Arts

Esther Freud is the author of Hideous Kinky, The Sea House, and other novels.

Books
Arts

Two Outcasts Form An Artistic Bond In 'Mr. Mac And Me'

11:49am January 26, 2015

by NPR Staff

Painter's daughter Esther Freud weaves her own experiences into the story of a lonely little boy in a British seacoast town, who befriends the great Art Nouveau designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

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Mo Yan won the Nobel Prize for literature in 2012.

Books
Arts

Do You Have To Read 'Frog'? No, But You Might Want To

11:35am January 26, 2015

by Jason Sheehan

Reviewer Jason Sheehan says Mo Yan's Frog is not without issues, but still offers a thoughtful tale of a dark era in modern Chinese history, touched with humor and occasional magic.

Books
Arts

In 'Dear Father,' A Poet Disrupts The 'Cycle Of Pain'

9:56am January 26, 2015

by NPR Staff

J. Ivy says his father grew up in pain and passed that pain on to the next generation. In his new book, he says that forgiveness is an ongoing act — and you must constantly remember to forgive again.

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Books
Arts

In Winter, Keeping Warm With Beloved Books

9:36am January 26, 2015

by Juan Vidal

Critic Juan Vidal says winter is a time for turning inward and warding off the chill with your favorite books, the ones you return to over and over again when the days get shorter and snow closes in.

Arts

Tradition and Innovation: Black Owl Guitars Specializes in the Art of the Cigar Box Guitar

8:49am January 26, 2015

by David Ford

The cigar box guitar dates back to the early 1800s in the U.S. where social gatherings of slaves often resulted in live music-making with simple cigar box instruments.

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One Saturday each month, the Pacific Science Center of Seattle opens early for people with autism spectrum disorders.

By Dimming Its Lights, Museum Opens Doors For Kids With Autism

8:18am January 26, 2015

by Jennifer Wing

Loud noises, bright lights and crowded spaces can be painful for children with autism. That often means missing out on museums. Some, like Seattle's Pacific Science Center, are addressing the problem.

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Antoine-Olivier Pilon plays 15-year-old Steve in Xavier Dolan's Mommy.

Arts

At Its Core, Warped Family Drama 'Mommy' Is 'A Story Of Love'

9:59am January 25, 2015

by NPR Staff

In his award-winning film, Xavier Dolan, 25, tackles the relationship between a single mom and her troubled son. He says, "I feel like I knew this kid. ... He's just the worst version of who I was."

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Arts

A Puzzle Full Of Air

9:59am January 25, 2015

by Will Shortz

Every answer today is a word starting with the letters A-R, which you will identify from its anagram. For example, given AR plus ROB, the answer would be "arbor."

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Not My Job: We Quiz Funk Legend George Clinton On The British Parliament

1:42am January 25, 2015

Clinton, the founding father of funk, is the creator of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic. We'll ask him three questions about another kind of parliament — namely, the British Parliament.

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Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee was a Republican presidential hopeful in the 2008 election. He writes that he wants his book God, Guns, Grits, and Gravy to introduce Americans to life in "flyover country."

Huckabee Serves Up 'God, Guns' And A Dose Of Controversy

10:41pm January 24, 2015

by NPR Staff

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee sees America as divided into "Bubble-ville" and "Bubba-ville," a cultural split he describes in his new book, Gods, Guns, Grits, and Gravy.

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