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

Caption: (Photo by Larry D. Moore CC BY-SA 3.0)
The late novelist, retired Princeton professor, and mountain climber, Russell Banks is the author of the 2021 novel, FOREGONE. In this classic 201...

Bought by KAAD-LP


  • Added: Jan 27, 2023
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Tony Kushner
Pulitzer Prize winners Tony Kushner, Jane Smiley, Richard Russo, as well as Sherman Alexie, Naomi Shihab Nye, and the late August Wilson share some...

Bought by WDCB and KAAD-LP


  • Added: Jan 12, 2023
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 2
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A holiday favorite, this highly anthologized short story is read by the late author Grace Paley. "The Loudest Voice" is an amusing tale about a lit...

Bought by WDCB, GCR (Global Community Radio), RadioFreePalmer, and KBBI Alaska


  • Added: Dec 16, 2022
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 4
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George Saunders reads a passage from his Story Prize-winning collection, TENTH OF DECEMBER. In this public presentation, Saunders discusses his pat...

Bought by WNJR


  • Added: Dec 16, 2022
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 1
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Poet Michelle Boisseau died November 15, 2017 from cancer at age 62. In this interview conducted earlier this year at the Kansas City Public Libra...

Bought by WNJR and WMUU-LP


  • Added: Dec 01, 2022
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 2
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Pulitzer Prize-winning fiction writer, Geraldine Brooks talks about her 2015 book, THE SECRET CHORD. This historical novel about the Biblical King...

Bought by WNJR and WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass.


  • Added: Nov 29, 2022
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: PRX default Piece image
This week's classic New Letters on the Air features former U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser, whose poetry from his 2005 Pulitzer Prize winning books h...

Bought by GCR (Global Community Radio)


  • Added: Nov 08, 2022
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: PRX default Piece image
This week on NEW LETTERS ON THE AIR... we’ll hear a classic interview with DAVID BAKER, Poetry Editor Emeritus of the literary magazine, THE KENYON...

Bought by GCR (Global Community Radio)


  • Added: Oct 24, 2022
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 1
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In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we revisit this interview with Rigoberto Gonzalez, who won the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award from Associatio...

Bought by GCR (Global Community Radio), KRZA, WCPN, and WNJR


  • Added: Oct 03, 2022
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 4
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Newbery Award-winning children's author Lois Lowry, talks about her book for young people, THE GIVER. One of the most challenged books in American ...

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


  • Added: Sep 23, 2022
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 5