Reading With Robin (Robin Kall)
Reading With Robin is a radio show about books and the people who love to read and write them.
Sounds like a match made in heaven for The Women's Book Reviews website!
Robin Kall is the creator and host of Reading with Robin, a WHJJ Providence, RI radio talk show devoted to authors, readers, and their favorite - and not so favorite - books. The show was launched in November of 2002 with an entertaining and lively look at the books and topics about which people were talking. Listeners are invited to call in with comments and questions for the day’s guest(s) and to participate in contests where the prizes are --- you guessed it --- sought-after books.
Some of her memorable author guests include: Alice Hoffman, Tom Perrotta, Jane Green, Adrianna Trigiani, Meg Wolitzer, Elin Hilderbrand, Ayelet Waldman, Jonathan Tropper, Caroline Leavitt, Chris Bohjalian, Sue Miller, Elizabeth Berg, Khaled Khosseini, henry Winkler, Gary David Goldberg, Roxanne Robinson and Claire Cook.
Robin and her husband Burt along with their dog make their home in East Greenwich, R.I. While her family, including her two children in their 20's, has a lot of diverse interests, everyone enjoys reading and all are enthusiastic supporters of her book-related endeavors.
Robin and I started emailing each other and I asked her a few questions as to how she came to be a radio host about books.
Can you describe the Reading With Robin radio format? Do you have a different guest author each week?
Reading With Robin is a one-hour program that airs Saturday mornings from 7-8 AM Eastern time. It also streams live at www.920WHJJ.com and the shows are archived on my site www.readingwithrobin.com so book lovers can listen any time that's good for them! The show is broken down into four chapters. Chapter one is an intro and I talk about things going on in the book world and other random things --- movies, plays, things going on in the world. Chapter 2 --- I sometimes begin the interview with the author here and then go until the end of the show. Every once in a while in an attempt to do too much, I have one author on Chapters 1 and 2 and then another author on for Chapters 3 and 4. This always feels rushed to me but you know...too many great books...
Can you tell me a little about yourself --- your background and how you got to have your own radio show about books?
My background in radio/books is that I began as a phone in caller to another talk show - got the talk
radio bug - started coming into the studio to banter with the host - wrote some bits/filled in and after about a year
of this pitched the idea to do a talk show. As I am so passionate about books, I thought this would make for
entertaining discussion and after almost 9 years, I'd say the format works! I sometimes give away books and
have listeners come into the studio to ask questions of their favorite authors.
Are you’re a writer yourself?
Aren't we all? I do have a weekly column at www.golocalprov.com which forces me to do more focused writing than I have been. I have written some short pieces and, of course, I am working on the (not) great American novel!
How do you prepare for the interview with a famous author?
I prepare for all interviews the same way. I read the book, look up info on the web about the author, read their blogs, etc., - and ask the questions that aren't always asked of authors and take the follow-up questions from their responses. The interview often takes me places I don't expect. Sort of like the answers I get from authors who tell me they didn't know where the story was going...the characters led them...
