Samantha Balaban
Samantha Balaban is a producer at Weekend Edition.
After receiving her M.A. in Journalism and Latin American studies from New York University, she got her start in public radio covering the James "Whitey" Bulger trial for WBUR as an intern. Since coming to NPR in 2014, she has reported on a perfume-loving tiger, traveled to Mexico to meet actor Diego Luna (and cover the elections), ridden with border patrol officers along the Rio Grande River, eaten very well in Houston, interviewed a Bangle and used her waterproof fanny pack to help keep her mic dry during hurricanes. She's also responsible for Picture This, a series of conversations with authors and illustrators.
Most days, you can find her under a pile of books and mail coordinating Weekend Edition's book coverage. On weekends, she's hanging out with her dog, Winnie.
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When author Bruce Handy's son was young, he loved and lost an orange balloon. He and illustrator Julie Kwon talk about a child's singular devotion to a lost object in their nearly wordless kids' book. -
In The One About the Blackbird, a young boy learns to play guitar from his grandfather. And there's one song in particular that they love… -
For many people from former Soviet countries, New Year's is a big holiday feast time. A Ukrainian restaurant in Washington gives NPR a taste of what's on the menu. -
One legacy of the former Soviet Union is the New Year's feast. Ukrainians are reclaiming Christmas and old recipes.
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After his mom died, Fry Bread author Kevin Maillard found himself wondering, "but where did she go?" So he wrote about it. His new kids' book is And They Walk On, illustrated by Rafael López. -
Big Ma dashes off commands, pots clang, aunts and uncles shoot the breeze, little ones beg to lick the bowl, ham and candied yam. Family Feast! is about food, family and love. -
What would an acorn write to an oak tree? Or a coat to her button? A child to his toes? A pebble to the river? Dear Acorn, (Love, Oak) is a new kids' book of letter poems to friends. -
NPR's Ayesha Rascoe heads to the club — the Earlybirds Club — and dances until the break of 8 p.m. -
As the sun sets in a small town, a family loads up their rusty old car with the spare couch in their yard. When it breaks down in the mountains, what else is there to do but fly it to the moon? -
At Russ & Daughters, it takes three months to learn how to slice salmon. NPR's Scott Simon visits the 100 year-old appetizing store to try his hand at the fine art and talk about their new cookbook.
