Arts

The Night Witches, by Garth Ennis and Russ Braun

Books
Arts

'Night Witches' Sheds Some Light On Daring Female Flyers

9:12am March 16, 2019

by Etelka Lehoczky

Garth Ennis' new graphic novel creates a fictional character to flesh out the stories of the real Night Witches, Soviet female pilots who dropped bombs on the Nazis from rickety old biplanes.

In college, Laurie Halse Anderson thought she might become a translator — and in a way, she did. "I translate imagination onto the page," she says.

Books
Arts

20 Years After 'Speak,' Laurie Halse Anderson Tells Her Own Story In 'Shout'

9:11am March 16, 2019

by Melissa Block

The groundbreaking novel Speak told the story of Melinda, a teen who stopped speaking after a sexual assault. In her poetry memoir, Shout, Anderson opens up about being raped when she was 13.

Mary Kay Place plays Diane in Diane, the debut feature film by director Kent Jones.

Arts

In 'Diane,' An Older Woman Faces Up To Her 'Unlived Life'

9:05am March 16, 2019

by Melissa Block

The feature film stars Mary Kay Place as the titular Diane, a woman trying to save her adult son from a drug addiction — and confronting her deep-seated guilt. She appears in every scene.

W.S. Merwin found inspiration in his conservation work and in his home on the Hawaiian island of Maui.

Books
Arts

Poet W.S. Merwin, Who Was Inspired By Conservation, Dies At 91

5:21pm March 15, 2019

by Noah Adams

In the 1980s, the two-time U.S. poet laureate moved to Hawaii and began working to restore the rainforest. According to one contemporary, that's when he "morphed into a poet of praise."

Dan Finkel: How Can Play Help Us Understand Math?

4:57pm March 15, 2019

by NPR/TED Staff

Dan Finkel says math is often taught as a series of rigid steps—which can be intimidating. Instead, he wants kids to see the fun, creative side of math that leads to deep learning and discovery.

Queue Listen Now

A 1980s photo of Carlton and Juanita Collins hangs inside the barbershop in the same spot it was taken.

Arts

'Strands Of Love' Connects Generations Of An African-American Family

2:29pm March 15, 2019

by Amanda Morris

For one year, New York-based photographer Shuran Huang followed the Collins family to church, baseball fields and their family-run barbershop.

Masha Gershman: What Can We Learn From The Russian Approach To Math Education?

1:39pm March 15, 2019

by NPR/TED Staff

In the USSR, topics like algebra were introduced in early childhood. Masha Gershman says, decades later, this method still effectively teaches kids to tackle math problems with open and curious minds.

Queue Listen Now

Arts

'Ash Is Purest White' Is A Deeply Moving Gangster Romance Spanning 17 Years

1:37pm March 15, 2019

by Justin Chang

Chinese writer-director Jia Zhangke examines upheaval in modern China in his latest film, a gripping drama of crime and punishment about a woman and her gangster boyfriend.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

How 'Peasant Food' Helped Chef Lidia Bastianich Achieve Her 'American Dream'

1:37pm March 15, 2019

by Terry Gross

Bastianich grew up eating farm-to-table meals with her Italian family. After they fled Europe as refugees, she drew on those meals in opening her first restaurant. Originally broadcast May 7, 2018.

Queue Listen Now

Host Ophira Eisenberg chats with comedian Aparna Nancherla on Ask Me Another at the Bell House in Brooklyn, New York.

Arts

Aparna Nancherla: Introvert Goes 'Corporate'

12:10pm March 15, 2019

Comedian and actor Aparna Nancherla dishes about interning at NPR, transforming her struggles with mental health into comedy, and working at a soul-crushing office job.

Queue Listen Now