http://wordybirds.org A Weekly Discussion About Books and Ideas Fri, 04 May 2012 21:43:31 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 2008-2009 petehumes@gmail.com (Liz Humes) petehumes@gmail.com (Liz Humes) 1440 ftp://fidget.dreamhost.com/wordybirds.org/wp-content/uploads/inrich_115x115.jpg http://wordybirds.org 144 144 A Weekly Discussion of Books and Ideas from the Studios of WRIR 97.3 LPFM in Richmond, Virginia Wordy Birds is a weekly discussion about books, words and ideas, hosted by Liz Humes and produced at the studios of WRIR 97.3 FM in Richmond, Virginia. books, authors, interview, richmond, radio Liz Humes Liz Humes petehumes@gmail.com no no http://wordybirds.org/2012/05/04/alice-medrich/ http://wordybirds.org/2012/05/04/alice-medrich/#comments Fri, 04 May 2012 21:40:38 +0000 lizhumes http://wordybirds.org/?p=1196 Continue reading →]]> http://wordybirds.org/2012/05/04/alice-medrich/feed/ 0 0:00:01 Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts Original air date: May 4, 2012 A quick Google search on chocolate and its health benefits pulls up dozens of reliable pages declaring that chocolate is very good for you. Dark chocolate that is.  It contains flavonoi[...] Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts Original air date: May 4, 2012 A quick Google search on chocolate and its health benefits pulls up dozens of reliable pages declaring that chocolate is very good for you. Dark chocolate that is.  It contains flavonoids, or antioxidants, and a lot of them. In fact, dark chocolate has eight times the amount of antioxidants as strawberries. My guest is Alice Medrich, one of the country’s foremost experts on chocolate and chocolate desserts. Alice is an author, pastry chef, and teacher,.  In 1976, she opened the renowned dessert shop Cocolat.  Alice’s innovative ideas and recipes and her insistence on quality ingredients have influenced a generation of confectioners, pastry chefs and home cooks. In addition to writing eight award-winning cookbooks, three of which won Cookbook of the Year awards from the James Beard Foundation, she has appeared with the beloved Julia Child on television. She was in Richmond, Virginia to talk about her newest book called Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts: Quicker Smarter Recipes at the Junior Leagues’ Book and Author Dinner. This interview was recorded at the Jefferson Hotel. Listen to the show: Nonfiction Liz Humes no no http://wordybirds.org/2012/04/27/alelia-bundles/ http://wordybirds.org/2012/04/27/alelia-bundles/#comments Fri, 27 Apr 2012 21:07:42 +0000 lizhumes http://wordybirds.org/?p=1194 Continue reading →]]> http://wordybirds.org/2012/04/27/alelia-bundles/feed/ 0 0:00:01 On Her Own Ground: The Life & Times of Madam C.J. Walker Original air date: April 27, 2012 Madam C.J. Walker was born as Sarah Breedlove in 1867. Both of her parents were slaves. She was the first child in her family to be born free. Sarah was o[...] On Her Own Ground: The Life & Times of Madam C.J. Walker Original air date: April 27, 2012 Madam C.J. Walker was born as Sarah Breedlove in 1867. Both of her parents were slaves. She was the first child in her family to be born free. Sarah was orphaned at age seven, married at fourteen and a mother and  widow at age twenty. She spent the better part of the next two decades laboring as a washerwoman for $1.50 a week and selling hair care products door-to-door on the side. But her life changed because of a dream. She listened to the dream and turned herself into Madam C.J. Walker, America’s wealthiest woman at the time and a woman who the Guinness Book of World Records cites as the first self-made American woman millionaire… Listen to the show: Nonfiction Liz Humes no no http://wordybirds.org/2012/04/13/lauren-redniss/ http://wordybirds.org/2012/04/13/lauren-redniss/#comments Sat, 14 Apr 2012 03:00:07 +0000 lizhumes http://wordybirds.org/?p=1181 Continue reading →]]> http://wordybirds.org/2012/04/13/lauren-redniss/feed/ 0 0:00:01 Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout Original air date: April 13, 2012 Marie Curie was a polish physicist and chemist. She coined the term radioactivity, is considered the ‘Mother of Modern Chemistry’ and was[...] Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout Original air date: April 13, 2012 Marie Curie was a polish physicist and chemist. She coined the term radioactivity, is considered the ‘Mother of Modern Chemistry’ and was honored with two Nobel prizes. Her relationship with her husband Pierre was an infamous and romantic covalent bond. Pierre Curie was a French physicist, a pioneer in crystallography, magnetism, radioactivity and a Nobel laureate. He died too early. Then Marie Curie discovered another electric love connection which reverberated Europe. He was married. Curie was ostracized and turned lose like a free radical. Her life of attachment and attractions is the subject of my guest’s biography. The author, Lauren Redniss, is a graphic biographer and she designed every element of the book. Most of the art was created using a process called cyanotype printing which gives the drawings an ethereal glow. She also designed the spine, the typeface and the cover. She teaches at Parsons The New School for Design in New York City and her writing and drawings for the New York Times were Pulitzer nominated. Radioactive was a finalist for the 2011 National Book Award. Listen to the show: Nonfiction Liz Humes no no http://wordybirds.org/2012/04/06/emory-m-thomas/ http://wordybirds.org/2012/04/06/emory-m-thomas/#comments Sat, 07 Apr 2012 02:47:14 +0000 lizhumes http://wordybirds.org/?p=1184 Continue reading →]]> http://wordybirds.org/2012/04/06/emory-m-thomas/feed/ 0 0:00:01 Bold Dragoon: The Life of J.E.B. Stuart Original air date: April 6, 2012 Jeb Stuart’s mythology is colorful and humorous. He sat like a centaur atop his horse as cavalry commander. His reputation was enhanced by his appearance: good looking with a l[...] Bold Dragoon: The Life of J.E.B. Stuart Original air date: April 6, 2012 Jeb Stuart’s mythology is colorful and humorous. He sat like a centaur atop his horse as cavalry commander. His reputation was enhanced by his appearance: good looking with a long dark beard, red-lined gray cape, yellow sash and a hat with an ostrich plume. He often wore cologne. Southern women loved him and he appeared to love the ladies. But James Ewell Brown Stuart was deeply devoted and faithful to his wife Flora. He liked to throw big parties for his men during the war but never drank alcohol. In fact he swore to his mother that he would never drink . Even in his last moments–dying from a bullet wound–he refused the numbing drink. Stuart was flawed, he consumed his fame and his fame consumed him. Today we’ll talk about Jeb Stuart, the leader of the Confederate cavalry but also Jeb Stuart… the man who was kind of a nut. Emory Thomas was born in Richmond, Virginia. He has written eight books and was a Regent’s Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Georgia.  His biographies on Jeb Stuart and Robert E. Lee are considered the finest single volume books on the Confederate leaders. Listen to the show: Nonfiction Liz Humes no no http://wordybirds.org/2012/03/23/harriet-reisen/ http://wordybirds.org/2012/03/23/harriet-reisen/#comments Sat, 24 Mar 2012 00:02:16 +0000 lizhumes http://wordybirds.org/?p=1166 Continue reading →]]> http://wordybirds.org/2012/03/23/harriet-reisen/feed/ 0 0:00:01 Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women Original air date: March 23, 2012 “Louisa May Alcott portrays a writer as worthy of interest in her own right as her most famous character, Jo March, and addresses all aspects of Alcott’s life: [...] Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women Original air date: March 23, 2012 “Louisa May Alcott portrays a writer as worthy of interest in her own right as her most famous character, Jo March, and addresses all aspects of Alcott’s life: the effect of her father’s self-indulgent utopian schemes; her family’s chronic economic difficulties and frequent uprootings; her experience as a nurse in the Civil War; the loss of her health and frequent recourse to opiates in search of relief from migraines, insomnia, and symptomatic pain. Stories and details culled from Alcott’s journals; her equally rich letters to family, friends, publishers, and admiring readers; and the correspondence, journals, and recollections of her family, friends, and famous contemporaries provide the basis for this lively account of the author’s classic rags-to-riches tale.” Listen to the show: Nonfiction Liz Humes no no http://wordybirds.org/2012/03/16/john-farrell/ http://wordybirds.org/2012/03/16/john-farrell/#comments Fri, 16 Mar 2012 23:56:46 +0000 lizhumes http://wordybirds.org/?p=1163 Continue reading →]]> http://wordybirds.org/2012/03/16/john-farrell/feed/ 0 0:00:01 Clarence Darrow: Attorney for the Damned Original air date: March 16, 2012 “John A. Farrell draws on previously unpublished correspondence and memoirs to offer a candid account of Darrow’s divorce, affairs, and disastrous finances; new details[...] Clarence Darrow: Attorney for the Damned Original air date: March 16, 2012 “John A. Farrell draws on previously unpublished correspondence and memoirs to offer a candid account of Darrow’s divorce, affairs, and disastrous finances; new details of his feud with his law partner, the famous poet Edgar Lee Masters; a shocking disclosure about one of his most controversial cases; and explosive revelations of shady tactics he used in his own trial for bribery. Clarence Darrow is a sweeping, surprising portrait of a leg­endary legal mind.” Listen to the show: Nonfiction Liz Humes no no http://wordybirds.org/2012/03/09/jonathan-eig/ http://wordybirds.org/2012/03/09/jonathan-eig/#comments Fri, 09 Mar 2012 23:44:56 +0000 lizhumes http://wordybirds.org/?p=1084 Continue reading →]]> http://wordybirds.org/2012/03/09/jonathan-eig/feed/ 0 0:00:01 Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson’s First Season Original air date: March 9, 2012 April 15, 1947 was seven years before Brown vs the Board of Education, eight years before Rosa Parks and sixteen years before Martin Luther King Jr. spok[...] Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson’s First Season Original air date: March 9, 2012 April 15, 1947 was seven years before Brown vs the Board of Education, eight years before Rosa Parks and sixteen years before Martin Luther King Jr. spoke about having a dream. But on April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson, a black man, stepped onto the diamond at Ebbets field in Brooklyn, New York and became the first African American to play professionally for a major league baseball team… Listen to the show: Nonfiction Liz Humes no no http://wordybirds.org/2012/03/02/laurence-bergreen/ http://wordybirds.org/2012/03/02/laurence-bergreen/#comments Fri, 02 Mar 2012 23:51:29 +0000 lizhumes http://wordybirds.org/?p=1114 Continue reading →]]> http://wordybirds.org/2012/03/02/laurence-bergreen/feed/ 0 0:00:01 Columbus: The Four Voyages Original air date: March 2, 2012 In the first major biography of the iconic explorer in more than sixty years, Bergreen shows us the madness and genius that only those who traveled with him could have seen. Covering his fo[...] Columbus: The Four Voyages Original air date: March 2, 2012 In the first major biography of the iconic explorer in more than sixty years, Bergreen shows us the madness and genius that only those who traveled with him could have seen. Covering his four epic voyages, it’s the Columbus you didn’t learn about in school. Listen to the show: Nonfiction Liz Humes no no http://wordybirds.org/2012/02/17/david-o-stewart/ http://wordybirds.org/2012/02/17/david-o-stewart/#comments Sat, 18 Feb 2012 02:43:13 +0000 lizhumes http://wordybirds.org/?p=1078 Continue reading →]]> http://wordybirds.org/2012/02/17/david-o-stewart/feed/ 0 0:00:01 American Emperor: Aaron Burr’s Challenge to Jefferson’s America Original air date: February 17, 2012 “In this vivid and brilliant biography, David Stewart describes Aaron Burr, the third vice president, as a daring and perhaps delu[...] American Emperor: Aaron Burr’s Challenge to Jefferson’s America Original air date: February 17, 2012 “In this vivid and brilliant biography, David Stewart describes Aaron Burr, the third vice president, as a daring and perhaps deluded figure who shook the nation’s foundations in its earliest, most vulnerable decades. In 1805, the United States was not twenty years old, an unformed infant. The government consisted of a few hundred people. The immense frontier swallowed up a tiny army of 3,300 soldiers. Following the Louisiana Purchase, no one even knew where the nation’s western border lay. Secessionist sentiment flared in New England and beyond the Appalachians. Burr had challenged Jefferson, his own running mate, in the presidential election of 1800. Indicted for murder in the dueling death of Alexander Hamilton in 1804, he dreamt huge dreams. He imagined an insurrection in New Orleans, a private invasion of Spanish Mexico and Florida, and a great empire rising on the Gulf of Mexico, which would swell when America’s western lands seceded from the Union. For two years, Burr pursued this audacious dream, enlisting support from the General-in-Chief of the Army, a paid agent of the Spanish king, and from other western leaders, including Andrew Jackson.” Listen to the show: Nonfiction Liz Humes no no http://wordybirds.org/2012/02/10/joshua-kendall/ http://wordybirds.org/2012/02/10/joshua-kendall/#comments Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:23:46 +0000 lizhumes http://wordybirds.org/?p=1061 Continue reading →]]> http://wordybirds.org/2012/02/10/joshua-kendall/feed/ 0 0:00:01 The Forgotten Founding Father: Noah Webster’s Obsession and the Creation of an American Culture Original air date: February 10, 2012 “Noah Webster’s name is now synonymous with the dictionary he created, but although there is much[...] The Forgotten Founding Father: Noah Webster’s Obsession and the Creation of an American Culture Original air date: February 10, 2012 “Noah Webster’s name is now synonymous with the dictionary he created, but although there is much more to his story than that singular achievement, his rightful place in American history has been forgotten over time. Webster hobnobbed with various Founding Fathers and was a young confidant of George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, among others. He started New York City’s first daily newspaper, predating Alexander Hamilton’s New York Post. His “blue- backed speller” for schoolchildren, his first literary effort, sold millions of copies and influenced early copyright law. He helped found Amherst College and served as a state representative for both Connecticut and Massachusetts. But perhaps most important, Webster was an ardent supporter of a unified, definitively American culture, distinct from the British, at a time when the United States of America were anything but unified-and his dictionary of American English is a testament to that.” Listen to the show: Nonfiction Liz Humes no no