Story Archives of 'Books'

Word of Mouth producer Avishay Artsy reports back on The New Yorker's "Stories from the Near Future" conference held last week in New York City. The event brought together a number of influential, visionary thinkers from a wide variety of disciplines - scientists and engineers, artists and designers, architects, chefs, politicians, law professors, business leaders... all meeting to discuss the newest research trends and ideas that will shape how we live.

We'll hear from several of the participants, including:

Gavin Newsom, the mayor of San Francisco, about implementing the nation’s most innovative environmental policies in his city.

David Adjaye, an architect whose work includes London's Idea Stores, the Nobel Peace Center, in Oslo, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver, will discuss the newest trends in contemporary architecture.

Jane McGonigal, an alternate-reality game designer and a senior researcher at the Institute for the Future, discusses how game play in virtual worlds can improve problem-solving in the real world.

Yoky Matsuoka, the director of the neurobotics laboratory at the University of Washington, created the first anatomically correct robotic hand.

According to Gary Nabhan, if you love something, chop it down and eat it. Well, sort of. Gary's gathered a list of more than 1,000 native plants and animals that were once commonly found in American kitchens, but are now endangered, or on the brink of extinction.

The solution, he says? Eat 'em up!

Whether it’s Kentucky burgoo with squirrel, Hoppin’ John with clay field peas, or pawpaw custard, traditional American foods are part of the natural and cultural history of this nation, and many are quickly dying out.

Word of Mouth host Virginia Prescott speaks with Gary Paul Nabhan, director of the Center for Sustainable Environments at Northern Arizona University, and the author of "Renewing America's Food Traditions." It’s part cookbook, part history lesson, and part call to action to revive America's diverse food traditions.

She also speaks with Stephen Wood, owner of Poverty Lane Orchards and Farnum Hill Ciders in Lebanon, NH, about his own varieties of heirloom apples.

Experts say the average person encounters up to five thousand advertisements per day. We’re constantly bombarded with messages telling us what we need to be happier and healthier. Marketers get paid to know their audience, and they craft advertising strategies that target every imaginable demographic. Marketplace reporter Andrea Gardner looks at the ways companies try to appeal to women, often through "flattery, flirtation and manipulation." Thursday on Word of Mouth, she talks with host Virginia Prescott about her book 30 Second Seduction.

TV Commercials Discussed:

Playtex
This is an example of the "Best Friend" technique -- having real women (or realistic looking actresses) talk in a very candid down-to-earth way, so as to befriend female consumers to the brand.
Click here to watch

Dawn
This is an example of the "Fence Mender" technique. The company wants to highlight its good global citizenship and show consumers that Dawn is a good guy - not an evil corporate titan.
Click here to watch

Hellmans
This is an example of "The Fan" technique -- staying on top of the trends and reflecting that reality in ads. Because it's all about authenticity with women, and the more you are in tune with the here and now, the better. The company knows that healthy eating and whole foods (no preservatives) are very much in the zeitgeist right now.
Click here to watch

NPR's contributing senior news analyst Cokie Roberts is one of the most recognizable women political reporters today. In 2004 she penned “Founding Mothers” about America's early revolutionary women; her new book, “Ladies of Liberty,” picks up where “Founding Mothers” left off. Last week, Cokie Roberts came to Portsmouth to talk about her new book in the latest installment of our Writers on a New England Stage series. Today we play back for you part of that performance.

NPR contributing senior news analyst Cokie Roberts came to Portsmouth to talk about her new book, "Ladies of Liberty," in the latest installment of our Writers on a New England Stage series. This is the full, unedited version of that event.