Arts

Collins' The Lucky Santangelo Cookbook is named for her plucky heroine, the daughter of a former gangster. It's got recipes for linguine and the author's eponymous cocktail — but no health food.

One of TV's most popular shows kicked off its new — and final — season with some big surprises. Is Mad Men's mesmerizing pitchman still living a lie?

All The Birds, Singing is the second novel by Australian-British author Evie Wyld. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Wyld about her sinister story revolving around the life of Jake, a sheep farmer.

This week saw celebrations of the anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and revelation of the ZunZuneo scandal. Paul Reyes and Ralph Eubanks recommend The Cultural Cold War and We Are Not Afraid.

The AMC period drama returns Sunday, with the usual shroud of secrecy that makes it difficult — but not impossible — to review. Fresh Air critic David Bianculli does his best.

Today on the show we'll take our hats off to Dr. Seuss. Bethany Chafin leads the way with her conversation with Bill Dreyer. Bill's the curator and director for the Dr. Seuss art collection now on display at the Art Shop in Greensboro. Then from the cat in the hat we jump back in time to when Swing was King. It's open rehearsal with tenor sax player Matt Kosma and the Camel City Jazz Orchestra every Monday night at Krankies and you're invited. We'll move on from Big Band to Bunnies, and the Winston-Salem Children's Puppet Theatre production of “A Tall Tale of Peter Rabbit”. Granny Blue Ridge is here with her posse of young puppeteers from Heritage Theatre. Their motto is Live it To Learn It, and this weekend they're giving back to The Second Harvest Food bank. We wrap things up with poet and author Tony Abbott. Ever wonder what it'd be like to chat it up with an angel? Tony sure has, and you'll be a fly on the wall during the Angel Dialogues, his new book out on Lorimer Press. Angels, bunnies, jazz and all the green eggs and ham you can eat next on Triad Arts Weekend.

Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez tell Terry Gross about the inspiration for "Let It Go" and a "very strong strike across the bow at all princess-myth things" song that didn't make the film.

Akhil Sharma took over a decade to write his novel, Family Life, a mostly autobiographical account of an immigrant family and an accident that shatters their dreams for the future.