Biography & Memoir

Biography & Memoir

episodes

Interviews with biographers and memoirists about their new books.

Elisabeth van Houts, "Empress Matilda: Queen of the Romans, Ruler of the English" (Yale UP, 2026)

July 25, 2026

Elisabeth van Houts, "Empress Matilda: Queen of the Romans, Ruler of the English"

Elisabeth van Houts
Hosted by Miranda Melcher

Born in 1102, Empress Matilda combined the blood of two dynasties: the house of Wessex and their conquerors, the dukes of Normandy. As a widowed Germa…

David Denby, "Eminent Jews: Bernstein, Brooks, Friedan, Mailer" (Henry Holt, 2025)

July 22, 2026

Eminent Jews

David Denby
Hosted by Marc Katz

What made a generation of Jewish artists and intellectuals transform American culture? In this episode, Rabbi Marc Katz sits down with acclaimed cultu…

Elad Lapidot, "State of Others: Levinas and Decolonial Israel" (Indiana UP, 2025)

July 21, 2026

State of Others

Elad Lapidot
Hosted by Amir Engel

Elad Lapidot is Professor of Jewish Thought at the University of Lille, France. His work is guided by questions concerning the relation between knowl…

Gayle F. Wald, "This Is Rhythm: Ella Jenkins, Children’s Music, and the Long Civil Rights Movement" (U Chicago Press, 2025)

July 15, 2026

This Is Rhythm

Gayle F. Wald
Hosted by Kristen Turner

Ella Jenkins (1924–2024) was one of the most influential musicians of the twentieth century, although many people have never heard of her. A pioneer i…

Sarah Kaminsky, "The Forger of Paris" (Doppelhouse Press, 2025)

July 15, 2026

The Forger of Paris

Sarah Kaminsky
Hosted by Ilana Maymind

The Forger of Paris (Doppelhouse Press, 2025) presents Adolfo Kaminsky’s biography in its only authorized edition, expanded with photographs from Kami…

Heidegger in Ruins

July 13, 2026

Heidegger in Ruins

Richard Wolin
Hosted by YIVO Institute

Martin Heidegger’s sympathies for the conservative revolution and National Socialism have long been well known. As the rector of the University of Fre…

Rachel Phan, "Restaurant Kid: A Memoir of Family and Belonging" (Douglas & McIntyre, 2025)

July 11, 2026

Restaurant Kid

Rachel Phan
Hosted by Hollay Ghadery

In this NBN episode, host Hollay Ghadery speaks with Rachel Phan about her powerful memoir, Restaurant Kid: A Memoir of Family & Belonging (Douglas & …

Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill, "Blow by Blow: The Jeff Beck Story" (Da Capo, 2026)

July 9, 2026

Blow by Blow

Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill
Hosted by Rebekah Buchanan

With his shag haircut and white Stratocaster guitar, Jeff Beck was an icon known and loved by millions. Yet somehow, he maintained the ineffable low p…

Ted Powell, "Churchill and the Crown" (Oxford UP, 2026)

July 6, 2026

Churchill and the Crown

Ted Powell
Hosted by Charles Coutinho

Winston Churchill was born in a palace and was given a funeral worthy of a king. His family had enjoyed an intimate association with the British m…

Thy Will Be Done: George Washington's Legacy of Slavery and the Fight for American Memory

July 2, 2026

Thy Will Be Done

John Garrison Marks

In Thy Will Be Done: George Washington's Legacy of Slavery and the Fight for American Memory (UNC Press, 2026), historian John Garrison Marks tells th…

Thomas Paine at the Semiquincentennial: A Conversation with Gregory Claeys

July 1, 2026

Thomas Paine at the Semiquincentennial

Gregory Claeys
Hosted by Caleb Zakarin

Thomas Paine: Collected Writings (Princeton University Press, 2026) is the first major new edition of Paine’s works, bringing together all his writing…

Christopher de Bellaigue, "The Golden Throne: The Curse of a King" (Bodley Head, 2025)

June 29, 2026

The Golden Throne

Christopher de Bellaigue
Hosted by Lucas Tse

What does a 16th century ruler reveal about the nature of power, past and present? Istanbul, 1538. The greatest of the Ottoman Sultans is at the pinn…

Andrew Wilson, "I Wanna Be Loved By You: Marilyn Monroe: A Life in 100 Takes" (Grand Central Publishing, 2026)

June 28, 2026

I Wanna Be Loved By You

Andrew Wilson
Hosted by Rebekah Buchanan

Publishing one hundred years after her birth, Andrew Wilson’s biography of Marilyn Monroe, I Wanna Be Loved By You: Marilyn Monroe: A Life in 100 Take…

Fred S. Naiden, "Railroaded: A Motorman’s Story of the New York City Subway" (Rutgers UP, 2026)

June 28, 2026

Railroaded

Fred S. Naiden
Hosted by Robert Snyder

Fred S. Naiden, professor emeritus of history of at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is an authority on the ancient world. In the 1980…

Thomas S. Mullaney, "How We Disappear: A Personal History of Information" (W. W. Norton, 2026)

June 28, 2026

How We Disappear

Thomas S. Mullaney
Hosted by Caleb Zakarin

This is the third time I have the great fortune of interviewing Tom Mullaney. I can hardly think of a more worthy ambassador for the history disciplin…

Philip Norman, "Mr. Moonlight: Brian Epstein and the Making of the Beatles" (Da Capo Press, 2026)

June 26, 2026

Mr. Moonlight

Philip Norman
Hosted by Rebekah Buchanan

Philip Norman's latest biography, Mr. Moonlight (DaCapo Press, 2026) is the definitive, comprehensive biography of Brian Epstein--the man who built th…

Xiaobing Li, "China’s Mahan: Admiral Liu Huaqing and the Rise of the Modern Chinese Navy (Naval Institute Press, 2026)

June 25, 2026

China's Mahan

Xiaobing Li
Hosted by Nicholas Gordon

In 2012, China debuted its first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, a refurbished Soviet-era ship from Ukraine. The debut of the Liaoning was largely tha…

Where Harlem Rests at the Woodlawn Cemetery

June 23, 2026

Where Harlem Rests at the Woodlawn Cemetery

Eric K. Washington (Woodlawn Cemetery & Conservancy)
Hosted by Sullivan Summer

A cemetery as open-air museum? Historian and award-winning author of Boss of the Grips: The Life of James H. Williams and the Red Caps of Grand Centra…

Fearfully and Wonderfully Broken (Sydney Anne Bennett): A Young Woman Facing A Neurological Disorder Is A Case Study In Theodicy

June 22, 2026

Fearfully and Wonderfully Broken (Sydney Anne Bennett)

At age 22, Sydney’s Bennett’s brain stopped communicating with her body correctly; she was suffering from Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), a co…

Samantha Ellis, "Always Carry Salt: A Memoir of Preserving Language and Culture" (Pegasus Books, 2026)

June 17, 2026

Always Carry Salt

Samantha Ellis
Hosted by Drora Arussy

I had the privilege of speaking with writer Samantha Ellis about her deeply moving new book, Always Carry Salt: A Memoir of Preserving Language and Cu…