Books

"King of Sting" Justin O. Schmidt is a biologist at the Southwestern Biological Institute. A "connoisseur of pain," he has ranked 83 different insect stings on a pain index based on his own experience.

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Stung By 83 Different Insects, Biologist Rates His Pain On A Scale Of 1 To — OW!

2:51pm May 15, 2016

by NPR Staff

Biologist Justin Schmidt has traveled all over the world looking for bugs ... and getting stung by them. He documents his travels/travails in his new book The Sting of the Wild.

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Quail in dandelion's nest — one of Pascal Baudar's wild-crafted culinary creations. "So many wild plants, so little time," says Baudar. He leads foraging expeditions in the forests of Los Angeles and works with chefs to create meals based on wild foods.

Urban Foraging: Unearthing The Wildcrafted Flavors Of Los Angeles

2:10pm May 15, 2016

by Jonaki Mehta

For Pascal Baudar, LA is a treasure trove of edible plants and insects that he uses in unusual culinary creations. He helps some of the city's top chefs put wild foods on menus and has a new cookbook.

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Physicist Talks 'Great Leaps' Of Physical World In 'Seven Brief Lessons On Physics'

7:58am May 15, 2016

At only 78 pages long, Carlo Rovelli's "Seven Brief Lessons on Physics" is certainly that. He speaks with NPR's Linda Wertheimer about modern physics.

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'The Mirror Thief' Reflects Three Transfixing Tales

7:00am May 15, 2016

by Michael Schaub

Martin Seay's debut novel tells three separate but connected stories, all revolving around an alchemist in 16th-century Venice who conspires to smuggle two legendary mirror-makers out of the city.

Thomas Thwaites says his exoskeleton was meant to help him feel like a goat, as opposed to helping him look like one.

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When Being Human Got His Goat, This Designer Became One

8:47am May 14, 2016

by NPR Staff

To be human is to worry, but "you look at a goat," says Thomas Thwaites, "and it's just ... free." In GoatMan, Thwaites explains how he learned to walk, eat and think like the ruminant.

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A sample of the note cards the scholars are using to assemble the comprehensive Latin dictionary.

The Ultimate Latin Dictionary: After 122 Years, Still At Work On The Letter 'N'

8:29am May 14, 2016

by Byrd Pinkerton

Work on the Thesaurus Linguae Latinae began in 1894 and carries on to this day in a Bavarian palace in Munich, Germany. There's still a long way to go for a project with a soft deadline of 2050.

For Pulitzer Prize-Winner Gregory Pardlo, Poetry Offers 'Intimacy' Between Strangers

8:00am May 14, 2016

In the latest conversation marking the centenary of the Pulitzers, NPR's Scott Simon asks Gregory Pardlo what it means for a poet to win the prize and how it affects his poetry.

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Madness And A Search For Healing In 'Albina And The Dog-Men'

7:00am May 14, 2016

by Juan Vidal

Alejandro Jodorowsky's hallucinatory new novel follows two women on the run — one suffering from a monstrous affliction. Though disturbing in places, it has the feel of an ancient fireside tale.

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Baltimore Author Discusses 'Living (And Dying) While Black'

2:13pm May 13, 2016

Author D. Watkins says that crack destroyed his East Baltimore neighborhood, and he explains how the real day-to-day of selling drugs is nothing like the movies. Originally broadcast Oct. 1, 2015.

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Remembering Michael S. Harper, A Poet With An Ear For Jazz

2:13pm May 13, 2016

Harper, who died Saturday, was known for his jazz-influenced poems. His first volume of poetry, Dear John, Dear Coltrane, was nominated for a National Book Award in 1978. Originally broadcast in 2000.

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