Fifteen Questions
15 Questions with George Saunders
George Saunders’s “Tenth of December,” his latest short story collection, was hailed as “the best thing you’ll read this year” on the cover of The New York Times Magazine. FM sat down for 15 questions with him about writing and fiction.
15Q: Lawrence G. Wright
Lawrence G. Wright has traveled all over the world, but he still speaks with a Texas twang. On Jan. 31, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author spoke at the Brattle Square Theatre about his latest book, “Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, & the Prison of Belief.” Between several book talks and a trip to London, FM caught up with Wright over the phone to ask him about his career and the controversies surrounding his new book.
Ten Questions with Susan Cain the Expert on Introverts
Harvard Law School alumna and author Susan Cain visited the Harvard Bookstore on Feb. 7 to promote her book “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking.” Published in 2012, “Quiet” explores and questions contemporary views on introversion. FM sat down with Cain before she headed home to New York.
15 Questions with Ian Frazier
Ian A. Frazier ’73 has always had a knack for humor. Now a writer for The New Yorker, he has multiple publications under his belt: essay collections, humor books, nonfiction pieces. His latest novel, “The Cursing Mommy’s Book of Days”, brought Frazier back to Cambridge last week for a talk at the Harvard Book Store. Fifteen Minutes sat down with him to talk about childhood pranks, finding a voice, and his time at a porn magazine.
10 Questions With Steven Johnson
Steven Johnson is one of the most influential popular science thinkers of our time. The author of eight books, including “Everything Bad is Good for You: How Today’s Popular Culture is Actually Making Us Smarter” and “Where Good Ideas Come From,” and co-founder of three websites, Johnson talked to FM about hunches, heroes, and the human experience in an urbanizing world.
15 Questions with Jonathan L. Walton
Reverend Jonathan L. Walton, Pusey Minister in Memorial Church and Plummer Professor of Christian Morals, sits in his crimson-walled office, wearing a black suit and royal purple shirt. Walton was appointed in April 2012 to the position previously held by the late Reverend Peter J. Gomes. Tributes to his sports fanaticism decorate his office: A basketball signed by Tommy Amaker sits atop one of the bookshelves. FM munched on some peanut M&M’s with Walton, and talked about Memorial Church air conditioners, tailgates at Sparks House and his 3-month-old son Baldwin.
10 Questions with Zadie Smith
Zadie Smith, author of “White Teeth” and “On Beauty,” visited the Cambridge Public Library last week to read from her new book, “NW.”
Fifteen Questions with Junot Díaz
Junot Díaz, author of “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” and “Drown,” meets me in front of the Harvard Bookstore.
Seven Questions with Rapper David Banner
Rapper David Banner visited Harvard last weekend to speak at a conference entitled, "LA Riots: Twenty Year Later," a reflection on social justice and inequality in America in the aftermath of the Los Angeles riots in 1992. Flyby sat down to talk with the successful rapper, producer, and social activist, who has worked to raise awareness about the shooting of Trayvon Martin.
Five Questions with Matthew R. Vines
This past week, the Harvard-Radcliffe Christian Fellowship hosted a screening and discussion entitled “Why the Bible Doesn’t Condemn Homosexuality.” FM sat down with Vines to discuss his research, his findings, and his vision.
15 Questions with Lisa Wade
Lisa Wade, Ph.D., a Sociology professor at Occidental College, studies the role of sex, sexuality, and gender in society. She will be speaking at Harvard’s inaugural Sex Week, which starts March 25.
15 Questions with Lin-Manuel Miranda
Lin-Manuel Miranda is the Tony Award-winning composer, lyricist, and star of the Broadway musical “In the Heights.”
Five Questions with Arne S. Duncan '86
Fifteen Minutes sat down for five questions with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne S. Duncan ’86.
Fifteen Questions With Baratunde R. Thurston '99
Fifteen Minutes sat down with Baratunde R. Thurston ’99, author of How To Be Black, and a former news and photography editor of The Crimson. He is the digital director of The Onion and co-founder of “Jack and Jill Politics”.
15 Questions with Nazila Fathi
Born and raised in Tehran, Nazila Fathi is a Shorenstein Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School. Before comingto Harvard, she worked in Iran as a journalist for The New York Times and other publications, until she wasforced to flee during the 2009 protests after threats from the Iranian government.
15 Questions with Farai Chideya
Fifteen Minutes sat down with IOP fellow and renowned journalist Farai Chideya ’90 for a cozy chat about radio, faux-hawks, and science fiction.
A Conversation with Slavoj Zizek
FM sits down to discuss the Occupy movement, pop culture, and modern academia with Slovenian philosopher and cultural critic Slavoj Žižek.
Fifteen Questions with Umberto Eco
FM sat down with celebrated Italian semiologist, best-selling author, and public intellectual Umberto Eco to discuss Jesuit acronyms, forgery, and the limits of interpretation in porno movies.