Essays

"These Vital Signs: A Doctor's Notes on Life and Loss in Tweets"

A book of essays, stories, and Twitter poems that takes on themes of sickness, health, dying, living, grief, and joy -- the remarkable musings of one doctor and the patients who have shaped him.

"A Doctor's Journey Through Constraints and Creativity in the ER" (Encore)

"In this collection of brief, touching essays, an emergency room doctor presents poignant stories about disease and loneliness and argues that medical professionals are 'stewards' of their patients' stories, morally obligated to look beyond data and tests." -- The New York Times Book Review

Barry Friedman holds forth on his late father -- memorably, hilariously, and sometimes movingly -- in "Jack Sh*t"

The subtitle of this essay collection pretty much tells us what to expect: "Voluptuous Bagels and Other Concerns of Jack Friedman, Volume One."

A conversation with the critically acclaimed writer of both fiction and nonfiction, Ann Patchett

We chat with the gifted American author whose many books include "The Patron Saint of Liars," "The Magician's Assistant," "Bel Canto," and "The Dutch House."

ST presents Museum Confidential: Hilton Als on Joan Didion

"Joan Didion: What She Means" is an art exhibition now on view at UCLA's Hammer Museum; it renders the great writer's life and work through the creations of nearly 50 artists, including Betye Saar, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Maren Hassinger, and Ed Ruscha.

Hilton Als on Joan Didion

Museum Confidential: Season 7, Episode 5.

"Uncertain Ground: Citizenship in an Age of Endless, Invisible War" (Encore)

On this Veterans Day, we revisit our conversation from last May with Phil Klay, the National Book Award-winning author and U.S. Marine Corps vet.

"Tornado of Life: A Doctor's Journey Through Constraints and Creativity in the ER"

"In this collection of brief, touching essays, an emergency room doctor presents poignant stories about disease and loneliness and argues that medical professionals are 'stewards' of their patients' stories, morally obligated to look beyond data and tests." -- The New York Times Book Review

Literature as resistance: A conversation with Azar Nafisi (Encore)

"Nafisi...has a talent for combining the academic and the everyday, the theoretical and the personal, and thanks to her deliberate and confident voice, the lessons [in this book] will stick with us, too." -- The New York Times Book Review

With the Juneteenth holiday approaching, we revisit our discussion of "Unsung: Unheralded Narratives of American Slavery and Abolition"

"[A] remarkable anthology.... As a whole, this collection showcases the vastness of Black thinking and writing, and nicely complements works by Martha S. Jones and Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers. Complete with a list of suggestions for further reading, this winning anthology is a must for all interested in Black history, but unsure where to start." -- Library Journal (starred review)