The Media Narrative

Ryan H. Walsh's new book not only tells the Boston story behind Van Morrison's Astral Weeks, it weaves in several connecting narratives and characters. Walsh, a musician himself, talks about his exhaustive process of researching, reporting, and writing for Astral Weeks: A Secret History of 1968.

Digital news pioneer Julio Ricardo Varela has been an innovator in publishing journalism from a Latino point of view, and is currently cohost, with Maria Hinojosa, of the In the Thick podcast.

After meeting in 1960, Adam and Arlie Hochschild bonded around common ideals and activism, beginning a partnership that led to marriage, family, and, so far, a combined total of nearly 20 books. Their most recent—Arlie's Strangers in Their Own Land and Adam's Spain in Our Hearts—are must-reads for today's political watchers.

Steve Morse has interviewed and written about some of the biggest names in music, including Bob Marley, Bono, Madonna and Bruce Springsteen. In this episode, the Boston Globe rock critic talks about the highlights of his decades-long career.

Marshall Project staff writer Beth Schwartzapfel has been covering the criminal justice system for more than a decade, with an emphasis on telling the human stories of prisoners that are often overlooked.

In a conversation about her book, The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir, Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich discusses how writing about the case of a convicted pedophile and murderer compelled her to reexamine her assessments of the legal system and her memories of abuse in her family.

NBC Sports Chicago multimedia baseball analyst, New York Times columnist, and former major league baseball player Doug Glanville has broken new ground as a retired athlete working at the highest levels of the media world. In this episode, he talks about his work in both sports and as a writer.

As a master of making narrative audio, Radiotopia executive producer Julie Shapiro talks about podcasting as an art form as serious as any other. She talks about how her podcast network does the work and offers insights on the future of the industry.

During a conversation just after releasing a book about skiffle, singer-songwriter Billy Bragg talked about the role of musicians during troubled times and why his best songs connect with audiences.