Jim Foster: Conversations On The Coast

T.C. Boyle, author of "The Women," talks about how architect Frank Lloyd Wright seemed to thrive on tumult in order to work.  This full interview from a 2009 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Raymond Bonner, author of "Anatomy of Injustice: A Murder Case Gone Wrong," talks about why the purpose of the book changed to a more broad look at the death penalty, the law, and wrongful convictions.  This full interview from a 2012 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Sarah Blake, author of "The Postmistress," reads a short passage from the book in which a broadcast dispatcher named Frankie Bard broadcast a very emotional moment from overseas in London during World War 2, alongside Edward R. Murrow.  This full interview from a 2011 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Nichole Bernier, author of "The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D.," talks about how the main character Kate was anxious ahead of a rare planned dinner with her husband without their kids, and how solitude with another person is an art.  This full interview from a 2012 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Dane Huckelbridge, author of "Bourbon: A History of the American Spirit, explains how Bourbon whiskey was the American experience.  This full interview from a 2014 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Megan Mayhew Bergman, author of "Birds of a Lesser Paradise," reads from her title short story regarding a father fallen ill and how nature can be such a comfort.  This full interview from a 2012 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Editor Peter Beren and Photographer Morton Beebe of "The Golden Gate: San Francisco's Celebrated Bridge," talk about their favorite photos of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge from the book and explain how fog became embraced by the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau.  This full interview from a 2012 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get...

Derek Benz and J.S. Lewis, co-authors of "The Revenge of the Shadow King: Grey Griffins Book 1," talk about how important it was for the kid characters in the story to be very real and lifelike, and why friendship is so important for kids growing up.  This full interview from a 2006 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Melanie Benjamin, author of "The Aviator's Wife," talks about how the way that Charles and Ann Morrow Lindbergh were covered by the press wasn't really seen again until Princess Diana came along.  This full interview from a 2013 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Richard Bausch, author of "Before, During, After," talks about how each of us has our own private traumas that can often supercede public traumas.  This full interview from a 2015 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Sammy Lee Davis, veteran's advocate and Co-Author of "You Don't Lose 'Til You Quit Trying: Lessons on Adversity and Victory from a Vietnam Veteran and Medal of Honor Recipient," talks about when he played a harmonica for the very first time in the middle of the Vietnam War.  This full interview from a 2016 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get yo...

Sam Barry and Kathi Kamen Goldmark, Authors of "Write That Book Already! The Tough Love You Need to Get Published Now," give some advice for writers on how to get an agent, send out a Query Letter, and what might happen at the first meeting with your publisher.  This full interview from a 2010 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Ayelet Waldman, author of "Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities, and Occasional Moments of Grace," talks about how all mothers need an identity separate from mothering their children and how 'attachment parenting' can be problematic.   The full interview from a 2009 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.  Pho...

Annie Barrows, co-author of "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society," talks about how the author within the story asks three questions: why a roast pig dinner had to be kept secret, how a pig could spark the beginning of a literary society, and what exactly a potato peel pie is.  The full interview from a 2008 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wher...

Kim Barnes, author of "A Country Called Home," talks about how the state of Idaho became a character in itself within the novel and how starting a new simpler life in the country can be a lot more complicated than one might expect.  The full interview from a 2008 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts. 

Dr. Neal Barnard, author of "Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes," talks about what a typical day might look like on his diet plan and what suggestions he gave to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on how to battle the growing diabetes crisis.  The full interview from a 2007 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts...

Blue Balliett, author of "Chasing Vermeer," talks about how illustrator Brett Helquist was able to make the paintings in the book so real, and also discusses the puzzles interwoven throughout the story and the power art can have.  The full interview from a 2004 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts. 

Kate Atkinson, author of "One Good Turn," talks about how everything is connected in the world as illustrated in the book when all the main characters meet as bystanders to a crime of road rage.  The full interview from a 2006 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts. 

Nancy Atherton, author of "Aunt Dimity and the Family Tree," talks about how becoming a writer happened out of nowhere and where Aunt Dimity of the long-running series came from.  The full interview from a 2011 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts. 

Jennifer Arnold, author of "In a Dog's Heart: What Our Dogs Need, Want, and Deserve--and the Gifts We Can Expect in Return," calls upon several decades of raising and training service dogs and explains how Choice Teaching can be an effective way to teach dogs about doing the right thing.  The full interview from a 2011 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherev...

Karen Armstrong, author of "The Bible: A Biography," talks about how the story of The Exodus was written deliberately as a myth.  The full interview from a 2008 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts. 

Samina Ali, author of "Madras on Rainy Days," talks about how important it is for Muslim-American women to learn how to claim a feminism for themselves.  The full interview from a 2005 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.  Photo: saminaali.net

Monica Ali, author of "In the Kitchen," talks about the prevalence of indentured labor in the restaurant industry within the context of her novel. This full interview from a 2009 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts. Photo credit: Yolande De Vries/monicaali.com

Cristina Alger, former analyst at Goldman Sachs and author of "The Darlings," talks about what it was like during the financial disaster of 2008 in New York. This full interview from a 2012 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Jesse Aizenstat, author of "Surfing the Middle East: Deviant Journalism from the Lost Generation," talks about the beginning of a very unique journey for a California surfer. This full interview from a 2012 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.