I shot a few short videos of some of the authors I caught at yesterday’s National Book Festival. Not especially competently, I’m afraid—I’m working with a two-year-old personal digital camera. But the sound is better than I’d expected, and everybody here gets off a good line or two.
Neil Gaiman, responding to a question about whether his ego ever gets in the way of his work (1:36):
Poet Laureate Kay Ryan, reading her poem “Composition” (0:52):
James McBride, discussing one of the obvious models for his first novel, Miracle at St. Anna (2:12):
Geraldine Brooks, discussing the books that first got her interested in reading (2:21):
(The camera conked out before she got to the punchline. She was able to name the emotion she felt; it’s lust.)
Richard Price on writing for The Wire: (0:30):
Richard Price on writing dialogue (0:45):
markathitakis.com 
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