"Water for Elephants" author Sara Gruen
Series: New Letters on the Air
From: New Letters on the Air
Length: 00:29:00
We revisit our conversation with novelist Sara Gruen, who talks about her bestselling book, WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, which was recently released as a movie. She talks about her previous novels that were sold as mass-market "women's fiction" and how she broke that genre mold with her 2006 novel that features a 90-year-old man, who spent his early life as a veterinarian with a traveling circus. Gruen discusses the newspaper photograph that inspired the story, her extensive research on circuses, and how she confined herself in a closet to write this book club favorite, WATER FOR ELEPHANTS.
Also in the New Letters on the Air series
American Book Award-winning Navajo poet Sherwin Bitsui
(00:29:01)
From: New Letters on the Air
Sherwin Bitsui reads from FLOOD SONG, his poetry collection that won the 2010 American Book Award and the PEN Open Book Award. Raised in a border town on the Fort Defiance ...
Man Booker Prize-winning author Anne Enright
(00:29:01)
From: New Letters on the Air
At the Kansas City Public Library, Irish author Anne Enright discusses her dark but humorous approach to writing about love, desire, death and family, and explains how having ...
American Book Award-winner Luis Alberto Urrea
(00:29:01)
From: New Letters on the Air
Known for his book THE DEVIL'S HIGHWAY, a Pulitzer Prize finalist for nonfiction, and his American Book Award-winning memoir, NOBODY'S SON, Luis Alberto Urrea is also the ...
Missouri Poets of the Midwest Poets Series
(00:29:01)
From: New Letters on the Air
Discover the poetic variety of Missouri in this National Poetry Month special featuring readings from the Midwest Poets Series by three very different Missouri poets: Walter ...
Renowned poet, playwright, and activist Sonia Sanchez
(00:29:01)
From: New Letters on the Air
One of the most important writers of the Black Arts Movement, Sonia Sanchez, reads from her 2010 books, a collection of poetry called MORNING HAIKU, and I'M BLACK WHEN I'M ...
Women Writers and Community
(00:29:01)
From: New Letters on the Air
In this special anthology, we explore how women writers foster community across boundaries. Novelist Lisa See shares stories about Chinese women writers of the 19th century; ...
Novelist Debra Brenegan
(00:29:01)
From: New Letters on the Air
Debra Brenegan's debut novel, SHAME THE DEVIL, explores the fascinating true story of Sara Payson Willis, who wrote under the pseudonym "Fanny Fern" during the 1800s. ...
Poet Jeanne Marie Beaumont
(00:29:01)
From: New Letters on the Air
Poet Jeanne Marie Beaumont's books include CURIOUS CONDUCT and PLACEBO EFFECTS, and her 2010 collection, BURNING OF THE THREE FIRES. She assembles everyday objects, fairy ...
Poet and aphorist James Richardson
(00:29:00)
From: New Letters on the Air
Poet James Richardson has called himself an "accidental aphorist," but his well-crafted works are no accident. He reads from his 2010 book, BY THE NUMBERS: POEMS AND ...
Alaska's State Writer Laureate, 2010-2012, Peggy Shumaker
(00:29:00)
From: New Letters on the Air
Peggy Shumaker, Alaska's State Writer Laureate, 2010-2012, is adept at capturing the beauty of landscapes, both internal and external. She reads from her poetry collection ...
Piece Description
We revisit our conversation with novelist Sara Gruen, who talks about her bestselling book, WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, which was recently released as a movie. She talks about her previous novels that were sold as mass-market "women's fiction" and how she broke that genre mold with her 2006 novel that features a 90-year-old man, who spent his early life as a veterinarian with a traveling circus. Gruen discusses the newspaper photograph that inspired the story, her extensive research on circuses, and how she confined herself in a closet to write this book club favorite, WATER FOR ELEPHANTS.
Broadcast History
This program uplinked to PRSS' Content Depot on June 3, 2011 for delivery to member stations.
This program originally aired on 11/3/2006.
Timing and Cues
PROMO: This week on NEW LETTERS ON THE AIR... Visit the circus with Sara Gruen [GROO-in, rhymes with bruin], author of the 2006 best-selling novel WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, that was recently released as a movie. Inspired by a newspaper photograph, Gruen describes writing this tale of circus life, and the many challenges she faced trying to get it all on paper. Listen to Sara Gruen next time on NEW LETTERS ON THE AIR...
UPLINK DATE: 06/03/2011
PROGRAM LENGTH: 29:00 minutes
INCUE: (music) "Novelist Sara Gruen, the author of WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, now a 2011 movie..."
OUTCUE: "... Thanks for listening to NEW LETTERS ON THE AIR."
Musical Works
| Title | Artist | Album | Label | Year | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thatched Villagers | Kevin MacLeod | royalty-free production music. | incompetech.com | 2000 | 00:00 |
| Open Those Bright Eyes | Kevin MacLeod | royalty-free production music. | incompetech.com | 2039 | 00:00 |
Additional Credits
New Letters on the Air is a production of the quarterly literary magazine, New Letters, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Partial financial support comes from the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.





