Jim Foster: Conversations On The Coast

Annie Barrows, co-author of "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society," talks about how the author within the story asks three questions: why a roast pig dinner had to be kept secret, how a pig could spark the beginning of a literary society, and what exactly a potato peel pie is. The full interview from a 2008 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts. The book was co-authored by Mary Ann Shaffer.

Kim Barnes, author of "A Country Called Home," talks about how the state of Idaho became a character in itself within the novel and how starting a new simpler life in the country can be a lot more complicated than one might expect. The full interview from a 2008 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Dr. Neal Barnard, author of "Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes," talks about what a typical day might look like on his diet plan and what suggestions he gave to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on how to battle the growing diabetes crisis. The full interview from a 2007 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Blue Balliett, author of "Chasing Vermeer," talks about how illustrator Brett Helquist was able to make the paintings in the book so real, and also discusses the puzzles interwoven throughout the story and the power art can have. The full interview from a 2004 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Kate Atkinson, author of "One Good Turn," talks about how everything is connected in the world as illustrated in the book when all the main characters meet as bystanders to a crime of road rage. The full interview from a 2006 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Nancy Atherton, author of "Aunt Dimity and the Family Tree," talks about how becoming a writer happened out of nowhere and where Aunt Dimity of the long-running series came from. The full interview from a 2011 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Jennifer Arnold, author of "In a Dog's Heart: What Our Dogs Need, Want, and Deserve--and the Gifts We Can Expect in Return," calls upon several decades of raising and training service dogs and explains how Choice Teaching can be an effective way to teach dogs about doing the right thing. The full interview from a 2011 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Karen Armstrong, author of "The Bible: A Biography," talks about how the story of The Exodus was written deliberately as a myth. The full interview from a 2008 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Samina Ali, author of "Madras on Rainy Days," talks about how important it is for Muslim-American women to learn how to claim a feminism for themselves. The full interview from a 2005 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts. Photo: saminaali.net

Monica Ali, author of "In the Kitchen," talks about the prevalence of indentured labor in the restaurant industry within the context of her novel. This full interview from a 2009 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts. Photo credit: Yolande De Vries/monicaali.com

Cristina Alger, former analyst at Goldman Sachs and author of "The Darlings," talks about what it was like during the financial disaster of 2008 in New York. This full interview from a 2012 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Jesse Aizenstat, author of "Surfing the Middle East: Deviant Journalism from the Lost Generation," talks about the beginning of a very unique journey for a California surfer. This full interview from a 2012 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Izzeldin Abuelaish, Harvard-educated Palestinian doctor and author of "I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor's Journey on the Road to Peace and Human Dignity," explains how he is living a life of peace despite losing three of his daughters when Israeli shells hit his home in 2009, and talks about why every human life is important. This full interview from a 2011 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

David Abrams, retired veteran and author of "Fobbit," describes what a Fobbit was during the Iraq War and Operation Iraqi Freedom. This full interview from a 2012 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Abbott Kahler, Author of "American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee," talks about how difficult it was after vaudeville died for Rose Louise Hovick to reinvent herself and how many today like Lady Gaga have taken a page from Gypsy Rose Lee in various ways ever since. This full interview from a 2011 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts. Photo: abbottkahler.com

Barry Lopez, Editor of "Home Ground: Language for an American Landscape," talks about the interesting definition essay on the words 'lake' and 'desire path.' This full interview from a 2006 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

David Remnick, Author of "Reporting: Writings from The New Yorker," talks about his strange beginnings at The Washington Post including what happened when Katharine Graham took the helm as publisher of her family newspaper, and the state of print journalism in the age of the internet. This full interview from a 2006 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Haynes Johnson and Dan Balz, Authors of "The Battle for America 2008: The Story of an Extraordinary Election," discuss what President Obama said about how he would tell the story of his own election, the emergence of the age of blogging and the internet, and what went on behind the scenes leading up to the endorsement from Ted Kennedy. This full interview from a 2009 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Sam Barry, Author of "How To Play the Harmonica: and Other Life Lessons," teaches a brief harmonica lesson and plays a little blues tune together with the student. This full interview from a 2009 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Derek Anderson, Author and Illustrator of "How the Easter Bunny Saved Christmas," talks about what happens when the Easter Bunny tries to fill in for an ailing Santa at the North Pole. This full interview from a 2006 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.