Nancy Wiegman, the host of Nancy’s Bookshelf, is retiring, ending her radio show after over 30 years on the air.
Her long-running book talk show at North State Public Radio has highlighted writers across the region.
Wiegman began her career in radio as a classical music announcer and later joined North State Public Radio, hosting other programs, including a folk music show, a live call-in show and health feature segments for All Things Considered.
“It’s been a pleasure, and having an opportunity to be creative, I really have enjoyed that,” Wiegman said. “I was a little hesitant in the beginning because of my southern accent.”
Wiegman is from a small town in Georgia named Quitman but moved to Chico in 1990.
“I had the pleasure of selecting books that I wanted to read, and in the beginning, I had to do detective work to find these other authors.”- Nancy Wiegman, Host of Nancy's Bookshelf
When she arrived, Wiegman noticed the wealth of local writing talent in the North State and proposed the idea of a show focused on books to the station’s then-program director Joe Oleksiewicz.
Nancy’s Bookshelf launched in 2007 and became a platform to showcase local authors’ work. The pilot was recorded, with local guitarist Warren Haskell playing the show’s theme music, and the rest was history.
“I had the pleasure of selecting books that I wanted to read, and in the beginning, I had to do detective work to find these other authors,” Wiegman said. “We in this area have so many talented writers that it was fun doing the detective work.”
Throughout Wiegman’s tenure, she has interviewed an array of writers, from local authors to NPR’s political correspondent Don Gonyea.
She’s even interviewed the acclaimed poet Maya Angelou, who remembered Wiegman and later requested to meet with her at a book event.
“She complimented my introduction, she asked for a copy of what I had written to introduce her, and she asked to meet me backstage, so I was flattered that Maya Angelou asked to meet me,” Wiegman said. “When I learned of her death, my reaction was, 'Oh, I lost a friend.’”
Wiegman recognizes that may sound like a far-fetched thought given Angelou’s fame. But Wiegman said her role as host seemed to bring out the best, and nicest, parts of people, no matter who they were.
Living in the world of books, however, hasn’t always been easy.
Wiegman watched as the reading landscape changed. The public’s interest in reading has declined and small bookstores have disappeared.
“I just was so sorry to see the impact on local bookstores, because those of us who like to read love bookstores,” Wiegman said. “But people are reading less, and that's a change that I don't think is in our best interest.”
In some ways, Wiegman’s show, which featured a new writer weekly, gave people reason to believe literature is very much alive.
She aired her last episode on October 28, 2026.
Since then, congratulatory messages have been streaming in from past guests and listeners.
Wiegman has this message for them: “I just want to say thank you.”
She has already begun her retirement, and she said she’s excited to take time for herself.
“I would always ask myself, 'What do I have to do now?’" I never ask myself, ‘"What do I want to do now?’" So I'm trying to switch that,” Wiegman said.
These days, she’s spending more time in her backyard, listening to the birds – and, still, often found with a book.
