Patti Smith

Smith's interviews connect a working artist's routines with a vivid sense of the people, books and places that remain in memory. The Fresh Air conversation about Just Kids and her PBS discussion of M Train make a useful pair: one explores an early creative partnership, while the other follows the continuing sources of art and remembrance. She is especially engaging when an apparently small detail carries the story. The appeal is thoughtful, concrete recollection rather than a parade of famous encounters.