This program originally aired on December 18th, 2024 at 12:30pm Eastern.
Julie Salamon (New York Times best-selling author) sits down with author and visual artist Maira Kalman to discuss her latest book Still Life with Remorse, her relationship with humor, and creative life. Maira is the author and illustrator of dozens of books for adults and children. Notably, she illustrated William Strunk Jr’s The Elements of Style and is the author of My Favorite Things, Principles of Uncertainty, and And the Pursuit of Happiness.
Maira sees humor as a tool to survive, and is very much part of the language of her family. Her writing often addresses the heartache and grief of life, while also refusing to dwell in it. She finds a way to address tough topics in a humanistic way that also points to the absurd. This transfers to her daily life of creativity, one of the first things she does every day is read the obituaries. A devoted reader and avid researcher when working on projects, she however refuses to watch or read the news. Maira makes a point to find beauty and fall in love with something every day. Her family serves as a huge inspiration for her work, both present relationships and those in memory.
Topics covered in this program: Israel and Palestine, Rick Meyerowitz, David Byrne, American Utopia, The New Yorker, regret and remorse, motherhood, day dreaming.
