Gene Robinson interview - Tantorious episode 52

Bishop Gene Robinson was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky, and received his Master of Divinity degree at the General Theological Seminary in New York. He was ordained deacon and then priest, and in 2003 was elected bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. He is the first openly gay person in that role. He is also an author, and his new book is God Believes in Love: Straight Talk About Gay Marriage. In this exclusive interview, Bishop Robinson recounts how he became the world's leading religious spokesperson for same-sex marriage.

Joyce Johnson interview - Tantorious episode 51

Joyce Johnson is a memoirist and novelist whose books include the recent Missing Men and the National Book Critics Circle Award-winner Minor Characters, about her relationship with legendary Beat writer Jack Kerouac. Her newest book, The Voice Is All: The Lonely Victory of Jack Kerouac, is a groundbreaking portrait of the artist's early years. In this exclusive interview, Johnson recalls her early years with Kerouac and explains why she wrote this book now.

Andrew Shaffer interview - Tantorious episode 50

Fifty Shames of Earl Grey is a shrewd, laugh-out-loud parody of E. L. James’s Fifty Shades of Grey, the bestselling novel (and now triology) that everyone is talking about -- to the exclusion of all else. The parody is written by Fanny Merkin, actually the pseudonym of Andrew Shaffer, who reviews romance, erotica, and women’s fiction for RT Book Reviews magazine. The audiobook edition is read by actress Allyson Ryan. Shaffer and Ryan discuss the pleasures and perils of parody, in this exclusive interview.

Tinsley Mortimer interview - Tantorious episode 49

Tinsley Mortimer grew up in Virginia, is a graduate of Columbia University, and lives in New York City. She has been featured on the pages of Vogue, WWD, and Harper’s Bazaar, as well as in celebrity publications and on TV.  Her first novel, Southern Charm, has been described as “a champagne cocktail of fashion, society, and big city fame, served by a chic Southern belle determined to charm Manhattan.” In this exclusive interview, Tinsley reveals how much of herself she put into her main character, Minty Davenport.

Dr. Robert L. Wolke interview - Tantorious episode 48

Robert L. Wolke, a professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh, is an award-winning food columnist for the Washington Post. He is also coauthor, with his wife, noted food writer Marlene Parrish, of What Einstein Didn't Know and other What Einstein books explaining everday science, from the physics of snow to the chemistry of coffee to the mathematics of sunblock.

E. J. Dionne, Jr. interview - Tantorious episode 47

E. J. Dionne, Jr., is an American journalist and political commentator. In his new book, Our Divided Political Heart: The Battle for the American Idea in an Age of Discontent, he weighs in on what is tearing the country apart - the ascendency of individualism and the diminishment of community - in a timely election season treatise.

Ann Meyers Drysdale interview - Tantorious episode 46

Ann Meyers Drysdale is one of the greatest stars in the history of basketball. A Hall of Famer and Olympic medalist, Ann is the only woman to sign a contract with an NBA team (the Indiana Pacers in 1979) as well as the first woman ever to announce an NBA game on network television. Her book, You Let Some Girl Beat You?, written with Joni Ravenna, tells how she blasted through basketball barriers and stereotypes to become one of Time Magazine's Top 10 Female Sports Pioneers.