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'Every Anxious Wave' Is A Wise, Witty Romp Through Time — And Indie Rock

1:46pm February 10, 2016

by Jason Heller

Packed with music references and enough science to keep its time travel premise plausible, Every Anxious Wave "rings with a uniqueness that transcends the tropes of time travel and indie romance."

Beyoncé, in a scene from the video for "Formation."

In Beyoncé's 'Formation,' A Glorification Of 'Bama' Blackness

10:02am February 10, 2016

by Jesmyn Ward

Beyoncé's latest song is for the black Southern woman, says National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward, who's from Mississippi. It's a message she needed to hear.

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Arts

When Caravaggio Plays Quevedo In Tennis, The Court Becomes A Sonnet

6:53pm February 09, 2016

by NPR Staff

"It's a little space, well-measured and precise, in which you have to keep the ball bouncing," says Álvaro Enrigue. His book, Sudden Death, pits the Italian painter against the Spanish poet.

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At 82, Broadway 'Master Of Ceremonies' Joel Grey Says, 'Life Seems Full'

1:51pm February 09, 2016

Grey explains how he brought his decadent Cabaret character to life on both the stage and screen, and reflects on coming out as gay after years of living closeted. His memoir is Master Of Ceremonies.

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Student playing with paper and pencil instead of sitting in box like other children

What Kids Need From Grown-Ups (But Aren't Getting)

12:33pm February 09, 2016

by Cory Turner

Author Erika Christakis mounts a spirited defense of a four-letter word that, she says, isn't used nearly enough in early classrooms: play.

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'Morning Star' Brings 'Red Rising' Trilogy To An End ... Eventually

7:00am February 09, 2016

by Jason Sheehan

Pierce Brown finishes his trilogy with a lot of exposition, and a really satisfying bang.

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Jhumpa Lahiri Finds Freedom In Italian Memoir: 'No One Expected Me To Do It'

5:33pm February 08, 2016

by NPR Staff

The Interpreter of Maladies author is a successful, Pulitzer Prize-winning English-language writer. But she found writing in Italian gave her true freedom; "Language is a very messy thing," she says.

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In this photo illustration Google's Chrome browser shortcut, Google Inc.'s new Web browser, is displayed next to Mozilla Firefox shortcut and Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser shortcut.

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How Do You Spot A Nonconformist? You Can Start With Their Internet Browser

8:04am February 07, 2016

by NPR Staff

According to Adam Grant, a person's preferred browser is one way to tell whether they accept or reject the defaults in their life. His new book is called Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World.

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Folklore For Hipsters: Fairy Tales Before They Were Cool

6:16am February 07, 2016

by Genevieve Valentine

Translated from Giambattista Basile's 17th century stories, Tale of Tales — known as the world's first collection of fairy tales — traverses through 50 fantastical adventures.

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Arts

Man Booker Prize Awardee Recasts Complex 'Merchant of Venice' Character

8:28am February 06, 2016

In "Shylock Is My Name," Howard Jacobson re-imagines one of Shakespeare's most thought-provoking characters. Scott Simon asks Jacobson about it.