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President Obama interviews author Marilynne Robinson

FILE - In this Oct. 8, 2015, file photo, President Barack Obama speaks at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s (CHCI) 38th Anniversary awards gala in Washington. Hillary Rodham Clinton's use of a private email server to conduct government business when she served as secretary of state was a mistake, but didn't endanger national security, said President Barack Obama during an interview that airs Sunday, Oct. 11, on CBS's "60 Minutes."(AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File) FILE - In this Oct. 8, 2015, file photo, President Barack Obama speaks at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s (CHCI) 38th Anniversary awards gala in Washington. Hillary Rodham Clinton's use of a private email server to conduct government business when she served as secretary of state was a mistake, but didn't endanger national security, said President Barack Obama during an interview that airs Sunday, Oct. 11, on CBS's "60 Minutes."(AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

By Associated Press October 12, 2015 1 min read

NEW YORK (AP) – For this interview, President Barack Obama was the one asking the questions.

In a discussion held last month in Iowa and posted Monday by The New York Review of Books, Obama asked Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marilynne Robinson about faith, democracy, education and writing.

Obama is a longtime admirer of Robinson and her novel “Gilead,” an Iowa-based narrative that the president said he had read while visiting the state as a candidate.

Obama explained that he met with Robinson because he was anxious simply to have a conversation with someone he liked and admired.

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