Arts

Professor Jordan Ellenberg gives students points for recognizing when they get a wrong answer, even if they can't figure out why. In his new book, he writes that good math is about good reasoning.

When Brando Skyhorse was 3, he and his mother were abandoned by his Mexican father. So his mother created a new story line for the family, identifying herself and her young son as American Indian.

Tom Rachman has written a book for book lovers in The Rise and Fall of Great Powers. The best-selling novelist talks with NPR's Scott Simon about the difference between reading and literature.

Actress Laverne Cox has had huge success on Orange is the New Black. But breaking into acting as a tall trans woman of color wasn't a simple thing by any means.

Today on the show we'll be genre jumping like never before from “new Americana” to Mozart's Magic Flute, and from new Dimensions in art, to low brow/high concept cinema. Outspoken Troma Entertainment co-founder Lloyd Kaufman says “Give art back to the people”, and Triad Arts Weekend's Eddie Garcia says “You're pushin' on an open door”. Then Bethany Chafin sits in with Nora Jane Struthers. This weekend, she and The Party Line are headed Carolina. And David gets his first taste of what's been called “rowdy Bluegrass” with Seven Handle Circus's Colin Vinson. They'll be at Twin City Ribfest this weekend. At American Singer's Opera Project The Queen of the Night may scream “Abandoned may you be forever”, but hey, you're never alone on TAW.

With an unforgettable story and score, the 1927 musical tackled complex racial issues. Music critic Lloyd Schwartz says the 1936 film version of Show Boat is the best — and it's now out on DVD.

Catch-22 is widely considered a great novel; until now, it has been a disaster as a play. A new production of his play seems to have broken the curse: It's touring the UK and receiving strong reviews.

At the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, former jockey Donna Barton Brothers will interview the winner on horseback. Now an analyst for NBC, Brothers won more than 1,100 races before retiring in 1998.

Nora Jane Struthers is a singer and songwriter based in Nashville, Tennessee. She released her first, self-titled album in 2010 to critical acclaim, and went on to play the Telluride Bluegrass Festival that summer where her group was named best band. In April 2013, Nora Jane Struthers and The Party Line independently released Carnival, an album of 14 original story-songs all written by Struthers.  The album was produced by Brent Truitt, who's worked with artists such as Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss, and the Dixie Chicks.