Bookwaves/Artwaves – July 16, 2026: From the Archive: Sara Paretsky – Ian Watson

Bookwaves/Artwaves – July 16, 2026: From the Archive: Sara Paretsky – Ian Watson

July 16, 2026 · 60 min

About this episode

Sara Paretsky discusses her work and the rise of women in crime fiction in a historical interview.

Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Links to assorted local theater & book venues Sara Paretsky: author of the V.I. Warshawski Mysteries Sara Paretsky in 2019. Sara Paretsky, author of the V.I. Warshawski mysteries, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky and Richard A. Lupoff as part of the “Probabilities” radio series, recorded in the KPFA s studio on March 16, 1991 following the publication of “Burn Marks” and before the publication of “Guardian Angel.” In the late 1980s, crime and mystery fiction by women skyrocketed. Even so, awards were still being given to mostly male writers, and in 1987, the organization Sisters in Crime was formed. In Berkeley, at KPFA, Richard Lupoff and Richard Wolinsky, the hosts of the Probabilities radio program, having drifted from science fiction into mysteries and later into general fiction and narrative non-fiction, noticed the trend pretty early on, and began interviewing these pioneer writers, one by one, local writers like Marcia Muller and Sue Dunlap, and writers from out of town, such as Sue Grafton, or from overseas, such as P.D. James. These interviews, the Sisters in Crime interviews, were all conducted in the…

People in this episode

Host: Richard Wolinsky

Guest: Sara Paretsky

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Sisters in Crime

Books & works: V.I. Warshawski Mysteries, Burn Marks, Guardian Angel

More episodes of KPFA - Bookwaves/Artwaves

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the KPFA - Bookwaves/Artwaves podcast page.