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Host Marcia Franklin talks with New Yorker writer George Packer. Packer, who has been to Iraq six times, discusses his book on the subject, The Assassin's Gate, which the New York Times named one of the ten best books of 2005. He also talks with Franklin about the current political landscape. The conversation was held at this year's Sun Valley Writers' Conference.

Related Links:
George Packer's Blog: "Interesting Times"

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Marcia Franklin talks with John Hockenberry, a longtime journalist who is also the program director for the Sun Valley Writers conference. They discuss his goals for the event, as well as changes in the media world. They also talk about advances in adaptive technology for the disabled. Hockenberry became a paraplegic in an auto accident, but that didn't keep him from reporting all over the world. He recorded those wheelchair-piloted adventures in his 1995 book, Moving Violations - War Zones, Wheelchairs and Declarations of Independence.

Related Links:
John Hockenberry (Wikipedia)

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Marcia Franklin talks with former U.N. Under-Secretary-General, diplomat and author Dr. Shashi Tharoor. They discuss his revealing look at India's role in the global economy, The Elephant, The Tiger, and The Cell Phone: The Transformation of India in the 21st CenturyThe Elephant, The Tiger, and The Cell Phone: The Transformation of India in the 21st Century.

Since talking with Franklin in August, 2008, Tharoor was elected to the Indian Parliament to represent the Trivandrum constituency in Kerala.

Related Links:
Keep up the spirit to fight (Op-Ed, The Times of India, 30 Nov 2008)
Mumbai Stands Out From Other Terrorist Attacks (Interview with Shashi Tharoor, NPR, 3 Dec 2008)

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Writer Ethan Watters joins Marcia Franklin for a discussion of the themes in his book, Urban Tribes, which looks at the ways in which young, unmarried Americans create their own sense of family.

Ethan Watters has been a freelance writer for 20 years. He has taught non-fiction writing at Berkeley and Stanford, and is currently an adjunct professor in the masters writing program at California College of the Arts. In addition to his three books, he's written about social trends for publications from Esquire to the New York Times Magazine, among other national and regional publications. He has also created pieces for Public Radio International's This American Life. In 1994 he co-founded the San Francisco Writers' Grotto.

Related Links:
The San Francisco Writers' Grotto