NPR’s Ari Shapiro is out with a new book, “The Best Strangers in the World: Stories from a Life Spent Listening.” It chronicles his life before and during his time at NPR behind the microphone. He also steps out of the studio to share stories of his personal life.
Ari joined NHPR’s All Things Considered host Julia Furukawa to talk about his memoir, his first time hosting, and his time spent in New Hampshire. Below is a transcript of their conversation.
Transcript
Julia Furukawa: You're out with this book while you're still very much in the midst of your career. Why did you feel now was the right time?
Ari Shapiro: You know, we're in this interesting moment where I was very much raised in the mindset that journalists approach their work valuing objectivity, with a capital O, above all else. Where I, as a journalist, should be a surrogate for the listener—whoever and wherever that listener may be. And I do believe that there's value to that. But I also believe that we show up as our full selves, carrying with us our history and our identity, and that's real too. And so there's this push pull tension that I wanted to explore. And I tried to do it by digging into the stories that have shaped me as a person, and the way that the person I am has also shaped some of the stories that I tell.
"I also believe that we show up as our full selves, carrying with us our history and our identity, and that's real too."
Julia Furukawa: So the stress of a live broadcast or a tough interview can be hard to handle. Do you have a few things you do behind the scenes to just get in the zone and get ready?
Ari Shapiro: Well, the truth is, at this point, having been a host of All Things Considered for seven years, I have enough practice that it no longer freaks me out. I remember vividly my first day hosting All Things Considered. I was in the studio with Robert Siegel, the legendary host who has since retired. And, you know, the billboards are at the top of the hour, and we always produce it ahead of time. But something had changed, so we had to do it live. And I remember in a panic, sitting in the studio and turning to Robert moments before we went live with the billboard, and saying to him, ‘Does this still make you nervous?’ And he calmly turned to me and said, ‘No.’
Julia Furukawa: Are you at Robert Siegel level of calm and collected?
Ari Shapiro: No, absolutely not at Robert Siegel level. But I can do a live billboard without my pulse spiking at this point.
Julia Furukawa: All right. I would be remiss if I did not ask about a New Hampshire reference in your book. Well, there's two of them, and I thought I would ask about the first one.
Ari Shapiro: By the way, I've spent tons of time in New Hampshire over my career. Most of my visits did not get mentioned in the book because usually, it's covering presidential primaries. But you're right, there are a couple of specific references. So let's do it.
Julia Furukawa: In one of your summers during your college years, you said that you worked at a summer stock theater here in New Hampshire. Can you share some details?
Ari Shapiro: The New London Barn Playhouse, which still exists. I've been back there, but it's this summer stock theater that has a few claims to fame. If you go there, there's some room that has a photo of each company every summer going back in time. And if you look at the photo for— what year was it, like 1998, maybe? You'll see me there. We did “Jesus Christ Superstar.” We did “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.” I remember Lake Sunapee. I remember going hiking around there. It was an idyllic summer.
