There is good news for people who miss UNC-TV's "North Carolina Bookwatch" when it is preempted during fundraising drives.

Thanks to some upgrading of the website at UNC-TV, about 35 recent "Bookwatch" programs can be viewed in their entirety on any computer connected to the Web anytime it suits you.

If you teach, the interviews might be useful in the classroom to let your students connect to some of North Carolina's famous authors.

Famed author and UNC writing professor Randall Kenan shares "Bookwatch" interviews with his class.

He says, "'Bookwatch' is a seemingly inexhaustible resource for those of us interested in the writing scene in our state. The insightful interviews are vivid ways to introduce important authors and poets to new readers. This outstanding show has become a welcome and frequent part of my classroom."

The same resource is conveniently available to other teachers, book clubs, bookstores and libraries to introduce their patrons to our state's authors on a moment's notice.

Want to know which authors you can watch right now?

Here is a sample of some longtime favorites currently available: Lee Smith, Charles Frazier, Fred Chappell, Nicholas Sparks, Clyde Edgerton, John Hart, Michael Parker, Angela Davis Gardner and Kathy Reichs.

There are many more tempting programs, including those featuring:

n Up-and-coming fiction writers Wells Tower, Rosecrans Baldwin, Abigail DeWitt, John Claude Bemis, Nic Brown, Heidi Durrow, and Michele Young-Stone.

n Two wonderful writers, Minrose Gwin and Anna Jean Mayhew, whose books set in the segregated South of the mid-20th century are better than "The Help."

n Authors of short stories that delve into the lives of ordinary North Carolinians: Ruth Moose and Marjorie Hudson. And, Kathy Pories, series editor of "Best of the South" collections of short stories.

n Best-selling thriller writers: Chapel Hill resident Jeffery Deaver's "Carte Blanche" is the latest James Bond novel. Steve Berry's "The Jefferson Key" features wealthy and powerful modern-day pirates who live in Bath.

n A religion professor turned science fiction writer, David Halperin, and an award-winning poet's first novel, Alan Shapiro.

n Historians with fascinating looks into our past: Sharon Ewell Foster's fictional retelling of the Nat Turner rebellion; Leonard Rogoff on the North Carolina Jewish experience; Suzy Barile on the marriage of the Yankee general and the daughter of the president of UNC; Larry Tise on the Wright Brothers; Malinda Maynor Lowery on the Lumbee people; Charlene Regester on African-American women movie stars in the days of segregation; Steve Bouser's chronicle of a mysterious death and a look at resort life in mid 20th century Pinehurst; Daniel Pierce on the origins of NASCAR; William Leuchtenburg on the American presidents since FDR; Gary Pearce on former Gov. Jim Hunt; and Lloyd Kramer on the ideas behind the concept of nationalism.

n Great writers about finding and preparing fresh, healthy food: Andrea Reusing, Diane Daniel, Sheri Castle, and Sara Foster.

n Provocative memoirs from Jane Borden about a young North Carolina woman living in New York; Jennifer Thompson and Ronald Cotton on how her misidentification of him led to his 10-year imprisonment for rape and ultimately to their friendship and partnership bringing about change in the judicial system; and Andrew Park on his struggle as a nonbeliever to find a place in a world of believers.

n Practical advice from Joe and Terry Graedon on avoiding medical mistakes, Robin Hadley on gaining admittance to the right college, and Suzanne Hobbs on healthy eating habits.

n Great nonfiction about our present and future challenges: John Woestendiek on the science, business and human relations of pet cloning, John D. Karsarda on why efficient, well-designed airports will be the main cities and centers of activity in the future, and Scott Huler explaining our interconnectedness by following all the utility lines and networks that connect his home in Raleigh.

Here is the link: http://video.unctv.org/program/nc-bookwatch/

Watch whenever you want.

D.G. Martin hosts UNC-TV's "North Carolina Bookwatch." Bookwatch will be pre-empted by special programming until Sunday, April 1, at 5 p.m., when it will return to the air.