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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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.
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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.
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Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury revisit their classic story of a family going on a bear hunt (encountering many obstacles along the way) — and preview their new one, Oh Dear, Look What I Got!
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A storm is coming and two siblings pull on their boots and head to the sea. The waves crash and the rain starts to fall, but they go on in this quintessential summer adventure story.