Books

Books
Arts

'Broken People' Author Sam Lansky Discusses Intimacy, Loneliness In Gay Community

6:26am June 11, 2020

NPR's Noel King talks to author Sam Lansky about his novel, Broken People. Set in Los Angeles, it weaves together themes of isolation, body image and addiction among gay men.

Queue Listen Now

Books

Tomasz Jedrowski's Debut Novel Tells Teenage Love Story In '80s Poland

4:11pm June 10, 2020

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with author Tomasz Jedrowski about his debut novel, Swimming in the Dark, a coming-of-age story based in communist Poland.

J.K. Rowling signs copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2007. Many fans say they feel alienated and hurt by her recent comments.

Books
Arts

Opinion: Harry Potter's Magic Fades When His Creator Tweets

1:10pm June 10, 2020

by Mallory Yu

Author J.K. Rowling has been criticized after a series of tweets that many read as transphobic. Rowling's insistence that "sex is real" and immutable has saddened her trans and genderqueer fans.

White Fragility author Robin DiAngelo says the question white people should be asking themselves is not have I been shaped by race, but how have I been shaped by race? Above, protesters demonstrate in New York on June 1.

Books
Arts

'There Is No Neutral': 'Nice White People' Can Still Be Complicit In A Racist Society

8:47am June 10, 2020

by Ari Shapiro

White Fragility author Robin DiAngelo says that the status quo in the United States is racism, and for white people, that's comfortable. "We've got to start making it uncomfortable," she says.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

For June, 3 Romances Where Sisterhood Is The Secret Ingredient

7:00am June 10, 2020

by Maya Rodale

Obviously, the the romantic relationship is at the center of any romance novel — but this month, we're bringing you three books where relationships between female friends are almost as important.

Books
Arts

Author Naoise Dolan Discusses Her Debut Novel

5:06am June 10, 2020

NPR's David Greene speaks with Irish author Naoise Dolan about her novel, Exciting Times.

Queue Listen Now

Author L.L. McKinney started the #PublishingPaidMe hashtag so authors could publicize racial disparities in book advances.

Books
Arts

#PublishingPaidMe: Authors Share Their Advances To Expose Racial Disparities

10:56am June 09, 2020

by Mary Louise Kelly

Author L.L. McKinney created the #PublishingPaidMe hashtag, where black and white authors are comparing their book advances. "You can now use this to fight for what you are worth," she says.

Queue Listen Now

Rigged: America, Russia, and One Hundred Years of Covert Electoral Interference, by David Shimer

In 'Rigged,' A Comprehensive Account Of Decades Of Election Interference

5:00am June 09, 2020

by Philip Ewing

Russia's attack on the 2016 election was novel in its scope and its methods, but the underlying principles were old, writes David Shimer in an important new history.

Books
Arts

'Cult Of Glory' Reveals The Dark History Of The Texas Rangers

1:23pm June 08, 2020

by Dave Davies

Author Doug Swanson chronicles centuries of abuse within the famed Texas law enforcement agency, including burning villages, hunting runaway slaves and murdering Mexicans and Mexican-Americans.

Queue Listen Now

Poet Elaine Kahn says the Poetry Field School had its origin in a tweet.

Books
Arts

Poetry Field School Offers Long-Distance Solace During A Pandemic

10:00am June 07, 2020

by Clare Schneider

Poet Elaine Kahn teaches video conference workshops for aspiring poets, as part of her Poetry Field School project. She says the pandemic and quarantine have had an impact on her students' writing.