Conversations From the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference is back for a 17th season of interviews from the acclaimed event. The programs, recorded at the 2024 conference and hosted by Marcia Franklin, air the first four Fridays in November at 8:30 PM.
On Nov. 1, Franklin talks with author Margaret Atwood about her work, which includes the bestselling novel The Handmaid’s Tale and its sequel, The Testaments. Atwood also shares her thoughts on whether the United States could head toward totalitarianism.
On Nov. 8, Franklin talks with Rabbi Sharon Brous, the leader of IKAR, a Jewish congregation in Los Angeles. The two discuss how the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel affected her and her congregants, Israel’s bombing of Gaza, increasing antisemitism, and a path forward to peace. They also talk about her book, The Amen Effect, which suggests ways for people of opposing sides to come together.
On Nov. 15, Franklin talks with Clarissa Ward, the chief international correspondent for CNN, about her start in the business, her assignments in some of the most dangerous parts of the world and the continuing need for journalistic ethics. The two also discuss her memoir, On All Fronts: The Education of a Journalist.
On Nov. 22, Franklin talks with historian Tiya Miles about her book All That She Carried, which won the National Book Award. It tells the story of “Ashley’s sack,” a bag given to an enslaved girl by her mother in the 1850s. The two discuss how a material object can bring untold history alive, and also talk about Miles’ book Night Flyer, which looks at the effect of the outdoors on Harriet Tubman.
The month caps off on Nov. 29 with an additional createid conversation, as Franklin talks in Boise with award-winning playwright Samuel D. Hunter, who grew up in Moscow, Idaho. His play The Whale was adapted into a major motion picture with Brendan Fraser, who won an Academy Award. The two discuss the role of Idaho in his works, and the importance of the humanities.
