The New York Public Library Podcast

This week, we’re honoring the memory of Oliver Sacks, esteemed neurologist and author of numerous bestselling books, including “Awakenings”, “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat,” and, most recently, his autobiography “On the Move.” We’re reaching back in the archives to 2009, when Dr. Sacks delivered NYPL’s annual Robert B. Silvers lecture. In this fascinating talk, Dr. Sacks explores the musical hallucinations of the deaf, the visual hallucinations of the blind, and more strange behaviors of the human brain.

On the heels of the blockbuster success of her latest novel, “Americanah,” Adichie sat down with Smith at NYPL’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture to discuss the critically acclaimed book and how it came to be. In their far-reaching conversation, Adichie and Smith talk about race, feminism, and finding one’s identity in a globalized world.

The Macarthur Award-winning author joins us to celebrate the release of his latest book, “The Noble Hustle: Poker, Beef Jerky & Death,” which chronicles his experience as an amateur card player trying his hand at the World Series of Poker. In a conversation with NYPL’s Jessica Strand, Whitehead discusses his mediocre card skills, the grueling training regimen that prepared him for the tournament, and what he learned about the human condition in Las Vegas.

Eighteen years ago, storytelling collective The Moth launched what has become a world-wide storytelling movement. In this captivating show, we join novelist and Moth Founder George Dawes Green, writer Andrew Solomon, and The Moth's long-time Artistic Director Catherine Burns for a performance and discussion with NYPL’s Paul Holdengräber about the craft of storytelling and its power to re-shape the world.

Lou Reed, Mo Tucker, and Doug Yule of the Velvet Underground reunited at the Library in 2009 for a discussion with Rolling Stone journalist David Fricke. In this provocative conversation, the three legendary musicians talk about strange performance venues, the energy of New York, and how it felt to go where no musician had gone before.

The bestselling author's latest book, “The Odd Woman and the City,” was released this May to critical acclaim. In this conversation with NYPL’s Jessica Strand, Gornick talks about modern feminists, New York City, and the evolution of friendship over the past two centuries.

Former editor-in-chief of The Guardian and a keen amateur pianist, Alan Rusbridger's book “Play It Again” recounts how he learned Chopin’s Ballade No. 1 during a year bookended by Wikileaks and the News of the World phone-hacking scandal. Together with NYPL’s Paul Holdengraber, Rusbridger discusses music, the Pentagon Papers, and why he always carries a destroyed government hard drive in his breast pocket.

This week, we’re taking you back in the archives to a captivating conversation with Patti Smith, the beloved and critically acclaimed artist and performer. Smith came to the Library in 2010 to mark the release of her book “Just Kids,” which chronicles her relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in 1960s and 70s New York City. Joined by NYPL’s Paul Holdengraber, Patti Smith takes the stage to discuss friendship, youth, and her creative awakening — and maybe even sing a song or two.

This week on the podcast, we welcome renowned photographer Sally Mann, whose works are included in the permanent collections at the Whitney Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, among many others. Mann came to the Library this spring to celebrate the release of her latest book, “Hold Still: A Memoir With Photographs.” In this conversation with NYPL’s Jessica Strand, Mann discusses memory, mortality, and how she crafted a striking personal history through image and narrative.

This week, we’re excited to welcome legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog, whose numerous, award-winning films have made him one of the most influential directors of New German Cinema and contemporary film around the world. In a conversation co-presented by the Onassis Cultural Center of New York, Herzog talks to NYPL’s Paul Holdengraber about Ancient Greek literature and its influence on his cinematic work over the past half-century.

This week, we’re celebrating Pride Month with popular writer and gay activist Dan Savage, author of the advice column "Savage Love" and creator of the Emmy-winning "It Gets Better" campaign. Along with fellow writer and political commentator Andrew Sullivan, Savage came to the Library back in 2013 to mark the release of his latest book, “American Savage.” In this entertaining and thought-provoking conversation, Sullivan and Savage talk about moralism, marriage, and monogamy.

This week, we’re thrilled to welcome Suzanne Farrell, one of George Balanchine’s most celebrated muses and a legendary figure in the ballet world. The world-renowned dancer inspired some of Balanchine's finest choreography, and today, she helps maintain his legacy as founder of the Balanchine Preservation Initiative and her own ballet company at The Kennedy Center. In a thought-provoking conversation with NYPL’s Paul Holdengraber, Farrell reflects on Balanchine, ballet, and her influence on both.

This week, we’ll be hearing from a panel of writers and innovators on the often talked about, but rarely understood, Bitcoin. New York Times reporter Nathaniel Popper, whose book “Digital Gold” tells the story of this trail-blazing virtual currency, will be joined on stage by Gavin Andresen, the programmer who has been leading the Bitcoin project since 2010, and Fred Wilson, one of the biggest venture capitalists backing the project. In a conversation moderated by New York Times columnist and CNBC anchor Andrew Ross Sorkin, this group of powerful thinkers discusses virtual currency and the future of money in the digital age.

This week, we’re excited to welcome Damien Echols, whose bestselling memoir “Life After Death” describes how he was falsely convicted of three murders and spent nearly eighteen years on death row. He’s joined by performer and activist Henry Rollins for a conversation about prison life, holding onto memories, and how to stay hopeful in the worst of times.

In his first public discussion of the show from beginning to end, "Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner sits down with writer A.M. Homes to talk about the show’s themes, the fates of its characters, and the enigmatic final episode.

He's written a memoir Not My Father's Son. He's Eli Gold on The Good Wife. He's been Nightcrawler in X-2: Men United and Hamlet and Mr. Elton in the film adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma. He's Alan Cumming, and we're so pleased to share his recent appearance at Books at Noon in this week's episode of the New York Public Library podcast.

Internationally renowned fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg comes to NYPL for a conversation with Rhonda Garelick, award-winning scholar and author of “Mademoiselle: Coco Chanel and the Pulse of History.” Together, von Furstenberg and Garelick discuss success, women taking the lead, and what it means to be a fashion icon.

In this inspiring conversation with NYPL President Tony Marx, Sotomayor talks about her early life in the Bronx, the importance of education, and her rise to becoming one of the most powerful women in America today.  

The author and popular op-ed columnist for the New York Times joins us to discuss his latest book, “Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania.” Talking to NYPL’s own Jessica Strand, Bruni reflects on modern anxieties, higher education, and what truly defines success.

Bestselling and prolific author T.C. Boyle comes to NYPL to discuss his twenty-fifth book, “The Harder They Come.” In this witty conversation with the Library’s Jessica Strand, Boyle talks about irony, black humor, and America’s obsession with image and materialism.