Arts

Forgotten History: How The New England Colonists Embraced The Slave Trade

1:20pm June 21, 2016

American slavery predates the founding of the United States. Wendy Warren, author of New England Bound, says the early colonists imported African slaves and enslaved and exported Native Americans.

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Terry McMillan accepts the award for outstanding literary work, fiction, for "Getting to Happy" at the 42nd NAACP Image Awards on Friday, March 4, 2011, in Los Angeles.

Books
Arts

Terry McMillan's Latest: Revisiting Past Loves, Rediscovering Yourself

12:01pm June 21, 2016

by Karen Grigsby Bates

In her new novel, I Almost Forgot About You, McMillan's heroine confronts midlife malaise by reconnecting with men from her past.

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Books
Arts

Fizzy 'Vinegar Girl' Tames Shrewishness To Sparkle

7:00am June 21, 2016

by Heller McAlpin

Anne Tyler's latest is part of a series of Shakespeare plays-turned-novels; she's turned The Taming of the Shrew into a modern screwball comedy about an absent-minded scientist and his daughters.

Cover detail of What a Fish Knows, by Jonathan Balcombe

Fish Have Feelings, Too: The Inner Lives Of Our 'Underwater Cousins'

5:57pm June 20, 2016

Jonathan Balcombe, author of What A Fish Knows, says that fish have a conscious awareness — or "sentience" — that allows them to experience pain, recognize individual humans and have memory.

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Author Heidi Durrow gathers with festivalgoers to celebrate Mixed Remixed in 2015.

A Festival For Mixed-Race Storytellers — And Everyone Else, Too

5:39pm June 20, 2016

by Leah Donnella

The Mixed Remixed festival isn't just for folks who are multiracial. It's about connecting people from all over the world who aren't always seen as belonging together.

Ellie Kemper plays a woman who was abducted and forced to spend 15 years living in an underground bunker before being rescued in the Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Kemper is also known for her role as Erin, the cheerful receptionist on the NBC

Arts

For Ellie Kemper, Kimmy Schmidt Is Just Her Latest 'Weirdo' Role

3:45pm June 20, 2016

"I still am not sure what in my face screams 'bunker-cult victim,' " Kemper says. The actress plays a woman who was rescued from an apocalyptic cult in the Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

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Law student Everett consults with Rae Tutera on his suit for job interviews in HBO's new documentary, Suited.

Arts

HBO's 'Suited' And The Search For The Perfect Fit

9:33am June 20, 2016

by Linda Holmes

A new documentary follows the clients of a custom suiting shop that works with clients who are transgender or gender-nonconforming.

The Familiar, Volume 3: Honeysuckle & Pain

Books
Arts

'The Familiar Vol. 3' Will Rewire Your Brain

12:42pm June 19, 2016

by Jason Sheehan

Mark Z. Danielewski's proposed 27-part saga about a girl and her very strange cat rolls on in Volume 3, Honeysuckle and Pain — in which all the different voices and stories start to find a groove.

Looking Back On How The National Gallery Of Art Got Its Start 75 Years Ago

8:06am June 19, 2016

by Susan Stamberg

Philanthropist and collector Paul Mellon gave the gift of art to the American people. The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. is honoring that gift as part of its 75th anniversary celebration.

Books
Arts

'An Abbreviated Life' Memoir Captures Lasting Impact Of Childhood Emotional Abuse

8:06am June 19, 2016

NPR's Rachel Martin speaks to Ariel Leve about her new memoir, An Abbreviated Life. It tells the story of her growing up in a difficult dysfunctional family.