Books

Covers of 5 new mysteries and thrillers to read

Books
Arts

5 mysteries and thrillers to transport you this spring

5:22am March 31, 2023

by Bethanne Patrick

As the weather improves around many parts of the U.S, grab some green space and sit down to let these books transport you to 1950s London, 1920s Manhattan, 21st-century Finland, and more.

Books

Richard Kammen was a defense attorney at Guantanamo Bay. Now he's written a novel

8:48am March 30, 2023

by Sacha Pfeiffer

Attorney Richard Kammen's new novel — Tortured Justice Guantánamo Bay — is partly based on his experience. He describes the justice system there as broken. Why didn't he go the nonfiction route?

Queue Listen Now

Excerpt from No One Else by R. Kikuo Johnson.

Books
Arts

Excerpts from the works of the 2023 Whiting Award winners

7:07pm March 29, 2023

The 2023 Whiting Award winners were announced Wednesday night. Here are excerpts from their work.

Photos of the 2023 Whiting Award winners

2023 Whiting Awards recognize 10 emerging writers

7:06pm March 29, 2023

by Teresa Xie

The recipients of the $50,000 prize, which was announced on Wednesday evening, show an exceeding amount of talent and promise, according to the prize's judges.

Books
Arts

In 'Above Ground,' Clint Smith uses poetry to confront the legacy of slavery

3:53pm March 29, 2023

by Terry Gross

Smith's poems, which are addressed to his young children, describe what their ancestors endured and escaped. He also examines the joy and anxiety of parenthood, especially as a Black father.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

Colleen Oakley's grandma inspired the intergenerational friendship in her new novel

6:13pm March 28, 2023

Colleen Oakley's new book is "The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise."

Queue Listen Now

Public health professor Arline Geronimus says marginalized people suffer nearly constant stress, which leads to increasingly serious health problems over time.

How poverty and racism 'weather' the body, accelerating aging and disease

2:00pm March 28, 2023

by Dave Davies

Public health professor Arline Geronimus explains how marginalized people suffer nearly constant stress, which damages their bodies at the cellular level. Her new book is Weathering.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

Everything she knew about her wife was false — a faux biography finds the 'truth'

1:50pm March 28, 2023

by Maureen Corrigan

In Catherine Lacey's new genre-bending novel, Biography of X, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist realizes her spouse — a fierce and narcissistic artist — was not who she believed.

Queue Listen Now

In 'Above Ground,' Clint Smith meditates on a changing world, personal and public

7:22am March 28, 2023

by Jeevika Verma

Smith's poems reveal that his wonder at the world keeps him holding on to faith in the way the universe works. Ultimately, this collection points to our ability to trust in the face of volatility.

Books

Ari Tison on her novel 'Saints of the Household'

8:20am March 26, 2023

by Miles Parks

Two brothers with an abusive father come of age in a new book for young adults, "Saints of the Household." NPR's Miles Parks talks with author Ari Tison about her novel.