Arts

Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Solomon Northup, a free black man in upstate New York who was kidnapped into slavery in 1841 and won his freedom 12 years later. The film 12 Years a Slave is an adaptation of Northup's 1853 memoir.

Arts

Historian Says '12 Years' Is A Story The Nation Must Remember

3:59pm October 24, 2013

Yale historian David Blight says Americans like to think of themselves as "the country that freed the slaves," but prefer not to dwell on the sobering history that came first. He says the new film 12 Years a Slave is a rare, effective depiction of slavery in the United States.

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'Blockbusters': Go Big Or Go Home, Says Harvard Professor

11:54am October 24, 2013

by NPR Staff

Anita Elberse's new book, Blockbusters, examines the strategy behind making and marketing megahits. She tells NPR's Renee Montagne that content companies — publishers, movie studios and the like — can create blockbusters by dedicating most of their budgets to a select few likely winners.

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Arts

Winston-Salem's The Breathing Room Will Be Creative and Holistic Incubator

9:03am October 24, 2013

by David Ford

The Breathing Room in Winston-Salem is a place where people come together to create and collaborate in a community in a safe supportive environment. It's education-based and offers opportunities for individuals to experiment in both the holistic and expressive arts under the guidance of skilled, local practitioners. On Friday night, October 25th from 7-8:30 it's an evening of kirtan and meditative instrumental music from around the world. The following afternoon it'll be a free creative writing and spoken word poetry workshop from 1-2:30. Co-founder Suzy McCalley spoke with me recently about the upcoming arts events at The Breathing Room, and you'll find out about taro, reiki, yoga, and more from Co-founder Emily Stewart by listening to the complete interview posted above.

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Books
Arts

Bridget In Middle Age: We're Not So 'Mad About' This Girl

6:43pm October 23, 2013

by Meg Wolitzer

Bridget Jones, as you may have heard, is back: 51, widowed and juggling two small children and a much younger boy toy. Reviewer Meg Wolitzer says that while she doesn't mind the subtraction of hunky Mark Darcy, she misses the messy but honest charm of the younger Bridget.

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New York Rep. Anthony Weiner announces his resignation from Congress in the wake of a sexting scandal on June 16, 2011. His speech that day was incorporated into the play The Weiner Monologues.

Anthony Weiner (The Myth, Not The Man) Takes The Stage

6:43pm October 23, 2013

by Margot Adler

The former congressman's exploits have been turned into an off-off-Broadway play, The Weiner Monologues. The production uses only found text — articles, talk-show jokes, Weiner's own words, and so on — in its script.

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Arts

Dynamic Group Rhythm and Brass Provides UNCSA Residency

9:17am October 23, 2013

by David Ford

“Beyond Category” is a term that the late great Duke Ellington used to describe those artists whom he felt transcended normal boundaries. For the past 2 decades, Rhythm & Brass has lived up that ideal, and this weekend they're coming to the Triad with a program that weaves together works from Bach to Bee Bop and far beyond where you ever thought a brass quintet plus percussion could go. The concert is Saturday night, October 26th at 7:30 PM in Watson Hall on the University of NC School of the Arts campus. The American Record Guide calls Rhythm & Brass “nothing short of stunning”. Tom Brantley is the group's trombonist.

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David Hyde Pierce (center), Julia Murney and Frankie Seratch star in The Landing, a new musical from Broadway veteran John Kander, who co-wrote it with Greg Pierce. David Hyde Pierce previously starred in one of the latter collaborations between Kander an

Arts

For John Kander, A New 'Landing' At A Familiar Spot

8:40pm October 22, 2013

by Jeff Lunden

The 86-year-old Broadway titan — who co-wrote such hits as Cabaret and Chicago with the late Fred Ebb — is back with a new show and a new writing partner, 35-year-old Greg Pierce.

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On Tuesday night, PBS' Frontline will investigate how decades of antibiotic overuse has led to the emergence of drug-resistant superbugs.

Antibiotics Can't Keep Up With 'Nightmare' Superbugs

6:15pm October 22, 2013

On Tuesday night, PBS' Frontline will investigate how decades of antibiotic overuse has led to the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria. Journalist David Hoffman says that understanding and fighting these bacteria should be a national priority.

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Luster checks out books for frequent library visitor Phyllis Smith. Luster says she thinks of herself as a book curator.

Books
Arts

Turning A Page Inside A Rural One-Room Library

3:37pm October 22, 2013

by Jennifer Davidson

In a sleepy town in the Ozarks, population 300, one woman is trying to turn the local public library into a hub for learning. She's one of thousands of librarians around the country working to bring a sense of community to isolated areas.

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How to Fail at Almost Everything, by Scott Adams

Books
Arts

Scott Adams Explains 'How To Fail At Almost Everything' (Except Dilbert)

3:37pm October 22, 2013

by NPR Staff

Adams managed to turn his failure at office work into a gigantic success — a syndicated comic strip about a hapless, cubicle-bound engineer. In his new book, How To Fail At Almost Everything And Still Win Big, Adams offers some sage advice such as: "Goals are for losers."

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