Host Lauren Korn speaks with NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly about the paperback release of her memoir, It Goes So Fast: The Year of No Do-Overs (Henry Holt & Company). The two talk about writing for broadcast and audiobooks (vs. for the page), how raising two toddlers prepared her for an interaction with former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and why it’s important to support stations like Montana Public Radio right now.
About Mary Louise:
Mary Louise Kelly is a mother, a daughter, a journalist and a novelist. The order of these titles—the order by which she defines herself—might shift, depending on which moment you catch her. But since 2003, when her first child was born, “Mom” has been the name she is proudest to answer to.
Mary Louise co-hosts All Things Considered, NPR’s flagship evening newsmagazine. Previously, she spent a decade as national security correspondent for NPR News, and she’s kept that focus in her role as anchor. That’s meant taking All Things Considered to Russia, North Korea, Iran, Ukraine and beyond. Mary Louise’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Politico, Newsweek, and other publications. A Georgia native, her first job was working as a staff writer at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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The Write Question team for this mini episode was Lauren Korn, host, co-producer, and editor; and Chris Moyles, sound engineer. The Write Question’s 2024-2025 season is supported by a co-op of four independent bookstores, encouraging a lifetime of learning through storytelling and conversation: Chapter One Bookstore in Hamilton, Montana; Montana Book Co. in Helena, Montana; Fact & Fiction Books in Missoula, Montana; and Bookworks of Whitefish in Whitefish, Montana.
Additional funding for The Write Question comes from Humanities Montana; members of Montana Public Radio; and from the Greater Montana Foundation—encouraging communication on issues, trends, and values of importance to Montanans.
The Write Question logo and brand (2022) was designed by Molly Russell. You can see more of her work at iamthemollruss.com and on Instagram @iamthemollruss.
The Write Question is a production of Montana Public Radio.
