Arts

Covers of You Dreamed of Empires, Confrontations and A Woman of Pleasure.

Books from Mexico, Netherlands, and Japan bring rewrites of history, teen tales

6:01am February 08, 2024

by Lily Meyer

Books from writers Álvaro Enrigue, Simone Atangana Bekono, and Kiyoko Murata may not come from the same place — but they still work in conversation with each other.

Dozens of passengers on board the Royal Caribbean's nine-month "Ultimate World Cruise" have gone viral on TikTok since it set sail in December. Captivated viewers are comparing it to a social media reality show.

Arts

How a world cruise became a 'TikTok reality show' — and what happened next

6:00am February 08, 2024

by Rachel Treisman

They boarded a nine-month cruise around the world. Then they went viral. Here's what some of the "Ultimate World Cruise" TikTokers want viewers to know about the reality of life on board.

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One New Orleans woman's quest to find the best king cake for Mardi Gras

6:42pm February 07, 2024

by Aubri Juhasz

Mardi Gras is king cake season and one New Orleans woman has found a fun way to find the best ones and rank them.

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Books
Arts

MSNBC host Joy-Ann Reid revisits the legacy and marriage of Medgar and Myrlie Evers

1:39pm February 07, 2024

by Terry Gross

Reid's new book, Medgar and Myrlie, tells the stories of the civil rights leader from Mississippi and his wife, who became a civil rights activist after Medgar's 1963 assassination.

In her new book Get the Picture, journalist Bianca Bosker explores why connecting with art sometimes feels harder than it has to be. Above, a visitor takes in paintings at The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in London in 2010.

Arts
Books

How the art world excludes you and what you can do about it

1:38pm February 07, 2024

by Elizabeth Blair

First of all, can we stop using the word "liminal"? Bianca Bosker spent five years doing in-depth research for Get the Picture — an irreverent book about "strategic snobbery" in the art world.

The music teacher who just won a Grammy says it belongs to her students

5:01am February 07, 2024

by Rachel Treisman

Virginia music teacher Annie Ray started an orchestra for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She just won a Grammy for music education, and a $10,000 grant for her school.

Tim McBride and Toby Keith at a VIP meet-and-greet before a concert in 2017.

Toby Keith never knew it, but he helped my brother make a big life change

5:34pm February 06, 2024

by Kelly McBride

Tim is a Special Olympian who until recently had lived with our parents. My mom and I were collaborating to get him excited about relocating to my home, when Toby announced a concert near there.

Mark Daley is the founder of The Foster Parent, a national platform to connect interested families with foster organizations.

Books
Arts

A foster parent reflects on loving — and letting go of — the children in his care

2:11pm February 06, 2024

by Terry Gross

Mark Daley always knew the goal was reunification — but he was still devastated when the young boys in his care returned to their birth family. He writes about the experience in his new memoir, Safe.

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Arts

As 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' enters its final season, a critic looks back on its origins

1:51pm February 06, 2024

by David Bianculli

Season 12 opens with Larry stuck with two women he can't eject from his life. As in its previous seasons, HBO's Curb offers a delicate combination of intricate structure and freewheeling improv.

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A detail from the cover of Ten Little Rabbits by Maurice Sendak

Books
Arts

Maurice Sendak delights children with new book, 12 years after his death

11:37am February 06, 2024

by Elizabeth Blair

The late author-illustrator, creator of Pierre and Where the Wild Things Are, loved whistling, Mozart, and Mickey Mouse curios. His trademark whimsy can be found in the new book Ten Little Rabbits.