Story Archives of 'Writers on a New England Stage'

Best known for her portrayals of the complex, intertwined history of Native and White Americans, a heritage the author herself shares, Louise Erdrich came to The Music Hall in Portsmouth to talk about her new book “The Plague of Doves” and take questions from the audience and Exchange host Laura Knoy. Today we bring you part of that performance.

On Monday, award-winning documentary film maker Ken Burns addressed a live audience at the Music Hall in Portsmouth as part of our Writers on a New England Stage Series. Burns’s latest documentary, called “The War”, details the stories of soldiers, families and loved one in four American cities during the four years of American involvement in World War II. Burns' companion book to his documentary is called “The War: An Intimate History 1941-1945”. Today we play back for you part of Monday night’s event.

Richard Russo won the Pulitzer Prize in 2002 for his novel Empire Falls, which the Christian Science Monitor described as "[possibly] the last great novel of the 20th Century." Russo was on hand at The Music Hall in Portsmouth to talk about his new novel, Bridge of Sighs, for the latest installment of Writers on a New England Stage. The series brings award-winning, nationally-recognized authors to the Music Hall stage to talk about their works with NHPR's Laura Knoy, and also features music by award-winning rock trio Dreadnaught.

We play back for you the latest in our “Writers on a New England Stage” series, with Diamant on her new book “The Last Days of Dogtown”. It’s historical fiction set in post-colonial Massachussetts, an account of a real community that slowly died out. The show is an edited-for-broadcast version of last Thursday night's event at the Music Hall in Portsmouth.

Although born in Pennsylvania, legendary author John Updike has been a New England writing institution since he moved to Massachusetts North Shore in 1957. Author of the classic book "The Witches of Eastwick" and his famous "Rabbit" series of novels, his compelling new work of fiction is called, "Terrorist". "Terrorist" tells the story of Ahmad Ashmawy Mulloy, half Irish American, half Egyptian, Ahmad struggles throughout the book between his newly found Islamic beliefs and the materialistic, hedonistic society he sees around him in his working class home town of New Prospect, New Jersey. On Monday, John Updike comes to the Music Hall in Portsmouth as the next installment in our "Writers on a New England Stage" series. First he'll speak about his new book then Exchange host, Laura Knoy joins him for audience questions and a few of her own. Today on The Exchange we rebroadcast an edited version of this live performance.