In 1993, the term “woke” had not been invented yet. But a prominent law professor nominated for a high position in the US government Saw her nomination done in by what we would now know as “anti-woke” sentiment.
Her name was Lani Guinier. President Bill Clinton nominated her to be assistant attorney general for civil rights.
That’s, of course, when closer scrutiny of her past writings began. And, she says, that’s when the misrepresentations of her writings began.
Guinier was a strong advocate of voting rights, and a strong believer that all minority voices should be heard in a democracy.
Ultimately, her voice was drowned out by her critics’ voices, and President Clinton withdrew her nomination.
I met her the following year, when she was on a book tour. So here now, from 1994, Lani Guinier.
In recent months you could argue that Florida has become the de facto ground zero for book banning in schools.
Hundreds of titles, ranging from the extreme to the innocuous, have been deemed unsatisfactory for students in Florida public schools.
Recently, the school board in Martin county, Florida banned 20 books by best-selling author Jodi Picoult.
Her books are best sellers because she directly and maturely treats subjects such as race, gender, sexuality, even abortion rights in weaving, dramatic stories.
II’ve interviewed Jody Pico several times, including in 2004, when we talked about one of the books that has now been banned in Martin county, a book called
In recent months you could argue that Florida has become the de facto ground zero for book banning in schools.
Hundreds of titles, ranging from the extreme to the innocuous, have been deemed unsatisfactory for students in Florida public schools.
Recently, the school board in Martin county, Florida banned 20 books by best-selling author Jodi Picoult.
Her books are best sellers because she directly and maturely treats subjects such as race, gender, sexuality, even abortion rights in weaving, dramatic stories.
I’ve interviewed Jody Pico several times, including in 2004, when we talked about one of the books that has now been banned in Martin county, a book called my sister’s keeper.
It’s about a teenaged girl named Anna, who sues her parents to win a measure of bodily autonomy. You see, Anna has sent much of her life functioning as tissue donor for her chronically and seriously ill sister Kate.. Finally it becoms too much for Anna to bear any longer. The story is tole from multiple points of view.
So here now, from 2004, Jody Pico.
Jodi Pico is 58. She and her family live in New England.
Holly Near was just 8 years old when she first performed in public. And in a career that has now spanned over 50 yearse, Near has established herself as a folk music legend.
Actually, she calls herself a troubadour.
And she’s a talented actress, appearing in episodes of The Mod Squad, All in The Family, and The Partridge family, as well as on Broadway in the musical “Hair.”
Near is also a member of the LGBTQ community, at a strong supporter of gay rights for many decades.
I met her in 1990, when she published an autobiography called Fire in The Rain, Singer in The Storm.
So here now, from 1990, Holly Near.
Holly Near will be 74 in June, and still performs regularly.
Ask any serious fan of science fiction who the three most influential authors of the genre of the 20th century were. They will likely say Arthur c. Clarke, Robert Heinlein, and Isaac Asimov.
In a career that spanned more than half a century, Asimov wrote or edited over 500 books. And even though he was primarily known for his science fiction, Asimov also wrote mysteries and fantasy and non-fiction.
And besides all that, he was a professor at Boston University.0
I met him in 1988, when he published a book called Prelude to Foundation, the latest in that popular series.
In the early 1960s you would have been hard pressed to find an entertainer who was hotter, more popular, and more in demand than singer and actress and Margaret.
The young star, born in Sweden as Ann Margaret Olsen, captivated everyone’s attention. With her combination of Scandinavian beauty, a youthful s*******, at a sort of undercurrent of danger, it’s easy to see why Ann-Margret quickly became so popular.
Many said she appeared to be a female Elvis. And, by 1964, she was starring alongside the real Elvis Presley in the movie Viva Las vegas- and famously having an affair with the king.
But her star didn’t fade. Well into the 60s, ’70s, ’80s, and beyond, and Margaret has remained a popular favorite.
In 1994 she was prompted to write her autobiography. And that’s what I had a chance to meet her.
So here now, a candid and emotional interview with Ann-Margret, from 1994:
And Margaret will be 82 next month. Her most recent screen appearance was in 2017.
Her husband, Roger Smith, died in 2017 after 50 years of marriage.
In the summer of 1992, then US senator Al Gore from Tennessee was thrust into a much more visible public role, when Bill Clinton selected him as his running mate on the Democratic ticket.
That was also about the time Gore published his first book about the environment, a volume called Earth in the balance
And that’s how I met Al Gore, just a few weeks before he was nominated to be vice president.
The day I interviewed him if he had any indication that he was about to be nominated to be on the Clinton ticket, he did a really good job of hiding it.
So here now, from 1992, senator Al Gore.
Al Gore served as vice president under Bill Clinton for 8 years, before seeking the presidency on his own in 2000. He lost that election by a razor thin margin to George w. Bush. Since then, Gore has cemented his reputation as a leading advocate of environmental causes.
