Apr 23, 2016

He is an op-ed columnist for the NY Times, having been that paper's Rome bureau chief, White House correspondent and restaurant critic. During our conversation at JCC Manhattan, he described meeting two long-time idols: one was a bit of a let down, one was entirely satisfying. Hear what happens when youthful dreams come...

Apr 11, 2016

His plays, including Lend Me a Tenor, have been performed in 30 countries and 20 languages. When we spoke at Princeton's McCarter Theater, he asserted that comedy is as important and serious as drama, which gave me a chance to quote Coleridge - "The true comic is the blossom of the nettle." - something I seldom mention...

Apr 3, 2016

Born in Tehran and educated in Switzerland and the Univ. of Oklahoma, thus setting some kind of record for cultural contrast, she taught English Literature at Tehran University and is now a fellow at Johns Hopkins School of International Studies. Like millions of admirers, I first heard of her with the publication...