Arts

Books
Arts

A Mismatched Crew Dreams Of Swashbuckling In 'We Are Pirates'

1:20pm January 31, 2015

Acclaimed writer Daniel Handler, a.k.a. Lemony Snickett, drew criticism last year for a racist comment at a literary event. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Handler about his new novel, We Are Pirates.

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Books
Arts

Rod McKuen, The Cheeseburger To Poetry's Haute Cuisine

1:14pm January 31, 2015

by Scott Simon

Poet Rod McKuen was loved by millions but mocked by literary critics. He died this week at age 81.

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Why A Black Man's Murder Often Goes Unpunished In Los Angeles

7:51pm January 30, 2015

by NPR Staff

From witnesses to reluctant gang members, Jill Leovy says, "everybody's terrified." Her book, Ghettoside, uses the story of one murder to explore the city's low arrest rate when black men are killed.

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Mehdi A.G. Mohamed (left) plays Issan, the orphaned boy who lives with a family outside Timbuktu. The family decides not to leave when radical Islamists come to impose Sharia, or Islamic law.

Arts

When Islamists Impose Their Will In 'Timbuktu,' One Family Resists

3:09pm January 30, 2015

by David Edelstein

The movie, one of five Academy Award nominees for best foreign language film this year, is about radical Islamists occupying the city in Mali. Remarkably, it's often on the verge of being a comedy.

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Arts

"The Ella Zoo," Violinist Marta Richardson, and the First Year at Scuppernong Books

1:29pm January 30, 2015

by David Ford

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Dr. Frances Jensen is a professor and chair of the Department of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.

Why Teens Are Impulsive, Addiction-Prone And Should Protect Their Brains

1:26pm January 30, 2015

New research shows that teenagers' brains aren't fully insulated, so the signals travel slowly when they need to make decisions. Neuroscientist Frances Jensen, who wrote The Teenage Brain, explains.

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Books
Arts

'Karen Memory' Builds Up A Good Head Of Steam

1:07pm January 30, 2015

by Jason Heller

Elizabeth Bear's new novel makes thoughtful use of steampunk elements in a lively tale of brothel inhabitants defending their house against a rival — and in the process uncovering a political plot.

Arts

Willingham Theatre Presents "Angels in America," "Stompin' at the Savoy" and More

11:02am January 30, 2015

by David Ford

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Bill Parcells has been coach to the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Giants, the New England Patriots and the New York Jets.

Should Ray Rice Get A Second Chance? 'Maybe,' Parcells Says

10:54am January 30, 2015

by NPR Staff

In part two of David Greene's conversation with Bill Parcells, the football coach talks about how he dealt with players' drug use and about redemption for the former Baltimore Ravens running back.

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A robot, controlled from afar, moves in for a closer look.

Arts

A Night At The Museum ... With Robots

10:39am January 30, 2015

by Priska Neely

For five nights at London's Tate Britain museum, four robots are roving through the halls controlled by people around the world.

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