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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Chef Kaiser Lashkari's Pakistani restaurant has become a Houston institution. It's also emblematic of the multi-ethnic city itself, with flavors that borrow happily from other culinary traditions. -
The singer, who used to perform with her brothers, the hip-hop duo Calle 13, has now struck out on her own as iLe. She speaks with Lulu Garcia-Navarro about her debut album, iLevitable. -
Caitlin Doughty, whose Los Angeles funeral home specializes in alternative ceremonies, traveled the world to collect stories about how different peoples send loved ones off to the great beyond. -
The pop star will release her sixth studio album later this month. She speaks to Lulu Garcia-Navarro about staying honest, confronting controversy and learning from her godmother, Dolly Parton. -
The song and its irrepressible video are the handiwork of Brooklyn multimedia artist Miss Eaves, who says she wanted to show women of all body types, races, sexualities and ages.
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A new audio exhibit at Dupont Underground breathes life into an old, subterranean trolley station in Washington, D.C. The Wind That Blows Is All That Anybody Knows is by artist Eric Dickson.
