Michael Krasny - Mind, Body, Health, and Politics

Last week I had the privilege of interviewing one of my inspirations for this program, Dr. Dean Edell. This morning at 9 am PST I am delighted to welcome my other inspiration for getting into radio, the inimitable Michael Krasny.

Bay Area NPR listeners know Krasny well. For years, Michael Krasny was the host of KQED's award-winning Forum, a news and public affairs radio program. He remains a veteran interviewer for the nationally broadcast City Arts and Lectures and worked for many years as host of one of ABC's highest-rated radio programs. He has worked as host of KQED's television programs This Week in Northern California and Civic Space and as a substitute host for NPR’s Talk of the Nation. He received two Emmy nominations for his television work.

In addition to his radio career, Krasny has written prolifically – publishing a variety of fiction, literary criticism, and political commentary. He is the coauthor of Sound Ideas (McGraw-Hill), and author of Off Mike: A Memoir of Talk Radio, Literary Life (Stanford University Press, 2007), and Spiritual Envy (New World Press). He also released a twenty-four lecture series DVD, audio and book on “Short Story Masterpieces” for The Teaching Company.

Krasny holds a PhD degree from The University of Wisconsin. Born in Cleveland and raised in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Krasny is a second-generation American whose grandparents immigrated from Russia and Lithuania and grew up in a Jewish household. He now lives in Marin County, with his wife, Leslie.

Krasny and I will discuss his latest book, Spiritual Envy: An Agnostic's Quest.