Arts & Life

Books
Arts

'This Census-Taker' Is A Quiet Book With A Murderous Heart

5:14pm January 06, 2016

by Jason Sheehan

China Mieville's new novella feels like a fairy tale. It's set in an isolated hill village, where a young boy witnesses a terrible crime and meets a mysterious stranger who may (or may not) help him.

Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett (right) begin a love affair after meeting in a department store in Carol.

Arts

In 'Carol,' 2 Women Leap Into An Unlikely Love Affair

4:47pm January 06, 2016

Screenwriter Phyllis Nagy and director Todd Haynes discuss their new film based on Patricia Highsmith's 1952 novel, The Price of Salt. Nagy says the story was "extremely forward thinking."

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A daguerreotype of Jack-Be-Little Squash, an heirloom variety from plant conservationist Amy Goldman's farm in New York's Hudson Valley.

Books
Arts

In 'Heirloom Harvest,' Old-School Portraits Of Vegetable Treasures

3:50pm January 06, 2016

by Morgan McCloy

A leading expert of the daguerreotype started photographing a gardener's collection of heirloom vegetables 15 years ago. They've published a book to honor the unusual varieties in the collection.

Rey, played by Daisy Ridley, was the central figure in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. But she was far from a central figurine when it came to the movie's tie-in toys and games.

Arts

#WhereIsRey? She's On Her Way, Says Hasbro

3:22pm January 06, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

The newest Star Wars Monopoly game featured Finn, Kylo Ren, Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader — but not the latest film's heroine, Rey. Hasbro says it will add her to the game this year.

The New York Public Library's Labs team developed a visualization of all 180,000-plus public domain items now available to the public as high-resolution downloads.

Books
Arts

New York Public Library Makes 180,000 High-Res Images Available Online

1:37pm January 06, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

Maps, posters, manuscripts, sheet music, drawings, photographs, letters, ancient texts: Thousands of items in the public domain are now offered as high-resolution downloads. No library card necessary.

Former paramedic Kevin Hazzard says he received "zero training" before driving an ambulance for the first time.

Paramedic Shares His Wild Ride Treating 'A Thousand Naked Strangers'

5:15pm January 05, 2016

Kevin Hazzard, who worked as an Atlanta paramedic, rescued people from choking, overdoses, cardiac arrest, gunshot wounds and a host of other medical emergencies. Respiratory calls were his favorites.

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Foundation In Austin, Texas, Subsidizes Mental Health Care For Musicians

5:05pm January 05, 2016

by Wade Goodwyn

Musicians who are dealing with mental health and substance abuse problems in Austin, Texas, can get help from an organization there that provides reduced cost care --basically whatever the musicians can afford to pay-- from cooperating doctors and therapists.

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Steven Avery served 18 years in prison for sexual assault. He was exonerated by DNA evidence in 2003.

Arts

Over 10 Years, 2 Filmmakers Documented The 'Making' Of A Murderer

3:57pm January 05, 2016

by NPR Staff

Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi were film students when they started working on their 10-part Netflix series about Steven Avery. "We had no money, but what we did have was time," Demos says.

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Graphic Novelist Named National Ambassador For Young People's Literature

2:30pm January 05, 2016

NPR's Kelly McEvers talks with Gene Yang about becoming the first graphic novelist to be named the Library of Congress' National Ambassador for Young People's Literature.

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Books
Arts

Glittering 'Past' Channels Chekhov

1:43pm January 05, 2016

by Heller McAlpin

Tessa Hadley's new novel follows four siblings as they gather at a dilapidated family cottage for a bittersweet summer together. Critic Heller McAlpin praises Hadley's "wry compassion."