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The Mom-And-Pop Bookstore That Sold Gay Porn: 'Circus Of Books'

8:51pm April 23, 2020

by Scott Tobias

Rachel Mason and her siblings grew up unaware that their parents ran a gay bookstore. Her "affectionate but thinly realized" documentary skims the surface of stories that deserve deeper dives.

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Arts

For April, 3 Romances That Provide Delicious Escapes

7:00am April 23, 2020

by Maya Rodale

Nothing guarantees a happy escape like a romance novel, and escape has never been more necessary — so for April we've got three reads packed with humor and heartache to savor while you stay inside.

While researching his book, Mark O'Connell visited Pripyat, Ukraine, a town that was evacuated the day after the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986. "I wanted to see what the end of the world looked like," he says.

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Author Tours The 'End Of The World,' From Prairie Bunkers To Apocalypse Mansions

1:34pm April 22, 2020

by Terry Gross

Mark O'Connell visited doomsday communities while researching his book, Notes from an Apocalypse. He says he's not interested in being part of the sheltered elite: "I think I'd rather be dead."

Ngyuen Phan Que Mai grew up amid the devastation of the Vietnam War. She worked as a street vendor before going to college in Australia and becoming a writer.

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Memories Of Tragedy Stay With Author Nguyen Phan Que Mai

1:28pm April 22, 2020

by Mandalit del Barco

Vietnamese author Nguyen Phan Que Mai grew up amid the devastation of war. Her memories of that time, and her family's experiences, became the inspiration for her new novel, The Mountains Sing.

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Jennifer Finney Boylan has written extensively about being a trans woman, including in the memoir, She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders. She co-chaired the board of directors of the LGBTQ rights group GLAAD from 2013 until 2017.

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'I'm Living In The World With No Secrets,' Says Trans Activist Jennifer Finney Boylan

5:09pm April 21, 2020

by Terry Gross

Boylan came out as trans when she was in her 40s. She describes her new book, Good Boy, as a "memoir of masculinity, kind of told the way an expatriate might speak of the country of their birth."

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For Spring, 3 YA Tales Of Girls On The Edge

7:00am April 21, 2020

by Caitlyn Paxson

These three young adult novels center on girls pushed to their limits, figuring out what they're willing to do to survive, be remembered and protect what they love.

Books

Even During Coronavirus Outbreak, Oregon Blockbuster Carries On

5:58am April 21, 2020

To keep people entertained during lockdown, the video rental chain in Bend is offering curbside pickup. Customers request videos online and staff bring sanitized DVDs in Ziploc bags out to their cars.

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Betsey Johnson attends the Women's Guild Cedars-Sinai annual luncheon at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on November 6, 2019 in Beverly Hills, Calif.

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Arts

Betsey Johnson Talks Fashion, Love And Motherhood In Self-Titled Memoir

6:06pm April 19, 2020

by Michel Martin

The designer who has been pushing fashion boundaries for decades reveals more about the woman behind the brand — the whimsy and fun, but also difficult times, from relationships to health challenges.

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Books

In 'This Is Big,' Author Chronicles Her Weight Loss, Story Of Weight Watchers Founder

12:29pm April 19, 2020

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks with Marisa Meltzer about her new book, "This is Big: How the Founder of Weight Watchers Changed the World and Me."

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An activist holds a sign outside the U.S. Supreme Court in 2019.

Expert Warns Of 'Real Festival Of Partisan Gerrymandering' In 2021

12:16pm April 19, 2020

by Miles Parks

David Daley, who wrote a book on Republican redistricting efforts earlier this decade, worries that the next round of map-making could be just as bad.