The NYPL Podcast

Over the last four decades of her remarkable career, the singer has released eleven studio albums and published the National Book Award-winning memoir Just Kids. This week on the New York Public Library Podcast, we're proud to present Patti Smith discussing her love of learning.Read More ›

At this point, it's safe to call Werner Herzog a cinema legend. Born in Munich, the director, screenwriter, and producer has directed sixty-seven films. He has won four awards at the Cannes Film Festival and been nominated for one Academy Award. Read More ›

Dan Savage is one of the most intelligent, mordant, and deliciously fun voices discussing sex, relationships, and identity today. An advice columnist, activist, and author, Savage has written six works of nonfiction and created the It Gets Better Project, a nonprofit aimed at preventing suicide amongst LGBT youth. Read More ›

Suzanne Farrell is the creative director of her eponymous dance company and has danced over 150 roles with the New York City Ballet. As a dancer, she is best known for her work with the great choreographer George Balanchine, who considered Farrell a muse. Together, they created some of the most formally innovative and also intimate performances of twentieth century ballet. Read More ›

This week on The New York Public Library Podcast, we're pleased to share this conversation between New York Times financial columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin, Bitcoin Chief Scientist Gavin Andresen, New York Times reporter Nathaniel Popper, and venture capitalist Fred Wilson. The four discuss all things Bitcoin.Read More ›

Damien Echols spent eighteen years on death row before being released. His book Life After Death recounts his story about upending the ruling that threatened to end his life. Here he is in conversation with musician and actor Henry Rollins, LIVE from the NYPL.Read More ›

Don Draper's got nothing on Matthew Weiner. Weiner, after all, is the creator, director, executive producer, and writer of one the the most esteemed prestige dramas ever to light up our living rooms, Mad Men. For this week's New York Public Library Podcast, we're proud to present Weiner in conversation with the wonderful author A.M. Homes.Read More ›

He's Eli Gold on The Good Wife. He's been Nightcrawler in X-2: Men United and Hamlet and Mr. Elton in the film adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma. Alan Cumming has also written a memoir, Not My Father's Son. He recently spoke to us at Books at Noon.Read More ›

Diane von Furstenberg, when asked to describe herself in seven words, provided a resounding statement on her identity: "Woman, woman, woman, woman, woman, woman, woman."Read More ›

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor has lived and continues to live with passion, vigor, and curiosity. In her memoir My Beloved World, Sotomayor recounts her childhood living in The Bronxdale Houses, public housing since renamed the Justice Sonia Sotomayor Houses; the death of her father; and her rise through the ranks of the judiciary. Read More ›

T.C. Boyle has written over a dozen novels and several collections of short fiction. Recently, he was awarded the Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement for writers of the West. On April 1, we welcomed Boyle to Books at Noon to discuss his latest novel The Harder They Come. This week for the New York Public Library Podcast, we present the author speaking on finding stories, discovering creative writing, and observing themes emerge in his body of work. Read More ›

Media figure, author, editor, and entrepreneur Smiley appeared at The New York Public Library's Books at Noon. In this episode of the podcast you'll hear Smiley discuss his long friendship with the late Maya Angelou.Read More ›

This week in the New York Public Library podcast, we're sharing Nafisi's recent appearance at LIVE from the NYPL in which she discussed reading, freedom, and entertainment.Read More ›

For this week's podcast, Jeffrey Deitch and New Museum Artistic Director Massimiliano Gioni discuss artistic communities, cross-media creation, and spectacle.Read More ›

RuPaul was crowned the “Queen of Manhattan” in 1989 and has since published two books and released hit songs over the course of eleven studio albums. We were lucky to hear our LIVE from the NYPL guest discuss the dualistic nature of identity, the great Diana Ross, and fantasy.Read More ›

Is failure what keeps us going? This is the question Sarah Lewis's The Rise: Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search of Mastery centers around. The author, curator, and historian offers a tantalizing view of near-greatness in her book, which tells the stories of how some of the greatest talents in history grappled with the pursuit of perfection.Read More ›

Ann Patchett and Elizabeth Gilbert are not merely both writers; they're friends and longtime pen pals. Patchett, winner of the Orange Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award for her novel Bel Canto, has  written ten books. Gilbert has published six. And between the two of them, the insights into the work of a writer are nearly endless.Read More ›

For our 50th episode, we're proud to present rap icon Jay-Z. He spoke at Live from the NYPL about growing up in the Marcy Projects, hustling, and forgiveness.Read More ›

Charles Blow speaks with Schomburg Center director Khalil Muhammad about his middle name, how he was nearly baptized twice, and his unexpected childhood hero.Read More ›