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Fresh Air Weekend: Author Pico Iyer; Comic Roy Wood Jr.

In <em>The Half Known Life, </em>Pico Iyer traveled around the world to discover what different cultures and religions perceive as paradise<em>. </em>His new memoir is <em>Aflame: Learning from Silence.</em>
Derek Shapton
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Penguin Random House
In The Half Known Life, Pico Iyer traveled around the world to discover what different cultures and religions perceive as paradise. His new memoir is Aflame: Learning from Silence.

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, as well as new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and it often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

Years ago, writer Pico Iyer lost everything in a wildfire. This is what he learned: After a 1990 wildfire destroyed his home and possessions, Iyer started over. The loss led him to a Benedictine monastery, where he found comfort and compassion in solitude. His new memoir is Aflame.

Comedy is journalism, says Roy Wood Jr. from 'The Daily Show' to CNN: A good comedian has to "know what regular people are going through," he says. In his new Hulu special, Lonely Flowers, Wood riffs on how isolation has sent society spiraling.

You can listen to the original interviews here:

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