Rita Dove, former Poet Laureate of the U.S. and recipient of a Pulitzer Prize, is one of the most honored figures in modern American literature. Among Dove's many honors is the 1993 NAACP Great American Artist Award. (28 minutes)
Guitarist Dale Williams studied blues guitar with Willie Dixon and Phil Upchurch, but doesn't limit himself to the blues. He has performed and recorded with such artists as Sun Ra, George Lewis and LL Cool J. He teaches and lectures, in addition to performing. (24 minutes)
Beat poet Michael McClure is the author of numerous volumes of poetry, plays, novels, and essays. McClure is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Obie Award for Best Play, and the National Poetry Association's Distinguished Lifetime Achievement in poetry. Tune in as he reads a selection of poems. (28 minutes)
Poet Angela Jackson uses a variety of voices and themes in an entertaining reading. (27 minutes)
Musician, singer, songwriter, arranger and producer Patrice Rushen has a vast array of recordings to her name, and in recent years has been musical director for the Emmy and NAACP Awards, and for Janet Jackson's 1994 world tour. (29 minutes)
Trinidad resident Derek Walcott won the 1992 Nobel Prize in Literature. Walcott has published twenty volumes of poetry and is also a published playwright. (20 minutes)
Liu Qi-Chao celebrates his collaboration with Chinese American jazz pianist/composer Jon Jang. (26 minutes)
Serving in his fourth elected term as Chairman (Chief) of the Federated Coast Miwok Tribe, novelist Greg Sarris is the author of Watermelon Nights. In 1996, he wrote and executive produced with Robert Redford the award-winning HBO miniseries Grand Avenue, based on his collection of short stories. (23 minutes)
Host Harry Kreisler welcomes scientist Lars-Erik Liljelund, Director General of the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, for a discussion of Swedish policy for addressing climate change and global warming. He reflects on his own career which combines work in public policy and science. He also talks about the distinctive quality of the global warming problem and the obstacles for finding and implementing solutions. 54 min)
Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Princeton cosmologist Jim Peebles for a discussion of his intellectual odyssey. They discuss his contributions to cosmology and the future of the field. (56 min)
In this 1998 interview, Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Faisal Husseini, one of the leading figures in the Palestinian national movement and Yossi Beilin, a leading Israeli political figure, for a discussion of how their mutual dialogue set in motion the Oslo Peace Accord. Both Husseini and Beilin talk about their lives and how their perceptions of the other took an important turn toward peace. (50 min)
Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes journalist James Fallows for a discussion of his career, the ideas and events that shaped his thinking, and his perspective on his craft as a writer and author.
Robert S. McNamara, former Secretary of Defense and former President of the World Bank reminisces with host Harry Kreisler about public service, the War in Vietnam, and the dangers of the superpower confrontation during the Cold War. (59 min)
In this edition, broadcast journalist and UC Berkeley faculty member Lowell Bergman talks about his intellectual journey, investigative reporting and his years as a producer at 60 Minutes. (56 min)
Nobel Laureate Steven Chu in a conversation with UC Berkeley's Harry Kreisler about scientific inquiry and the evolution of Chu's own research interests. (57 min)
Host Harry Kreisler welcomes Ambassador Princeton N. Lyman, former U.S. Ambassador to South Africa and Nigeria for a discussion of U.S. Africa Relations. He talks about AfricaŐs strategic importance to the United States focusing on issues such as energy, health, terrorism, and human rights. He describes the role of China in African affairs and analyzes the U.S. capacity to engage Africa in the new strategic environment of the post 911 world. (52 min)
Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes neurosurgeon Allan J. Hamilton for a discussion of his new book: the Scalpel and the Soul: Encounters with Surgery, the Supernatural and the Healing Power of Hope. Focusing on his intellectual and spiritual odyssey, Dr. Hamilton offers insights into the craft of surgery and discusses how his patients have broadened his understanding of the human condition, the resilience of the human spirit, the healing process, and the world beyond science. (58 minutes)
On this edition of Conversations with History, UC Berkeley's Harry Kreisler is joined by linguist and political activist Noam Chomsky to discuss activism, anarchism and the role the United States plays in the world today. (59 min)
Conversations host Harry Kreisler is joined by former Cornell University President Frank Rhodes for a discussion of leadership and university governance. (56 min)
Host Harry Kreisler welcomes Frank Rhodes, former President of Cornell University, for a discussion of the challenges and opportunities he faced leading an Ivy League university. (56 min)
Host Harry Kreisler welcomes UC professors Herbert York and Susan Shirk for a discussion of the role of research universities in meeting today’s national security challenges. York, the first director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and founding director of the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC) and Shirk, Asian security policy expert and current IGCC Director, compare the Cold War and the Post 911 world. Highlighting the importance of regional contexts and the need for well informed diplomacy, they evaluate the U.S. response in managing these threats and offer recommendations for the future. (55 minutes)
Winner of the Nobel Prize for his role in the invention of the laser and maser, UC Berkeley Professor Charles Townes recounts his adventures as a scientist. (54 min)
Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Pamela Constable of the Washington Post for a discussion of changes in Afghanistan and Pakistan Since 911. She analyzes the 2008 Pakistan election and its implications for U.S. Pakistan relations and describes the renewal of the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan. (56 minutes)
Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes New Yorker staff writer Lawrence Wright for a discussion of his new book, The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11. Included in the conversation are profiles of Mohammed Qutb, Osama Bin Laden, and Dr. Ayman al-Zawarhiri. key figures in the radical jihadist movement that became Al Qaeda. Wright also reflects on the career of FBI agent John O’Neill who lead the FBI search for terrorists within the United States and was killed` in the destruction of the Twin Towers. (57 minutes)
Conversations with History host Harry Kreisler interviews Joseph Joffe, editor/publisher of Die Zeit, about the implications of the Bush Doctrine for U.S-European relations. (58 min)
Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes writer/critic Mark Steyn, the 2007 Nimitz Lecturer at Berkeley. Focusing on his new book, "America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It," they discuss Europe and America's relations with the Islamic world. In the interview, their conversation also focuses on the craft of writing in a multi media globalized world. (55 minutes)
Kishore Mahbubani, author of Beyond the Age of Innocence: Rebuilding Trust between America and the World and Can Asians Think? joins Conversations host Harry Kreisler for a discussion about America and the world. (55 min)
Host Harry Kreisler welcomes Columbia University political scientist Robert Jervis for a discussion of theory in international relations. Their discussion includes an examination of the Bush Doctrine and the failure of intelligence in the lead up to the Iraq War. (58 min)
Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes NYU law professor Stephen Holmes for a discussion of the Bush administration's response to the 911 attack. He analyzes the motivations behind policies, examines the interplay between politics and ideas, and highlights the implications for American democracy. He also addresses the options available to the the next President in confronting the tragic errors of the Bush administration. (59 minutes)
In this edition, UC Berkeley's Harry Kreisler talks with Laura D'Andrea Tyson, the Class of 1939 Professor of Economics and Business at UC Berkeley. They discuss her research in international economics, her service in the Clinton administration, and the interaction between national economic policy and the international economy. (55 min)
Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Harper's Editor Emeritus Lewis Lapham for a discussion of his career and the history of Harper's Magazine. Lapham compares print to electronic media, analyzes the corruption of language by politics, and reflects on the incompatibility of democracy and empire. He concludes with a devastating critique of the Bush administration and its impeachable offenses. (59 min)
One of the significant Irish poets and scholars of our time, Maire MacEntee, discusses the influences that led to her becoming a poet. (27 min)
Host Harry Kreisler welcomes Harvard political scientist Stephen M. Walt for a discussion of how to think about balancing power in international politics. They also consider the role theory might play in formulating foreign policy and consider the way the world is responding to the U.S. hegemony in the aftermath of 911 and the Iraq War. (58 min)
Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes biblical scholar Bart Ehrman for a discussion of his intellectual odyssey with a focus on how the Bible explains the problem of human suffering. The conversation includes a discussion of the challenges of biblical interpretation when confronting this age old problem of the human condition. Included are topics such as the contribution of the prophets, a comparison of the old and new testaments, the book of Job, and the emergence of apocalyptic writers. (57 minutes)
Conversations with History host Harry Kreisler welcomes Walter Russell Mead of the Council on Foreign Relations for a discussion of the Anglo American maritime system—its origins, development, and impact on the world. The conversation touches on the unique synergy between Protestant religion and capitalism, the consolidation of Anglo American power in the process of transforming the international system, the importance of culture in international politics, and the need for a dialogue of civilizations in the 21st century. (57 minutes)
Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Yale Professor James Gustave Speth for a discussion of his career in the environmental movement. Professor Speth traces his changing perspective on the appropriate response to the environmental crisis. Concluding that only a radical transformation of capitalism will save the planet for future generations, he outlines the changes in consciousness and in the political agenda that will be required. (54 minutes)
Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes General Tony Zinni for a discussion of national security challenges facing the United States in the 21st century. He analyzes the failure of U.S. foreign policy to address the new instabilities threatening world order and discusses the lessons of the Iraq War. (57 minutes)
On this edition of Conversations with History, Harry Kreisler welcomes Michael Nacht, Dean of the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley. Nacht discusses the making of U.S. foreign policy and comments on how it is changing in the aftermath of 9/11. (58 min)
Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Harvard Professor Samantha Power for a discussion of her new book, "Chasing the Flame: Sergio Vieira de Mello and the Fight to Save the World." The conversation focuses on the lessons of De Mello's life for understanding the challenges confronting world order in the 21st century. (56 minutes)
Conversations with History host Harry Kreisler welcomes Ruan Zongze, Vice President of the China Institute of International Studies, Beijing, for a discussion of China's changing domestic scene and its implications for Chinese foreign policy. (57 min)