wedding cake cascading with flowers, or a sculpted Darth Vader cake. But she's pretty clear that she doesn't want to.