Arts & Life

Books
Arts

Coming To Terms With Depression In 'This Close To Happy'

3:47pm February 04, 2017

by NPR Staff

Novelist and critic Daphne Merkin's new memoir This Close to Happy chronicles a life spent struggling with depression, from love-starved childhood to hard-won equilibrium: Not cured, but functional.

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Books
Arts

A Spacefarer's Next Great Adventure Begins At 'Home'

7:00am February 04, 2017

by Amal El-Mohtar

Nnedi Okorafor's Binti: Home is the second installment in her series following a young woman with grand interstellar dreams, who now must reconcile her university experiences with her home culture.

Arts

'I Am Not Your Negro' Gives James Baldwin's Words New Relevance

6:34pm February 03, 2017

by Mallory Yu

Filmmaker Raoul Peck's latest documentary, I Am Not Your Negro, is based off James Baldwin's unfinished book, Remember This House, which tells the story of the lives and deaths of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.

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A still from Budweiser's Super Bowl ad tells the story of one of Budweiser's founders.

Budweiser's Super Bowl Ad And The Great Debate Over What It Means To Be An American

6:32pm February 03, 2017

by Maria Godoy

Despite taking some historical liberties, Bud's new ad about its founder gets some things right — like the hostility toward new immigrants and suspicion of their un-American ways (like drinking).

Arts

'Wheeler' Follows Life And Career Of Little-Known Country Music Singer

5:22pm February 03, 2017

by Bob Mondello

The new documentary-style film, Wheeler, explores the life of a country music singer you may not have heard of — for a reason.

Arts

Commercial For Nicer Living: The Gift Of Doing Nothing

4:37pm February 03, 2017

All Things Considered asked listeners to send us suggestions for radio ads that promote the best things in life that are free, and then we turned five submissions into radio spots. Today, we hear a Commercial for Nicer Living that champions the gift of doing nothing.

Listeners Sold Us On What's Special To Them ... And They Sure Got Specific

4:03pm February 03, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

When we asked listeners to write ads of their own for their favorite things in life, we weren't surprised by some of the answers. But some — like burned toast and moss — were literally one of a kind.

Arts

'It's A Playground': Meryl Streep On Acting With Abandon

1:53pm February 03, 2017

Streep is nominated for an Oscar for playing Florence Foster Jenkins, a socialite who didn't let her imperfect voice stop her from becoming an opera singer. Originally broadcast Aug. 10, 2016.

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Arts

'La La Land' Director Aimed To Make A Film Even Musical Skeptics Would Love

1:53pm February 03, 2017

Damien Chazelle, who is nominated for an Oscar for his musical La La Land, says songs are "an expression of inner feelings that can't be articulated any other way." Originally broadcast Jan 5, 2017.

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Arts

The Complaint Department

12:19pm February 03, 2017

We take a trip to the Complaint Department, for a game in which clues are inspired by actual complaints and corrections we've received from our listeners.

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