On April 15, renowned Chilean author Isabel Allende was interviewed by acclaimed journalist Amy Goodman (host of Democracy Now!) at Americas Society. In this much-anticipated discussion on Allende's most novels in English: Maya’s Notebook (2013) and Ripper (2014). The author talked about her creative process, her family history outside Chile, and the country's history.

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Isabel Allende, who was born in Peru and raised in Chile, is the best-selling author of fiction, memoirs, and young-adult novels, beginning with her acclaimed first novel, La casa de los espíritus (1982; The House of the Spirits, translated by Magda Bogin, 1985). Her work has been translated into more than 35 languages. Her most recent novels in English translation are Ripper (2014), Maya's Notebook (2013), and The Island Beneath the Sea (2010). In 2004, she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She lives in California.

Amy Goodman is host and executive producer of the award-winning news program Democracy Now! (carried on over 1,200 public radio and TV stations globally). She is the first journalist to receive the prestigious Right Livelihood Award for independent journalism. Her five books have all been New York Times bestsellers. Goodman's reporting has won numerous awards, including the Robert F. Kennedy Prize for International Reporting and the George Polk Award.

Image: Isabel Allende. Photo courtesy of the author’s website. ©Lori Barra