Ten years ago, when Israel was celebrating it’s 50th anniversary, Milwaukee-born journalist Sandy Tolan set out for Israel and the West Bank too seek out the human side of the Arab-Israeli conflict. What he discovered was a literal embodiment of the common ground between the two sides:

The Planet of the Dates is an alien and sometimes hostile territory, but Phil Corcoran, the teenage protagonist of Milwaukee-native Paul McComas’ new book, is determined to conquer this unfamiliar habitat. He talks about how he combined autobiographical elements and fiction in this humorous and engaging look at adolescence.

There’s an indelible quality to Kevin Brockmeier’s writing that has earned him such accolades as the O. Henry Award and the Italo Calvino Short Fiction Award. In his new collection of stories, View From the Seventh Layer, he further cements his reputation for creating slender and solemn prose that blends the fantastical with the everyday. He talks to us about this, his second collection of short stories for adults:

The munificent title of Tod Wodicka’s debut novel, All Shall Be Well and All Shall Be Well, and All manner of Things Shall Be Well hints at the desperate optimism of it’s wretched protagonist: Burt Hecker, a mead-swilling, tunic-sporting 20th century idler stuck in a medieval past. From his home in Berlin, Germany, Wodicka talks about his new book.

No stranger to difficult moral issues that society likes to avoid discussing, Jodi Picoult’s new book, Change of Heart, deals with capital punishment, religious dogma, the crippling loss of a loved one and the fact people can surprise you in ways you’d least expect. She talks to us about this, her 15th novel to date.

How many parent guides have you come across that are geared towards the progressive punk parent? Author/Activist/musician/ teacher Jessica Mills talks about her new book, My Mother Wears Combat Boots—a parenting manual that ventures into territory most mainstream parenting books fear to tread.

Susan Vreeland, New York Times best-selling author of Girl in Hyacinth Blue, has recently published a new novel inspired by an artistic masterpiece: Renoir’s Luncheon of the Boating Party. Using the painting’s subjects and creator as a starting point she offers a vivid portrait of French society in the late-19th century.

In his first novel, The Death of Vishnu, Manil Suri used Hindu mythology and the tinsely allure of the Bollywood film industry to explore the lives of characters inhabiting a Mumbai apartment building. His second novel, The Age of Shiva, continues the tradition, affirming his talent for creating well-drawn characters and sensitive prose.

This is the text of the full interview that was conducted on 1/10/08 and appears in the 1/17/08 issue of the Shepherd Express.