Frank Portman is known to fans of punk rock as Doktor Frank, the lead singer of The Mr. T Experience. He's also made a name for himself as an author of hilarious, no-holds-barred young adult fiction. He made a splash in 2004 with King Dork, the story of a high schooler by the name of Tom Henderson, called ChiMo by his classmates. Delacorte/Random House has recently released the sequel, and it's entitled, King Dork Approximately.
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Natalie Baszile's debut novel Queen Sugar was much acclaimed when it was first released in 2014, and it's now available in paperback from Penguin. And just a couple of days after our chat with Natalie, Oprah Winfrey announced that she and Ava DuVernay, the director of Selma, will be developing Queen Sugar into a television series.
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Tim Johnston is a writer of fiction with a YA novel called Never So Green, a collection of short stories, and a new novel from Algonquin Books. It's called Descent, and it's one of the best reviewed literary thrillers in recent memory.
If you would like to meet Tim and hear him read from his work, he'll have an event at the University of Memphis on Thursday, February 19, 2015 beginning at 5:30 in the Bluff Room at The University Center. The event is open to the public. For more information, call (901)678-3732.
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Sharon Draper won the 1997 National Teacher of The Year Honor, and has gone on to become even more famous as the author of best-selling and award-winning books for children and young adults. We talk about her latest book for middle-graders, Stella by Starlight, which was inspired by her father and her maternal grandmother.
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David Vaughn Mason is chair of the theater department and director of Asian Studies at Rhodes College. During the so-called Mormon Moment during the 2012 Presidential election, Dr. Mason gained notice for his editorials in the Washington Post addressing his faith and how it fits into America. Routledge has recently published his biography of Church of Latter Day Saints leader entitled, Brigham Young: Sovereign in America.
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