WPR: The Veronica Rueckert Show

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," just hit the theaters. Meet writer and Tolkien nerd, Ethan Gilsdorf, in Middle-earth for an hour of all things Hobbit.

Ai Weiwei has spent his career making provocative art to expose Chinese corruption and human rights abuses. Ai is also known for his profound sayings, which are now compiled in a book called "Weiwei-isms.

Yael Kohen, discusses her book, "We Killed: The Rise of Women in American Comedy."

Being introvert is not the same as being shy, says Sophia Dembling. And yes, extroverts can actually be timid. Are you introvert, extrovert or somewhere in-between?

Internationally known vegan and bestselling author John Robbins gives us the skinny on food issues like the rise of food contamination, the slave trade behind chocolate and coffee, and junk food marketing to kids.

Scientists are making remarkable discoveries about the brain, but so far, no one's come close to cracking the biggest mystery of all - the connection between the brain and the mind: how a tangle of neurons inside your skull produces.... you.

Biographer Bob Spitz discusses his book, "Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child."

John Francis, Ph.D., is known as the Planetwalker. After witnessing an oil spill in 1971, he vowed to stop using motorized vehicles. Soon after, he took a vow of silence. His non-motorized lifestyle lasted twenty-two years, and his silence seventeen.

A special music hour with jazz saxophonist, Tia Fuller. She will play songs from her new album, Angelic Warrior, and has some interesting things to say about women, music and the importance of finding the inner warrior.

It took more than six thousand scientists, over 9 billion dollars, and a massive machine built by engineers from one hundred countries to search for it. The Higgs Boson-also called "The God particle"-has been found. Or has it?

Poet, filmmaker, and author, Sherman Alexie discusses his work over the last twenty years.

Veronica Rueckert's guest today champions a radical vision for education: make it free and accessible to anyone, anywhere. His online Khan Academy offers a high-quality, free education to millions of people worldwide. Is it time to re-think education?

Members of Shakespeare Link Canada discuss their work in Mozambique raising AIDS awareness.

Do you wonder how writers get their prose to sparkle, while yours seems clunky and awkward? Help is on the way. Constance Hale is a writing teacher and best-selling author who inspires and prods us to write brilliant, powerful prose.

We open a creaky door into the dark realm of ghost stories. And who better to guide us than one of our favorite fantasy writers, Patrick Rothfuss?