Petra Mayer
Petra Mayer (she/her) is an editor (and the resident nerd) at NPR Books, focusing on fiction, and particularly genre fiction. She brings to the job passion, speed-reading skills, and a truly impressive collection of Doctor Who doodads. You can also hear her on the air and on the occasional episode of Pop Culture Happy Hour.
Previously, she was an associate producer and director for All Things Considered on the weekends. She handled all of the show's books coverage, and she was also the person to ask if you wanted to know how much snow falls outside NPR's Washington headquarters on a Saturday, how to belly dance, or what pro wrestling looks like up close and personal.
Mayer originally came to NPR as an engineering assistant in 1994, while still attending Amherst College. After three years spending summers honing her soldering skills in the maintenance shop, she made the jump to Boston's WBUR as a newswriter in 1997. Mayer returned to NPR in 2000 after a roundabout journey that included a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University and a two-year stint as an audio archivist and producer at the Prague headquarters of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. She still knows how to solder.
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Kathleen Rooney's new novel follows an unlikely subject: Cher Ami, the once-famous homing pigeon who helped save a trapped battalion during World War I, and the officer who owed his life to her. -
Aspen Words 鈥� part of the Aspen Institute 鈥� has announced the longlist for this year's Aspen Words Literary Prize. The $35,000 award recognizes fiction that "illuminates a vital contemporary issue." -
This year's MacArthur Fellows 鈥� recipients of what's commonly called the Genius Grant 鈥� include artists, scientists, dancers and more. They'll each receive a no-strings-attached $625,000 award. -
Finalists for the National Book Award were announced today in the categories of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, literature in translation, and young people's literature. Winners are announced Nov. 18. -
This month marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of science-fiction great Ray Bradbury. We examine his legacy and the authors he influenced.
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George Orwell's anti-tyranny fableAnimal Farm turns 75 this week. We examine what Orwell was thinking when he wrote it, why it's lasted so long and what we can learn from it today.
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Lauren Beukes' new novel is set in a near future where a virus has killed off most of the men on Earth, and one woman is racing to free her young, immune son from the government and get him to safety. -
Comic-Con began Wednesday. It's virtual this year due to the pandemic. Instead of waiting in endless lines in San Diego, fans will be able to watch panel discussions online.
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Anaya's 1972 classic Bless Me, Ultima 鈥� about a young Mexican American boy and his curandera mentor in New Mexico in the 1940s 鈥� inspired a generation of Chicano writers. -
This year NPR Books Summer Reader Poll is all about books for the youngest readers. People can nominate their favorite books at npr.org/kidsbooks. The results are expected by mid-August.
