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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Democratic congressional candidate Brad Lander along with dozens of American and Israeli rabbis and activists were helping Palestinian olive harvesters when they were detained by Israeli forces. -
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. -
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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Thousands of Palestinians from Gaza were working in Israel when Hamas attacked on Oct. 7. Now, they're unable to go back and in limbo in the West Bank.
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Scientists have found that two-way communication is possible with someone who is asleep and dreaming. Specifically, lucid dreaming — dreaming while being aware you're dreaming. -
Food banks have seen demand climb dramatically this year. Eric Cooper of the San Antonio Food Bank talks about how additional federal dollars could make a difference to his clients.
