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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In the 1980s, Prince wrote one of the Bangles' biggest hits, "Manic Monday." Now, The Prince Estate has released the demo version of the track as part of the artist's posthumous album, Originals. -
Nicole Rikard, Kristen Clifford, Erin Gibson and Melissa Swailes were all married to officers who killed themselves. They want to end the stigma of police asking for help when facing mental illness. -
Some things get better with age. Just ask the members of the Wizdom, a dance team for the NBA's Washington Wizards who are all 50 years old or older. -
Wildlife officials in India are trying to catch a tiger thought to be responsible for the deaths of several people. So far, no luck. But could the secret to success be under their noses? -
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.
