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Is 007 Losing His Cool? 'Trigger Mortis' Helps Bring Bond Into 21st Century

6:44pm September 16, 2015

by NPR Staff

From Bond's smoking habit to the Pussy Galore storyline, there's a lot about the franchise that doesn't fly anymore. In a new Bond novel, writer Anthony Horowitz gives the spy story a modern edge.

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Ken Chen is the executive director of the Asian American Writers' Workshop in New York.

Why A White Poet Posed As Asian To Get Published, And What's Wrong With That

6:44pm September 16, 2015

by Ken Chen

A white man called Michael Derrick Hudson used the name Yi-Fen Chou as a strategy to get published. Ken Chen of the Asian American Writers' Workshop in New York says the writer wanted to be "special."

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Superpowers Meet The Supernatural In 'Wayward'

3:07pm September 16, 2015

by Etelka Lehoczky

Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer will get a kick out of a graphic novel series that takes the magical-teens-battling-evil-monsters trope and transplants it to a lovingly rendered Tokyo.

Author Discusses Francis, A Pope Seeking To Change 'The Tone Of The Church'

1:38pm September 16, 2015

On the eve of the Pope's first visit to the U.S., journalist Paul Vallely discuses the reforms Francis is making within the Church as well as the teachings that the pope is unlikely to change.

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From Mexico Kidnappings To Eric Garner, Hererra Writes Poetry Of The Moment

10:23am September 16, 2015

by Craig Morgan Teicher

Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera's new book of poems melds the political with the personal. Critic Craig Morgan Teicher says it makes for deep yet accessible reading.

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A Dreamy Marriage Turns To Rage In 'Fates And Furies'

8:40pm September 15, 2015

by Jason Sheehan

In her newest novel, Lauren Groff uses a split narrative to tell the story of a long marriage. Critic Jason Sheehan says the device works thanks to Groff's stunning language.

"Poetry is a call to action," says poet laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, "and it also is action."

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Arts

Poet Laureate's Migrant Childhood Was Like 'Living In Literature Every Day'

7:42pm September 15, 2015

by NPR Staff

Juan Felipe Herrera is the child of Mexican migrant farmworkers. He says, "I had a mother [who] sang and told stories and loved poetry, even though she only went to third grade."

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'Story Of My Teeth' Covers Art, Identity And Dental Adventures

5:37pm September 15, 2015

by Heller McAlpin

Critic Heller McAlpin calls Valeria Luiselli's novel a "philosophical funhouse" that melds the story of a charming auctioneer with meditations on the value of objects and the power of story.

Books

Shortlist Revealed For 2015 Man Booker Prize

4:55pm September 15, 2015

by Lynn Neary

One-third of the short-listed nominees are American, which could make some British authors unhappy.

Scott Shane reports on the U.S. intelligence community for The New York Times.

Drone Strike That Killed Awlaki 'Did Not Silence Him,' Journalist Says

8:38pm September 14, 2015

In Operation Troy, author Scott Shane details the life, death and influence of Anwar al-Awlaki. "His status as a martyr has given his message even greater authority," Shane says of the propagandist.

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