Proust Questionnaire Podcast

Proust Questionnaire 38: Ricardo Alberto Maldonado

Sat, 01 Jul 2023 08:00:00 -0000

Ricardo Alberto Maldonado is a poet residing in New York City who was born and raised in Puerto Rico. His first collection of poems, The Life Assignment, was a finalist for the Poetry Society of America’s Norma Farber First Book Award. He is the executive director and president of the Academy of American Poets, a leading nonprofit that established April as National Poetry Month and brings verse to a wide audience through its Poem-a-Day series with more than 330,000 daily subscribers. The Academy also awards more than $1.3 million a year to hundreds of writers.

Maldonado will be the organization’s first Latino leader and intends to highlight, among other things, the linguistic diversity of American poetry today. Prior to assuming his role at the Academy of American Poets, he co-directed the poetry center at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, where Ulrich Baer, one of our co-hosts, also teaches courses on poetry and literature. Follow Ricky on Twitter.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Twitter: @UliBaer; Instagram. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City. Twitter: @CorklinedRoom. Instagram.

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Proust Questionnaire 37: Dame Zandra Rhodes, Fashion Designer

Mon, 24 Oct 2022 08:00:00 -0000

Dame Zandra Rhodes is an English fashion and textile designer who has designed garments for Diana, Princess of Wales and numerous celebrities such as rock stars Freddie Mercury and Marc Bolan. In 2003, she founded the Fashion and Textile Museum in London. Her signature, recognizable design aesthetic has left an indelible mark on the history of fashion.

In 2019, Rhodes celebrated her 50th year as a legendary figurehead of British fashion with a retrospective exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum titled “Zandra Rhodes: 50 Years of Fabulous,” and a book published by Yale University Press. Over the course of her groundbreaking career she has won numerous awards including a 1979 Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in the Performing Arts – Costume Design.

Who better than this provocative, towering artist to take the Proust Questionnaire and share with us where she draws her motivation and creativity, how she discovered that mortality holds no fear for her, and how she views the world.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Twitter: @UliBaer; Intragram. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City. Twitter: @CorklinedRoom. Instagram.

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Proust Questionnaire 36: Haaz Sleiman, Actor

Thu, 30 Dec 2021 09:00:00 -0000

Haaz Sleiman (هاز سليمان) is a Lebanese actor who has appeared as Tarek in Tom McCarthy’s 2007 award-winning film The Visitor, for which he was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male and the role of Jesus in the American TV mini-series Killing Jesus. He’s also appeared alongside Edie Falco and Anna Deavere Smith (guest on The Proust Questionnaire) in the hit show Nurse Jackie, and stars in Chloe Zhao’s 2021 blockbuster Eternals, where he plays (spoiler alert!) the path-breaking role of Ben, the husband of superhero Phastos as the first wonderful, compelling, and courageous same-sex couple in the Marvel universe.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Twitter: @UliBaer; Intragram. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City. Twitter: @CorklinedRoom. Instagram.

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Proust Questionnaire 35: Calvin Sun, Emergency Physician, World Traveler: Monsoon Diaries

Thu, 08 Jul 2021 22:03:00 -0000

The Proust Questionnaire hosts individuals who make a difference in various ways. Meet Calvin D. Sun, M.D., an emergency room physician who's worked at several of New York City's major hospitals all throughout Covid. He was a frequent frontline contributor to CNN and other major news programs for Covid-related news. His daily account of helping people during this harrowing time is forthcoming as Covid Diaries by a major publisher. Calvin is also known as a travel convener who's visited 190 countries on a student budget and brings together people for sustainable and ethical travel at monsoondiaries.com. As the Founder & CEO of The Monsoon Diaries: a travel community that has taken hundreds of participants to 190+ countries in the past 10 years including North Korea, Nauru, Greenland, and Antarctica. Join one of Calvin's upcoming trips or vicariously follow him and fellow monsooners to amazing locations around the globe at monsoondiaries or monsoondiaries.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 34: Kasi Lemmons, Film Director

Sat, 13 Mar 2021 22:19:00 -0000

Kasi Lemmons is an award-winning director, writer, actress and professor who has been a staple in Hollywood for nearly three decades. Her acclaimed 1997 feature directorial debut, “Eve’s Bayou, was inducted into the National Film Registry, and is considered among the first to showcase the beauty of African American Southern culture. The film received the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature, and the National Board of Review bestowed her with a special first-time director award. “Eve’s Bayou” marked Samuel L. Jackson’s debut as a film producer and helped launch the careers of actresses Megan Good and Jurnee Smollett.

Lemmons’ sophomore feature, “The Caveman's Valentine,” opened the 2002 Sundance Film Festival, while her third film, “Talk to Me,” earned the 2008 NAACP Image Award for outstanding directing. She also adapted Langston Hughes’ musical “Black Nativity” for the big screen in 2013.

Her latest opus is “Harriet,” a deeply resonant and powerful drama based on the life of American icon Harriet Tubman. Starring Cynthia Enviro in the titular role, “Harriet” was released by Focus Features in late 2019. “Harriet” received two Academy Award nominations, two Golden Globe nominations, and ten NAACP Award nominations

Kasi was an executive producer on “Self Made,” the Madam CJ Walker limited series on Netflix starring Octavia Spencer, to which she also directed two episodes.

As an actress, Lemmons appeared in such notable films as Jonathan Demme’s ‘Silence of the Lambs,” John Woo’s ‘Hard Target,” and Spike Lee’s “School Daze.”

Lemmons has worked extensively as a mentor and educator, and currently serves as an Arts Professor in the Graduate Film Department at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She has shared her passion for writing and teaching with institutions across the world, including Yale University, MIT, USC, UCLA, Los Angeles Film School, and The University Pristina Film School in Kosovo. Lemmons holds an Honorary Degree, Doctor of Letters from Salem State Collage. She has served on the board of Film Independent since 2004.

Along with Academy-Award nominated composer Terrence Blanchard, Lemmons recently added librettist to her formidable body of work, creating the stage adaptation of Charles Blow’s New York Times bestselling memoir “Fire Shut up in My Bones,” for the Opera Theater of Saint Louis.

We talked to Kasi about her current projects before asking her Proust's 35 questions that reveal which person Lemmons admires most, what she considers happiness, which artists inspire her, who is her greatest love, her greatest achievement, her greatest regret, and what is her motto, among other things.

Find out more Kasi's family history in the most recent episode of Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'s, Finding Your Roots, where she appears in an episode with Pharrell Williams.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 33: Cécile David-Weill, Novelist

Thu, 28 Jan 2021 19:04:00 -0000

Cécile David-Weill is a French American author who is born and based in New York. She published her first novel Crush (Grove Press, 1997) under the name of Cécile de la Baume. Her next two novels are wickedly funny comedies of manners set in glamorous French locales.

The first, Femme de… ( in French, Grasset), follows three senior executives and their wives on a weekend corporate retreat in a luxurious hotel off season in La Baule, a beach resort in West of France, and offers a satirical take on both professional ambition and married life.

The Suitors (Other Press, 2012), which takes place in a grand country house in the South of France, provides a wry, irreverent insiders’ look at French high society.

In 2014, Cécile David-Weill published Chroniques de New York (in French, Grasset), a hilarious collection of tips for surviving in the Big Apple, gathered from her regular contribution to the French news magazine Le Point. Her most recent work is Parents under the Influence, Words of Wisdom from a Former Bad Mother (Other Press, January 2020).

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 32: Daniel Kehlmann, Novelist

Wed, 30 Dec 2020 21:23:00 -0000

Daniel Kehlmann is a German-language novelist and playwright of both Austrian and German nationality. His novel Die Vermessung der Welt (translated into English by Carol Brown Janeway as Measuring the World, 2006) is the best selling book in the German language since Patrick Süskind's Perfume was released in 1985. According to The New York Times, it was the world's second-best selling novel in 2006.

All his subsequent novels reached the number one spot on Germany's Spiegel bestseller list and were translated into English. He collaborated with Jonathan Franzen and Paul Reitter on Franzen's 2013 book The Kraus Project. Kehlmann's play The Mentor, translated by Christopher Hampton, opened at Theatre Royal, Bath, in April 2017 starring F. Murray Abraham and transferred to the London West End in July 2017. In October 2017, his play Christmas Eve, also translated by Christopher Hampton, premiered at the Theatre Royal. His novella You Should Have Left was adapted into a movie starring Kevin Bacon and Amanda Seyfried.

Kehlmann's highly praised novel Tyll, which sold more than 600.000 copies in German alone and was published the US in February 2020, is currently being adapted into a TV series for Netflix by the makers of Dark. The novel was shortlisted for the 2020 International Booker Prize. Kehlmann's play Die Reise der Verlorenen was adapted for BBC radio by Tom Stoppard under the title The Voyage of the St. Louis.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 31: Maurice Samuels, Historian

Sun, 13 Dec 2020 22:09:00 -0000

Maurice Samuels is the author of several books: The Spectacular Past: Popular History and the Novel in Nineteenth-Century France; Inventing the Israelite: Jewish Fiction in Nineteenth-Century France; The Right to Difference: French Universalism and the Jews, and The Betrayal of the Duchess, a study of France’s first antisemitic affair. A recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship, he directs Yale Program for the Study of Antisemitism and Judaic Studies Program.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 30: Ori Gersht, Photographer

Wed, 25 Nov 2020 17:35:00 -0000

Exploding flower arrangements, meticulously staged scenes of beautiful destruction, haunted landscapes, still lives brought to their sublime end as if a host of angels unfolded their terrible wings just a bit too close.... Ori Gersht's photographs are unlike anything you've seen before. Gersht was born in Israel in 1967, but has lived in London for over 30 years. His photographs, films and books are concerned with the relationships between history, memory and landscape - and they are stunning.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 29: Elliot Ackerman and Lea Carpenter, Novelists

Wed, 18 Nov 2020 22:21:00 -0000

Today's we're speaking to a married couple, both esteemed novelists. Elliot Ackerman is the author of the novels 2034: A Novel of the Next World War, Red Dress In Black and White, Waiting for Eden, Dark at the Crossing, and Green on Blue, and the memoir Places and Names: On War, Revolution and Returning. Lea Carpenter is the author of the novels Eleven Days, and Red, White, Blue, and the screenplay for Mile 22, the 2018 film directed by Peter Berg and starring Mark Wahlberg and John Malkovich.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 28: Samantha Boardman, Psychiatrist

Mon, 02 Nov 2020 23:46:00 -0000

Samantha Boardman, MD, is a psychiatrist and a Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry and Assistant Attending Psychiatrist at Weill-Cornell Medical College in New York City. In her private practice as well as in her blog, www.PositivePrescription.com, and her forthcoming book, Everyday Strong, Samantha’s focus is not on mental illness but on mental wellness: on practical strategies for enhancing wellbeing and cultivating resilience in the face of life’s daily challenges.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 27: Alice Wu, Filmmaker

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 16:00:00 -0000

Alice Wu's debut feature, Saving Face, is a three-generation romantic comedy set in today's Chinatown in Queens, New York. Wu won the Visionary Award at the San Diego Asian Film Festival and the Audience Award for Best Narrative at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival for her feature. In 2020 Netflix released her new feature, The Half of It, which won the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 26: Miranda Penn Turin, Photographer

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 16:00:00 -0000

Miranda Penn Turin is a freelance photographer and director who has been specializing in portraiture, fashion and beauty for over thirty years. She was born in Boston, Massachusetts and splits her time between New York and LA - she shoots all over the world and is grateful to have the best crew on the planet. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in creative writing, but her passion for photography overrode her major.

Miranda's intention when she shoots is to reveal the epic, whatever the subject. She is also working with Voices4Freedom, a humanitarian organization committed to abolishing human trafficking all over the world. Her images of the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu provide the cover art for The Book of Joy. A writer as well, she just completed her first novel.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 25: Jeremy Harris, Playwright

Sat, 19 Sep 2020 19:23:00 -0000

Jeremy O. Harris is an American actor and playwright, known for his plays Daddy and Slave Play. He was the winner of the 2018 Paula Vogel Playwriting Award, given by the Vineyard Theatre in New York City. A profile in the New York Times said that Harris's "ability to render subconscious trauma into provocative theatrical expression, as potentially unsettling as entertaining, has earned him a lot of attention in a very short time."[1]Out called him "The queer black savior the theater world needs."

Harris is a co-author on the screenplay for the forthcoming film Zola, directed by Janicza Bravo. Harris also signed a deal with HBO, and is developing a pilot as well as becoming a co-producer for season 2 of Euphoria, after consulting on the first season.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 24: Christine Coulson, Writer

Mon, 31 Aug 2020 21:07:00 -0000

What happens in museum when the crowds have gone?

Christine Coulson's exquisite book, Metropolitan Stories, imagines the inner lives of the artworks and precious objects that tell us so much about the past, the present but also our human future, while enduring stoically the millions of museum visitors' inquisitive, appreciative or indifferent gazes.

Christine was a senior curator at the Metropolitan Museum where she worked for over 25 years before becoming a full-time writer. The book is a love letter to the greatest temple to art in the United States, and an invitation for all of us to look again at the Metropolitan Museum, especially during the pandemic when museums had to remain closed for many dark months.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 23: Sameh Zoabi, Filmmaker/Director

Sat, 22 Aug 2020 17:07:00 -0000

Sameh Zoabi is a Palestinian filmmaker who was born and raised in Israel. His feature film, Tel Aviv on Fire, chronicles the making of a daytime soap opera in contemporary Israel. It is a comedy-drama satire directed by Zoabi and co-written by Zoabi and Dan Kleinman. The film premiered internationally at the 75th Venice International Film Festival, where Kais Nashef won the Best Actor award. It won Best Film and Best Screenplay awards at the Haifa International Film Festival.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 22: Miriam Bridenne, Bookseller

Tue, 18 Aug 2020 13:21:00 -0000

Miriam Bridenne is the Deputy Director of Albertine Books, the French bookstore housed in the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in New York City. Prior to coming to Albertine, Miriam worked in publishing for almost twenty years. She co-leads Albertine’s popular French Book Club and regularly makes reading recommendations on the store’s popular blog.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 21: Hugh Evans, Humanitarian

Sat, 15 Aug 2020 13:43:00 -0000

Hugh Evans is an Australian humanitarian, co-founder of both The Oaktree Foundation and Global Citizen, a Global Poverty Project. At 14, Evans spent the night in a Manila slum. The harsh realities of his hosts’ lives motivated him to challenge the status quo of extreme poverty. He has received domestic and international accolades for his work in promoting youth advocacy and volunteerism in order to reduce extreme poverty in developing countries.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 20: Maira Kalman, Artist

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 14:00:00 -0000

Maira Kalman was born in Tel Aviv and moved to New York with her family at the age of four. She was raised in bucolic Riverdale, the Bronx.

Maira has written and illustrated Eighteen children’s books, including Ooh-la-la-Max in Love, What Pete Ate, 13 WORDS, a collaboration with Lemony Snicket, Why We Broke Up, with Daniel Handler, and the Pursuit of Everything and more.

She is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker Magazine, and is well known for her collaboration with Rick Meyerowitz on the “New Yorkistan” cover in 2001 and “The New York City Sub-Culinary Map.” Maira is currently creating an illustrated column for The New Yorker based on travels to museums and libraries.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 19: Seph Rodney, Writer/Editor

Sat, 08 Aug 2020 14:05:00 -0000

Deeply informed, passionately committed and always invested in the truth, Seph Rodney's writings about art and culture have earned him a broad following among those who like their criticism not to soothe and tranquilize but to invigorate the mind, eyes, ears, and soul. Rodney is a staff writer and editor for Hyperallergic and has published a book, The Personalization of the Museum Visit, in 2019. In 2020 he was awarded the Rabkin Arts Journalism Prize. Find him at sephrodney.com.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 18: Anna Condo, Artist

Tue, 04 Aug 2020 13:57:00 -0000

Anna is a French director and photographer who was born in Armenia and now lives in New York City. A trained actor and film director, in 1998 she published her first book “AH Allen,” a powerful tribute to her friend and poet Allen Ginsberg. Since 2013, Anna has been focusing on flower photography which have been exhibited internationally and won her wide acclaim.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 17: Etgar Keret, Writer/Filmmaker

Sat, 01 Aug 2020 14:00:00 -0000

Etgar Keret is a globally celebrated author and filmmaker who exposes the absurdity of daily life in our modern world, and through a Kafkaesque lens remind us that things ought to be better. Fly Already (2019) was rewarded with the 2019 National Jewish Book Award, and Jellyfish won in 2007 the Camera d'Or at Cannes. Keret’s unforgettable, heart-shattering and funny stories make us see that things should be otherwise and, in spite of historical and political roadblocks, can become better.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 16: Sarah McNally, Bookseller

Tue, 28 Jul 2020 14:00:00 -0000

Sarah McNally is the founder and owner of three windows into the world of letters in New York City: the McNally bookstores, renowned not only in NYC but around the country and world for independent, well-curated, smart bookselling. We spoke with Sarah during the lockdown of New York City to find out what she cares about and values, and also to speak with one of our personal heroines: someone who comes from a family of booksellers and keeps the great tradition of independent bookstores alive today.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 15: Omar Victor Diop, Photographer

Sat, 25 Jul 2020 13:56:00 -0000

Omar Victor Diop is a Senegalese photographer whose historical auto-portraits, where he places himself in settings and poses previously occupied by historical figures, have been exhibited around the world. Born in Dakar in 1980, Diop developed an interest in photography and design as a means to capture the diversity of modern African societies and lifestyles.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 14: Sarah Meyohas, Artist

Tue, 21 Jul 2020 14:00:00 -0000

Sarah Meyohas is a French-American conceptual artist working across media and emerging technologies. Artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, the stock market, virtual reality, and augmented reality are materials she molds into visions of beauty, bringing the concept of value into focus. Meyohas inserts subjectivity into the mechanized, creating performative situations out of which artworks emerge as reflections. She has had solo exhibitions in New York at Red Bull Arts and 303 Gallery. Her work has travelled to institutions including the Barbican in London, the Jameel Arts Center in Dubai, the Ming Contemporary Art Museum in Shanghai, and the New Museum in New York. She has been featured in The New York Times, Time Magazine, Wired, Vice, ArtForum, and The Atlantic and has appeared on CNBC, PBS, and CBC. Her film “Cloud of Petals” has been screened at various film festivals including the Minneapolis St Paul International Film Festival, Slamdance, NY Times Talks, CogX, and the Locarno Film Festival. She has been named in Forbes Magazine's "30 under 30" list and Cultured Magazine’s “30 under 35” list. Meyohas holds a B.S. in finance from the Wharton School and a B.A. in international relations from the University of Pennsylvania, and in 2015 received an M.F.A. from Yale University.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 13: Rowan Ricardo Phillips, Poet

Sat, 18 Jul 2020 14:00:00 -0000

Rowan Ricardo Phillips is a poet, writer and literary and art critic - and sports writer! - who was born and raised in New York City. He is the author of the poetry collections The Ground (2012), Heaven (2015; a finalist for the National Book Award), and Living Weapon (2019).

In addition to his collections of poetry, Phillips is author of the critical volume When Blackness Rhymes with Blackness (2010) where Uli has hosted him on his podcast on Great Books to talk about Phillis Wheatley, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and African American poetry in general. He translated Salvador Espriu’s story collection Ariadne in the Grotesque Labyrinth (2012) into English, and received a 2013 Whiting Writers’ Award, a PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award, the Great Lakes Colleges Association New Writers Award for Poetry, and a Guggenheim Foundation fellowship. A contributing writer at Artforum, he has taught at Columbia University, Harvard, Princeton, and at SUNY-Stony Brook, where he’s served as director of the Poetry Center.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 12: Maaza Mengiste, Novelist

Tue, 14 Jul 2020 19:10:00 -0000

Maaza Mengiste is an Ethiopian-born American novelist whose two books, The Shadow King (2019) and Beneath the Lion's Gaze (2010), have been greeted with high praise and much critical acclaim. Giving resonant voice to women and men caught up in the ravages of colonialism and war but also uplifted by hope and desire, Mengiste plumbs the archival depths to weave tales that imagine anew our entangled pasts and envision a future for our global age.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 11: Youssef Nabil, Artist

Thu, 09 Jul 2020 16:22:00 -0000

Youssef Nabil is a photographer and filmmaker who combines the artistic and cultural traditions of his native Egypt and his adopted homes of New York City and Paris to create exquisitely conceived images. An example of this, is his last film I Saved My Belly Dancer (2015) with Salma Hayek and Tahar Rahim. By blending Occident and Orient in mutually empowering ways, Nabil’s photographs and films open our eyes to a forward-looking global vista where we can see ourselves reflected and improved.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 10: Sophia Chang, Writer/Producer

Thu, 09 Jul 2020 16:06:00 -0000

Sophia Chang has been the manager for several musical acts that have broken boundaries and continue to define our times, including D’Angelo, the RZA of the Wu Tang Clan, and others. As a Korean-Canadian woman, being "The Baddest Bitch in the Room" is for Chang not a choice but a moral necessity. Chang charts with laser-sharp focus and zen-like humility a blazing trail for those whose voices, bodies, and minds had been for too long denied entry to recording studios and hallowed halls of power.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 9: Robert Couturier, Architect/Interior Designer

Sun, 05 Jul 2020 18:55:00 -0000

Robert Couturier is one of the most prestigious interior designers. His name has been included in Architectural Digest’s annual list of the best decorators and architects in the world, and has become synonymous with continental and international style. He made design history in 1987 when conceived of and executed a 20,000-acre kingdom on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, and has designed countless stunning residences since.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 8: Pamela Sneed, Poet

Sun, 05 Jul 2020 18:39:00 -0000

Pamela Sneed is a poet, performance artist, and the author of several books: Imagine Being More Afraid of Freedom than of Slavery KONG And Other Works (Vintage Entity Press, 2009) and the chapbook, Lincoln (2014). Her poems and monologues have been anthologized in The 100 Best African American Poems, edited by Nikki Giovanni. Recent publications include work in Best Monologues from Best American Short Plays, and Future Perfect, and the forthcoming Funeral Diva.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 7: Pietra Parker and Miss Cookie Doug, Drag Queens, Artists & Performers

Sat, 27 Jun 2020 16:52:00 -0000

HAPPY PRIDE!!! For this extra special pride 2020 episode we had the pleasure to speak with two New York based Brazilians Drag Queens, PIETRA PARKER & MISS COOKIE DOUG! These two influential talents answer 35 questions first popularized by Marcel Proust and share personal experiences about their lives and reveal what goes inside their creative mind.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 6: Ross Bleckner, Artist

Thu, 25 Jun 2020 15:06:00 -0000

Ross Bleckner is a painter who has combines gorgeous art with concrete political commitment. In the 1980s he was one of the first artists to tackle and address the AIDS crisis head-on with paintings like 'Small Count' (1980), '8,122+ As of January 1986', and 'Throbbing Heart' (1994), all mesmerizing, haunting canvases about cells and other viral matters that charter a path of activism which continues to this day.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 5: Susan Fales-Hill, Writer/ Producer

Thu, 25 Jun 2020 14:52:00 -0000

Susan Fales-Hill is a writer and television producer, and the showrunner and an executive producer on Lena Waithe’s new BET sitcom, Twenties. Susan began her career in television working first on The Cosby Show and then on its spin-off, A Different World, where she became one of the youngest - and, at the time, one of the only female - showrunners in Hollywood. She is the author of two novels and a memoir about her mother, the late actress and singer Josephine Premice.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 4: Isaac Mizrahi, Fashion Designer/Performer

Thu, 25 Jun 2020 14:51:00 -0000

Isaac Mizrahi is a fashion designer whose work has shaped America’s and the world’s sense of style everywhere. He is also a singer and writer, whose book I. M. A Memoir (2019) topped the New York Times bestseller list and whose shows draw crowds in New York. A well-known judge on 'Project Runway,' he is an infallible stylist whose adventurous eyes and dexterous hands are matched by a sonorous voice. A renaissance man for the modern age, he envelops us in haute looks and humorous lyrics alike.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 3: Anna Deavere Smith, Actor/Writer

Thu, 25 Jun 2020 14:33:00 -0000

Anna Deavere Smith is an award-winning actor, performer, writer and activist. Her project “Notes from the Field,” now an HBO special, is part of “The Pipeline Project” that is based on hundreds of interviews to shine a light on the lack of opportunities and resources for young people in poverty. As a creative listener attuned to the harmonies and dissonance that join and splinter communities, Smith lassoes the craft of embodied performance to ignite sites for honest reckoning, hope, and healing.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 2: Paul Romer, Economist

Thu, 25 Jun 2020 14:28:00 -0000

Paul Romer has devoted his professional life to understand better and measure how human ingenuity is a major force in economic development. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2018, was Chief Economist of the World Bank (2016-18), and conducts research at NYU now. The economist extraordinaire is equipped with a roving intellect matched by mathematical acuity that he wields to marshal data and wisdom to extoll endogenous factors as the truly human engines of growth for a better world.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Proust Questionnaire 1: Rosanne Cash, Singer/Songwriter

Thu, 25 Jun 2020 13:57:00 -0000

Rosanne Cash is one of America’s great singer songwriters whose art has earned her several Grammys, nominations for Country Music Awards and other honors for titles such as The River and the Thread (2014) and The List (2009). By tapping the roots of America’s soulful sonic traditions and the legacy of forebears and trailblazers, Cash braids the strands of longing and belonging, of freedom sought and heartache suffered, in rocking melodies and riveting lyrics unsurpassed in the nation’s songbook.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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The Proust Questionnaire Podcast: An Introduction

Wed, 24 Jun 2020 23:38:00 -0000

What motivates creative people to do what they do, especially to change the world? The Proust Questionnaire is thought in action. It's a personality test that allows us a glimpse behind the proverbial curtain of creative people's minds.

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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