Fresh Air Weekend: Writer James McBride; RuPaul

Fresh Air

Published March 30, 2020 at 9:38 AM EDT

"You can't be a novelist, you can't be a creative person, if you are so cynical about the world that everything you say and write is negative," says novelist James McBride. He won the 2013 National Book Award for his novel <em><a href="https://www.npr.org/books/titles/189562779/the-good-lord-bird">The Good Lord Bird.</a> </em> — "You can't be a novelist, you can't be a creative person, if you are so cynical about the world that everything you say and write is negative," says novelist James McBride. He won the 2013 National Book Award for his novel *The Good Lord Bird.*

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

'Emphasize The Positive': James McBride On The Kindness That Shaped Him: McBride's novel, Deacon King Kong, takes place in 1969, in a Brooklyn housing project similar to the one he grew up in. "In this book and in this community, people generally love each other," he says.

RuPaul's Recipe For Success? Love Yourself And Stay Flexible: The host of RuPaul's Drag Race describes his drag look as "one-part Cher, two-parts David Bowie, one-part Diana Ross and two heaping spoonfuls of Dolly Parton."

You can listen to the original interviews and review here:

'Emphasize The Positive': James McBride On The Kindness That Shaped Him

RuPaul's Recipe For Success? Love Yourself And Stay Flexible