A culture critic reflects on the limits of language -- and the magic of silence
Pulitzer Prize-winning New Yorker writer Hilton Als says we "don't actually have much silence left" in our world. His latest exhibition challenges the way we see art, identity and storytelling.
Three Jazz Box Sets For Stocking Stuffers
Fresh Air jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews three box sets featuring memorable pianists.
Reporter In Kabul Wins Award For Courage In Journalism
Rolling Stone's Matthieu Aikins reported on this year's opium harvest — the biggest in Afghanistan's history. He also talks about traveling with a rescue crew in Syria and a Shia militia in Iraq.
Spanish Artist Francisco Goya On Display In Boston: An Extraordinary Exhibit
The Boston Museum of Fine Arts has assembled one of the largest exhibits of Goya's artwork ever seen in the U.S. His paintings, prints and drawings range in technique from exquisitely refined to raw.
Steve Lacy's Monk Quartet, Solo Sax Albums Reissues
Lacy ran with Monk's wisdom, beginning with the idea your voice as jazz composer starts with your sound and timing as an improviser.
A Punk Memoir That Makes The Ordinary Seem Transcendent
Fresh Air rock critic Ken Tucker says that one of the best books he's ever read about punk rock is a new memoir by Viv Albertine.