Charlie Malarkey

THE EAGLE: A Times Union Podcast

When Pulitzer prize-winning author William Kennedy put his five-year-old son Brendan to bed one night many years ago, he made up a story about a boy whose belly button was stolen. The improvised bedtime story went on to become a published children's book in 1986, co-written with his then-teenaged son. Almost 40 years later, the pair is hoping their story and others will inspire a love of literature among kids in the Capital Region and beyond.

On this episode of The Eagle, the "Ironweed" author and his son talk to Times Union Editor-in-Chief Casey Seiler about writing together, and about their favorite childhood books.

Also on this episode, social justice activists are asking the city of Saratoga Springs to drop charges against a dozen Black Lives Matter demonstrators involved in an incident during a protest in July. They say the arrests – which included the use of shackles for low-level offenses – are racially motivated intimidation tactics by police. Police say they are merely trying to balance civil rights with public safety. Reporter Wendy Libertore discusses the latest developments in this ongoing story.

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