Arin Greenwood—a journalist who specializes in writing about animal welfare, and whose sterling new novel, “Your Robot Dog Will Die,” was published Tuesday (April 17)—offers her synopsis of the book, and recalls key elements of the setting, story, and fundamental themes that she arrived at while in the formative stages of writing “Your Robot Dog Will Die.”
Greenwood notes that her new work occupies the Young Adult (YA) shelf—the protagonist is a 17-year-old girl, Nano Miller, other teenage characters are central, and it’s a coming-of-age story—but that she aspired to have the book operate beyond that genre, too. It does. In 
response to my question about previous on-air conversations we’ve had about PETA—particularly its animal shelter, which has a staggeringly high euthanasia rates, she recounts her journalistic frustrations over the years in having the organization explain its rationale for the shelter’s operating principle, and how writing this book, a fictional story, provided an opportunity to explore those policies (and her feelings about them) in a different way, chiefly through the Ingrid Newkirk-esque character, Dorothy. Greenwood also outlines what responses and actions she hopes “Your Robot Dog Will Die” will spur in readers, and touches on her journalism work: she’s the former animal welfare editor at The Huffington Post, and in recent years has contributed critter coverage to such outlets as The Washington Post, The Today Show website, and The Dodo, among others. (https://www.facebook.com/aringreenwood)
The interview with Arin streamed on Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/duncan.strauss/videos/10156668502689218/
ALSO: I spoke with Amber Simpson about the 8th Annual Tampa Vegan Bake Sale, slated for Saturday, April 21, at Mojo Books & Records, 2540 E. Fowler Avenue, Tampa. Proceeds help homeless and community cats, with an emphasis on spay/neuter and TNR. (https://www.facebook.com/events/757634601113207/)
COMEDY CORNER: Zoltan Kaszas’s “Cats Pt. 1” (http://www.zoltancomedy.com)
MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals
NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: We didn’t play Name That Animal Tune today.
AUDIO ARCHIVE
