Arts

Books
Arts

'You Can't Be This Furry' And Other Life Lessons From Gary Shteyngart

2:56pm January 07, 2014

In Little Failure, the novelist recounts his emigration from the USSR to the U.S. when he was 7. For the first few years, he says, he would sit alone in the school cafeteria, talking to himself in Russian "in this gigantic fur hat and fur coat." It wasn't long before a teacher advised, "Children won't play with you if you have that much fur on."

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Arts

Weekly Roots Revival Service Blends Music and Worship

8:35am January 07, 2014

On Wednesday nights in Winston-Salem, there's a unique service happening at Centenary United Methodist Church. It's called Roots Revival, and it features outstanding local, regional and national musicians performing live in Centenary's newly renovated auditorium. The Wednesday night sermons are based on the song texts from that evening's performers. Each song is carefully selected in coordination with the minister, musicians, and Roots Revival Music Director, singer/songwriter Martha Bassett. She spoke with me about a new concert series at Centenary.

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Michelle Dockery's Lady Mary is in deep mourning as Downton Abbey returns for a fourth season on PBS.

Arts

'Downton' Returns, And It's As Rich As Ever

7:36am January 07, 2014

by David Bianculli

Downton Abbey is the most popular drama in the history of public television. And when the whole of the TV universe is fragmenting, that isn't just impressive — it's almost impossible. Critic David Bianculli ponders the hit show's unlikely success.

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A young man looking sad while sitting on the ground with his head on his hands

Fear Of Fainting, Flight And Cheese: One Man's 'Age Of Anxiety'

8:09pm January 06, 2014

Since about age 2, Atlantic editor Scott Stossel has been "a twitchy bundle of phobias, fears and neuroses." Today, his phobias include asthenophobia, a fear of fainting; aerophobia, a fear of flying; and turophobia, a fear of cheese. He wrote his latest book to help understand and find relief from his anxious suffering.

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Arts

Meet the Artist: Susannah Ravenswing Creates Jewelry and Fine Objects Inspired by Nature

8:00am January 06, 2014

by David Ford

What would you say if we told you that you could get back to nature through the jewelry you wear? Well, artist Susannah Ravenswing would say “…why of course you can”. For decades Susannah has created fine, hand-wrought jewelry and ceremonial objects. Susannah's childhood fascination with myths, and ancient history initially drew her toward a career in archeology, and David Ford began by asking her how those early interests eventually found their way into her art.

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an old typewriter with a blank page and a brandy snifter with liquor on a desk, with a retro effect

Books
Arts

A Critic Tours 'Echo Spring,' Home Of Beloved Boozy Writers

4:19pm January 03, 2014

by Maureen Corrigan

A new book by critic Olivia Laing explores the link between alcohol and writing through the commentaries of famous writers who were themselves alcoholics. Fresh Air's Maureen Corrigan calls Laing's readings "exquisite," and says she wisely avoids "any one-size-fits-all conclusions about the bond between the pen and the bottle."

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Arts

The Genuine, Magnolia Baroque Players, and the Bo-Stevens Band Live in Studio A

1:10pm January 03, 2014

by David Ford

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Arts

Live Music at the Muddy Creek Cafe

9:17am January 03, 2014

by David Ford

Stopping in for a bite at Muddy Creek Cafe in Bethania is a little like stepping back in time.

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Books
Arts

'Before I Burn' Uses Autobiography To Tell A Crime Story

7:14am January 03, 2014

by Rosecrans Baldwin

Scandinavian crime novels have become so popular that some publishers even have a name for the genre — "Scandi-crime." Many of these books keep readers right on the edge of their seats. But reviewer Rosecrans Baldwin says Before I Burn by Gaute Heivoll takes a more subtle approach.

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Other exhibits on display at the Museum include "Silicon Body Part Piercing Displays," "Cambodian Menu Photo Rejects" and "New York City Tip Jars."

Arts

Tiny Museum Preserves Proof Of Creators' Crazy Stories

7:38pm January 02, 2014

by Margot Adler

Housed in an old elevator shaft off a Manhattan alleyway, the Museum's 18 small shelves hold random objects like bootleg Sharpies and prison dice made of bread. Co-creator Josh Safdie says the Museum's roots lie in its founders' outlandish stories.

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