Samantha Balaban
Samantha Balaban is a Senior Producer at Weekend Edition. Most days, you can find her under a pile of books and mail coordinating the show's book coverage. She's also responsible for Picture This, a series of conversations with authors and illustrators.
She has traveled to Ukraine, where she helped coordinate coverage of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. She arrived in Israel on October 9, 2023 — her work covering Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza won a National Press Club award and an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award. She also worked as NPR's coordinating producer in Lebanon in 2024.
Balaban 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 worked at Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Weekend Edition. She's covered multiple hurricanes as well as earthquakes in Haiti and Turkey. She produced stories from Pakistan for the 20th anniversary of 9/11. She's watched a kidney transplant and ridden with border patrol officers along the Rio Grande. She's also had a lot of fun: celebrating the 250th anniversary of the song "Amazing Grace," meeting actor Diego Luna in Mexico (and covering the elections), interviewing a Bangle and going clubbing — for work! Jaques Pépin once made her a French omelette and she's eaten very well in Houston — and Charleston — and New York City — and also at home in Washington, D.C.
Originally from Lexington, Mass., Balaban has a bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She received her master's degree in Journalism and Latin American studies from New York University.
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In the Lower Ninth Ward, an old Family Dollar stands covered in graffiti. It looks abandoned. But inside, it's a treasure trove — clothing, home goods, toys and books. And everything is free. -
At Bayou Bar, music and food go hand in hand. Which is why a new cookbook from chef Brian Landry and bandleader Peter Harris has recipes from the menu and stories from the musicians who play there. -
For many people from former Soviet countries, New Year's is a big holiday feast time. A Ukrainian restaurant in Washington gives NPR a taste of what's on the menu. -
On Winged Victory, songwriter Willi Carlisle weaves between the absurd and the sentimental. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Carlisle about the 11 tracks of originals and covers. -
Reporter Kevin Sack's new book is a history of Charleston's Emanuel AME Church, the oldest Black congregation in the South, where a white supremacist killed nine worshippers a decade ago. -
Dictionary wants to bring her pages to life but then a hungry alligator chasing a donut crashes into a queen who slips on some soap and chaos ensues. Can Dictionary put herself back together again? -
Ellie Barber, who performs as Ollella, talks about memory, loss and ongoing love with her Tiny Desk Contest entry, "Tea Kettle Tea." -
Detroit's population is growing, a first since the 1950s. The uptick is small but significant for a city that's struggled for decades.
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2023 is the 250th anniversary year of "Amazing Grace." It was first performed on New Year's Day, 1773, and has gone through many changes over the years.
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About 240 Israeli and foreign nationals have been held hostage in Gaza for a month. Many Israelis are calling for Israel to release all Palestinian detainees in exchange for the captives' freedom.
