Writers (Video)

Author Joseph Wambaugh's success came from writing about what he knew - police work. He spent 14 years with the Los Angeles Police Department first as a street cop then as a detective. He wrote his first novel, “The New Centurions,” in 1971 while on the job. Wambaugh died on Feb. 28, 2025. It was the same day that the Writer's Symposium by the Sea was celebrating it's 30th anniversary. Host Dean Nelson pays tribute to his friend Joe Wambaugh and reflects on his appearance on the Writer's Symposium in 1997. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Humanities] [Show ID: 40659]

New York Times bestselling author Anne Lamott returns to the 2024 Writer's Symposium by the Sea to talk about her new book "Somehow: Thoughts on Love." In a funny and spirited conversation with host Dean Nelson, Lamott talks about grief, addiction, hope, faith and love. Lamott is author of "Bird by Bird," "Grace," "Plan B" and "Hard Laughter." Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Humanities] [Show ID: 39512]

As part of the 2024 Writer's Symposium by the Sea, New York Times bestselling author Amor Towles talks about his new book "Table for Two" with Dean Nelson, director of Point Loma Nazarene University's journalism program. Towles is best known for his novels "Rules of Civility," "The Lincoln Highway" and "A Gentleman in Moscow," which was recently adapted as a television series starring Ewan McGregor as Count Rostov. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Humanities] [Show ID: 39666]

As part of the 2024 Writer's Symposium by the Sea, novelist, poet, and memoirist Paulette Jiles explores her life as a writer, including her newest book, "Chenneville: A Novel of Murder, Loss, and Vengeance." Jiles is known for her books "Enemy Women Stormy Weather," "The Color of Lightning," "Lighthouse Island," and "News of the World," which was a finalist for the 2016 National Book Award. Jiles talks with Ben Cater, director of the Point Loma Nazarene University Honors Program. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Humanities] [Show ID: 39009]

As part of the 2024 Writer's Symposium by the Sea, writers Nick Hornby and Susan Orlean have a far-reaching conversation about their work, inspirations and human connections with Dean Nelson, director of Point Loma Nazarene University's journalism program. Hornby is an award-winning author and Oscar-nominated screenwriter whose books include the best-selling novels "High Fidelity" and "About A Boy." His latest nonfiction book is "Dickens and Prince: A Particular Kind of Genius." Orlean is the New York Times best-selling author of seven books, including "The Library Book," "Rin Tin Tin," and "The Orchid Thief." Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Humanities] [Show ID: 39011]

As part of the 2023 Writer's Symposium by the Sea, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Maria Hinojosa talks with host Dean Nelson about her work, including her experience being the first Latina in many newsrooms she worked in. She has written three books: "Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn America," "Raising Raul: Adventures Raising Myself and My Son," and "Crews: Gang Members Talk with Maria Hinojosa." Her career includes reporting for PBS, CBS, WNBC, CNN, NPR, and anchoring the Emmy Award-winning talk show "Maria Hinojosa: One-on-One." She is anchor and executive producer of the Peabody Award-winning show Latino USA. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38121]

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anthony Doerr sits down for a fun and heartfelt conversation about what inspires him with host Dean Nelson as part of the Writer's Symposium By the Sea. Doerr won the Pulitzer Prize and Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction for "All the Light We Cannot See," which was on the New York Times bestseller list for over 200 weeks. His other works include "Cloud Cuckoo Land," "About Grace," "Four Seasons in Rome," and the short story collections "The Shell Collector" and "Memory Wall." Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38119]

David Brooks is an op-ed columnist for the New York Times. He is a commentator on The PBS Newshour, NPR's All Things Considered, and NBC's Meet the Press. His books include "Bobos in Paradise," "The Social Animal," and "The Road to Character." His latest book is "The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life," a New York Times No. 1 bestseller. As part of the annual Writer's Symposium by the Sea, director of Point Loma Nazarene University's journalism program Dean Nelson has a candid, humorous and inspiring conversation with Brooks about his lifelong work as a journalist and writer, how events in his life shaped who he is today and his spiritual journey. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 37096]

Nadia Bolz-Weber is an ordained Lutheran Pastor, founder of House for All Sinners & Saints in Denver, Colorado, and the author of three New York Times bestselling memoirs: "Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith Of A Sinner & Saint," "Accidental Saints: Finding God In All The Wrong People," and "SHAMELESS: A Sexual Reformation." In 2017, Bolz-Weber won the coveted Audience Award at the Nantucket Project. Her latest project is a podcast, "The Confessional with Nadia Bolz-Weber," a partnership with PRX and The Moth. As part of the annual Writer's Symposium by the Sea, director of Point Loma Nazarene University's journalism program Dean Nelson has a witty, probing and spiritual conversation with Bolz-Weber about her evolution from youthful rebellion to her journey of spirituality and compassion. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Humanities] [Show ID: 37095]

Ilan Stavans of Amherst College, discusses The Seventh Heaven: Travels through Jewish Latin America (2020). In this travelogue, Stavans talks to families of the desaparecidos in Buenos Aires, to “Indian Jews,” and to people affiliated with neo-Nazi groups in Patagonia. He also visits Spain to understand the long-term effects of the Inquisition, the American Southwest habitat of “secret Jews,” and Israel, where immigrants from Latin America have reshaped the Jewish state. Series: "Taubman Symposia in Jewish Studies" [Humanities] [Show ID: 37322]

Similarities between Veep and The West Wing, the perils of drawing TV plot lines from real political events, and the connection between the speed metal genre and today’s news cycle all arise in this conversation between writer/executive producer David Mandel, writer Eli Attie, and Carsey-Wolf Director Patrice Petro about Veep and The West Wing. In this video, Attie and Mandel share their admiration for one another’s work, and discuss the changing television landscape. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 35771]

The narrative engine of Hill Street Blues, lessons in brevity from writing for advertising, and structural differences between Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU arise in this conversation between executive producer/writer Dick Wolf and Carsey-Wolf Center director Patrice Petro. In this video, Wolf describes his first experiences in a TV writing room and the foundations of the record-breaking run of Law & Order: SVU. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 35772]

Writer/Producer David Mandel talked with Pollock Theater Director Matt Ryan about the challenges and successes involved in breaking the mold of Seinfeld and transporting the sitcom to an alternate universe. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 35729]

What does it mean to be a Jewish woman in America? Pamela Nadell, American University, talks about her book that looks at the history of Jewish women from colonial times to today. Series: "Taubman Symposia in Jewish Studies" [Humanities] [Show ID: 35472]

In "Bad Rabbi and Other Strange but True Stories from the Yiddish Press" Eddy Portnoy mines century-old Yiddish newspapers to expose the seamy underbelly of pre-WWII New York and Warsaw, the two major centers of Yiddish culture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Series: "Taubman Symposia in Jewish Studies" [Humanities] [Show ID: 34806]

Rachel Kadish is an American writer of fiction and non-fiction, author of several novels and a novella. Her fiction work has won the National Jewish Book Award and the Julia Ward Howe Prize, the John Gardner Fiction Prize, and the Association of Jewish Libraries Fiction Award. She discusses her latest book, "The Weight of Ink," a work of historical fiction set in London of the 1660s and of the early twenty-first century. Series: "Taubman Symposia in Jewish Studies" [Humanities] [Show ID: 34680]

In The Lion Seeker and The Mandela Plot, two powerful novels full of raw, vividly-drawn characters, Kenneth Bonert explored the unique and fascinating story of the Jews of South Africa. In this talk he explains why he became a novelist and the inspiration that he drew from growing up in Johannesburg. He talks about the history of his family and of the Jewish community in South Africa and reflect on his literary goals such as capturing the authentic voices of his characters and examining their moral and political struggles. Series: "Taubman Symposia in Jewish Studies" [Humanities] [Show ID: 34564]

Abigail Pogrebin is the author of the recently published book, My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays, One Wondering Jew. Hear how she spent 12 months researching and observing every holiday in the Jewish calendar. Series: "Taubman Symposia in Jewish Studies" [Humanities] [Show ID: 33750]

Eighteen years ago, Israeli author Ruby Namdar arrived in New York, not knowing that he had just taken the first step of an incredible literary, cultural and personal journey. He discusses the novel The Ruined House, winner of the 2014 Sapir Prize, Israel’s most prestigious literary award, which was an artistic response to Namdar’s wonderful experience of discovering America, American Jewry, and American Jewish literature. Series: "Taubman Symposia in Jewish Studies" [Humanities] [Show ID: 33734]

Author and legendary athlete Kareem Abdul-Jabbar offers sage advice on writing. Abdul-Jabbar has written several best-selling books, along with some basketball on the side." Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Humanities] [Show ID: 33605]

The stars of the documentary, “I’ll Push You,” tell a remarkable story of sacrifice, spiritual awakening and transformation as Patrick Gray and his wheelchair-bound best friend Justin Skeesuck recount the emotional tolls of their 500-mile trek on the Camino de Santiago in Spain in this conversation with Dean Nelson, founder of the Writer’s Symposium by the Sea at Point Loma Nazarene University. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Humanities] [Show ID: 32693]

Novelist and filmmaker David Bezmozgis speaks about his 2014 novel The Betrayers, an intense look at morality and the human conscience, that won the National Jewish Book Award. The book is about a famous Russian Jewish dissident who, after the fall of the Soviet Union, meets the man who denounced him. Series: "Taubman Symposia in Jewish Studies" [Humanities] [Show ID: 33367]

Author Jane Smiley captivates the audience as she attributes the success of her Pulitzer-Prize winning novel, “A Thousand Acres” to the lessons she learned from “Uncle Bill,” as in William Shakespeare and his play, King Lear. In this interview with veteran journalist Dean Nelson, Smiley describes her compulsion to write and urges other writers to follow their own passions and not be too hard on themselves, as most early drafts are terrible. “Everyone has a story to tell if they want to tell it,” she says, while offering advice on how to push through the barriers that often limit aspiring novelists. Smiley is presented by the 2018 Writer’s Symposium by the Sea at Point Loma Nazarene University. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Humanities] [Show ID: 32690]

Author and legendary athlete Kareem Abdul-Jabbar describes the cultural and historical influences that led him to write several best-selling books, “along with some basketball on the side,” in this introspective and wide-ranging conversation with veteran journalist Dean Nelson. Abdul-Jabbar shares stories from his most recent book, “Coach Wooden and Me,” about his 50-year friendship with the late UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden, in this event presented by the 2018 Writer’s Symposium by the Sea at Point Loma Nazarene University. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Humanities] [Show ID: 32692]

Luis Urrea is a prolific writer who uses his dual-culture life experiences to explore greater themes of love, loss and triumph. Born in Tijuana to a Mexican father and American mother, Urrea is the critically acclaimed, best-selling author of 16 books. He talks with Steven Schick about his life and work, and their collaboration on a new version of Stravinsky's "L'Histoire du Soldat" with texts from Urrea's writings. Series: "Helen Edison Lecture Series" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 33265]

Mary Karr, one of the most celebrated memoirists, poets and essayists of her generation, talks about her craft and the revelations found along the way. Her most recent publication, The Art of Memoir, features excerpts from her favorite memoirs and anecdotes from fellow writers' experiences. She is the recipient of prizes from PEN and Best American Poetry, and she has won Pushcart Prizes both for poetry and essays. Series: "Voices" [Humanities] [Show ID: 32831]

Mary Karr, one of the most celebrated memoirists, poets and essayists of her generation, talks about her process of writing a memoir. Karr is a best-selling memoirist, poet, and essayist. Her most recent publication, The Art of Memoir, features excerpts from her favorite memoirs and anecdotes from fellow writers' experiences. She is the recipient of prizes from PEN and Best American Poetry, and she has won Pushcart Prizes both for poetry and essays. Series: "Voices" [Humanities] [Show ID: 32832]

Hailed as one of Israel's most innovative and extraordinary writers, Etgar Keret is internationally acclaimed for his short stories. Keret has written short stories, graphic novels, and scripts for television and film. He has made the short story into a literary gem that reflects the surge of interest in the short story in Israel and in Modern Hebrew since the 1990s. Series: "Taubman Symposia in Jewish Studies" [Humanities] [Show ID: 32455]

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tracy Kidder reveals his reporting strengths as he describes how he earned the trust of the people he has featured in books such as "Mountains Beyond Mountains," "House," "A Truck Full of Money," "Old Friends," and "Strength in What Remains." Kidder shares the joys and doubts of a career in writing with veteran journalist and host Dean Nelson, founder and director of the Writer's Symposium By The Sea at Point Loma Nazarene University. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Humanities] [Show ID: 31161]

This far-reaching conversation with best-selling author Shauna Niequist offers an honest account of her journey of becoming a writer. She shares her love of storytelling and her goal of living life to the fullest, and offers tips for aspiring writers. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Humanities] [Show ID: 31160]

Christopher Bollas, psychoanalyst and writer, asserts that mental life is innately hazardous. The steps we take through childhood are marked by mentally painful episodes that constitute ordinary breakdowns in the self. Adolescence stands as the most painful such period, during which some of the major disturbances of self arise, including anorexia, schizophrenia, bipolarity, and sociopathy. Rather than approaching mental pain as a condition to be ignored, minimized, or suppressed through medication, Bollas examines it as a constitutive element of human psychic development. Presented by the Townsend Center for the Humanities at UC Berkeley. Series: "Writers" [Health and Medicine] [Humanities] [Show ID: 31943]

Mary Karr, one of the most celebrated memoirists, poets and essayists of her generation, talks about her craft and what it takes to write a memoir. Her most recent publication, The Art of Memoir, features excerpts from her favorite memoirs and anecdotes from fellow writers' experiences. She is the recipient of prizes from PEN and Best American Poetry, and she has won Pushcart Prizes both for poetry and essays. Series: "Voices" [Humanities] [Show ID: 30630]

Robin Jones Gunn has a gift for writing about relationships that reflect depth, values, and eternal love that appeal to everyone. Her books (including the Christy Miller series, Sierra Jensen series, Katie Weldon series, Sisterchicks series, Glenbrooke series, fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books) have sold 5 million copies. She shares her lessons learned on her path to success with host Dean Nelson of Point Loma Nazarene University. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Humanities] [Show ID: 29673]

National Book Award-Winning author and environmentalist Barry Lopez joins UC San Diego’s Steve Schick, a world-renowned percussionist, to explore the intersection of music, words and the natural world. Series: "Helen Edison Lecture Series" [Humanities] [Show ID: 30337]

Joshua Weiner is the author of three books of poetry, most recently, The Figure of a Man Being Swallowed by a Fish (2013). Series: "Lunch Poems Reading Series" [Show ID: 29937]

Jane Hirshfield, a frequent presenter at universities and literary festivals both in the US and abroad, reads “My Proteins” from her book of poetry. Series: "Lunch Poems Reading Series" [Show ID: 29934]

Jane Hirshfield reads from her book of poetry at UC Berkeley. Series: "Lunch Poems Reading Series" [Show ID: 29935]

Joshua Weiner is the author of three books of poetry, most recently, The Figure of a Man Being Swallowed by a Fish (2013). Series: "Lunch Poems Reading Series" [Show ID: 29936]

Story Hour in the Library celebrates the writers in the UC Berkeley campus community with an annual student reading. The event features short excerpts of work by winners of the year’s biggest prose prizes, Story Hour in the Library interns, and faculty nominees. Series: "Story Hour in the Library" [Humanities] [Show ID: 29739]

Lydia Davis reads from her latest collection of short stories, “Can’t and Won’t,” and speaks of her writing processes when dealing with her own work and translated work. Series: "Humanitas" [Humanities] [Show ID: 29510]

Joyce Carol Oates has written some of the most enduring fiction of our time, including We Were the Mulvaneys and Blonde. Most recently, she published Carthage and The Sacrifice, and the story collections High-Crime Area and Lovely, Dark, Deep. Among her many honors are the National Book Award, the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in Short Fiction, the Prix Femina Étranger, and the President's Medal in the Humanities. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and has been a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters since 1978. Oates has taught recently at Berkeley and Stanford, and is on the faculty at Princeton University. Series: "Story Hour in the Library" [Humanities] [Show ID: 29541]

Joyce Carol Oates, the prolific author and winner of nearly every literary award of note, has maintained a creative dialogue with contemporary American culture for 50 years. She continues the conversation here with veteran journalist Dean Nelson as part of the 2015 Writer’s Symposium by the Sea at Point Loma Nazarene University. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 28394]

Author Lysley Tenorio describes the influences that led to “Monstress,” his popular short story collection that explores the conflicting and coalescing aspects of disparate cultures. Tenorio shares his process of writing funny, sad and beautiful fiction in this revealing interview with veteran journalist Dean Nelson as part of the 2015 Writer’s Symposium by the Sea at Point Loma Nazarene University. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Humanities] [Show ID: 28392]

Barney Frank, the 16-term former Congressman from Massachusetts joins Alex Gelber and Henry E. Brady of the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley for a no-holds-barred review of his feats (and colleagues) on Capitol Hill. From being the first Member of Congress to publicly identify himself as gay, to Dodd-Frank, his signature bill addressing the 2008 financial crisis, and on to a thorough assessment of President Obama and the Federal Reserve, Frank displays his famous biting wit and fearless candor in this interview presented by the UC Public Policy Channel on UCTV. Series: "The Goldman School - Berkeley Public Policy" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Business] [Show ID: 29425]

English professor Scott Saul discusses his new book, Becoming Richard Pryor. The richly researched biography about the comedian is accompanied by a website, “Richard Pryor’s Peoria,” which presents more than 200 photographs and documents from Pryor’s first two decades in Peoria, Ill. Series: "UC Berkeley News" [Humanities] [Show ID: 29310]

Tom Barbash is the author of the new book of stories “Stay Up With Me.” Previous books include award-winning novel “The Last Good Chance” and “On Top of the World: Cantor Fitzgerald, Howard Lutnick, and 9/11,” which was a New York Times bestseller. His stories and articles have been published and performed on National Public Radio. Here he reads to an audience at UC Berkeley. Series: "Story Hour in the Library" [Humanities] [Show ID: 29110]

Joyce Maynard has been a writer of both fiction and nonfiction since the age of 18. Her memoir “At Home in the World” has been translated into fifteen languages. Her eight novels include the newly released “After Her,” as well as “To Die For” and the New York Times bestseller, “Labor Day.” In addition to writing, Maynard performs frequently as a storyteller with The Moth in New York City, and is the founder of the Lake Atitlan (Guatemala) Writers' Workshop. Series: "Story Hour in the Library" [Humanities] [Show ID: 28890]

Jess Row, the author of “Your Face in Mine” and two short story collections, “The Train to Lo Wu” and “Nobody Ever Gets Lost” reads from his work at UC Berkeley. He has received a Whiting Writers Award, the PEN/O. Henry Award, and two Pushcart Prizes. In 2007 he was named a "Best Young American Novelist" by Granta. He teaches at the College of New Jersey and is an ordained Zen Teacher. Series: "Story Hour in the Library" [Humanities] [Show ID: 28831]

David Kirp, author of the acclaimed “Improbable Scholars: The Rebirth of a Great American School System and a Strategy for American Schools” and professor of public policy at UC Berkeley, argues that the best way to improve education is to avoid trendy reforms and stick with what works: providing support for teachers to make personal connections with their students. Series: "The Goldman School - Berkeley Public Policy" [Public Affairs] [Education] [Show ID: 28686]

Story Hour in the Library celebrates the writers in the UC Berkeley campus community with an annual student reading. The event features short excerpts of work by winners of the year’s biggest prose prizes, Story Hour in the Library interns, and faculty nominees. Series: "Story Hour in the Library" [Humanities] [Show ID: 28342]