Tagged: arts & life

Eddie Huang stormed through childhood. He fought bigoted kids, defied stereotypes of the "model minority" and partied hard. But he clung to the delights of  his father’s restaurant and the flavors of his mother’s kitchen. Following a stint as a lawyer and a stand-up comic, he returned to his raucous roots, dipped in the flavors of Taiwan, America and the world. Eddie Huang joins us for a conversation about the first-generation immigrant experience he writes about in his new memoir, “Fresh Off the Boat.”

It took author George Saunders seven years to write his latest collection of stories, “Tenth of December.” But for many fans, (including the New York Times Magazine which called his new story collection “the best book you’ll read this year” — and it’s only February!), the wait has been worth it.

I managed to catch up with Saunders in the KUOW Green Room before his interview with Ross Reynolds and decided to ask him about five amazing books that he thinks everybody should read.

What do Atticus Finch from “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Billy Ansell from “The Sweet Hereafter” and Anne from “The Sparrow" have in common? They're three characters that librarian and author Nancy Pearl wishes she could meet in real life! What makes a character leap off the page? Who would you meet if you could? Nancy Pearl joins us to take your calls at 206.543.5869, or you can send an email to weekday@kuow.org.

When Randy Engstrom and Andy Fife start talking about Seattle arts and culture you can almost feel the air around them vibrate. "It’s like a natural resource," enthuses Engstrom. Fife chimes in. "This is a place where nature is abundant and provides so much. Likewise culture."

You get the sense you’re face to face with the contemporary versions of Frederick Weyerhauser or Bill Boeing, adventurers who came West to seek their fortunes more than a century ago. Instead of harvesting trees, though, Fife and Engstrom plan to harness culture to expand Seattle’s economic vibrancy.