into a book , he really tells you what he thinks . He does not hold back .”
It would be interesting for people to hear how books are chosen to be reviewed , what a reviewer looks at , and how the newspaper decides what to run , says Bernard .
You wouldn ' t think of Rosanne Cash as a writer , although she has written several books . “ But it ' s her lyrics ,” says Bernard . “ Rosanne ’ s lyrics are beautiful . And she ' s a wonderful speaker . I thought it would be really interesting to talk to her about how a songwriter writes their lyrics and adapts music — music to lyrics or lyrics to music ?”
Cash ’ s latest book , Woman Walk the Line , covers a timely topic about how women in country music changed our lives . The Grammy ® -winning musician also wrote an interesting memoir , Composed , about growing up with and without her father , Johnny Cash . “ She ' s just a remarkable person ,” says Bernard .
Laura Groff , a multi-prize-winning novelist , is a great citizen of the literary community , says Bernard . “ She ' s very , very generous with other writers . She gives blurbs . She promotes other writers , she recommends them to publishers . She is an important voice of her particular generation . She writes beautifully , and she ’ s not stuck in one time period or one genre .”
Jonathan Alter has written two acclaimed accounts of Barack Obama and what is the standard biography of Jimmy Carter . Being a political reporter and commentator on NBC and MSNBC , he is steeped in the political world — Alter will be covering both the Democratic and Republican conventions this summer , and he brings his insights and deep understanding to his biographies of public figures . “ I want to ask him about how he penetrates the bubble politicians are often protected by ,” says Bernard , “ how he gets aides and others who surround presidents to talk , and how he drew out Obama and Carter to reveal enough about themselves to enrich his compelling narratives .”
Last in the series , but certainly not least , is Michael Pollan , best-selling author and journalist ( The Omnivore ’ s Dilemma , The Botany of Desire ). “ The series will have a cartoonist , a book reviewer , a lyricist , a fiction writer . I just thought really good nonfiction like that would add a lot . I ' m trying to be multi-dimensional . Michael ' s a great speaker .” Pollan ' s latest book is This Is Your Mind on Plants .
“ I sort of joke about it , but I see my role in these as being Prince Philip with Queen Elizabeth ,” says Bernard . “ I walk three paces behind , but I make sure the door gets opened and the cup of tea is served and the preparations are made . My role is to ask questions and make sure the stories get told and to find things that might be unusual that might come out in conversation . Nobody ' s coming to hear me talk . They want to hear Roz , they want to hear Rosanne , they want to hear Michael . So , my role is to put them forward in the best possible way and help them talk about what they love .” n
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André Bernard is a master at interviewing . Here , he talked with Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Rita Dove at last year ’ s Authors Guild Foundation WIT Festival .
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May / June 2024 BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE // 97