Celebrating this ancient festival was banned under the Taliban. For refugees and immigrants in America, the holiday and the feasts that accompany it are an important cultural link to Afghanistan.
Holmes, who grew up a devout Christian, says he saw himself as a "Good Boy" comic in the early stages of his career. "I was basically picturing [Jesus] in the back of the club."
Nell Stevens retreated to a remote corner of the Falkland Islands in an attempt to write a novel. She came away with something better: This oddly winning memoir of deprivation, rain and penguins.
Erika Carter's intelligent, unpretentious debut follows an aimless group of friends in their 20s, whose lives spin out of control during a supposedly detoxifying trip to a remote house in the country.
In the 1840s, two British crews vanished while seeking a passage through the ice at the top of the world. Paul Watson became "obsessed with the mystery" and tells the story in his new book Ice Ghosts.
Silvers co-founded the journal with Barbara Epstein in 1963. It quickly became a leading forum where authors and critics grappled with cultural issues — and with each other.
Comedian Iliza Shlesinger's standup is physical. She contorts and snorts and stalks the stage as she becomes the characters in jokes that explore what it's like to be a woman in today's society.
"There is no greater ... feeling of helplessness than to watch two beloved sons deteriorate before [your] eyes," says Ron Powers. His new book is No One Cares About Crazy People.
Julia has bright red hair, big green eyes and she loves to draw. She can be a little shy, but Elmo and Abby Cadabby don't mind. She's voiced by Stacey Gordon, whose son is on the autism spectrum, too.