WORDS ON A WIRE: Carlene Bauer

Ben & Daniel talk with Carlene Bauer, author of “Frances and Bernard,” a novel told in letters inspired by the lives of Flannery O’Connor and Robert Lowell.  Bauer talks about the inspiration behind creating a relationship between these two characters, and why she rather enjoys writing about 19th century characters instead of contemporary ones.  She also reveals how the religious beliefs she grew up with found their way into the book.

For the Poem of the Week, Benjamin Alire Saenz reads “First Love” by Edwin Rolfe, from his 1952 collection “First Love and Other Poems.”

And in this week’s Poetic License, Ben offers his reflections on the state of Western education.

Aired March 3, 2013.