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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As a kid, Helena Ku Rhee used to tag along with her parents as they cleaned law offices overnight. She's now a lawyer herself, and has written The Paper Kingdom, about a boy and his janitor parents. -
"We think of refugees as people who wait a lot and suffer," says author Kyo Maclear. She was determined to tell a different kind of story. Her illustrator, Rashin Kheiriyeh, fled Iran as a child. -
Jerome and Jarrett Pumphrey have worked together on creative projects since they were kids. Their new book — illustrated with 250+ stamps — is about family, farm life, determination and hard work. -
Ellison Nguyen, 6, wrote the book, and Hien Bui-Stafford, 13, illustrated it. They got a little help from Pulitzer Prize-winner Viet Nguyen (Ellison's dad) and cartoonist Thi Bui (Hien's mom). -
Dec. 21 is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Susan Cooper, who wrote the solstice poem "The Shortest Day," collaborated with illustrator Carson Ellis on a new picture book. -
Olive Senior, author of Boonoonoonous Hair, says the Jamaican word has fallen out of fashion, but it's time to bring it back. "If you're told you're boonoonoonous that's a great compliment," she says. -
In 2018, a photo of Parker Curry looking at a portrait of Michelle Obama went viral. Within a week, she got to meet the first lady. Parker tells the story in a new book she co-authored with her mom. -
"Growing up I would hear about our peoples being 'discovered' ... " says author Brittany Luby. "I would go home and my parents would tell me: That's not actually how things happened." -
Veterinarians have suicide rates of more than double that of the general population. One group is building an online community to give advice and help out when stress adds up. -
NPR's Leila Fadel first met Rosa Gutierrez Lopez in January, after she sought refuge at Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church. If she leaves the property, she risks being deported to El Salvador.
