Ari Shapiro on Finding Clarity and Connection Through Listening

As the co-host of NPR’s flagship news program All Things Considered, Ari Shapiro is a go-to source for tens of millions of Americans for essential deep-dives into some of the most critical stories unfolding across the globe. At NPR for more than two decades now, Shapiro has made it his mission to serve as an informational and emotional conduit—or even a translator of sorts—between the subject and the listener. On this week’s episode of Time Sensitive, he talks about his new memoir, The Best Strangers in the World: Stories From a Life Spent Listening; why he considers hosting All Things Considered like inheriting an heirloom; embracing one’s identity as a journalistic asset; and the parallels between reading fiction, cooking, and reporting the news.

Special thanks to our Season 7 sponsor, L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts.

Show notes:

[01:14] Ari Shapiro

[03:48] “The Best Strangers in the World: Stories from a Life Spent Listening”

[04:09] Mary Louise Kelly

[04:10] NPR’s All Things Considered

[07:23] Susan Stamberg

[08:51] Noah Adams

[09:44] Audie Cornish

[17:27] “A Second, Chance Interview With Subject of Controversial First Lady Remarks”

[20:46] “Ari Shapiro On Covering the Pulse Shooting”

[22:07] Billy Manes

[24:50] “‘Dr. No’ Becomes Diplomat, Continues a Family Story”

[24:54] Norm Eisen

[27:29] “For Two Sarajevo Women, a Chance Friendship Forged in the Ashes of War”

[31:40] “One Man's Moment With Martin Luther King Jr.”

[38:48] Cascade AIDS Project

[43:21] Nina Totenberg

[52:59] Amitav Ghosh

[53:02] “Journey To The Sundarbans: The ‘Beautiful Forest’ of Mangroves”

[53:05] Ghosh’s “The Hungry Tide”

[54:30] “Meet Bonbibi: The Indian Forest Goddess Worshiped Across Religions”

[54:32] “Experts Fear Climate Change Will Lead to More Tiger Attacks in the Sundarbans”

[54:53] “Amitav Ghosh: ‘The World of Fact Is Outrunning the World of Fiction’”

[55:00] Ghosh’s “Gun Island”

[55:49] Pink Martini

[55:53] Alan Cumming

[57:50] Kim Hastreiter

[59:23] Och and Oy

[01:02:11] Ernesto Lecuona