Maine Humanities Council

Two journalists in one Portland household—and both write for the New York Times Magazine. Mike Paterniti and Sara Corbett are often away, however, laying the groundwork for their articles and books. Sometimes alone, as when Paterniti was Driving Mr. Albert: A Trip Across America with Einstein’s Brain (Dell, 2000). (Read an excerpt from the book here.) Sometimes together, as when Corbett recounts her experience of learning Spanish in Spain, in “Learning the Lingua Franca” in Travel and Leisure. Paterniti has won National Magazine Awards for features and profiles; Corbett’s New York Times essay “The Permanent Scars of Iraq” has been widely discussed. Paterniti and Corbett are also co-founders of The Telling Room, a Portland-based writing center designed to nurture and encourage Maine’s next generation of writers.

This interview with Sara Corbett and Mike Paterniti by Charlotte Albright was included in the Council’s 30th Anniversary ‘Maine Writers Speak’ project. Please feel free to leave your feedback below.

Interview with Sara Corbett and Mike Paterniti [ 11:04 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (2175)

In addition to reading books, we like to read about books, but few people know what book reviewers really do or how they do it. William Bushnell has been a professional book reviewer and freelance writer for thirteen years. He has more than 1,350 published pieces in thirty magazines and newspapers. He is professionally affiliated with the National Book Critics Circle and the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance, and he teaches a class on book reviewing at the University of Southern Maine. He lives in Harpswell, Maine. In conjunction with this talk, Bushnell compiled a list of recommended titles from among the books that have recently crossed his desk. That list is available in PDF form here.

William Bushnell [ 49:30 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (2591)

The Camel Bookmobile by Masha Hamilton is a tale about an American librarian, Fiona Sweeney, who leaves Brooklyn to work for a relief organization in Africa that sends books on the backs of camels to forgotten villages. Fiona’s intentions are entirely pure but, when the bookmobile causes a feud among the nomadic tribe it aims to help, she realizes her good deeds may come with a high price. Hamilton worked as a foreign correspondent for The Associated Press for five years in the Middle East, spent five years in Moscow where she was a correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, then traveled to Afghanistan as a freelance journalist. She currently lives with her family in Brooklyn. To donate books to the real camel bookmobile in northern Kenya, visit the Camel Book Drive.

This reading was part of the Portland Public Library’s Brown Bag Lecture Series, sponsored by Martin’s Point Health Care. We welcome your feedback on this Masha Hamilton podcast.

Masha Hamilton [ 30:16 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (126)