In the Studio: Lucinda Williams tapes Overheard 1/13

Posted on January 7, 2014 by april

Please join KLRU’s Overheard with Evan Smith for an interview with Lucinda Williams!

DATE: January 13
TIME: 7:15pm (Doors open at 6:45pm)
LOCATION: in KLRU’s Studio 6A (map)
RSVP: The event is free but an RSVP is required. RSVP now

Lucinda Williams is a Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter, whose highly acclaimed self-titled album, Lucinda Williams, was released 25 years ago this month. That album featured the song Passionate Kisses, later performed by Mary Chapin Carpenter and which earned Williams a Grammy for Best Country Song in 1994. Her 1998 album Car Wheels on a Gravel Road won another Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album. Williams went on to tour with Bob Dylan and to produce five more albums including her most recent, Blessed, in 2011, as well as a number of live albums. Williams is in Austin to promote the 25th anniversary of Lucinda Williams and to perform at ACL Live with Alejandro Escovedo for his “United Sounds of Austin” show on January 11. She will also perform a free show at Waterloo Records on January 14.

We hope you’ll be there as Overheard with Evan Smith continues a fourth season of great conversation with fascinating people, always on the news and always with a sense of humor. The show features in-depth interviews with a mix of guests from politics, the arts, literature, journalism, business, sports and more, and reaches PBS viewers from California to Florida. We’d love to see you in the studio for the interview, and for a chance to join the audience Q&A after the interview. Watch past episodes and Q&As at klru.org/overheard

In the Studio: Neil deGrasse Tyson tapes Overheard 12/17

Posted on December 10, 2013 by april

*This event has now reached capacity and we are no longer accepting RSVPs.

Please join KLRU’s Overheard with Evan Smith for an interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson

Date: Tuesday, December 17
Time: 5:30pm (Doors open at 5:00pm)
Location: KLRU’s Studio 6A (map).
RSVP: The event is free but an RSVP is required. Sorry this event is now at capacity.

Neil deGrasse Tyson holds the Frederick P. Rose Directorship of the Hayden Planetarium. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Physics from Harvard University and his PhD from Columbia University in Astrophysics. He hosted NOVA ScienceNow on PBS for 5 seasons. In 2001, Tyson was appointed to serve on a commission to study the US Aerospace Industry by President George W. Bush and again in 2004 on a commission referred to as the “Moon, Mars, and Beyond” commission. He has been awarded the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal and received eighteen honorary doctorates. Currently Tyson is working to reboot Carl Sagan’s series COSMOS to air in spring of 2014. He is in town for an event at the Paramount Theatre.

We hope you’ll be there as Overheard with Evan Smith begins a fourth season of great conversation with fascinating people, always on the news and always with a sense of humor. The show features in-depth interviews with a mix of guests from politics, the arts, literature, journalism, business, sports and more, and reaches PBS viewers from California to Florida. We’d love to see you in the studio for the interview, and for a chance to join the audience Q&A after the interview. Watch interviews and Q&A segments at klru.org/overheard

In the Studio: Amy Tan tapes Overheard 12/17

Posted on December 10, 2013 by april

Please join KLRU’s Overheard with Evan Smith for an interview with Amy Tan

Date: Tuesday, December 17
Time: 4:15pm (Doors open at 3:45pm)
Location: KLRU’s Studio 6A (map).
RSVP: The event is free but an RSVP is required. RSVP now
**The studio audience will be cleared immediately after the Tan taping to accomodate check-in for the Neil deGrasse taping at 5:30pm**

photo credit Rick Smolan

Amy Tan is the author of three best-selling novels including her 1989 novel The Joy Luck Club. Her newest novel, The Valley of Amazement, was published in November and is already on The New York Times best-seller list. The editors of The New York Times Book Review also named it a 2013 Notable Book. Tan co-produced and co-wrote the screenplay of The Joy Luck Club movie, released in 1993. Millions of copies of her books are in print and they have been translated into thirty languages. Tan is in Austin to speak and sign books at Book People following our taping. Book People will sell signed copies of The Valley of Amazement through the holidays.

This Week on Overheard: Journalist & Author Mark Leibovich

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Allie

This week on Overheard with Evan Smith, Mark Leibovich discusses his new tell-all book about Washington, This Town: Two Parties and a Funeral-Plus, Plenty of Valet Parking!-in American’s Gilded Capital.

In the video clip above, Leibovich explains his view of “official” Washington, D.C. and how it has transformed over the years to become “this town.” He blames the changes on incidents like 9/11 and the pop culture Clinton Era . Leibovich says the culture from the Clinton era gave way to the rise of the “celebrity operative,” which meant “people [came] to Washington who grew up idolizing Josh Lyman not Ronald Reagan or John F. Kennedy or Barack Obama.”

Leibovich admits that he wrote This Town as a Washington insider and says he’s well aware of the uneasiness the book has caused. He explains the book ”seemed to ingest some discomfort into the system and…if any city needs to be more uncomfortable right now it’s Washington,” Leibovich said.

Leibovich also reflects on working at the Washington Post as well as his current work on The New York Times. He addresses the changing journalism industry, including the impact social media has had on news and journalism careers.

Tune in December 5 at 7 p.m. to see Mark Leibovich on Overheard with Evan Smith.

In the Studio: Doris Kearns Goodwin 12/10

Posted on November 21, 2013 by april

Please join KLRU’s Overheard with Evan Smith
for an interview with Doris Kearns Goodwin

DATE: December 10
TIME: 3:45pm (Doors open at 3:15pm)
LOCATION: KLRU’s Studio 6A (map).
RSVP: The event is free but an RSVP is required. RSVP now

Doris Kearns Goodwin is a best-selling author and historian. She has written several biographies of U.S. presidents, including Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, which was adapted to become the award-winning film Lincoln. Kearns Goodwin began her career as a White House assistant during the Lyndon B. Johnson Administration and taught at Harvard for ten years while publishing her first book, Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream. She won a Pulitzer Prize for History in 1995 for her biography of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. Kearns Goodwin is in town for an event at the LBJ Library and to promote her newest book The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism

This week on Overheard: Novelist Jonathan Lethem

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Allie

On this episode of Overheard, Jonathan Lethem discusses his writing process. Lethem is an award winning, best-selling novelist, essayist, and short story writer. His most recent novel, released in September, is Dissident Gardens.

Jonathan Lethem explains how he drew from his real life in order to create the setting and characters for his most recent novel. He explains how his grandmother and mother inspired the way his characters act and think. His characters in Dissident Gardens, he explains,”are passionate believers that they are on some kind of committed course the change the world.”

He also discuss modern publishing, how technology is changing publishing and the new idea of marketing yourself. Plus, he tells Evan what’s next in his career.

Tune in November 21 at 7 p.m. to see Jonathan Lethem on Overheard with Evan Smith. Watch the video above for an excerpt from our interview.

This week on Overheard: Author & Commentator Jonathan Alter

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Allie

In this episode of Overheard with Evan Smith Jonathan Alter discusses his new book The Center Holds: Obama and His Enemies. Alter previously worked for Newsweek for close to three decades. He’s written three New York Times best sellers on American presidents.

Alter tells Evan how he must get inside of the minds of leaders in order to write. He also touches on the Obama “haters” who took part in the so-called Birther Movement as well as the haters of former presidents. Alter explains how Obama is often criticized for not accomplishing what he said he would.

But, not all of his comments about the president are negative. He also explains the legacy Obama will leave behind with healthcare. He says while many people are unhappy with it now in 2016 it will be something celebrated by future candidates. Alter explains, although people were scared of what the healthcare reform would do that “America is not Texas and is not going to be Texas anytime soon,” citing the state’s decision not to implement parts of the law.

Alter gives insight to the government shutdown. He explains the “effort by the Tea party, essentially, to put a gun to the head of the government and of the global economy” which he notes was “utterly defeated.” He explains that the party failed and Ted Cruz himself had to acknowledge he was “defeated.”

Tune in tonight at 7 p.m. to see Jonathan Atler on Overheard with Evan Smith. You can see a preview in the video above.

In the Studio: Halperin & Heilemann tape Overheard 11/18

Posted on November 5, 2013 by april

Please join KLRU’s Overheard with Evan Smith for an interview with Mark Halperin and John Heilemann.

DATE: November 18
TIME: at 3:45pm Doors open at 3:15pm.)
LOCATION:KLRU’s Studio 6A (map).
The event is free but an RSVP is required. RSVP now

Mark Halperin and John Heilemann are the best-selling authors of Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime, which was later turned into a critically-acclaimed HBO film. The duo are back at it with their newest book Double Down: Game Change 2012 about the 2012 presidential campaign. Double Down is in stores today.

Mark Halperin is Editor-at-Large and Senior Political Analyst for TIME magazine. John Heilemann is National Affairs Editor for New York magazine. They are in town for an event at the LBJ Library immediately following our taping. That event is co-sponsored by The Texas Tribune.

Overheard with Evan Smith: Eugene Robinson

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Allie

Eugene Robinson is a Pulitzer-Prize winning columnist. He writes for The Washington Post and appears as a panelist on NBC’s Meet the Press. His 2008 coverage of the election of the first African American president earned him the Pulitzer.

In this episode, Robinson give us his take on the “broken government” and how the United States should focus on moving forward with the economy. Robinson also explains how the Tea Party has influenced the government.

The subject of race comes up as Robinson address Obama and how the race factor affects the people’s view of him. He explains that race plays an important part of how the Obama administration and it’s decisions are viewed. He also contrasts how different racial issues are currently compared to when he was growing up.

Robinson gives insight to government issues and compares them to the issues of past administrations, including the Clinton era. He explains how President Obama can look back on what mistakes he has made and how the president has transformed while in office.

Evan and Robinson also discuss his career at The Washington Post and his reaction to Jeff Bezos’ purchase of the paper. He shares his hopes for how technology can transform newsrooms.

Don’t miss this informative and timely episode of Overheard airing November 7th at 7:00 p.m. on KLRU.

In the Studio: Mark Kelly tapes Overheard

Posted on October 21, 2013 by april

Please join KLRU’s Overheard with Evan Smith for an interview with Mark Kelly.
Date: October 30
Time: at 2:15pm (Doors open at 1:45pm)
Location: KLRU’s Studio 6A (map).
RSVP: The event is free but an RSVP is required. RSVP now

Mark Kelly is a retired American astronaut and U.S. Navy Captain. He is also the husband of former U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot at a constituent event in Tucson in 2011. Kelly flew his first NASA mission in 2001 and retired in 2011. He is the recipient of numerous naval awards including two Defensive Superior service medals and four Air Medals. He coauthored a biographical book with his wife entitled Gabby: A Story of Courage, Love and Resilience. In 2012 Kelly released Mousetronaut, a children’s book and New York Times bestseller.

PLEASE NOTE: The KLRU lobby on the 3rd floor of the University of Texas CMB building will be closed due to construction. Please enter the building through the ground level alley and take elevator to 6th floor. Those with accessibility needs — including people with difficulty walking down steep inclines — should call 512-471-4811 for additional information. Please leave a message if no one answers so KLRU can call you back.