New Letters on the Air

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Listening to New Letters on the Air is like eavesdropping on intimate conversations with favorite writers who reveal secrets about their creative methods, read a few favorite passages, and inspire the listener's imagination.

NEW LETTERS ON THE AIR is a weekly half-hour show that has been entertaining and informing audiences about contemporary writers and literature since 1977. Each week, the program focuses on a writer of poetry, fiction or essays, either in an intimate interview or in a public reading before an audience. Post-produced with narrative and music, NEW LETTERS ON THE AIR gives insight into the creative writing process and the universal stories that writers tell.

Each show is self-contained and undated, except for the occasional holiday or theme related program. 30- and 60-second produced promos are provided weekly on the PRSS promo satellite feeds and on Content Depot. Written promos are posted weekly on the DACS along with the timings and cues. Other distribution methods are available.

Though educational, NEW LETTERS ON THE AIR is not pedantic, and the conversation is often filled with laughter as authors discuss and read from their books. Our archive programs contain many Nobel Laureates, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winners, along with recipients of other major literary awards. Recent guests include poets Sherman Alexie, Naomi Shihab Nye, Billy Collins, and Alicia Ostriker; dramatists August Wilson, Suzan-Lori Parks, and Tony Kushner; essayists Meghan Daum, Susan Orlean, and David Sedaris; fiction writers Richard Russo, Jane Smiley, and Ha Jin. The program also features less-familiar but remarkable writers whose work and contributions are equally engaging.

"Most people have a creative streak, whether they're interested in writing or not," says Angela Elam, host of NEW LETTERS ON THE AIR. "I hope by exploring the writer's process and hearing work that captures the essence of our lives, the program will inspire listeners to do something creative in their own way."

Series

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5 Pieces

NOTE: ALL EPISODES CAN STAND ALONE; NO OBLIGATION TO RUN THE ENTIRE SERIES. This five-episode series of one-hour programs features 17 of the men and women who have served as United States Poet Laureates over the past four decades, from the late Howard Nemerov (1963-64) to Donald Hall (beginning 2006). These conversations and readings of poetry vary from humorous to heavy, but are always thought-provoking, and are perfect for National Poetry Month in April, though they can be used anytime.


Pieces

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Anthony Grooms, author of the novel BOMBINGHAM, reads from his recent novel, THE VAIN CONVERSATION, based on a 1946 lynching of two black couples i...

Bought by GCR (Global Community Radio)


  • Added: Jan 21, 2021
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 1
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Stewart O'Nan, the author of 20 plus books including EMILY, ALONE and LAST NIGHT AT THE LOBSTER, reads from his later novel, CITY OF SECRETS, and d...

Bought by GCR (Global Community Radio)


  • Added: Jan 14, 2021
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 1
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Native American poet Deborah Miranda, author of the 2020 collection ALTER OF BROKEN THINGS, reads from her multi-genre book, BAD INDIANS: A TRIBAL...

Bought by KZMU Moab Community Radio and WNJR


  • Added: Jan 07, 2021
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 2
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Virginia Brackett, the author of 15 books, discusses her 2019 family memoir, IN THE COMPANY OF PATRIOTS. She reveals how she used family stories, s...

Bought by GCR (Global Community Radio)


  • Added: Dec 31, 2020
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 1
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MacArthur Fellow Ben Lerner discusses his third acclaimed novel, THE TOPEKA SCHOOL, winner of the 2019 Los Angeles Times Book Award. A previous pro...

Bought by GCR (Global Community Radio)


  • Added: Dec 21, 2020
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 1
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Kansas native Ben Lerner penned three collections of poetry before turning to fiction. While at the Kansas City Public Library, Lerner reads from h...

Bought by GCR (Global Community Radio)


  • Added: Dec 08, 2020
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: PRX default Piece image
Poet Heid E. Erdrich, whose 2020 book, LITTLE BIG BULLY, is a National Poetry Series Award winner, comes from a talented family that includes oldes...

Bought by GCR (Global Community Radio)


  • Added: Nov 30, 2020
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 1
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We continue Native American Heritage Month with Sherwin Bitsui, who reads from FLOOD SONG, his collection of poetry that won the American Book Awar...

Bought by KMUN, KBUT Crested Butte, Colo., and GCR (Global Community Radio)


  • Added: Nov 23, 2020
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 3
Caption: Diane Glancy
We continue Native American Heritage Month with Cherokee writers, Diane Glancy and Linda Rodriguez, who discuss co-editing the anthology THE WORLD ...

Bought by GCR (Global Community Radio), WNJR, and WMUU-LP


  • Added: Nov 12, 2020
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 3
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We begin Native American Heritage Month with Cherokee citizen, Kim Shuck, the author of the recently released poetry collection, WHOSE WATER. San F...

Bought by GCR (Global Community Radio)


  • Added: Nov 05, 2020
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 1