Daniel Handler’s sardonic sense of humor and deep pathos have engaged readers across genres for over twenty-five years. Handler’s best known for his series of children’s books A Series of Unfortunate Events under the pen name Lemony Snicket). His books published under his own name include Why We Broke Up, We Are Pirates), and the memoir, And Then? And Then? What Else? which has just been published in paperback. Andrew Sean Greer’s six works of fiction include the bestsellers The Story of a Marriage, The Confessions of Max Tivoli, Less (which earned him the Pulitzer Prize), and Less is Lost. On October 8, 2025, Daniel Handler and Andrew Sean Greer took to the stage of the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco, for a program they call “Paragraphs on Ice!” in which they dissect paragraphs written by other notable authors. It was a lesson in the art of writing – and the art of close reading.
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Jeff Chang with Shereen Marisol Meraji
Author and cultural critic Jeff Chang's new book is “Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America”. The world’s most celebrated martial artist and one of the best-known action stars ever, Bruce Lee is a global icon. Born in San Francisco in 1940, Lee spent his childhood in war-ravaged Hong Kong, where he began his acting career in its emerging film industry. When he returned to the US at the age of 18, Lee studied philosophy and drama, and taught martial arts to major Hollywood actors before becoming a star himself. On September 25, 2025, Jeff Chang talked to journalist, podcaster, and educator Shereen Marisol Meraji about his biography of Bruce Lee and his role in Asian American culture.
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Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper: Russ & Daughters
This week, the story behind one of the country’s premier dining destinations, Russ & Daughters. What began as a pushcart in 1904 on Manhattan’s Lower East Side is now an internationally-renowned retail operation, with three shops, a restaurant, and a mail-order business that delivers traditional Jewish foods nationwide. Russ & Daughters’ specialty is “appetizing” – smoked and cured salmon, pickled herring, bagels, cream cheese, and more. Running the business today are Josh Russ Tupper and Niki Russ Federman, fourth-generation torchbearers of their family’s legacy. On September 5, 2025, they visited the KQED studios in San Francisco to talk to writer Rebecca Handler, about growing up in the family business and what it takes to keep it alive, and their new cookbook “Russ & Daughters, 100 Years of Appetizing”.
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Arundhati Roy & Deepa Fernandes
Arundhati Roy’s internationally best-selling novels include The God of Small Things and The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. Her nonfiction works engage elegantly and passionately with class and power, among other issues. Roy’s new memoir, Mother Mary Comes to Me, examines her childhood in Kerala, India, and a mother whose commitment to justice and education made her a powerful force in the community – but whose volatility made for a challenging family life that included emotional abuse. On September 19, 2025, Arundhati Roy came to the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco to read from her memoir and hold an on-stage conversation with journalist Deepa Fernandes.
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Bill McKibben & Lauren Markham
Our guest today is Bill McKibben, an activist and author at the forefront of the movement to address the climate crisis, even as far back as 1989, in his book “The End of Nature.” A legendary leader in the environmental movement, he’s the founder of 350.org, the first global climate change campaign, and Third Act, a group that mobilizes people over the age of 60 for action on climate and justice. On September 15, 2025, McKibben came to the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco to talk to journalist and author Lauren Markham, about his new book, Here Comes the Sun. In it, McKibben offers solar solutions to some of the biggest impacts of climate change.
Since 1980, City Arts & Lectures has presented onstage conversations with outstanding figures in literature, politics, criticism, science, and the performing arts, offering the most diverse perspectives about ideas and values. City Arts & Lectures programs can be heard on more than 130 public radio stations across the country and wherever you get your podcasts. The broadcasts are co-produced with KQED 88.5 FM in San Francisco. Visit CITYARTS.NET for more info.
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