Writing
British 'Office' co-creator Stephen Merchant isn't afraid to fuse comedy with tragedy
Merchant co-created the British Office and Extras with Ricky Gervais. His new show, The Outlaws, is about people court-ordered to do community service for low-level crimes. He spoke with producer Sam Briger about what inspired the new series, his best writing advice, and how being very tall (6'7") has informed his personality.
Finishing 'Sunday In The Park': Behind-The-Scenes Stories Of Working With Sondheim
James Lapine worked with Stephen Sondheim on Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods and Passion. In Putting it Together, he draws on interviews with Sondheim and members of the cast and crew.
Stephen Colbert On Missing His Live Audience And Making Comedy A Family Business
Stephen Colbert reflects on life and doing his show during the pandemic, and surviving the Trump presidency.
Emerald Fennell's 'Promising Young Woman' Doesn't Let Anyone Off The Hook
Promising Young Woman marks the directing debut of Emerald Fennell. The movie has been nominated for five Academy Awards, including best director and best original screenplay. Fennell describes the film as "a kind of fantasy — with wish fulfillment" but also as something "much darker and, I hope, more honest than that."
'Soul' Creators On Passion, Purpose And Realizing You're 'Enough'
The Oscar-nominated movie Soul tackles passion, purpose and the meaning of life — topics that aren't usually addressed in animated films, a talk with the co-writers and directors Pete Docter and Kemp Powers.
Tim O'Brien On Late-In-Life Fatherhood And The Things He Carried From Vietnam
O'Brien reflects on writing, mortality and his experiences in Vietnam in the new documentary, The War and Peace of Tim O'Brien.
Remembering Nature Writer Barry Lopez
Lopez, who died Dec. 25, won the 1986 National Book Award for Arctic Dreams, an account of his travels in the far north over a period of four years. Originally broadcast in 1989 and 2013.
Novelist Donald Ray Pollock On Factory Work And Finding Fiction Later In Life
Pollock worked in a paper mill and meatpacking plant for 32 years before becoming a writer. Netflix's film version of his novel, The Devil All the Time, drops Sept. 16. Originally broadcast in 2011.
Stephen King Is Sorry You Feel Like You're Stuck In A Stephen King Novel
In his 1978 novel The Stand, author Stephen King wrote about a viral pandemic that decimated the world's population. And he gets it when fans say experiencing the COVID-19 outbreak feels like stepping into one of his horror stories.
'Emphasize The Positive': James McBride On The Kindness That Shaped Him
James McBride is best known for his memoir, The Color of Water, about being the son of an African American father and a white mother. His new novel, Deacon King Kong, takes place in 1969, in a Brooklyn housing project, similar to the one he grew up in., and involves the wide consequences of a shooting.