Big Books & Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller

Kerri Miller Podcast Tile
Big Books & Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller
MPR News

Where readers meet writers, Fridays at 11 a.m. Listen live or stream later on your favorite podcast app.

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Books Coverage: The Thread | About: Kerri Miller

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Boyah J. Farah on how America made him a Black man
Boyah J. Farah fell in love with America as a refugee escaping war in Somalia. But it’s become a sometimes painful and deeply complicated relationship. Farah new memoir, “America Made Me a Black Man,” is a poetic, thoughtful and honest accounting of his journey.
From the archives: Emily Bernard and the complexity of being a black woman in America
This week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas conversation is with Boyah J. Farah. His new book, “America Made me a Black Man,” traces his path from Somalia to the United States. Emily Bernard also knows what it is like to wrestle with being Black in this country. Enjoy her 2019 interview as you anticipate the show with Farah on Friday.
How art and poetry inspired Maggie O'Farrell's new novel
Full of the beauty and drama she used to bring to life the Shakespearean story of “Hamnet,” Maggie O’Farrell turns to Renaissance Italy in her new novel, “The Marriage Portrait,” where she paints a picture of a resilient young girl trying to avoid being killed by her new husband.
From the archives: Lauren Groff discusses 'Matrix' at Talking Volumes
This Friday’s Big Books and Bold Ideas will feature a conversation with Maggie O’Farrell, whose new book “The Marriage Portrait,” is set in 16th century Italy. That’s not unlike Lauren Groff’s 2021 hit, “Matrix,” which plays out in medieval France. So for this week’s deep cut, enjoy Groff talking with MPR News host Kerri Miller at last year’s Talking Volumes.
The U.S. urban-rural divide is mostly a myth. Here's what's real.
If you live in a city or suburb, what you think you know about rural America is either outdated or wrong. On a special episode of Minnesota Now, host Kerri Miller talks with two academics who grew up and still live in rural areas to dispel the misunderstandings that feed the urban-rural divide.
The 2022 season of Talking Volumes launched Sept. 14 with Karen Armstrong and MPR News host Kerri Miller returning to the Fitzgerald Theater stage.
From the archives: Karen Armstrong on ‘The Lost Art of Scripture’
The 2022 season of Talking Volumes launches this week with Karen Armstrong and her new book, “Sacred Nature: Restoring our Ancient Bond with the Natural World.” So we thought it only appropriate to make this week’s dip into the archives the last time Armstrong was on the Talking Volumes stage. It was in 2019, when she joined host Kerri Miller to discuss “The Lost Art of Scripture.”
Science journalist Ed Yong on how animals sense the world
Award-winning science journalist Ed Yong is out with a new book about the ways animals perceive their surroundings. In “An Immense World,” he shares fascinating stories that help us understand and appreciate the many creatures who share the planet with us but live in entirely different sensory spheres.
From the archives: Animal behaviorist Clive Wynne on doggy love
We love dogs. But do they love us back? One canine researcher says yes. Let this 2020 conversation whet your appetite for a discussion with journalist Ed Yong coming this Friday, when he and host Kerri Miller will talk about his fascinating new book about animals, “An Immense World.”