22 years, 120 great authors: The complete list of Talking Volumes guests, 2000-21

From Atwood to Wilkerson, the Star Tribune-MPR series has spotlighted some of the finest writers of the past two decades.

September 17, 2020 at 7:30PM
Joan Didion was photographed in her New York apartment for a Star Tribune interview in advance of her 2005 Talking Volumes appearance. (Judy Griesedieck, Special to the Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

2021

  • Reginald Dwayne Betts
    • Naima Coster
      • Kate DiCamillo
        • Lauren Groff
          • William Kent Krueger
            • Chang-rae Lee
              • N. Scott Momaday
                • Amor Towles

                  2020

                  • Claudia Rankine
                    • Helen Macdonald
                      • Sarah M. Broom
                        • Isabel Wilkerson

                          2019

                          • Alice Hoffman
                            • Saeed Jones
                              • Tim O'Brien
                                • Karen Armstrong
                                  • Lindy West
                                    • Tracy K. Smith

                                      2018

                                      • Dessa
                                        • Leif Enger
                                          • Rebecca Traister
                                            • Sally Field
                                              • Alexander McCall Smith

                                                2017

                                                • Sherman Alexie
                                                  • Jacqueline Woodson
                                                    • Amy Tan
                                                      • Ron Chernow
                                                        • Dan Brown

                                                          2016

                                                          • Elizabeth Alexander
                                                            • Carl Hiassen
                                                              • Gloria Steinem
                                                                • Ann Patchett
                                                                  • Colson Whitehead

                                                                    2015

                                                                    • Jonathan Franzen
                                                                      • Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor
                                                                        • John Irving
                                                                          • Stacy Schiff
                                                                            • Jane Smiley

                                                                              2014

                                                                              • Elizabeth Gilbert
                                                                                • Cassandra Clare and Holly Black
                                                                                  • Azar Nafisi
                                                                                    • Karen Armstrong
                                                                                      • Richard Ford

                                                                                        2013-2014

                                                                                        • Edwidge Danticat
                                                                                          • Margaret Atwood
                                                                                            • Rick Riordan
                                                                                              • Pat Conroy

                                                                                                2012-2013

                                                                                                • Junot Diaz
                                                                                                  • Jeffrey Toobin
                                                                                                    • Abraham Verghese
                                                                                                      • Erin Morgenstern
                                                                                                        • Isabel Allende

                                                                                                          2011-2012

                                                                                                          • Jennifer Egan
                                                                                                            • Stacy Schiff
                                                                                                              • Colson Whitehead
                                                                                                                • Chuck Palahniuk

                                                                                                                  2010-2011

                                                                                                                  • Jonathan Franzen
                                                                                                                    • Nicole Krauss
                                                                                                                      • Nora Ephron
                                                                                                                        • Anita Shreve

                                                                                                                          2009-2010

                                                                                                                          • James Ellroy
                                                                                                                            • Barbara Kingsolver
                                                                                                                              • Stephen King
                                                                                                                                • Audrey Niffenegger
                                                                                                                                  • Monica Ali

                                                                                                                                    2008-2009

                                                                                                                                    • Richard Russo
                                                                                                                                      • Wally Lamb
                                                                                                                                        • Nikki Giovanni
                                                                                                                                          • Michael Greenberg
                                                                                                                                            • Sandra Cisneros
                                                                                                                                              • Rita Dove

                                                                                                                                                2007-2008

                                                                                                                                                • Sherman Alexie
                                                                                                                                                  • Ann Patchett
                                                                                                                                                    • Walter Mosley
                                                                                                                                                      • Michael Ondaatje
                                                                                                                                                        • Judy Blume

                                                                                                                                                          2006-2007

                                                                                                                                                          • David Treuer
                                                                                                                                                            • Edna O'Brien
                                                                                                                                                              • Isabel Allende
                                                                                                                                                                • Alison McGhee
                                                                                                                                                                  • Galway Kinnell and Josephine Dickison
                                                                                                                                                                    • Michael Chabon

                                                                                                                                                                      2005-2006

                                                                                                                                                                      • Joan Didion
                                                                                                                                                                        • Jonathan Safran Foer
                                                                                                                                                                          • Kaye Gibbons
                                                                                                                                                                            • Marilynne Robinson
                                                                                                                                                                              • Brent Runyon
                                                                                                                                                                                • Julia Alvarez

                                                                                                                                                                                  2004-2005

                                                                                                                                                                                  • Joyce Carol Oates
                                                                                                                                                                                    • Russell Banks
                                                                                                                                                                                      • Chris Van Allsburg
                                                                                                                                                                                        • Tobias Wolff
                                                                                                                                                                                          • Jonathan Odell
                                                                                                                                                                                            • Gary Snyder

                                                                                                                                                                                              2003-2004

                                                                                                                                                                                              • Anna Quindlen
                                                                                                                                                                                                • Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
                                                                                                                                                                                                  • Augusten Burroughs
                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Jean Harfenist
                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Neil Gaiman
                                                                                                                                                                                                        • Anchee Min

                                                                                                                                                                                                          2002-2003

                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Salman Rushdie
                                                                                                                                                                                                            • Pat Conroy
                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Kien Nguyen
                                                                                                                                                                                                                • Christopher Paul Curtis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  • Quincy Troupe
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Robert Alexander
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Diane Glancy
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        • Margaret Atwood

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          2001-2002

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Sue Miller
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            • John Edgar Wideman
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Robert Bly
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                • Leif Enger
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  • Jane Hamilton
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Sebastian Junger
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Kate DiCamillo
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        • Bharati Mukherjee
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          • Rick Moody

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            2000-2001

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            • Mona Simpson
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              • Ellen Gilchrist
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                • Bill Holm
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  • Amy Tan
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    • Sandra Benitez
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      • Tony Earley
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        • Maureen Howard
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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE, ASSOCIATED PRESS/The Minnesota Star Tribune

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          The "winners" have all been Turkeys, no matter the honor's name.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          In this photo taken Monday, March 6, 2017, in San Francisco, released confidential files by The University of California of a sexual misconduct case, like this one against UC Santa Cruz Latin Studies professor Hector Perla is shown. Perla was accused of raping a student during a wine-tasting outing in June 2015. Some of the files are so heavily redacted that on many pages no words are visible. Perla is one of 113 UC employees found to have violated the system's sexual misconduct policies in rece