The Elements of Style

Episode notes

This week on The Sound of Young America, we tackle “The Elements of Style.” My guests are Maira Kalman, Nico Muhly, and George Pelecanos.

Maira Kalman is a noted illustrator and author, whose work includes award-winning children’s books and numerous New Yorker covers, among them the popular “New Yorkistan.” She’s created a stunning illustrated edition of the classic writing manual “The Elements of Style” by Strunk & White. Her illustrations are both literal and figural (no pun intended). She talks with us about how a book about words can lend itself to images.

We also talk with and hear the music of Nico Muhly, who composed a song suite to accompany Kalman’s book. Muhly, only 24 (same as me!), has already worked with artists from Bjork to Philip Glass. You can download our full interview with him (we only feature two brief clips in the show) here.

George Pelecanos is a wonderful writer of mysteries set in Washington DC. His writing reflects a side of DC that’s rarely seen in the popular media — the side that earned it the nickname “Chocolate City.” He recently edited a book of short stories about every part of the District, called “D.C. Noir.” He’s also a writer and producer on the brilliant HBO series “The Wire,” and we talk about writing what is essentially a novel for the screen.

Download this week’s show (MP3 Audio)

Listen to this week’s show online:

Download our full-length interview with Nico Muhly (MP3 Audio)

Music This Week

Nico Muhly: “Be Obscure Clearly” and “An Approach to Style” (as yet unreleased)

Other Stuff to Buy (The show gets a portion of the money)

The Wire on DVD

Maira Kalman’s Books

George Pelecanos’ Books